Leda
heroLeda was the queen of Sparta who was seduced by Zeus in the form of a swan and bore two eggs — from which hatched Helen, Clytemnestra, Castor, and Pollux.
The Myth
Zeus approached Leda disguised as a swan. She bore two eggs: from one hatched Helen and Pollux (Zeus's children, divine), from the other Clytemnestra and Castor (Tyndareus's children, mortal). This doubling of mortal and divine across two eggs created the central tensions of Greek myth: Helen's divine beauty caused the Trojan War; Clytemnestra's mortal rage ended the House of Atreus. Yeats's poem "Leda and the Swan" is among the most powerful literary treatments.
Parents
Thestius and Eurythemis
Children
Helen, Clytemnestra, Castor, Pollux
Symbols
Fun Fact
Yeats's "Leda and the Swan" asks whether Leda gained Zeus's knowledge at the moment of union — "Did she put on his knowledge with his power?"
Explore Further
Clytemnestra
heroClytemnestra murdered Agamemnon on his return from Troy, driven by rage over Iphigenia's sacrifice.
Helen
heroThe most beautiful woman in the world, daughter of Zeus. Her elopement with Paris of Troy triggered...
Trojan War
conceptThe Trojan War was the central event of Greek mythology — a ten-year siege of Troy by a Greek...
Zeus
godSupreme ruler of the Olympian gods and lord of the sky. Zeus overthrew his father Kronos and...
Achilles
heroThe greatest warrior in the Greek army at Troy, nearly invulnerable thanks to being dipped in the...
Actaeon
heroActaeon was a master hunter who accidentally saw Artemis bathing naked — she transformed him into a...