ABSTRACT
Helen of Troy, a fictional Greek Heroic Age Queen, supposedly was the most beautiful woman of her time, perhaps all time. For women, beauty was seen as key in being selected to share fully in the benefits of society. Helen became emulated because, for women who needed or wanted to captivate men, she epitomised the fantasy that perfect beauty is possible and attracts all. A rape and kidnapping would surely impact a real girl’s development. Although the vignette is not in Helen’s voice, if we heard her inner voice, or saw her in psychotherapy, it might resonate with her experience and that of other young rape victims. Destructive fantasies may be displaced on to other men, as if men are only a category and not individuals. An idea that she will have her revenge some time in the future, no matter how long it takes, might become a source of comfort.
