Helen was renowned as the most beautiful woman in the world. Her divine beauty, as the daughter of Zeus, drew heroes from across Greece, yet her legacy is marked by infamy for igniting the Trojan War.
As a child, she was abducted by Theseus but later rescued by her brother. She was subsequently married to Menelaus, King of Sparta.
Her life changed when Paris visited Sparta. Captivated by him, Helen abandoned her husband and daughter to elope with Paris to Troy. This act prompted the Greek armies to lay a long siege to the city to reclaim her.
During the war, Helen's loyalties were complex. Watching the duel between Menelaus and Paris from Troy's walls, she was moved to tears for her first husband. She mourned the death of Hector, yet also aided Greek spies. After Paris's death, she married another Trojan prince.
When Troy fell, Menelaus found Helen. Overwhelmed by her beauty, now enhanced by Aphrodite, he could not bring himself to kill her. Helen, ashamed, begged for forgiveness. Moved, Menelaus embraced her, and they reconciled, eventually departing together for a new life.