Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, and was married to King Menelaus of Sparta. She was renowned for her great beauty, being described as "the face that launched a thousand ships." Her abduction by Paris of Troy sparked the Trojan War, as the Greeks wanted to retrieve her from Paris. According to Greek mythology, Zeus took the form of a swan and mated with Leda, and Helen was hatched from one of the eggs produced by this union.