Helen of Troy - The Woman Who Caused the Trojan War

Helen of Troy, daughter of Zeus and Leda, is described as the most beautiful woman in the world. Her abduction by the Trojan prince Paris triggered the famous Trojan War. A victim of circumstances beyond her control, Helen plays a central role in Homer's famous Iliad.
See U in History
#GreekMythology #Mythology #SeeUinHistory #History #MythologyExplained

[@claraoconnor1625]

“the men start wars yet Troy hates Helen”

[@Nanakaririka]

When you fall, do you look at your wound first or you turn back to look at what made you fall?

[@jenniferjames3354]

​@@Nanakaririka so u mean Aphrodite???

[@egregor369]

Omg, I came here for that also!!! We love the good witch.

[@user-oc8tv5oc2u]

@@egregor369yuppp I’m here cuz so intrigued with the references in history of man and also Taylor’s new song Cassandra which supposedly links into Trojan war too

[@happyslapsgiving5421]

A cautionary tale against the evils of simping.

[@smiththeinspiringanimator7042]

Very true.

[@itsasecret9079]

Helen wasn’t even a woman she was like 12 years old when she was taken. ( some versions even claim she was as young as 7 years old --- yikes) I really dislike it when people place so much blame on Helen for being the cause of the war without looking at the context. It was Eris or whatever her name was that manipulated the events with the bet (being a literally goddess of chaos and discord), Aphrodite who ignited the match by offering the most “beautiful” woman ( again a literal child) and then having her son make Helen fall in love ( depending on the version), and everyone else just feeding the flames.

[@DaughterofRevenge]

Also Zeus's (with Themis and Gaia's) fault because they literally made the Trojan War grand scheme to happen for genocide of humans and demigods on earth. Everyone else, starting with Leda (and/or Nemesis in some versions) are just unfortunate "pawns" for their orchestrated domino effect.

[@homelesskiller]

@@DaughterofRevengeYou realize that this means nothing. In all mythologies humans are nothing more than pawns for the gods. Enlil, in Mesopotamian mythology floods the whole world because they humans are getting too crowded and too noisy

[@homelesskiller]

Just because someone is twelve years old doesn’t mean they’re innocent and being manipulated. This is literally a childish view of the world.

[@itsasecret9079]

@@homelesskiller do you honestly believe that a literal child is to blame for everything that went down? I see that you even acknowledge that the gods use humans as pawns so what makes this situation any different? My argument is that Helen should not be blamed for EVERYTHING. I’m not saying she’s completely innocent.

[@princess7jasmine]

​@@homelesskillerImagine being this smoothbrained you'd blame a 7-12 year old for causing a massive war

[@smdanny1]

Moral of the story: if ur pretty enough you can do no wrong and be forgiven at every turn

[@Tanya49655]

We get it your a victim it’s ok lol

[@panos617]

Wrong!!!

[@SpaceRanger187]

Don't be a simp

[@k.saigaurav964]

That's not right. I find Helen a fickle minded tragic character.

[@kingofdragons7]

​@@k.saigaurav964Helen is innocent

[@fanficfreak2113]

I say the Trojan War is more Aphrodite’s fault than Helen’s

[@DaughterofRevenge]

Zeus's fault too. He's the true mastermind of the war along with Gaia and Themis because there were too many humans and demigods on earth.

[@thehermit8723]

​@@DaughterofRevengeNeither Zeus , or Gaia are above the Fates. The Trojan was happened cause of that , Zeus in many occasions tried to spare the Trojans but it was beyond his influence.

[@kevinkeenan-2.1]

Agreed.

[@user-oc8tv5oc2u]

“The men start wars yet Troy hates Helen”

[@EJAXK13]

The Trojan War would’ve been avoided if the gods just invited Eris, the Goddess of Chaos to the wedding.

[@smiththeinspiringanimator7042]

Yeah,Agreed,It also kind of makes me question why they didn't invite her to the wedding I mean yes chaos can be bad but sometimes it can also be good.

[@smiththeinspiringanimator7042]

And is it just me or am I getting Sleeping Beauty from this story?

