ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: The Most Infamous Woman of Greek Myth, A History of Helen

This two part series on Helen originally aired in December 2021. Helen is simultaneously the most well known mortal of myth and a complete and utter enigma. What do we actually know about her, and the choices she did and did not make that lead to the Trojan War? Helen of Sparta, later of Troy, is so many things... it all depends on where you're looking. In this episode we examine the Helen of Homer, and of Sparta itself.

CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources:

Sources: Helen: Goddess, Princess, Whore by Bettany Hughes; Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity by Sarah B. Pomeroy; Theoi.com; The Iliad, translated by Caroline Alexander; The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson; Early Greek Myths by Timothy Gantz. The Iliad, translated by Samuel Butler; Early Greek Myths by Timothy Gantz; Sappho's Lyre by Diane Rayor.

Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.

Learn more about Liv's next group trip to GREECE, this time following along with Ariadne's escape from Theseus. Check out Liv's new book, The Odyssey: a Modern Retelling. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby.

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