A cikin tatsuniyar Helenanci, Menelaus babban sarki ne na Sparta, mijin Helen na Troy, kuma ɗan'uwan Agamemnon. Ya kasance daya daga cikin manyan haruffa a cikin Trojan War, wanda ya jagoranci sojojin Spartan a kan Trojans. A zamanin yau, ana amfani da sunan Menelaus a wasu lokuta don yin nuni ga miji mai aminci kuma mai tsayin daka, saboda sadaukar da kansa ga matarsa Helen duk da rashin amincinta.