Elena Prekrasnaya ( Troyanskaya , Spartanskaya ; dr. Greek. Ἑλένη ) - in ancient Greek mythology [7] the most beautiful of women. According to Lycophron , the Moira determined her to have five husbands [8] . Initially, Helen was a Dorian fertility deity, who was worshiped in Sparta and in the historical era [9] .
| Elena the beautiful | |
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| Floor | |
| Father | |
| Mother | or |
| Brothers and sisters | , and |
| Spouse | , and |
| Children | , , , , , , , , , and |
Content
- 1 Myths
- 1.1 Birth of Helen
- 1.2 The abduction of Helena by Theseus
- 1.3 Helena's Wedding
- 1.4 The abduction of Elena
- 1.5 Death of Elena
- 2 Image in art
- 2.1 Cinema
- 3 Named after Elena
- 4 notes
- 5 Literature
- 5.1 Ancient sources
- 5.2 Contemporary literature
Myths
Helen's Birth
According to the most common myths, reflected back in the Iliad [10] and Odyssey [11], Homer was the daughter of Zeus and Leda , the wife of the Spartan king Tyndareus . Zeus, seduced by the beauty of Leda, turned into a swan and took possession of it. At night, the legal spouse of Tyndare entered the chambers of Leda. As a result, the woman had two sons ( Kastor and Polydewk ) and two daughters (Elena and Klitemnestra ). Castor and Clytemnestra were the children of the Spartan king, while Polydeus and Elena were the Olympic god. Having become pregnant from Zeus in the form of a swan, Leda gave birth to an egg from which her children hatched [12] [13] . According to Euripides, Elena was the third daughter of Leda after Phoebe and Clytemnestra [14] ; This version does not contradict the previous one, since Leda, before the birth of two pairs of twins, could have another daughter [15] [16] .
According to another version, Zeus was inflamed with love not for Leda, but for the goddess of retribution Nemesis . Trying to escape from the supreme god, the rebellious goddess constantly changed her appearance. When she took the form of a goose, Zeus turned into a swan, overtook her and took possession of it. Soon she laid an egg, which, according to one version, was found by a shepherd and brought to Lede [17] , according to another, she gave the Spartan Queen Hermes [18] . Leda put the find in the casket, and when Elena and her brothers and sister hatched from it, she brought them up as her relatives. According to the ancient Greek writer and geographer of the 2nd century AD e. Pausanias , the remains of this egg were stored in the temple of Leucippides in Sparta [12] [19] [20] .
According to the third version presented by Hesiod , one of the oceanids was Elena’s mother [21] .
The abduction of Helena by Theseus
Elena, when she was a child, was abducted by the widowed Pirifa and Theseus . Friends in their pride went so far that they decided at all costs to make Zeus’s daughters their wives [22] . First they went to Lacedaemon. Having seized the right moment, they stole ten- or twelve-year-old Elena [22] , when she was in the temple of Artemis [23] [24] and taken to Athens. Along the way, they threw lots, swearing this to each other that the kidnapped girl would go to the winner's wife. At the same time, the winner promised in advance to provide the loser with maximum assistance in the search and abduction of another woman. The winning lot fell to Theseus and he made Helen his wife [25] .
The Athenians were outraged by such an act of their king. Then Theseus took his slave wife to one of the cities of Attica Athens, putting her mother Efra to her. In fulfillment of the oath made by Pirifos, Theseus was forced to accompany a friend who decided to abduct, according to one version - the goddess of the underworld Persephone [17] [23] , according to another - the daughter of Tsar Epirus with the same name [24] [16] .
Theseus' campaign with Pirifoy was unsuccessful. Both friends were captured, (to Hades or the king of Epirus). At this time, Castor and Polydeus came to Attica, captured and destroyed Athens, freed their sister and at the same time captured the mother of Theseus Efra, making her a slave to Helen [23] [17] . According to a more common version, the Spartan queen remained a virgin, according to another, less popular, she was pregnant at the time of her release. On the way to Lacedaemon, in Argos , Elena gave birth to a daughter, Iphigenia . In honor of this event, Elena dedicated the temple to the goddess-ancestor of Ilithia , and the daughter herself gave up to her sister Klitemnestra , who had become Queen Miken by then , and then married [26] [16] [27] .
