Who was the wife of Menelaus?

Helen was the wife of Menelaus in Greek mythology and in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. She was usually described as Helen of Sparta before becoming known as Helen of Troy after leaving Sparta with the Trojan prince Paris.

Menelaus was king of Sparta and the younger brother of Agamemnon. Helen’s marriage to him followed a contest among numerous suitors. To prevent the rejected suitors from turning against the chosen husband, they swore an oath to defend Helen’s marriage—a promise that later helped assemble the Greek forces for the Trojan War.

The Iliad presents Helen’s departure for Troy as the immediate cause of the conflict, although ancient authors disagree about whether she willingly eloped with Paris or was abducted. Some traditions, especially Herodotus’s version, say Helen remained in Egypt while a phantom went to Troy.

Helen and Menelaus had a daughter named Hermione. After the war, the Odyssey depicts the couple reunited in Sparta. Helen is often confused with Clytemnestra, who was her sister and the wife of Agamemnon, or with Andromache, Hector’s wife. Cassandra was a Trojan princess and prophetess, not Menelaus’ spouse.