[@DaughterofRevenge]

In some versions of the mythos, she is the daughter of Zeus and Nemesis, the goddess of retribution. And perhaps, Helen can be regarded as the youngest daughter of Zeus, by far.

[@alexanderknowles9057]

That version of Helen's birth would make no sense though. Two gods would produce a god or goddess not a mortal child.

[@DaughterofRevenge]

​​​​​​@@alexanderknowles9057Welp, that version makes the exception to the rule, I guess, along with the case of Zeus and Semele (probably because Semele is also a mortal but she sired the god Dionysus) Perhaps in addition, this was used to explain why Troy must fall, for Zeus schemed the genocide with Themis to depopulate Gaia. Also another counterargument/counterexample: Orpheus is also a mortal sired by two deities Apollo and Calliope, so...

[@locusta-bw2vd]

@@DaughterofRevenge In greek mythology, Orpheus is the son of Calliope and Oeagrus, king of Thrace. Born to a divine mother and mortal father. The Roman poet Ovid wrote Apollo was his father. Semele was not a goddess, but a demigoddess. She was born to Cadmus, king of Thebes and Harmonia, goddess of harmony. Dionysus did not inherit immortal status, he achieved immortality after being on a quest (the epic poem Dionysiaca). He ascended to Mt Olympus and became a god along with his mother, aunts and wife because he earned that through struggling.

[@TheAnimalKingdom-tq3sz]

Ah yes, The girl whose worth fighting for

[@ecurewitz]

That would be her cousin, Penelope

[@TheAnimalKingdom-tq3sz]

@@ecurewitz Penelope: *after seeing Odysseus for fricking 10 years* 🎵Where have you been all my l-l-l-life!🎵

[@ecurewitz]

@@TheAnimalKingdom-tq3sz 20 years

[@janzibrown]

How come no one blames the gods? I would put this all on Aphrodite not Helen. Or maybe Paris for wishing to force someone to love him. Helen had zero choice the gods stayed mnipulating her for sport

[@DaughterofRevenge]

You're leaving out the mastermind of the genocidal Trojan War himself and Helen's father, Zeus.

[@wildmen5025]

Because saying that everything is the fault of the Gods is like saying that a vase fell because gravity pulled it down rather than because someone knocked it over. Just because there are cosmic forces at play that doesn't mean our personal choices don't matter

[@homelesskiller]

Because they are gods they can do with the world whatever they please. They even killed the entire human race once

[@rishabhanand4973]

@@wildmen5025 there's a difference between when a cosmic force is literally a law of physics versus a sentient being imposing their will. Gravity is a force that pulls everything toward it. The greek gods are actual people who happen to have supernatural power

[@wildmen5025]

@@rishabhanand4973 That is actually a giant misconception. The Greek Gods are not just people with super powers. The Ancient Greek religion was animistic in nature as well as Polytheistic (these tend to go hand in hand). The Gods can be found in Their domains. Some of Them like the Protogenoi are essentially one to one identified with Their domains such as the Earth and Sky. One of biggest reasons people don't understand Greek mythology is because they don't understand Greek religion

[@-RONNIE]

Thanks for the video

[@kariannecrysler640]

How sad for Helen. Who she was didn’t matter, what she was did. What she brought them by owning her was everyone’s goal, only one seems to have loved who she was.

[@Johnny2face]

so basically it's Zeus's and Aphrodite's fault not Helens

[@DaughterofRevenge]

Include Themis and Gaia too.

[@homelesskiller]

It was no one’s fault. Homer makes it clear that everything that was happening was the will of Zeus.

[@axelrenesuzuki9334]

wow that's very beautiful all videos compilation video and I love so much this history comics Greek war yup and absolutely I love that this video my dear brother father.

[@deirdregibbons5609]

I like that you showed this from Helen's point of view. I also like you depict her wearing hair ornaments that simulate a swan's feathers. Nice nod to her heritage. She was one of only two daughters sired by Zeus.

[@DaughterofRevenge]

Am pretty sure Helen is not the only daughter sired by Zeus by both mortal and immortal women. Athena? Artemis? Persephone? The Muses? (To enumerate a few)

[@deirdregibbons5609]

@@DaughterofRevenge You are right. Thanks for pointing that out. I should have said Helen was one of only two human daughters sired by Zeus mating with a mortal woman.

