Helen of Troy : goddess, princess, whore / Bettany Hughes.
For close to three thousand years, Helen of Troy has been both the embodiment of absolute female beauty and a reminder of the terrible power that beauty can wield. Because of her double marriage to the Greek king Menelaus and the Trojan prince Paris, Helen was held responsible for an enduring enmity between East and West. But who was she? Helen exists in many guises: a matriarch from the Age of Heroes; the focus of a cult that conflated Helen the heroine with a pre-Greek fertility goddess; the home-wrecker of the Iliad; the bitch-whore of Greek tragedy; the pin-up of Romantic artists. Focusing on a flesh-and-blood aristocrat from the Greek Bronze Age, cultural and social historian Hughes reconstructs the context of her life. Through the eyes of a young Mycenaean princess, Hughes examines the physical, historical, and cultural traces that Helen has left on locations in Greece, North Africa, and Asia Minor.--From publisher description.
Record details
- ISBN: 1400041783
- ISBN: 9781400041787
- Physical Description: xxxvii, 458 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 25 cm
- Edition: First American edition
- Publisher: New York : Knopf, 2005.
Content descriptions
- General Note:
- Originally published: London : Jonathan Cape, 2005.
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-443) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Helen's birth in pre-history -- The land of beautiful women -- The world's desire -- Kourotrophos -- A lover's game -- Eros and eris -- Troy beckons -- Troy besieged -- Immortal Helen -- The face that launched a thousand ships.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Helen, of Troy, Queen of Sparta.
Available copies
- 3 of 5 copies available at NC Cardinal.
- 0 of 1 copy available at Rutherford County Library System. (Show)
Holds
- 0 current holds with 5 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford County Library | 398.35 Hug (Text) | 38801101007018 | Adult Nonfiction | Checked out | 08/19/2026 |
| Forsyth Central | 398.352 H (Text) | 0112513540222 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Harnett County Main Library | 398.352 Hug (Text) | 33630003673436 | Adult Nonfiction | Checked out | 08/25/2026 |
| Jacksonville Main Library | 398.352 HUG (Text) | 36015000684007 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Pack Memorial Library | 398.352 HUG (Text) | 0020505990372 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Accessibility Features
Summary:
For close to three thousand years, Helen of Troy has been both the embodiment of absolute female beauty and a reminder of the terrible power that beauty can wield. Because of her double marriage to the Greek king Menelaus and the Trojan prince Paris, Helen was held responsible for an enduring enmity between East and West. But who was she? Helen exists in many guises: a matriarch from the Age of Heroes; the focus of a cult that conflated Helen the heroine with a pre-Greek fertility goddess; the home-wrecker of the Iliad; the bitch-whore of Greek tragedy; the pin-up of Romantic artists. Focusing on a flesh-and-blood aristocrat from the Greek Bronze Age, cultural and social historian Hughes reconstructs the context of her life. Through the eyes of a young Mycenaean princess, Hughes examines the physical, historical, and cultural traces that Helen has left on locations in Greece, North Africa, and Asia Minor.--From publisher description.
