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If Helen of Troy were meant to be an African woman, Homer might have told his readers that fact in his telling of the greatest and most timeless epic poems in Western history – The Iliad and The Odyssey. Her appearance being so contrary to everyone else in the Greek world certainly would have warranted a mention. This much, at least, should be obvious to everyone. Imagining Helen’s appearance to be that of an African woman is just farcical, if one has any respect for the source material at all. It would make no sense for a high-budget production to...

Elon Musk took to X on Sunday to claim two-time Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan “has lost his integrity” while debating Lupita Nyong’o’s speculated role in “The Odyssey,” Helen of Troy. On Sunday morning, one X user claimed that if Nyong’o plays Helen of Troy, it is “an insult” to the Greek poet Homer, who wrote “The Odyssey” around 700 BCE, because he originally described the fictonal character as “fair skinned, blonde, and ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ because she was so beautiful that men started a war over her.” Musk later commented on the post, “Chris Nolan has...

The femme fatale has roots stretching back to Greek mythology. Here are just a few of the most notorious examples – and a few that have been severely misrepresented… Apr 7, 2023 • By Catherine Dent, MA 20th and 21st Century Literary Studies, BA English Literature femme fatale ancient greek myth The femme fatale is a character archetype found across many different cultures and mythologies – and Ancient Greek mythology is no exception. A dangerous, seductive, and beautiful woman, examples of the femme fatale abound in Greek myths. From the theodical foundation myth of Pandora, the first human woman to...

While Hughes explores the Late Bronze Age reality behind the story of Helen, she takes in some of the most beautiful scenery of the ancient world, from the magnificent citadel at Mycenae to the spectacular site of the shrine to Helen, high in the hills above Sparta. She also tastes the food of the ancient world -- based on the latest archaeological research -- and discovers how the conflict in Helen's name would really have been fought. Working with weapons experts and accurate replicas of chariots pulled by local gypsy horses, Hughes experiences firsthand how chariots and archers battled beneath...

Actress Rossana Podestà, best known as Helen of Troy in a 1956 film featuring a young Brigitte Bardot, died in Rome aged 79 Tuesday. Podestà was queen of the 'peplum' genre of mythological epics that found a global audience in the 1950s and '60s.

Helen of Troy Existed? By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery NewsWas a Queen of Sparta Helen of Troy? Oct. 17, 2005— Helen of Troy, described in the epic poem The Iliad, was based on a real woman, according to a new book that weaves history, archaeology and myth to recreate the famous ancient Greek beauty's life. According to the new theory proposed by Bettany Hughes, Helen's mythological character was inspired by a wealthy Bronze Age leader from the southern mainland of Greece. Hughes, a former Oxford University scholar who has conducted research in the Balkans, Greece, and Asia Minor, was unavailable for...