Monday, November 28, 2011

Mythological Mondays

Bonnie at A Backwards Story is hosting Mythological Mondays.  Instead of a book review, I'm doing a FAQ list.


Regarding Helen of Troy, did you know:  


1) The ancient Greeks never called her “Helen of Troy.”  She was commonly called “Helen of Argos.”  Since argos was their word for gold, this probably meant “Helen the golden.”  Presumably she had light hair and golden skin. 

2) The Greeks piled up story after story onto the original account.  One scholar said if you added up all these stories, Helen would have been sixty-five by the time she arrives at Troy. 

3) The oldest accounts of Helen are in The Iliad and The Odyssey.  At the very end of The Odyssey, Homer reveals that Helen was tricked into boarding the ship headed for Troy.  In other words, the oldest account has Helen going to Troy against her will, instead of pursuing young love. 

4) Helen and her husband Menelaus (in Greece) had a daughter, Hermione.  Yes, Harry Potter fans, that’s where the name comes from.  

3 comments:

  1. Where poor Helen was tricked. Poor girl. That's actually the name I gave my laptop. Have a nice vacation...that's what your email says anyway. :)

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  2. oh wow, I didn't know all those facts about Helen. It's interesting the first account has her boarding the ship against her will.

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  3. Great facts. I enjoyed reading these. I, too, was unaware Helen was tricked.

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