According to Schmadel, the naming “very probably is an allusion to the liberation of France at the time of the discovery.” The liberation here referred to is the Franco-Prussian war in 1870; this choice may have been intended to honour Adolphe Thiers, first president of the French Republic, who negotiated the removal of Prussian troops from France.
Name origin: Helen, Greek daughter of Zeus and Leda, wife of Menelaos and queen of Sparta, famed for her beauty, who was kidnapped by Paris of Troy following a certain incident involving a golden apple and a divine beauty competition, which act caused the Trojan War. After the Greek victory she returns to Sparta.
Zeus ordered Ekho to protect him when he was dallying with her fellow nymphs. She did this by engaging his wife Hera in chat when about to discover her husband’s infidelity. As punishment, Hera cursed Ekho by only allowing her to repeat another’s words. Afterwards, Ekho fell in love with the mortal Narcissus, who spurned her. He wasted away pining for his own reflection, and she eventually did the same in mourning for him.
Name origin: Roman goddess of fortune and fate, and the personification of luck.