Helen's Wedding
Dozens of kings and famous warriors from all over Hellas came to Elena to Elena, known for her beauty and nobleness of origin. Hesiod gives 12 names [28] , Apollodorus - 31 [29] , Hygin - 37 [30] .
| Name | Source | Parents | Terrain | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hesiod | Apollodorus | Gigin | |||
| Agapenor | Ankeia and Iotides | Tegea in Arcadia | |||
| Alkmeon | Amfiarai and Erifila | Argos | |||
| Amphilochus | Amfiarai and Erifila | Argos | |||
| Amphimachus | Kteat and Feronika | Elida | |||
| Ankey | Poseidon and Astypalea | Samos | |||
| Antilochus | Nestor and Eurydice | Pylos | |||
| Askalaf | Ares and Astyoch | Orchomen in Boeotia | |||
| Ajax the Great | Telamon and Peribey | Salamis | |||
| Ajax Small | Oileus and the nymph Rena | Lokrid | |||
| Blanir | |||||
| Diomedes | Thideus and Deipila | Argos | |||
| Eumel | Admet and Alkestida | Feres | |||
| Euripilus | Ememon and Ops | ||||
| Ialmen | Ares and Astyoch | Orchomen in Boeotia | |||
| Idomene | Deucalion and | Crete | |||
| Chianei | |||||
| Clitius | |||||
| Leit | Allector | Bootia | |||
| Leontay | Coron | lapith tribe | |||
| Lycomed | Apollo and Parthenopa | Crete | |||
| Swallowtail | Asclepius and Epion | Trick | |||
| Meget | Sirloin and Eustiochus | ||||
| Menelaus | Atreus and Airport | Sparta | |||
| Menespheus | Peteoy | Athens | |||
| Merion | Mol and Melfida | Crete | |||
| Nireus | Harop and Nymph Aglaya | Symi | |||
| Odysseus | Laertes and Anticlea | Ithaca | |||
| Patroclus | Menethius and Phenella | ||||
| Penelay | Hippalkim and Asterope | Thebes | |||
| Podalirium | Asclepius and Epion | Trick | |||
| Gift | Idfil | ||||
| Polyksen | Agasfen and Pelorida | Elida | |||
| Polypet | Pirifoy and Hippodamia | lapith tribe | |||
| Protesilai | Idfil | ||||
| Profoy | Tentredon and Cleobulus | Magnesia | |||
| Phenel | Capanei | Argos | |||
| Shady | Ifit and Hippolyta | Fokey | |||
| Tevcre Telamonid | Telamon and Hesion | Salamis | |||
| Tlepole | Hercules and Astyoch | Rhodes | |||
| Falpius | Hebrew and Perefon | Elida | |||
| Fidipp | Thessal | Kos | |||
| Philoctetus | Peant and Demonassa | ||||
| Foant | Andremont and Gorga | Aetolia | |||
| Elefenor | Chalcodont and Alkion | Euboea | |||
| Epistroph | Ifit and Hippolyta | Phocis | |||
Tyndareus faced a difficult choice. Of the dozens of famous warriors, kings, sons of the gods, the Spartan king could get one friend who became the husband of Helen, and several dozen angry enemies. Among the many suitors was Odysseus. Assessing his chances close to zero, he suggested that Tyndareus solve the problem, with the condition that the latter help him in his matchmaking to Penelope . The Spartan king gladly agreed. Then Odysseus offered to bind all potential husbands of Elena with an oath. All candidates pledged to recognize Elena’s future husband and, most importantly, to help him in case of danger and resentment [31] [32] [16] .
After a solemn promise, either Elena herself chose Menelaus [33] [34] , or Tyndareus chose one for her adopted daughter [31] [16] . They had a daughter, Hermione, and a son, Nicostratus [35] .
