- This article is about the mythological figure Helen of Troy. For other uses, see Helen (disambiguation) and Helen of Troy (disambiguation).
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Just because you don't blog about politics as fervently as those so ... You can find out more at BUM 2009 official blog. posted by Helen at 12:32 PM 4 comments ...allofhelen.blogspot.com/Dr. Helen
The Dr. Helen Playpen. The War Room. Podcast Archive. Advertise on blogs ... Ask Dr. Helen: Suicide, men and money. Thoughts on health care. Gift or Burden? ...drhelen.blogspot.com/Helen's Blog
Helen's Blog. Musings, rambling, tips and gardening advice. Skirmishing in the trenches ... XHTML. XFN. WordPress.com. Blog at WordPress.com. Entries (RSS) ...helenyemm.com/Find a Mountain Home Blog
... by Helen ... February 11th, 2009 by Helen. This chart documents the declining sales over ... Helen Phillips 828 264 1434 Coe Realty. Homes Sales, Watauga Co, ...www.coerealty.com/blog/Everyday Stranger
home • about • contact • links • wishlist. blog advertising Go on, do it today! ... It's about routines - you write a blog post at 9 am, you drink two cups of ...everydaystranger.mu.nu/- This article is about the mythological figure Helen of Troy. For other uses, see Helen (disambiguation) and Helen of Troy (disambiguation).

In Greek mythology, Helen (in Greek, – Helénē), better known as Helen of Sparta later Helen of Troy, was the daughter of Zeus and Leda (or Nemesis), wife of King Menelaus of Sparta and sister of Castor, Polydeuces and Clytemnestra. Her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War. Helen was described by Christopher Marlowe as having "the face that launched a thousand ships."
Etymology
Helen is the English form of the Greek ‘Ελενη (Helene), probably derived from Greek ‘ελενη (helene) "torch" or "corposant", or possibly related to σεληνη (selene) "moon".
If it has an Indo-European etymology, it is possibly a suffixed form of a root *wel- "to turn, roll" or "to cover, enclose" (compare Varuna, Veles), or of *sel- "to flow, run". The latter possibility would allow comparison to Vedic Saraṇyū, who is abducted in RV 10.17.2, a parallel suggestive of a Proto-Indo-European abduction myth.
Birth

On the other hand, in the Cypria, one of the Cyclic Epics, Helen was the daughter of Zeus and the goddess Nemesis. The date of the Cypria is uncertain, but it is generally thought to preserve traditions that date back to at least the 7th century BC. In the Cypria, Nemesis did not wish to mate with Zeus. She therefore changed shape into various animals as she attempted to flee Zeus, finally becoming a goose. Zeus also transformed himself into a goose and mated with Nemesis, who produced an egg from which Helen was born. Presumably in the Cypria this egg was given to Leda; in the 5th century comedy "Nemesis" by Cratinus, Leda was told to sit on an egg so that it would hatch, and this is no doubt the egg that was produced by Nemesis. Asclepiades and Pseudo-Eratosthenes related a similar story, except that Zeus and Nemesis became swans instead of geese. Timothy Gantz has suggested that the tradition that Zeus came to Leda in the form of a swan derives from the version in which Zeus and Nemesis transformed into birds.
Abduction by Theseus
Two Athenians, Theseus and Pirithous, pledged to wed daughters of Zeus. Theseus chose Helen, and Pirithous vowed to marry Persephone, the wife of Hades. Theseus and Pirithous kidnapped Helen and left her with Theseus' mother, Aethra, while they traveled to the underworld, the domain of Hades, to kidnap Persephone. Hades pretended to offer them hospitality and set a feast. As soon as the pair sat down, snakes coiled around their feet and held them there. Helen was subsequently rescued by her brothers, Castor and Pollux, who returned her to Sparta.


























