This is the popular myth of Helen’s birth that indirectly contributed to the cause of the battle of Troy.

 

Helen is the most important figure of Greek mythology. The abduction of Helen by Paris contributed directly to the beginning of the battle of Troy. Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda. Her putative father was Tyndareus. She was married to Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The birth of Helen is a very popular mythological story and it sowed the seed for the Battle of Troy.

Zeus, the King of Gods once, took the form of a magnificent, beautiful swan. He was flying in the sky camouflaged when an eagle started chasing him. Leda spotted the swan and gave it refuge. Leda was the daughter of Thestios, the king of Pleuron. Leda was a beautiful woman. Her splendour attracted Zeus and he spied on her from Mount Olympus. Zeus tricked her, portraying himself as helpless and impregnated her. On the same day Leda also slept with her husband, Tyndareus. Leda as a result of these unions gave birth to two eggs. From one of the eggs hatched Helen and Pollux and from the other hatched Clytemenestra and Castor. It is believed that Helen and Pollux are Zeus’ children and Clytemenestra and Castor are the children of Tyndareus.

In another version, Zeus seduced Nemesis and both of them turned into majestic geese. The two eggs were laid by Nemesis and Leda was the one who took care of the eggs until they hatched and nurtured them as her own after they were born.

The eggs travelled to Leda by the hands of a shepherd, who supposedly found it in a grove in Attica. There are many popular versions of this story, another version says, Hermes dropped the eggs into her lap.

Helen had grown up to be the most beautiful woman on earth. She was married to Menelaus. Paris was mesmerized by her beauty and abducted her. This led to the Battle of Troy. Helen had been abducted for her beauty, before once by Theseus that led to the conflict between Athens and Sparta.

Clytemenestra was married to the great warrior Agamemnon of Mycenae. She is both a wronged woman and a murderous wife. Castor and Pollux were inseparable twin warriors. Pollux was immortal whereas, Castor was mortal. After Castor was killed, Pollux gave up his immortality to be united with him in Heaven. Together they formed the beautiful constellation of Gemini.

Zeus was married to the immortal goddess Hera. Hera had severely punished many of the women engaged with Zeus and their children but Leda and her Children did not seen to arouse her wrath initially.

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