Abduction of Helen
While Elena lived in Sparta, events that affected the future life of the Spartan princess and the whole of Hellas were played out on Olympus and in the vicinity of Troy . The goddess of discord Eris tossed Hera , Athena and Aphrodite the apple of discord with the inscription "The Most Beautiful." Immediately, a dispute broke out between the three beauties about who to possess the apple, and Zeus appointed a mere mortal judge - the Trojan prince Paris . Each of the applicants, wanting to win, tried to bribe a judge with benefits unattainable for ordinary people. Hera promised to make him the most powerful king, Athena - a glorified hero, and the goddess of love Aphrodite promised to help get any woman he wants as a wife. The latter also received a contested apple [36] .
After some time, Paris sailed to Greece, where he took advantage of Menelaus' hospitality. Aphrodite told her son Eros to pierce the middle of Helena with an arrow of love. After this was done, Elena inflamed with love for Paris. A few days later, the owner had to go to Crete for the funeral of his maternal grandfather Katreya . Using the departure of Menelaus, Paris abducted Elena and sailed from Sparta. The unfaithful wife took most of the property with her, but left her nine-year-old daughter at home [37] [38] [39] [40] .
The abduction of Helen by Paris led to the Trojan War . According to Lycophron, Helen was abducted from the coast near Githias [41] , when she sacrificed to Phisadamus and Bino [42] , according to Dareth - from Gelos, according to Ptolemy Hephaestion - when she hunted Mount Parthenius [43] , according to Draconius - from the Temple of Aphrodite in Cyprus [44] .
For the first time, Elena made love to Paris on the island of Kranaya [45] in Laconia or on the island of Elena (now Makronisos ) off the coast of Attica (Acts) [46] , according to John Tzets - on Salamis [47] . According to the version dating back to Stesichore, Hera created her ghost, which was abducted by Paris , and the real Elena was transferred by Hermes to the house of Proteus [48] , and she spent the next 17 years in Egypt [49] . According to Homer , Elena spent 20 years in Troy [50] . After the death of Paris, she became the wife of Deiphobus .
Elena recognized Diomedes and Odyssey when they abducted the Palladium from Troy [51] (or only Odyssey [52] ). According to Euripides , she tried to escape from Troy, but Deiphobus prevented her [53] . Summoned heroes sitting in a Trojan horse [54] . According to one version, she showed a torch from the wall and betrayed Troy [55] . According to Virgil , on the night of the capture of Troy, she hid in the temple of Vesta [56] . Menelaus dropped his sword when he saw her naked [57] . People wanted to stone her (it is not clear who), but, seeing her face, they dropped the stones to the ground [58] . Depicted in the painting Polygnot at Delphi [59] .
According to the prediction of the oracle, sailing from Troy, she threw into the sea a tripod of the work of Hephaestus, which was found by braid fishermen and then got to the seven wise men [60] .
Helen's Death
According to the Spartan version, Elena’s grave is located in the town of Ferapna near Sparta [61] . Her sanctuary is located in Sparta, next to the tomb of Alkman [62] .
According to the Rhodes version, after the death of Menelaus, Elena was expelled by Nicostratus and Megapenf and arrived in Rhodes with her friend Polikso, the widow of Tlepolem . Polikso, wanting revenge on Elena for the death of her husband, sent her servants in the form of Erinius, when she bathed. They captured Elena and hung her on a tree. Therefore, the Rhodians have a temple of Helen Dendritis (Woody) [63] . According to another version, the Rhodians only stoned the handmaiden, whom Menelaus put on in Elena’s dress [64] . Theocritus mentions Helena's connection with trees [65] .
According to Ptolemy Hephaestion , on the way back from Troy, Elena was killed by Thetis , who took the form of a seal [66] , according to another version of his pen, Menelaus and Elena sought Orestes, and Iphigenia sacrificed them to Artemis [67] . According to Stesichore and the Crotonians, Elena, after her death, became the wife of Achilles and settled on the island of Levka at the mouth of the Danube [68] .
