What is "helena"

Saint \Saint\ (s[=a]nt), n. [F., fr. L. sanctus sacred, properly p. p. of sancire to render sacred by a religious act, to appoint as sacred; akin to sacer sacred. Cf. Sacred, Sanctity, Sanctum, Sanctus.]

1. A person sanctified; a holy or godly person; one eminent for piety and virtue; any true Christian, as being redeemed and consecrated to God.

   Them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.
   --1 Cor. i.

2. 2. One of the blessed in heaven.

   Then shall thy saints, unmixed, and from the impure Far separate, circling thy holy mount, Unfeigned hallelujahs to thee sing.
   --Milton.

3. (Eccl.) One canonized by the church. [Abbrev. St.] Saint Andrew's cross.

   1. A cross shaped like the letter X. See Illust. 4, under Cross.

   2. (Bot.) A low North American shrub ( Ascyrum Crux-Andre[ae], the petals of which have the form of a Saint Andrew's cross.
      --Gray.

      Saint Anthony's cross, a T-shaped cross. See Illust. 6, under Cross.

      Saint Anthony's fire, the erysipelas; -- popularly so called because it was supposed to have been cured by the intercession of Saint Anthony.

      Saint Anthony's nut (Bot.), the groundnut ( Bunium flexuosum); -- so called because swine feed on it, and St. Anthony was once a swineherd.
      --Dr. Prior.

      Saint Anthony's turnip (Bot.), the bulbous crowfoot, a favorite food of swine.
      --Dr. Prior.

      Saint Barnaby's thistle (Bot.), a kind of knapweed ( Centaurea solstitialis) flowering on St. Barnabas's Day, June 11th.
      --Dr. Prior.

      Saint Bernard (Zo["o]l.), a breed of large, handsome dogs celebrated for strength and sagacity, formerly bred chiefly at the Hospice of St. Bernard in Switzerland, but now common in Europe and America. There are two races, the smooth-haired and the rough-haired. See Illust. under Dog.

      Saint Catharine's flower (Bot.), the plant love-in-a-mist. See under Love.

      Saint Cuthbert's beads (Paleon.), the fossil joints of crinoid stems.

      Saint Dabeoc's heath (Bot.), a heatherlike plant ( Dab[oe]cia polifolia), named from an Irish saint.

      Saint Distaff's Day. See under Distaff.

      Saint Elmo's fire, a luminous, flamelike appearance, sometimes seen in dark, tempestuous nights, at some prominent point on a ship, particularly at the masthead and the yardarms. It has also been observed on land, and is due to the discharge of electricity from elevated or pointed objects. A single flame is called a Helena, or a Corposant; a double, or twin, flame is called a Castor and Pollux, or a double Corposant. It takes its name from St. Elmo, the patron saint of sailors.

      Saint George's cross (Her.), a Greek cross gules upon a field argent, the field being represented by a narrow fimbriation in the ensign, or union jack, of Great Britain.

      Saint George's ensign, a red cross on a white field with a union jack in the upper corner next the mast. It is the distinguishing badge of ships of the royal navy of England; -- called also the white ensign.
      --Brande & C.

      Saint George's flag, a smaller flag resembling the ensign, but without the union jack; used as the sign of the presence and command of an admiral. [Eng.]
      --Brande & C.

      Saint Gobain glass (Chem.), a fine variety of soda-lime plate glass, so called from St. Gobain in France, where it was manufactured.

      Saint Ignatius's bean (Bot.), the seed of a tree of the Philippines ( Strychnos Ignatia), of properties similar to the nux vomica.

      Saint James's shell (Zo["o]l.), a pecten ( Vola Jacob[ae]us) worn by pilgrims to the Holy Land. See Illust. under Scallop.

      Saint James's-wort (Bot.), a kind of ragwort ( Senecio Jacob[ae]a).

      Saint John's bread. (Bot.) See Carob.

      Saint John's-wort (Bot.), any plant of the genus Hypericum, most species of which have yellow flowers; -- called also John's-wort.

      Saint Leger, the name of a race for three-year-old horses run annually in September at Doncaster, England; -- instituted in 1776 by Col. St. Leger.

      Saint Martin's herb (Bot.), a small tropical American violaceous plant ( Sauvagesia erecta). It is very mucilaginous and is used in medicine.

      Saint Martin's summer, a season of mild, damp weather frequently prevailing during late autumn in England and the Mediterranean countries; -- so called from St. Martin's Festival, occurring on November 11. It corresponds to the Indian summer in America.
      --Shak.
      --Whittier.

      Saint Patrick's cross. See Illust. 4, under Cross.

      Saint Patrick's Day, the 17th of March, anniversary of the death (about 466) of St. Patrick, the apostle and patron saint of Ireland.

      Saint Peter's fish. (Zo["o]l.) See John Dory, under John.

