Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Helen of Troy: now a line of beauty products.
Ah romance. H.D.'s first love was modernist poet Ezra Pound. But if fell apart after many years of forbidden love (many of their acquaintances didn't approve). (Source.)
H.D. had her head shrunk by Sigmund Freud himself. On purpose. (Source.)
You know that Helen's dad was Zeus, and that her mom was Leda. But did you know that Zeus impregnated Leda while his body took the form of the swan? That Helen was actually the offspring of swan-rape? No? Well, you do now. And we're betting that you wish you didn't know this fun fact/myth. (Source.)
But hey: if you want to know more about Helen's conception, you can check out Yeats's poem about it. But consider yourself forewarned; it ain't pretty.