In the tragedy of Euripides " Orest, " Elena entered the host of immortal gods, which was preceded by dramatic events. Orestes and his sister Elektra were sentenced to death for having killed their mother Clytemnestra , avenging the death of their father. Orestes and his friend Pilad decided, since death was inevitable, to take revenge on Menelaus and Elena, because of which Hellas experienced a lot of grief. They defeated the bodyguards of the Spartan princess and were ready to commit the murder, but Apollo took Elena to Olympus, and she took a place next to her brothers Dioscuri in the starry sky [69] [70] .
Image in Art
The protagonist of the tragedies of Sophocles “The Abduction of Helena”, or “Elena”, “The Wedding of Elena”, Euripides “The Trojans ”, “ Elena ” and “ Orest ”, Diogenes and Theodect “Elena”, Seneca “The Trojans ”, comedies by Alexis “The Bridesmaids of Elena” and "The Abduction of Helen." In the Odyssey , Elena, after her wanderings, returns to Sparta with Menelaus and lives there.
In Goethe ’s tragedy “ Faust, ” the main character, with the help of Mephistopheles, goes to the afterlife and rescues Elena.
As part of the Achaean cycle, Henry Lyon Oldie dedicated the sad story “She and her men” to her.
Tintoretto painted the painting " The Abduction of Helena ", moving the action in the XVI century.
Cinema
- 1951 - musical film “Elena Troyanskaya” (Sköna Helena) by Gustav Edgren; in the role of Elena - Eva Dalbek .
- 1956 - “Elena Troyanskaya” by Robert Weiss; the role of Elena was performed by the Italian actress Rossana Podesta .
- 1961 - The Trojan War by Ferroni, Giorgio ; the role of Elena was played by Edie Wessel .
- 1971 - The Trojans by Michalis Kakoyannis ; the role of Elena was played by the Greek actress Irene Papas .
- 2003 - mini-series " Elena Troyanskaya " by John Kent Harrison; the role of Elena was performed by actress Sienna Gillory
- 2004 - Troy by Wolfgang Petersen ; Elena was played by German actress Diana Krueger .
- 2018 - mini-series “ The Fall of Troy ”; in the role of Elena - Bella Dane.
Named after Helen
The asteroid (101) Elena , which was discovered on August 15, 1868 by the American astronomer J.K. Watson at the Detroit Observatory , USA , is named after Elena Troyanskaya.
“Elena the Beautiful” is the nickname of the Polish steam train Pm36 .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Lubker F. Helena // The Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities according to Lubker / Ed. F.F. Zelinsky , L.A. Georgievsky , M.S. Kutorg , etc. - St. Petersburg. : Society of Classical Philology and Pedagogy , 1885. - P. 597.
- ↑ Lubker F. Menelaus // The Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities by Lubker / Ed. F.F. Zelinsky , L.A. Georgievsky , M.S. Kutorg , etc. - St. Petersburg. : Society of Classical Philology and Pedagogy , 1885. - P. 855–856.
- ↑ 1 2 Augias C. I segreti di Roma : Storie, luoghi e personaggi di una capitale - 2007 .-- P. 3 .-- 424 p. - ISBN 978-88-04-56641-0
- ↑ Hermione // Encyclopedic Dictionary - St. Petersburg. : Brockhaus - Efron , 1893. - T. VIIIa. - S. 539.
- ↑ Lubker F. Hermione // The Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities by Lubker / Ed. F.F. Zelinsky , L.A. Georgievsky , M.S. Kutorg , etc. - St. Petersburg. : Society of Classical Philology and Pedagogy , 1885. - S. 617.
- ↑ Lubker F. Iphigenia // The Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities by Lubker / Ed. F.F. Zelinsky , L.A. Georgievsky , M.S. Kutorg , etc. - St. Petersburg. : Society of Classical Philology and Pedagogy , 1885. - S. 667–668.
- ↑ Myths of the peoples of the world . M., 1991-92. In 2 t. T. 1. S.431-432, Lubker F. The Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities . M., 2001. In 3 vol. T. 2. S.97
- ↑ Lycophron. Alexandra 146
- ↑ Elena // Great Soviet Encyclopedia . - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia . 1969-1978.
