Atreus , in Greek legend , the son of Pelops of Mycenae and his wife, Hippodamia. Atreus was the elder brother of Thyestes and was the king of Mycenae. The story of his family—the House of Atreus—is virtually unrivaled in antiquity for complexity and corruption. A curse, said to have been pronounced by Myrtilus, plagued the descendants of Pelops.
The Curse of the House of Atreus
After the crime the three brothers fled their native city of Pisa; Alcathous went to Megara, and Atreus and Thyestes stopped at Mycenae, where Atreus became king. When Atreus learned the identity of the boy, he recalled Thyestes to Mycenae in apparent reconciliation. Thyestes fled in horror to Sicyon; there he impregnated his own daughter Pelopia in the hope of raising one more son to avenge himself.
Atreus subsequently married Pelopia, and she afterward bore Aegisthus. Atreus believed this child to be his own, but Aegisthus was in fact the son of Thyestes. Aegisthus was sent to murder Thyestes, but each recognized the other because of the sword that Pelopia had taken from her father and given to her son.
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Father and son slew Atreus, seized the throne, and drove Agamemnon and Menelaus out of the country. We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval. Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article.
Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Learn More in these related Britannica articles: Preparations for the chariot race are depicted in the east pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. Pelops thus became the ruler of the greater part of the Peloponnese. Meanwhile, Hermes collected the pieces of Pelops, and placed them in a "cauldron of rebirth" so that Zeus, Clotho one of the Fates and Rhea could use their combined talents to restore him to life.
To do so, he had to defeat her father, king of Pisa, in a chariot race. Atreus first sought the throne, but was challenged by Thyestes. Atreus possessed a golden lamb, which he vowed to sacrifice to Artemis, but instead hid from her.
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When his wife Aerope declared that the kingdom should belong to the owner of the golden lamb, Atreus agreed. Little did he know that his brother Thyestes had been having an affair with Aerope, who loved him, and had stolen the golden lamb to give to him. She and Thyestes plotted against the sacrilegious Atreus, so that Thyestes would become king of Mycenae.
The House of Atreus: Breaking Free of Family Curse and Conditioning by Tracy Marks
Zeus however, influenced by Hermes, stirred unrest by encouraging Hermes to initiate a new agreement between Atreus and Thyestes. Thyestes agreed to give up the kingdom when the sun went backwards, assuming this would never happen. But Zeus made sure that the sun next set in the east, and that Atreus therefore became king. Atreus however was furious at this brother for committing adultery with his wife, and plotted against him, inviting him to come to Mycenae under the pretext of a family reconciliation.
The devastated Thyestes then sought revenge, turning to the Oracle of Delphi for guidance. The Oracle told him that he must lie once with his daughter Pelopia, who would bear him a son, who would in time become his avenger.
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Disguising his identity from Pelopia, he raped her, and she bore a son, Aegisthus. Ironically, however, Atreus eventually married this same Pelopia, and along with his own sons Agamemnon and Menelaus, raised Aegisthus as his own son. Horrified, Aegisthus slew Atreus instead of Thyestes.
Agamemnon and Menelaus, fearing for their lives, fled into exile. Consider how the sins, deficiencies, emotional complexes, personality disorders, addictions etc.