      Saint Peter's-wort (Bot.), a name of several plants, as Hypericum Ascyron, H. quadrangulum, Ascyrum stans, etc.

      Saint Peter's wreath (Bot.), a shrubby kind of Spir[ae]a ( S. hypericifolia), having long slender branches covered with clusters of small white blossoms in spring.

      Saint's bell. See Sanctus bell, under Sanctus.

      Saint Vitus's dance (Med.), chorea; -- so called from the supposed cures wrought on intercession to this saint.

Helena \Hel"e*na\, n. [L.: cf. Sp. helena.] See St. Elmo's fire, under Saint.

fem. proper name, Latin form of Helen.

Helena may refer to:

St. Helena or St. Helen (; – ) was the consort of the Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus and the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great. She is an important figure in the history of Christianity and the world due to her major influence on her son and her own contribution in placing Christianity at the heart of Western Civilization. She is traditionally credited with a pilgrimage to Syria Palaestina, particularly to Jerusalem, during which she is claimed to have discovered the True Cross.

She is revered as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Communion, and the Lutheran Church commemorates her.

"Helena" (sometimes titled "Helena (So Long & Goodnight)" on digital retailers such as iTunes) is a song by the American rock band My Chemical Romance, and is the third single from their second studio album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. The lyrics describe lead singer Gerard Way and bassist Mikey Way's feelings for their late grandmother, Elena Lee Rush (whom her friends referred to as "Helen", and because of this, Gerard always thought to combine her first name with this alias, forming the name, "Helena").

Helena is a novel written by the Brazilian writer Machado de Assis. It was first published in 1876.

Queen Helena or Elin, also known as Maer, Mär or Mö ( Old Norse for Maiden) (born in the 11th century – Floruit 1105), was a Swedish queen consort, spouse of King Inge the Elder and the sister of King Blot-Sweyn of Sweden.

Helena (died 360) was the wife of Julian, Roman Emperor in 360–363. She was briefly his Empress consort when Julian was proclaimed Augustus by his troops in 360. She died prior to the resolution of his conflict with Constantius II.

Helena was a niece of Byzantine Empress Sophia. She is known only because Georgios Kedrenos mentions a statue of her in the Milion, alongside statues of Sophia and Arabia, respectively the wife and daughter of Justin II.

Helena is a brazilian graphic novel by Studio Seasons ( PT), a brazilian manga influenced comic book creators consisting of Simone Beatriz, Sylvia Feer, and Montserrat. Published by NewPOP ( PT), is based on Helena, a novel by Machado de Assis.

Helena is a fictional character and one of the four young lovers – Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia and Helena – featured in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.

She is the daughter of Nedar, a member of Theseus court and the Athenian aristocracy, and a friend of Hermia, with whom she is often compared. Prior to the play's beginning, she is betrothed to the nobleman Demetrius but is jilted when his affections turn to Hermia instead. Despite this, Helena's abiding love for Demetrius remains consistent throughout the play. Hermia and her lover, Lysander, confide in Helena that they plan to elope. In the hopes that she will gain back some of his respect, Helena tells Demetrius of Hermia and Lysander's escape and, that night, the two follow the lovers into the forest.

Though Demetrius is deliberately cruel towards her, Helena remains honest in her devotion to him. Her behaviour catches the attention of Oberon, who commands that Puck enchant a sleeping Demetrius so that he will fall back in love with Helena. When Puck mistakenly enchants Lysander instead, then put the potion on the real Demetrius. Both men become enamoured with her and desert Hermia in the woods. Confused by the sudden change in behaviour, Helena convinces herself that the three other lovers have banded together to ridicule her. Throughout her conquest for Demetrius' love, she becomes convinced the others are merely mocking her tried, but true efforts for love. Helena is left confused and hurt by how ungentlemanly and unfriendly her closest comrades are. In the play's climax, she and Hermia nearly come to blows while the two men set out to kill one another for Helena's affections.

Separated by Oberon and Puck and with dawn approaching, the lovers each decide to sleep again. Oberon commands Puck to reverse the enchantment placed on Lysander, and when the lovers are discovered in the morning by Theseus, Duke of Athens, all is put to rights. Demetrius claims that a metaphorical 'sickness' made him love Hermia, but in health, his love has returned to Helena. The four lovers are married in a joint ceremony with Theseus and Hippolyta and together mock the show put on by the Mechanicals in the play's final act.

While not the protagonist of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Helena is one of its most talkative characters. Her dialogue provides key insight for the audience into humanist beliefs on the nature of love and the process of falling in love.

Helena is never criticised for her unrequited love for Demetrius; her constancy is seen by other characters as a great virtue, compared to his fickle nature. She also demonstrates great platonic love and sisterly devotion to Hermia. Within the cast of the lovers, her role is comparable to Lysander's. Both are more outwardly romantic and thoughtful than their partners, and both speak those lines most pertinent to the play's themes of romantic maturity and the source of lasting love. While Lysander says, 'the course of true love ne'er did run smooth', Helena's speech in Act I includes the well-known quote: "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind."

