Leda

Leda (lē'du) [key], in Greek mythology, daughter of Thestios, king of Aetolia, and wife of Tyndareus, king of Sparta. According to most legends, she was seduced by Zeus, who visited her in the form of a swan. She bore two eggs; from one issued Castor and Pollux, from the other Helen (and, in some myths, Clytemnestra). Castor and Clytemnestra, however, are usually said to be the offspring of Tyndareus.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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