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LEDA'S HANDMAIDEN, by             Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography

Eleanor Wilner's "Leda's Handmaiden" reimagines the myth of Leda and the Swan from the perspective of a lesser-known figure, Leda's handmaiden. The poem delves into themes of power, myth-making, memory, and the consequences of actions, both intentional and unintentional.

The handmaiden, born "on the losing side," begins by setting herself apart from the privileged, noting the agility of mind and the use of fable as a disguise developed out of necessity. This cunning and adaptability are portrayed as tools for survival and resistance against the imposed narratives of the powerful. Her role as a storyteller and myth-maker is evident as she recounts how the swan image came to her while she and Leda shook out pillows, and how she voiced the thought that transformed into the myth of Zeus’s transformation into a swan to seduce Leda.

The handmaiden’s recounting is rich with irony and bitterness. She vividly imagines the swan: "the serpent’s neck, the malign eye, the yellow webs of its feet pinning her arms, the terrible beak." This grotesque imagery contrasts sharply with the traditional romanticized versions of the myth, highlighting the violence and domination inherent in the encounter. She reflects on the consequences of this myth, suggesting that the fabrication might have been a mistake, as it fueled desires and ambitions that led to destructive ends.

Leda's daughters, Helen and Clytemnestra, are mentioned as "pawns of fame," their destinies shaped by the myth. The handmaiden underscores the stark divide between the celebrated and the forsaken: "Her boys, gold stars hung in a mother’s pane. / Murder and war, and the animal roar of a city put to the torch." These lines evoke the broader implications of personal myths on historical and societal scales, linking the intimate act to the Trojan War's vast devastation.

The handmaiden's reflections extend to her own life, revealing her intimacy with Zeus before and after Leda. The consequences of these encounters are marked by tragedy: "the sons he got of me, oh... two were drowned at sea, two died at the walls of Troy, one lives but is not whole." This personal loss is compounded by the collective grief of the daughters, "practiced in the arts of grief," whose lives are marked by widowhood and desolation.

In the latter part of the poem, the handmaiden reveals her role in shaping the narrative that history remembers. She acknowledges that it was she who led Zeus to Leda's room and spread the story that became immortalized. Her storytelling becomes a means of coping with and contextualizing her suffering and losses. She takes solace in her role as a keeper of tales for the next generation, particularly for a war-blinded son who finds comfort in her stories.

The poem concludes with the handmaiden writing down these stories, signing the shared name—perhaps an allusion to the enduring legacy and the interwoven identities of women in myth and history. This act of writing is a reclaiming of agency, a final assertion of her voice and her contribution to the narrative that history records.

"Leda’s Handmaiden" is a powerful meditation on myth, power, and the overlooked perspectives of those who serve the powerful. Through the voice of the handmaiden, Wilner explores how stories shape and are shaped by those who tell them, revealing the layers of truth, consequence, and memory embedded in the myths we inherit.


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