- ↑ Homer . Song of the Third // Iliad = Ιλιάς / Transl. N.I. Gnedich . Lines 199, 418, 426
- ↑ Homer . Song of the Twenty-Third // Odyssey = Οδύσσεια / Per. V.A. Zhukovsky . Line 218
- ↑ 1 2 Pausanias, 1996 , "Description of Hellas. Book III. Chapter 16 (1)."
- ↑ Avsonius, 1993 , "Vulture on the Number Three. 10".
- ↑ Euripides, 2014 , " Iphigenia in Aulides. 48-51 ."
- ↑ Graves, 1992 , “Twin Rivalry (b),” p. 159.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Myths of the peoples of the world, 1990 , "Elena", p. 356–358.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Apollodorus, 1972 , "Mythological library. Book III. X (7)."
- ↑ Gigin Astronomy, 1997 , "Book II. 8. Swan," p. 47-48.
- ↑ Graves, 1992 , Tyuche and Nemesis, p. 79.
- ↑ Myths of the World, 1990 , Nemesis, p. 718-719.
- ↑ Hesiod, 2001 , "List of Women or Eoi. Fragment 24," p. 101.
- ↑ 1 2 Apollodorus, 1972 , "Mythological library. Epitome. I (23)."
- ↑ 1 2 3 Gigin Myths, 2000 , "79. Elena."
- ↑ 1 2 Plutarch, 1994 , "Comparative biographies. Theseus 31."
- ↑ Diodorus of Sicily, 2000 , "The Historical Library. Book IV. LXIII."
- ↑ Pausanias, 1996 , "Description of Hellas. Book II. Chapter 22 (6)."
- ↑ Graves, 1992 , "The Death of Theseus (e)," p. 234.
- ↑ Hesiod, 2001 , “List of Women or Eoi. Fragment 196-204,” p. 151-155.
- ↑ Apollodorus, 1972 , "Mythological Library. Book III. X (8)."
- ↑ Gigin Myths, 2000 , "81. Grooms of Helen."
- ↑ 1 2 Apollodorus, 1972 , "Mythological library. Book III. X (9)."
- ↑ Pausanias, 1996 , "Description of Hellas. Book III. Chapter 20 (9)."
- ↑ Gigin Myths, 2000 , "78. Tyndareus."
- ↑ 2014 , "Iphigenia in Aulid 55–71."
- ↑ Apollodorus, 1972 , "Mythological Library. Book III. XI (1)."
- ↑ Myths of the World, 1990 , Paris, p. 784.
- ↑ Homer . Canto 7 // Iliad = Ιλιάς / Per. N.I. Gnedich . Lines 363, 364
- ↑ Apollodorus, 1972 , "Mythological Library. Epitome. III (3)."
- ↑ Draconius, 2001 , "The Abduction of Helen 470-489."
- ↑ Myths of the World, 1990 , Trojan War, p. 999-1001.
- ↑ Lycophron . Alexander 97 and the Scholi
- ↑ Lycophron. Alexandra 106 and comm.
