Her parents were Zeus and Leda. Legend has it that her exceptional beauty caused the Trojan War. Who was she?

The figure at the heart of this ancient legend is indeed Helen of Troy, a woman famed in Greek mythology as the most beautiful in the world. According to the myth, she was the daughter of Leda, a mortal queen, and the god Zeus, who visited Leda in the form of a swan. Helen's unparalleled beauty attracted suitors from all over Greece. She ultimately married Menelaus, the king of Sparta, and all the other suitors swore an oath to defend their marriage.

The catalyst for the Trojan War was a divine squabble. At a wedding, the goddess of discord threw a golden apple inscribed "for the fairest." When the Trojan prince Paris was asked to judge between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, he chose Aphrodite, who had promised him the love of the most beautiful mortal woman: Helen.

Visiting Sparta as a guest, Paris either seduced or abducted Helen, breaking the sacred laws of hospitality and taking her back to Troy. Enraged, Menelaus invoked the oath sworn by Helen's former suitors. His brother, Agamemnon, assembled a massive Greek army to sail to Troy and retrieve her. This act launched the legendary ten-year Trojan War, all set in motion by the "face that launched a thousand ships."