Tea at Trianon: Birth of Helen of Troy

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Birth of Helen of Troy

She was a twin. From The Greek Reporter:

Helen of Troy has been one of the most prominent figures of ancient Greek mythology for millennia. In this magical and intriguing world of Greek mythology, the birth of Helen of Troy is a story with which not many people are familiar. It combines supernatural intervention with the humble affairs of the mortals, as most other Greek mythological stories do. Therefore, Helen, known as the individual who launched a thousand ships on her behalf, has a birth story as compelling as her involvement in the famous Trojan War. This particular ancient Greek tale has inspired innumerable painters and writers for centuries, providing us with a unique perspective on the relationship between mortals and immortals, as well as useful insight into the ancient Greek psyche and beliefs of the people at the time in regard to birth. (Read more.)

More on Helen and her tragic life, HERE.