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Leda, a MythSource painting
Greek

Leda

Queen of Sparta · Daughter of Thestius · Wife of Tyndareus

01Identity

Leda in Greek tradition

As Queen of Sparta, Leda was the daughter of Thestius and wife of Tyndareus. Zeus approached her in the form of a swan, and ancient traditions differ over the parentage of the children born from the resulting egg or eggs. These accounts associate Leda with Helen, Castor, Polydeuces and Clytemnestra, while some make Nemesis Helen’s mother and Leda the egg’s keeper.

Top questions

The quick answers

02Family

Leda’s family, at a glance

Parents above, children below, and the figure’s consorts named in between, the same family data as the fact box, laid out as a chart instead of a field list.

ThestiusDeidamia
LedaAlthaea

with Tyndareus

CastorCastor and PolluxClytemnestraHelen of TroyPhoebePolluxTimandra
03The names

The names Leda answers to

Leda of Sparta

Leda identified with Sparta and its royal house

SourceClassical Mythology a to Z

Thestiad

Daughter of Thestius

SourceClassical Mythology a to Z

Tyndareus' Wife

Spouse of the Spartan king Tyndareus

SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

04The myths

The myths of Leda

2 myths, each traced to its primary text and corpus sources.

Leda and the Swan

Zeus approached Leda in the form of a swan. Leda was the wife of Tyndareus, and the encounter took place on a night when she had also lain with her husband. The accounts differ over the act itself. In some, Zeus seduced Leda. In others, he mated with her in the swan’s form. Four children resulted, though their parentage is assigned variously to Zeus and Tyndareus. Castor is also described as a child of Leda by Zeus in the form of a swan.

Another account places the encounter with Nemesis rather than Leda. Nemesis was at Rhamnus in Attica, then came to Sparta. Zeus pursued her while pretending to flee from an eagle. He took the form of a swan and sought refuge with her, then forced himself upon her. Nemesis later laid an egg. Hermes carried it to Leda and placed it between her thighs while she sat on a stool with her legs apart. Leda then gave birth to Helen.

A further version says that Nemesis became a goose and Zeus became a swan. She laid a hyacinth-coloured egg, which Leda found in a marsh and hid in a chest. Helen hatched from it. Some say the egg fell from the Moon. This recalls another egg that fell into the Euphrates, where fish brought it to shore and doves hatched it. The most usual account, however, makes Leda herself the woman who lay with Zeus in the form of a swan. Zeus was said to have placed the images of the Swan and the Eagle in the heavens to commemorate the deception.

Leda and the Swan, a MythSource painting of the scene

In the modern world

No modern rework confirmed yet.

3 sources· checked 2026-08-18

  1. 1The Greek MythsT1
  2. 2Hesiod, TheogonyT1

    Quote

    “Leda bore Castor, Polydeuces and Clytemnestra to Tyndareus, while Helen was born to Zeus.”

    Hesiod, Theogony

  3. 3The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1

The Birth of Helen and the Dioscuri

Leda laid an egg after her unions with Zeus and Tyndareus. Zeus had approached her in the form of a swan. From the egg came Helen, Castor, Polydeuces, and Clytemnestra. The accounts differ over how many eggs Leda laid and which children came from each one.

In the most usual tradition, Zeus fathered Helen after joining Leda as a swan. Leda was the wife of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and their children were Clytemnestra and the twins Castor and Polydeuces. Polydeuces is also called Pollux. Other accounts make both Castor and Polydeuces children of Zeus, while some assign only Polydeuces to Zeus and leave Castor as the son of Tyndareus.

A different tradition gives Helen another mother. Nemesis took the form of a goose, and Zeus approached her as a swan. She then produced an egg. Leda found it, or received it, and kept it safe until it hatched. In one account, she found a hyacinth-coloured egg lying in a marsh and hid it in a chest. Helen emerged from it. Another version says that the egg fell from the moon. A further account says that Hermes placed the egg between Leda’s thighs while she sat on a stool, after Nemesis had laid it.

These versions leave Helen’s birth connected with Zeus and an egg, while the parentage of Castor, Polydeuces, and Clytemnestra varies. Some traditions present the four children as coming from one egg. Others describe two eggs, with the children divided between the offspring of Zeus and those of Tyndareus.

The Birth of Helen and the Dioscuri, a MythSource painting of the scene

In the modern world

No modern rework confirmed yet.

3 sources· checked 2026-08-18

  1. 1The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
  2. 2Homer, OdysseyT1

    Quote

    “Helen is Zeus’s daughter, while Castor and Polydeuces are Leda’s sons, with Polydeuces also begotten by Zeus.”

    Homer, Odyssey

  3. 3The Greek MythsT1

Also appears in

The myths across MythSource where Leda features, each on that figure’s page.

The film

The Underdrawing video on Leda embeds here once it publishes.