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?
See our complete list of Arthurian characters for more entries like this one.
Arthurian Bibliography
- Norris Lacy, Geoffrey Ashe, Debra Mancoff – The Arthurian Handbook (Second Edition)
- Alan Lupack – The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend
- Ronan Coghlan – The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends
- Anonymous – Lancelot-Grail, the French Vulgate
- Sir Thomas Malory – Le Morte d’Arthur
See also my ever-expanding list of primary and secondary sources.
