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Penny's Dumb

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Surgoshan:

--- Quote from: Jeans on 18 Jan 2009, 10:41 ---
--- Quote from: kgbisouttogetme on 17 Jan 2009, 04:32 ---who said the thing about helen of sparta? because heres the deal. helen of sparta and helen of troy were (gasp) the same person.

--- End quote ---

Yeah the thing is people who know their shit call her Helen of Sparta and people who haver seen the Brad Pitt movie call her Helen of Troy.

--- End quote ---

Actually, I've never heard her called Helen of Sparta... and I took a class with from an hysterical Englishman at an Ivy League college who would explain Homer's puns to us... in the original ancient Greek.

When we read the Odyssey, he explained Helen and Menelaus's fight in these terms.

"So she tells a story relating how clever Odysseus truly was, and how the Achaeans were mighty, and how she longed to return to Sparta..

Then Menelaus tells a story how she came to the Horse with 'Daiphibus, that handsome man.  Wasn't he your second Trojan husband?' and tried to make the Achaeans cry out.

... That is to say, she said she never wanted to leave Sparta.  His response?  'Fucking liar'."

Thing is, she's Helen.  Which Helen?  The Helen who went to Troy.  Ergo, Helen of Troy.  She's been called such forever.  Witness this painting, hosted at wikipedia, from 1898 titled Helen of Troy.

Mr. Skawronska:

--- Quote ---"I am Jens of the JFK International".

--- End quote ---

Wouldn't want to confuse you with the homeless guy in the corner at the airport.

S

carrotosaurus:
While adding 's usually indicates the possessive form of the word, you should avoid nonstandard contractions. The first example below is confusing because
most readers will anticipate that dog’s  is being used in the possessive sense and will be expecting you to say something about the dog’s injured nose, paw, or whatever.

Confusing: The dog’s injured.
Clear: The dog is injured.

Wheeee

ladydraykona:

--- Quote from: JonSnow on 17 Jan 2009, 02:32 ---
--- Quote from: Mr. Skawronska on 16 Jan 2009, 20:05 ---From Wikipedia:

--- Quote ---The war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Hera and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the apple of Discord, marked "for the fairest". Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris, who judged that Aphrodite, as the "fairest", should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful of all women, fall in love with Paris, who took her to Troy. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and the brother of Helen's husband Menelaus, led an expedition of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years. After the deaths of many heroes, including the Achaeans Achilles and Ajax, and the Trojans Hector and Paris, the city fell to the ruse of the Trojan Horse.

--- End quote ---

Helen of Troy:  "The Face that could launch a Thousand Ships."

There, now you're up to speed.

S

--- End quote ---

Well then wikipedia is wrong lol... if you read the original accounts by homeros you'll see that a sheepherder on the flanks of the Greek Mountainrange actually decided that Helen was the fairest, and gave her the golden apple. Hence Hera, who would be damned if she'd lose to a mortal made Helen madly run away to Troy. (There is no mention of an actual love between Helen and the sheppard, the love comes from the overly modernised movie, where love HAD to be the driving force... Athena, who in her wisdom was a fair loser decided to support the Greeks who wanted to get Helen back, (not sure about aphrodite, as a godess she only really cared about herself and toying with human emotions) Hera supported the Trojans.

ps the war of Troy is the Prequel to the Oddysea (for those who want more literature of the like)

--- End quote ---

The Iliad, you mean? 
For a good version of the story of Troy, check out Marion Zimmer Bradley's Firebrand. It explains that Paris WAS the shepherd. He was exiled at birth because his mother had a vision that he would be the downfall of Troy. He picked Aphrodite, who gave him Helen.

Mr. Skawronska:
Damn, I was so hoping this would turn into a "Wikipedia is WRONG!" thread.

Nothing to see here...gotta move along.

S

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