What is "helen"

fem. proper name, from French Hélène, from Latin Helena, from Greek Helene, fem. proper name, probably fem. of helenos "the bright one." Among the top 10 popular names for girl babies in the U.S. born between 1890 and 1934.

Helen may refer to:

• Helen of Troy, from Greek mythology
• Helen (given name)
• Helen (play), a play by Euripides
• Helen (novel), a novel by Maria Edgeworth
• Helen (Inheritance), a fictional supporting character in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance trilogy
• Helen (film), a 2009 US drama starring Ashley Judd and directed by Sandra Nettelbeck
• Helen, 2008 Irish-British film by Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy
• Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet, a webcomic
• Helen (unit), a humorous unit of measuring beauty
• Helen (album), a Grammy-nominated album by Helen Humes
• Helen, Georgia, United States, a small city
• Helen, Maryland, United States, an unincorporated place
• Helen Lake in Montana in the United States
• Helen Lake (Vancouver Island)
• Helen Falls, a waterfall in Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park, Temagami, Ontario, Canada
• Helen (actress), a Bollywood actress and dancer
• Helen Oy, Finnish energy company

Helen (, Helenē) is a drama by Euripides about Helen, first produced in 412 BC for the Dionysia in a trilogy that also contained Euripides' lost Andromeda. The play has much in common with Iphigenia in Tauris, one of the playwright's later works.

A helen is a humorous unit of measurement based on the concept that Helen of Troy, from the Iliad, had a "face that launched a thousand ships". The helen is thus used to measure quantities of beauty in terms of the theoretical action that could be accomplished by the wielder of such beauty.

Helen Jairag Richardson (born 21 November 1938), popularly known as only Helen is a Burma-born Indian film actress and dancer, working in Hindi films. She has appeared in over 700 films, and is often cited as the most popular nautch dancer of her time. She was the inspiration for four films and a book. She is the second wife of Salim Khan.

Helen is a feminine given name derived from the Ancient Greek name Helenē (dialectal variant: Helena) whose etymology is unknown; a derivation of the latter from , a variant form of , i.e. " torch", is considered "rather uncertain". Another possible derivation is from Greek Selene, meaning ' moon'. Helen of Troy is a character in Greek mythology. The name was widely used by early Christians due to Saint Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine I, who according to legend found a piece of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified when she traveled to Jerusalem. Helen enjoyed a massive burst of popularity in the United States during the first two decades of the 20th century where it was one of the top ten names for baby girls, but became less common by 1920.

Helen is a novel by Maria Edgeworth (1767–1849). It was written in 1834, late in the writer's life.

Helen is an album released by Helen Humes in 1981 on Muse MR 5233, her second for that company. The album was in the final nominations for the 24th Annual Grammy Awards in the category of “Best Jazz Vocal Performance.”

Helen is a 2009 American drama film starring Ashley Judd and directed by Sandra Nettelbeck. It follows a professor (Judd) who overcomes severe depression after a massive breakdown, with the help of new friend Matilda (Smith). Filming took place late 2007 in Vancouver.