The House of Atreus

The House of Atreus

TantalusIt began when Tantalus was able to convince the gods to attend at banquet at his humble abode.

A foolish man, filled with vanity, he decided to “test” the discrimination of the gods by serving them non-god food: his son Pelops, killed, cut up, and cooked.

The gods, infuriated, condemned Tantalus to the underworld where he would forever be tantalized.

Tantalus would forever hunger and thirst, with food and drink just out of reach.

Tantalus had two children, Pelops and Niobe

Niobe bragged about having seven sons and seven daughters

All of her children were slaughtered by Apollo and Artemis

Pelops

Regurgitated by the sickened Olympians, Pelops is reassembled and brought back to life.

Pelops married Hippodamia

Pelops cursed by MyrtilusPelops, a man now, wanted to marry Hippodamia. King Oenamaus of Pisa or Olympia, her father, had killed thirteen suitors of Hippodamia after beating them in a chariot race. He did this because he loved her himself or, alternatively, because a prophecy claimed he would be killed by his son in law. Pelops came to ask for her hand, and got ready to race Oenomaus. Worried about losing, he went to the seaside and invoked Poseidon, his old lover. Reminding Poseidon of their love (“Aphrodite’s sweet gifts”) he asked Poseidon for help. Smiling, Poseidon caused a chariot drawn by winged horses to appear.

Still unsure of himself, Pelops (or alternatively, Hippodamia herself) convinced Oenomaus' charioteer, Myrtilus, a son of Hermes, (by promising him half of Oenomaus’ kingdom and the first night in bed with Hippodameia), to help him win. The night before the race, while Myrtilus was putting the chariot together, he replaced the bronze linchpins attaching the wheels to the chariot axle with fake ones made of beeswax. The race started, and went on for a long time. But just as Oenomaus was catching up to Pelops and getting ready to kill him too, the wheels flew off and the chariot broke up. Myrtilus survived but Oenomaus was dragged to his death by his horses. Pelops then killed Myrtilus because he had attempted to rape Hippodamia. As Myrtilus died, he cursed Pelops for his betrayal. This was the source of the curse that destroyed his family (two of his sons, Atreus and Thyestes killed a third, Chrysippus, who was his favorite son and was meant to inherit the kingdom; Atreus and Thyestes were banished by him together with Hippodamia, their mother, who then hanged herself) and haunted future generation of Pelops' children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren including Atreus, Thyestes, Agamemnon, Aegisthus, Menelaus and Orestes.

Family Tree

Hermes and Atreus

Atreus with his knife

Thyestes lies with his own daughter Pelopina

They have a son named Aegisthus

Aegisthus will seduce Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra, while Agamemnon is in Troy

Children of Atreus

Menelaus, the younger son of Atreus, has his wife Helen stolen away by Paris, a prince of Troy.

Agamemnon, brother of Menelaus and married to Helen’s sister, Clytemnestra, leads the Greeks in fighting Troy to get Helen back

Trapped in Aulis with no wind, Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia

The Curse Rolls On

Agamemnon, eldest son of Atreus, will be murdered when he returns to Troy by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus.

Clytemnestra

The murder

Orestes

Orestes returns from exile to avenge the death of his father

Aegisthus

Orestes

Orestes is encouraged to take revenge by his sister, Electra

Orestes kills his mother and his uncle Aegisthus

Orestes will be tormented by the Furies…

Until Athena intervenes…

And Apollo purifies him

Orestes is then free to go after Pyrrhus, who has stolen his fiancé Hermione

Orestes kills Pyrrhus

Hermione

Orestes finally gets the girl