Leda (mythology) and by him, mother of Helen of Troy, Clytemnestra, and Castor and Pollux (also spelled "Castor and Polydeuces"). Leda also had other daughters by Tyndareus: Timandra, Phoebe, and Philonoe. Leda was admired by Zeus, who seduced her in the guise of a swan. As a swan, Zeus fell into her arms for protection from a pursuing eagle. Their consummation, on the same night as Leda lay with her husband Tyndareus, resulted in two eggs from which hatched Helen (later known as the beautiful "Helen of Troy"), Clytemnestra, and Castor and Pollux (also known as the Dioscuri). Which children are the
Helen of Troy The date of the "Cypria" is uncertain, but it is generally thought to preserve traditions that date back to at least the 7th century BC. In the "Cypria", Nemesis did not wish to mate with Zeus. She therefore changed shape into various animals as she attempted to flee Zeus, finally becoming a goose. Zeus also transformed himself into a goose and raped Nemesis, who produced an egg from which Helen was born. Presumably, in the "Cypria", this egg was somehow transferred to Leda. Later sources state either that it was brought to Leda by a shepherd who discovered it in