Hermione (mythology) Hermione (mythology) In Greek mythology, Hermione (; ) was the only child of Menelaus, king of Sparta, and his wife, Helen of Troy. Prior to the Trojan War, Hermione had been betrothed by Tyndareus, her grandfather, to Orestes, son of her father's brother, Agamemnon; she was just nine years old when Paris, son of the Trojan king Priam, arrived to abduct her mother, Helen. During the war, Menelaus promised her to Achilles' son, Neoptolemus. and after the war ended, he sent Hermione away to the city of Phthia (the home of Peleus and Achilles), where Neoptolemus was staying. The two
The Swan (Baudelaire) the Trojan War— after the fall of Troy becomes the captive of Pyrrhus (also called Neoptolemus), a son of Achilles, who has made her his concubine. Her son Astyanax was killed by the Greeks. Later she married Helenus, without ever forgetting Hector. Andromache symbolizes the desolate widow, the mourning mother. She is referred to in a number of works, in the Iliad , the Aeneid , or in Jean Racine‘s play Andromaque. Her portrayal in the poem is built upon oppositions and antitheses: "bras d’un grand époux" / "tombeau vide" ("arms of a great husband" / "empty tomb"), "la main