Helen of Troy is the most beautiful women the world has ever known based on the Greek Mythology. She inherited her features from her mother Leda and her father Zeus who are also both Greek God and Goddess. Her siblings are Clymnestra, Castor and Pollux is also considered as her twins. It is also written in the Greek Mythology that her mother had intercourse with Zeus and Tyndareus the same night she was conceived. This is why her father might be Zeus or Tyndareus, which means her twin siblings who are also conceived at the same time are possibly related to the two Gods Zeus and Tyndareus.
Her beauty is literally something that will start and end a war. The Trojan started because of her affair with Paris which others considered as abduction. Paris sacrificed so many lives in order to win her heart and to keep her by his side. He sent soldiers to fight the armies of Troy and he even convinced his brother Agamemnon to lead his army. Agamemnon even sacrificed her daughter to Artemis just to have the favor of the winds during their journey to Troy. This proves how her beauty caught the heart of many men who are willing to risk everything just to have her.
She has an undeniable beauty that will catch any men in her time. When she was still in her younger years she was abducted by Theseus. At that time , her suitors are competitive and all of them wanted to win her heart over marriage. Twelve years of age but she was already sought by men who wants to take her as their wife. Their adoration for Helen of Troy leads them to swear an oath that will require them to be included in the military assistance of her abduction. The oath is also known as Oath of Tyndareus and it made the Trojan War worse than ever. She then got married to Menelaus and the history never told if she really fell in love with her or she was just forced. When Menelaus gone busy with the war, Helen flew with Paris to Troy and had an affair with him. They have had children while they were together, but unfortunately none of them survived and lived long. Paris who is the son of Trojan King Priam died in the war and after he passed away Helen married his brother Deiphobus. Although she betrayed Menelaus a couple of times she stil came back to Sparta and lived with him happily until their last breath.
She has a daughter named Hermione but some accounts of history states that the kid is not her biological daughter but his husband’s child from a slave because Helen did not want to bear a child of her own. In some historical accounts it is also mentioned that she had a son but it died just like his other children. Her acts are also questioned up until now because of the different versions of her stories written by different authors. Others accused her of being a flirt because of her affairs with other men while being married with Menelaus. Some also states that the reason she flew with Paris is because he abducted, forced and raped her. It is never cleared whether any of the versions are true yet she is still adored by people despite these stories.
Helen played a very important role in the fall of Troy. Her femininity did not stop her to lead the Trojan women. She did not contain herself inside a box of stereotypes despite of her gender. She did the things that made her feel empowered and that made her one of the most powerful yet beautiful woman in the history of Greek Mythology. She did not want to bear a child and her husband Menelaus respected her and got a slave who bore his child. She fought with her fellow Greek women and tortured the memory of men and that caused them major self-destruction.
She is not as contained as what women are supposed to be. She used her beauty and intelligence to stand up for herself and not just become a wife who follows her husband. While some historical accounts do not agree with this, and the contradicting statements are that Helen is helpless and lonely. It is also a theory that she had marital affairs with different men because she could not afford to feel alone at times that her husband is busy protecting Sparta. The marital affairs also said to anger Menelaus and so he planned on killing Helen if she ever comes back, but the moment he saw her beauty her sword fell off and his anger vanished.
Truly she is not just a symbol of women empowerment but also a physical symbol of what beauty is. Many paintings included her as a subject that shows the standard of beauty during her time. Although nobody knows her real appearance artists paints her as someone who wears skirts and girdles and has long hair that looks like it has been treated every day. If we are going to base her beauty and compare it to the present standard of beauty she will be labelled as a normal face. Her body as illustrated in paintings and books are not that perfect too and it will be far from what the standard of alluring this generation has.
Despite of all the unknown and unsure facts about her she is still the image that comes to the mind of some people when beauty is mentioned. For a war to start just because of a woman is something that will really make people wonder. Her attitude is also not as typical when compared to the gender norms and that makes her very special.
She became an inspiration of many artists not just and painting but also in poems. She became the subject of many poets. They describe her as the most beautiful creature the history has ever had. Countless adores her but questions how her beauty started a war that took away lives of so many people.
Her influence did not stop there because even the present age considers how big her effect is in the past. Films and television series also showcased how a pretty face made men fight and risk their lives. They are amazed by how empowered she is even though she did not do any effort. She attracts men by doing nothing and that is surely something that a lot of girls wanted to be.
From the Greek Mythology her story already reached Hollywood and even it was so long ago ever since her beauty captured the attention of people her story is still being taught to the young people. From our great-grandparents down to us and the next generation, her story will still be amazing. The only women who made men gone mad and started a war just because of her beauty. It is only in our greatest imaginations that it will be us and maybe before we heard her story we always wonder if that can be real. Helen of Troy made it happen and nobody ever did again.
Helen of Troy proved that no cultural stereotypes can keep the beauty of women inside a box. The social norms that are way stronger before than it is now did not stop her from being the most beautiful women of her time. Her beauty started and ended a war, her elegance and intelligence captured many hearts and is still capturing up until now. She is truly an inspiration for woman empowerment and her story will be passed on through generations forever.