- ↑ Commentary by D.O. Torshilov in the book. Gigin. Myths St. Petersburg, 2000. P.114
- ↑ Draconius . The abduction of Elena 488
- ↑ Homer . Iliad III 445
- ↑ Lycophron . Alexandra 109
- ↑ Scholia to "Alexander" Lycophron
- ↑ Euripides. Elena 31-36
- ↑ Euripides. Elena 112-114
- ↑ Homer. Iliad XXIV 765
- ↑ Lesch. Lesser Iliad, synopsis; Sophocles. Lakonyanka, fr. 367-368 Radt
- ↑ Homer. Odyssey IV 241-258; Pseudo-Apollodorus. Mythological library E V 13
- ↑ Euripides. Trojans 956–960
- ↑ Homer. Odyssey IV 271-289; Trifiodor The capture of Ilion 471
- ↑ Gigin. Myths 249; Trifiodor. The capture of Ilion 520
- ↑ Virgil. Aeneid II 567-574
- ↑ Euripides. Andromache 628; Aristophanes. Lysistrata 155
- ↑ Stesichore. Elena, FR. 2018 Page
- ↑ Pausanias. Description of Hellas X 25, 4
- ↑ Plutarch. Solon 4; Diogenes of Laertes I 32, reference to the oracle of Apollo
- ↑ Pausanias. Description of Hellas III 19, 9
- ↑ Pausanias. Description of Hellas III 15, 3
- ↑ Pausanias. Description of Hellas III 19, 9-10
- ↑ Polyan. Strategies I 13
- ↑ Theocritus. Idylls XVIII 48
- ↑ Commentary by D.O. Torshilov in the book. Gigin. Myths St. Petersburg, 2000. S.142-143
- ↑ Bulletin of Ancient History. 1947. No 4. P.278
- ↑ Pausanias. Description of Hellas III 19, 11-13; Conon Myths 18
- ↑ Euripides, 1999 , Orestes. 1455-1502, 1620-1665.
- ↑ Graves, 1992 , “The Trial of Orestes (e, f),” p. 272.
Literature
Antique Sources
- Avsoniy . Vulture on the number three // Poems / Edition prepared by M.L. Gasparov. Translation and notes by M. L. Gasparov .. - M .: Nauka, 1993. - (Literary Monuments).
- Apollodorus . Mythological library / Translation, final article, notes, index V. G. Borukhovich. - L .: Science, 1972.
- Hesiod . Full text / Introductory article by V.N. Yarkho. Comments by O.P. Tsybenko and V.N. Yarkho. - M .: Labyrinth, 2001 .-- 256 p. - (Antique Heritage). - ISBN 5-87604-087-8 .
- Gigin. Astronomy / translation from Latin and comments by A.I. Ruban. - SPb. : Aletheia, 1997. - (Antique Library). - ISBN 5-89329-017-8 .
- Gigin . Myths / Translated from Latin, commentary by D. O. Torshilov, edited by A. A. Takho-Godi . - SPb. : Aletheia , 2000 .-- 360 p. - (Antique library). - ISBN 5-89329-198-0 .
- Homer . Iliad / Translation by N.I. Gnedich. The publication was prepared by A.I. Zaitsev .. - L .: Nauka, 1990.
- Diodorus of Sicily . Historical library. Greek mythology . - M .: Labyrinth, 2000 .-- 224 p. - (Antique Heritage). - ISBN 5-87604-091-6 .
- Draconius Emilius Blossius . Mythological poets / Translated from Latin, introductory article, comments, appendix and index V. N. Yarho. - M .: Labyrinth, 2001. - S. 224. - (Antique Heritage).
- Euripides . Tragedy. In 2 volumes / Translation of Innocent Annensky. - M .: Ladomir; Science, 2014 .-- ISBN 5-86218-155-5 .
- Pausanias . Description of Hellas / Translation by S.P. Kondratiev edited by E.V. Nikityuk. Responsible editor prof. E. D. Frolov .. - St. Petersburg. : Aletheia, 1996 .-- ISBN 5-89329-006-2 .
- Plutarch. Comparative biographies in two volumes / Translation by S. P. Markish, translation processing for this reprint - S. S. Averintsev, revised commentary - M. L. Gasparova .. - Second edition, revised and supplemented. - M .: Science, 1994.
Contemporary Literature
- Graves Robert. Myths of Ancient Greece . - M .: Progress, 1992 .-- 624 p. - (Anthropology, ethnography, mythology, folklore). - ISBN 5-01-001587-0 .
- Yarho V.N. Elena // Myths of the peoples of the world / Glavn. ed. S. A. Tokarev . - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia , 1990. - S. 356-358.
- Vasilieva T.V. Elena Beautiful, truth and ghost // Historical and Philosophical Yearbook 1987 . - M .: Nauka, 1987 - S. 47-60
- Clader LL Helen: The Evolution from Divine to Heroic in Greek Epic Tradition. - Leiden, 1976.