Her name is reminiscent of Helen of Troy, a reference made by Theseus towards the play's end, and her character is similar to another of Shakespeare's Helenas in All's Well That Ends Well.

Helena's character was portrayed by Calista Flockhart in the 1999 film titled 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' directed by Michael Hoffman. In the 1968 adaptation, Diana Rigg played Helena.

Helena, published in 1950, is the sole historical novel of Evelyn Waugh.

It follows the quest of Helena to find the relics of the cross on which Christ was crucified. Helena, a Christian, was the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine I.

The book has been described as lacking the characteristic biting satire for which Waugh is best known. However, the figure of Constantius Chlorus, Constantine's father, was interpreted by friends of the novelist as a caricature of Field-Marshal Bernard Montgomery, a man Waugh mocked as a vainglorious social climber. More generally, the corruption and instability of the Roman society Waugh describes is reminiscent of the malaise and pragmatism that prevails over tradition and chivalric ethics at the end of the Sword of Honour trilogy. Helena's saintliness does not allow her to save her son from an imperial destiny she fears and disapproves of (at one point she fantasises about him becoming a provincial colonel); nor is she able to save her innocent grandson Crispus from being murdered on Constantine's orders in a palace struggle.

The novel includes the unlikely tradition from Geoffrey of Monmouth that Helena was a British princess, daughter of King Coel.

Waugh always described Helena as his best work. Since his death it has received little critical attention and is usually regarded even by admirers as a minor work.

Héléna is an opera in three acts by the French composer Étienne Méhul. It premiered at the Opéra-Comique, Paris on 1 March 1803. The libretto is by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly. It enjoyed 36 performances in the space of 20 months before disappearing from the theatre's repertoire. Bouilly was accused of basing the plot too closely on Cherubini's Les deux journées. According to the musicologist Elizabeth Bartlet, "several scholars have pointed out [that] Beethoven's trumpet call in Fidelio was inspired by Méhul's Héléna".

Helena is a 1924 German silent drama film directed by Manfred Noa and starring Edy Darclea, Vladimir Gajdarov and Albert Steinrück. The film was based on the poem the Iliad by Homer. It was released in two separate parts: The Rape of Helen and The Fall of Troy. It was produced by Bavaria Film at the Emelka Studios in Munich. The film was made on an epic scale with thousands of extras, and large sets which rivalled those of the larger Berlin-based UFA. For many years the film was considered partially lost until it was reconstructed from a version found in Swiss archives. The film has been described as Noa's "masterpiece," although it was so expensive that it seriously damaged the finances of Bavaria Film.

Helena, sometimes spelled as Gelena, is the Latin form of Helen. People with this name include:

• Helena (Empress) (died 330), Roman mother of Emperor Constantine
• Helena, wife of Julian (died 360), Roman daughter of Emperor Constantine
• Helen(a) Maurya, daughter of Seleucus I Nicator, and wife of Chandragupta Maurya
• Helena (niece of Justin II). Niece of Emperor Justin II
• Helena of Adiabene (died c. 56), Assyrian queen
• Helena Blackman (born 1982), English actress and singer
• Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891), Russian writer
• Helena Bonham Carter (born 1966), English Oscar-nominated actress
• Helena Christensen (born 1968), Danish model
• Helena Cobban (born 1952), British-born American writer
• Helena Guergis (born 1969), Canadian politician
• Helena Josefsson (born 1978), Swedish singer
• Helena Laine (born 1955), Finnish athlete
• Helena Lehtinen, Finnish jeweller and teacher
• Helena Mattsson (born 1984), Swedish actress
• Helena Modjeska (1840–1909), Polish actress
• Helena Molony (1884–1967), Irish labor activist
• Helena Moreno (born 1977), American television reporter
• Helena Noguerra (born 1969), Belgian actress and singer
• Helena Norberg-Hodge, Swedish linguist and writer
• Helena Nyblom (1843–1926), Swedish author
• Helena Paparizou (born 1982), Greek-Swedish singer and songwriter
• Helena Ranaldi (born 1966), Brazilian actress
• Helena Rasiowa (1917–1994), Polish mathematician
• Helena Rojo (born 1944), Mexican actress
• Helena Rubinstein (1870–1965), Polish industrialist
• Helena Suková (born 1965), Czech tennis player
• Gelena Topilina (born 1994), Russian competitor in synchronized swimming
• Gelena Velikanova (1922–1998), Soviet pop singer
• Helena Vildová, Czech tennis player
• Helena Vondráčková (born 1947), Czech singer
• Princess Helena of the United Kingdom (1846–1923), daughter of Queen Victoria
• Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (1870–1948)
• Heloísa Helena (politician) (born 1962), Brazilian politician