Essence of charisma

Menelaus, if you are really going to kill her \ Then my blessing

go with you, but you must do it now, \ before her looks so twist the strings of your heart \ That they turn your mind, for her eyes are like armies, \ And where her glance fall, there cities burn, \ Until the dust of their ashes is blown \ By her sighs. I Know her, Menelaus, \ And so do you. And all those who know her suffer.

(Ekavi speaking about Helen of Troy in Euripides, translation: Neil Curry)

Helen of Troy was perhaps the most inspired character in all literature, ancient or modern. A whole war, one which lasted for ten years, was fought over her. Not only that, nearly all the myths of the heroic age were threaded together in such a way that this most idealized of all wars was the culmination of various exploits, including the Argonaut, the Theban wars, and the Calydonian boar hunt.

Helen of Troy, epitome of feminine allure and the devastation it can wreak on society, had a face that launched a thousand ships and nearly as many variations on her life story. Her eerie glamour, her magical birth with its avian overtones and her supernatural charm inspired dozens of ancient authors and storytellers to amplify the mythology of Helen with ever more fantastic tales of her loves, schemes and adventures.  Helen's visibility is the ultimate mystery, and the desire to reveal her, not only to possess her, to own her, but also to know her in every sense.

She is the woman, that invented seduction. She made the seduction a sophisticated art,

the ultimate form of power and persuasion.

“Seduction is a game of psychology, not beauty, and it is within the grasp of any person to become a master at the game. All that is required is that you look at the world differently, through the eyes of a seducer.” mentions Robert Green in his book  “The art of Seduction”. Today, all areas of social life require the ability to persuade people in a way that does not offend or impose itself. Forms of seduction can be found everywhere, from advertises insinuate to soft sell dominates. Seduction is based on the promise of happiness or pleasure that results from the naturalization of the sign, from the inversion of the semiotic genesis, which went in the first movement from nature to culture.

In Greek mythology, Peitho (Πειθώ) is the goddess who personifies persuasion and seduction. In ancient depictions, she tends to accompany Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Why Aphrodite? Because it is by artful and pretty words that your rational defenses, especially against love, are overcome and conquered.

Note:  The photo presents  an ancient representation of Peitho on a pillar overseeing a scene of persuasion: Helen of Troy is below Peitho’s dangling feet while Aphrodite speaks to her.  Paris, at the far right, is also receiving a “talking to” by winged Eros.