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Hellenore: The Wife of Malbecco

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Hellenore is the wife of Malbecco in book 3 of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene.

When we first meet her, she is being hidden by the jealous Malbecco, who would rather hoard his treasure and wife instead of allowing her any free reign.

In a dinner with Britomart, the Squire of Dames, and Paridell, Hellenore and Paridell hit it off. Paridell tells the story of Paris and Helen of Troy, a clear parallel between himself and Hellenore.

And like the epic of Troy, Paridell steals Hellenore away. But Paridell eventually leaves Hellenore, and she wanders through the woods until she is found by a group of satyres, all of which marry her.

So…happy ending, I guess?

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Jason is a Mythic Fantasy Author and creator of MythBank. He loves mythology, history, and geek culture. When he's not writing, his favorite hobbies include hiking, chilling with his wife, spouting nonsense words at his baby daughter, and developing this (and other) websites.

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