[@DaughterofRevenge]

@@deirdregibbons5609 There are many others as well, like Damocrateia (who is Patroclus's mother and daughter of Zeus and Aegina), Keroessa (daughter of Zeus and Io), and Herophile (daughter of Zeus and Lamia), for example. Not to mention that in some versions, Helen is the daughter of Zeus and the goddess Nemesis.

[@deirdregibbons5609]

@@DaughterofRevenge Thanks, I appreciated learning something new.

[@sjlsoul]

Men start wars yet Troy hates Helen.

[@wildmen5025]

Hail to the Divine Helen of Troy!

[@birnenaugustbirnenaugust321]

Heil Helena! 🙏

[@fatherofhistory]

Great video on *Helen of Troy!* I've always been _fascinated_ by her story and this video does a great job of summarizing the key events. I also enjoyed learning about the myth of the *_Trojan Horse_* . Thanks for sharing!

[@callmethecommentcountess9329]

I am really inspired by her dress

[@thewatcherresurrected]

Simping on a Historic level.

[@jos0807]

Diane Kruger as Helen in the movie of Troy, she was very beautiful woman of 2000's😇🌷💖

[@abhishekbg0610]

Crush at first site. Indeed truly beautiful.

[@MCorpReview]

Troy going down. This is Sparta!!!

[@tammyt3434]

Helen is one of mythic history's most UN-known personalities. In Greek writing that already dismisses women, she's treated as little more than a face, and it's very clear it's only the face anyone in the epic cares about. This video falls into the usual trap, describing her openly as a naive simpleton while ignoring that she saw through the disguise of the cleverest Greek and later circled the Trojan horse imitating the Greek's wives so perfectly they nearly blew their cover. When she offered herself to Menelaus's sword, we don't know if she was submitting to fate, using her beauty as a manipulation, or actually hoping he would strike her down.

[@milutinstankovic4638]

When's the video about Perun coming out?

[@milutinstankovic4638]

Helen is a man magnet 🧲

[@RicardoPerez-rz8pu]

Ares could've protected Helen if she was from Sparta .

[@thehermit8723]

Ares above all else desires war and bloodbaths.

[@wildmen5025]

Stopping Helen from getting kidnapped would interfere with His girlfriend's plan. Not a good idea

[@MidnightWanderer]

Yikes, a goose grape. Zeus's grapist mentality knows no bounds. 😬

[@elkingoh4543]

英雄难过美人关(even the strongest hero can be overcome with beauty) , this is how we describe Helen

[@calvinstaley0123]

The face who launched a thousand Greek ships.

[@eaglewolffox6275]

And inadvertantly caused a war that claimed millions.

[@eaglewolffox6275]

Moral: Do Not ship, otherwise you will start a war just ask the city of Troy

[@phantomeye5199]

👏👏Wow. Good. Vert good. Impressive story ever!

[@firxanza5172]

and in the aftermath, Helen reconciled with Melaneus and returned to Sparta with him they had a daughter, Hermione, who was as fair as Aphrodite, and Hermione was wed to the son of Achilles Telamachus witnessed this wedding when he came to Sparta to ask for information about his lost father Odysseus, Helen even gave him a rug she had weaved to use at his future wedding

[@EricTheViking03]

I always wondered why it was Helen’s fault that king knucklehead decided to launch a war over her 🤔

[@user-pq4fc1mc7q]

Er did you ever consider she may have been taken against her will and it was a rescue mission

[@sophieguerra321]

@@user-pq4fc1mc7q still not her fault

[@user-pq4fc1mc7q]

@@sophieguerra321 I agree. Honestly if she went willingly then she is kind of at fault, not as much as the men but to an extent. Queens never leave their kingdoms for this exact reason though so I don't think she went willingly

[@deltayanda5425]

helen the MVP

[@gamereditor59ner22]

Simple, if the story went differently by Helen did not go to Troy, then Troy may be safe.

[@birnenaugustbirnenaugust321]

Absolutly no. Helen sounds romantic but the truth is King Agamemnon wanted Trojs status.

