In Greek mythology, Leda (, [lɛ́ːdaː]; Ancient Greek: Λήδα, lit. 'woman' or 'wife'), also rendered as Lede (Ancient Greek: Λήδη), was an Aetolian princess who became queen consort of Sparta through her marriage to King Tyndareus. Zeus fell in love with Leda, and to avoid his wife Hera's jealousy, assaulted her while disguised as a swan. Leda was named as the mother of four famous children in Greek mythology: Helen of Troy, Clytemnestra, and the twins Castor and Pollux. Leda and the Swan was a popular motif in the visual arts, particularly during the Renaissance.
Contents
Family
While her parentage is disputed, Leda is most commonly named as a daughter of the Aetolian king Thestius, a son of Ares; she was occasionally referred to as Thestias. Her mother is disputed, and could have been Leucippe, Deidameia, daughter of Perieres, Eurythemis, daughter of Cleoboea, or Laophonte, daughter of Pleuron. According to Alcman, Leda's parents were Glaucus and Laophonte while Eumelus attested that they were Sisyphus and Panteiduia or Paneidyia.
Leda had up to six siblings. Apollodorus named two sisters: Althaea and Hypermnestra, and four brothers: Iphiclus, Plexippus, Eurypylus, and Evippus. In his Fabulae, Hyginus named Iphiclus and Althaea as Leda's only siblings. Althaea is almost always named as Leda's sister.
Leda married king Tyndareus of Sparta and by him became the mother of three daughters: Phoebe, Timandra, and Philonoe. She also bore four additional children by both Zeus and Tyndareus: Helen of Troy, Clytemnestra, and the twins Castor and Pollux. Leda lay with Tyndareus the same night she was seduced by Zeus, and Pollux and Helen were children of Zeus while Clytemnestra and Castor were children of Tyndareus. This explains why Castor was frequently described as mortal while Pollux was described as immortal.