[@gamereditor59ner22]

@@birnenaugustbirnenaugust321 I see your point, but would it possible to cause a war without Helen involvement? If possible of a war, would any of the heros will be involve?

[@DaughterofRevenge]

​@@gamereditor59ner22 Check out Euripides's play Helen where she never went to Troy at all.

[@rishabhanand4973]

@@DaughterofRevenge then how would agamemnon have convinced the other greek cities to assist him in the war against troy? Just the prospect of glory and treasure?

[@martintinajero9140]

But what happened to her in the end? How did she die? Was it? Did she die peacefully or did she suffer a misfortune?

[@fatherofhistory]

Helen of Troy, one of the most famous figures in Greek mythology, was said to have died in various ways. The most common account in Greek mythology is that she was granted immortality by the gods and lived on the island of Leuke (Leuce) in the Black Sea.

[@smiththeinspiringanimator7042]

Is Helen really to blame for the Trojan War?

[@SeeUinHistory]

That's a great question

[@smiththeinspiringanimator7042]

@@SeeUinHistory I mean don't get me wrong it's not really her fault that she was forced into being in love with Percy I mean Cupid and Aphrodite have a history of making people fall in love for centuries and also that evening includes Zeus's many infidelities.

[@smiththeinspiringanimator7042]

@@SeeUinHistory And heck they were even responsible for Persephone's abduction from Hades in fact I would actually take a step forward that Hades was actually a victim in this situation too sure he may have Kidnap his future wife, but you have to remember Cupid was actually the one who shot Hades heart and that's what led him to wanting to kidnap Persephone I'm pretty sure if Cupid didn't shot Hades in the heart maybe this interaction and their love story would have had a different outcome.

[@sonyaushatova9537]

Can you please do a video about the greek god Harmonia

[@TheCosmicGuy0111]

Hmm

[@markarca6360]

The face that launched a thousand ships.

[@blastymcsplode8265]

Paris started the Trojan war. Helen was already happily married to Menelaus when he picked her, not to mention Aphrodite said she’d give Helen to Paris and made Helen fall in love with her. Helen of Troy did not actually cause the Trojan war.

[@DaughterofRevenge]

Helen's father Zeus is the true cause of the Trojan War. He planned it with Themis in the first place for they wanted to depopulate the earth.

[@Mr.KaganbYaltrk]

Average Greek Mythology Woman :

[@AliceL-bw3kl]

I'm actually disappointed that the only version ever mentioned about Helen of Troy's fate is from the Iliad and the Odyssey. I was hoping that the channel will at least mention at the end of the video that there are contradictions as to her ultimate fate. Though most versions said that she basically got off scott free and lived with Menelaus undisturbed in Sparta, albeit having a somewhat stained or mostly unstrained marriage, other versions said that she only lived with Menelaus again for a while as he died and was perhaps taken up to Mount Olympus and left the mortal world. Others said she was hanged by Polyxo, a female survivor of the Trojan war and a group of women or she may even have been executed by the Greeks after the Trojan war. Why is Homer's version always presented as being the canonical, /official/original ending version or the gospel truth? She also reminds me of Psyche due to their appearances, the ways that they were seen and viewed by others, and both were princesses. Only Psyche was fully human, treated less poorly by the other people and gods in her myth, a lot more sympathetic, likeable, her life was far less complicated, and she was loved by and married Cupid, the god of love. She also had a better and less ambiguous fate than Helen.

[@christianchauhan23]

❤🤍💙 all your videos mate👍

[@MusicLover-my6fo]

I'm thankful that in at least one version of the story, Helen doesn't get a happy ending. Upon returning to Sparta, a Spartan widow blames Helen for (in)directly causing the war and for all the needless deaths on both ends including the death of her husband. This woman takes it upon herself to be a stand-in for all the women left without husbands caused by Helen's actions and proceeds to hang her from a tree. I prefer this outcome as Helen needed her comeuppance as she willingly chose to leave with Paris.

[@DaughterofRevenge]

Did she went with Paris on her own will? Or is she under the influence of a love spell from Aphrodite? Did she even went to Troy at all? Or more like... is she just a mere pawn by her father, Zeus, to wipe out the humans and demigods on earth through the Trojan War? (The whole point is there is no clear consensus yet on whether Helen is with Paris by her own will or just kidnapping and the latter's violation of hospitality)

[@sgxthach]

@@DaughterofRevenge Yeah, this! Although Helen found Paris to be handsome, she didn't fall in love until Eros shot her with an arrow at the request of Aphrodite. In a sense, she was coerced into doing it.

[@itsasecret9079]

Dude Helen was like 14

[@wildmen5025]

@@DaughterofRevenge Helen wasn't coerced. Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love. She is a Goddess who is found within love itself. Love isn't some power She has but rather it is something that She is found in. Helen's feelings were genuine. She chose to go with Paris out of love.

[@DaughterofRevenge]

​​​@@wildmen5025The Book 3 of the Iliad says otherwise. Aphrodite literally resorted to threats when Helen resisted to do her bidding which is to sleep with Paris. She had despised him and wants to go back to her homeland i.e. Sparta.

[@snigdhabhattacharya1690]

Uh no pls I’m very scared. Yuri likes this sort of thing thanks. She wants to be an actress so it works out perfectly

[@Kerorofan1990]

I've never heard a version where she's kin to Castor and Pollux before.

[@wildmen5025]

It's true

[@slayerf2883]

But where is paris

[@user-jr9xh9rj5k]

It’s basically Paris fault for choosing Aphrodite and also he chooses a women that was married

[@homelesskiller]

No. It’s no one’s fault. Homer makes it clear in the Iliad that the events are nobody’s fault just the will of Zeus playing itself out

[@user-jr9xh9rj5k]

Well it’s also Zeus fault for picking paris

[@user-jr9xh9rj5k]

@@homelesskiller yes it is Zeus it happen because of him

[@rishabhanand4973]

the irony was if he really wanted helen that much, he could have taken athena's offer instead, he would have had the ability to take over sparta and basically receive helen as one of the spoils.

[@ValliW]

It's not a kidnapping if she goes willingly.

[@jagirl966]

If Eros didn't hit her with the Arrow of Love, she would have never went with Paris. In other adaptations, she was taken against her will and had never loved Paris. She wanted to go back to Sparta.

[@inkhill540]

Did Menelaus love Helen, or did he love possessing her?

[@milutinstankovic4638]

Is there any woman attracted to Helen?

[@charliemcternan8190]

The great women of troy

[@kingkuroneko7253]

YO

[@RussellRichardson-mv8fi]

Helen didn’t cause the Trojan war, Aphrodite did.

[@DaughterofRevenge]

Helen's father Zeus did. He planned the war with Themis in the first place. All to depopulate the earth.

[@helenaevaherczegh8895]

Helena and not Helen!!!!!

[@EJAXK13]

Zeus: They put a moral in charge of the beauty contest? What kind of idiotic god thought of that idea? Me: …. I’m looking at him.

[@DaughterofRevenge]

Me (looking at Zeus): Says the one who planned this to depopulate the earth.

[@DMES-wp2fj]

If you're pretty enough you can get away with anything

[@HelleMunchEgeskov]

Zeus thinks with his **** and not his brain

[@DaughterofRevenge]

As per his keikaku 😂😂😂

[@homelesskiller]

Zeus is the supreme god of Olympus what he wishes he does

[@wildmen5025]

Actually He thinks with His stomach since that's where Metis is

[@sampahumeoli]

re mufa elena jajaja

[@Reclaim.290]

Zeus is a real Dog

[@Mrtfarrugia]

Well swan this time.

[@user-jr9xh9rj5k]

How dose women lay an egg🥚

[@dtann]

I think the bird represents angels or winged figures from the clouds or heavens

[@wildmen5025]

Probably the same place she gives birth to a baby

[@latrolettteeeeeee]

TOO MANY ADDS. DISLIKE.

[@kiwisaraphim6622]

Pretty privilege

[@frozenglaicericet-pose6104]

It took less than two minutes in for me to be grossed out 😅

[@kawtarfelki4670]

First!!!!