Fratricide, curses, and the Greek gods themselves all sully the legacy of the House of Atreus. As a prominent family in Greek mythology, what else can we expect? Not all heroes have a glorious history.
The House of Atreus began with the foolish Tantalus who thought he could outsmart the gods. From his line came the infamous brothers of the Iliad and Odyssey, Agamemnon and Menelaus, who had their fair share of bloodshed and tragedy in Homer’s epics. There is also the eponymous Atreus, a warrior, prince, murderer, and proud Niobe, who suffered the gods’ retribution for her hubris.
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Origins of the House of Atreus
The House of Atreus was centered in Mycenae, in the Peloponnese, though it had ties to Phrygia in Anatolia. Legends popularly state that the progenitor of the House was Tantalus, a son of Zeus and Pluto. Pluto was either the daughter of Himas, Cronus, or Atlas. According to Euripides’ play Orestes, a man named Tmolus was Tantalus’ father, not Zeus. Regardless of such, Tantalus, and therefore the lineage of the House of Atreus, had some modicum of divinity.
Tantalus, then, took Dione, a nymph daughter of Atlas, as a consort and had three children with her. The offspring, Broteas, Pelops, and Niobe, all had tragic fates, speculated to be connected to the curse upon their House. Tantalus is the grandfather of Atreus and the great-grandfather of Agamemnon and Menelaus. Despite Tantalus being the progenitor of the House of Atreus, his son, Pelops, is credited as its founder.
The Curse of the House of Atreus
The House of Atreus wasn’t always cursed. Their ill fate began with the crimes of Tantalus. Once favored by the Greek gods and goddesses, Tantalus had the luxury of dining with them. This favored treatment came to an abrupt end when Tantalus, upon desiring to test the omniscience of the Olympians, killed his second son, Pelops, and served him during a banquet. The gods discovered the brutal act before any of Pelops was consumed, save for Demeter, who had taken a bite from his shoulder.
Offended and disgusted by the deception, Tantalus was sent to Tartarus in the Underworld, where he stood in clear waters beneath the limb of a fruit tree. There, he would be eternally deprived of nourishment. If he attempted to sate his thirst with a drink, the water would recede; if he reached for the fruit from the tree, the limb would rise to be out of his reach. The Olympians brought Pelops back to life, replacing his shoulder with an ivory alternate, crafted by Hephaestus.
The hubris of Tantalus initiated the cursed nature of his descendants. His eldest son with Dione, Broteas, self-immolated in a fit of madness after offending the goddess Artemis. His daughter, Niobe, insulted Leto and had her children murdered by Apollo and Artemis for her trespass. The only one seemingly unaffected was his victim and son, Pelops.
Pelops and the Pelopidai
According to myth, Pelops became a handsome young man and skilled chariot driver, after being trained by Poseidon in his reanimated youth. When grown he sought the hand of Hippodamia, daughter of King Oenomaus of Pisa, himself a son of Ares. Oenomaus challenged Pelops to a chariot competition – one that had already taken the lives of eighteen suitors – in hopes of killing him. You see, Oenomaus was the subject of a prophecy that stated his son-in-law would be his demise and, well, that can’t happen if there is no son-in-law in the picture.
Pelops, crafty in nature, cheated in the competition by convincing Myrtilus, the charioteer of King Oenomaus, to sabotage the event. His foul play led to the gruesome death of Oenomaus and his success in marrying Hippodamia. He proceeded to toss Myrtilus from a seaside cliff to get out of upholding his end of the bargain, which may or may not have included spending a night with his new wife.
It is said that Myrtilus cursed Pelops and his lineage (the Pelopidai) for the betrayal before meeting his end. The curse would manifest in Pelops’ sons years down the line.
The sons of Pelops with Hippodamia were Atreus and Thyestes; he had another son, Chrysippus, who was born to him from a nymph named Axioche. While it is recorded by numerous chroniclers of the time that Pelops had other children, who they were is disputed, and the curse upon him is specifically related to the aforementioned offspring. No matter the children that Pelops had, he had his favorites, and Chrysippus was believed to be his favorite. Out of jealousy, Atreus and Thyestes killed their half-brother, which led to their banishment.
Atreus’ sons, Agamemnon and Menelaus, were further victims of the curse. Both men fought in the bloody Trojan War and, although they survived, faced tragedy time and time again. Hence, although the curse is associated with the House of Atreus, it began with Atreus’ grandfather and continued into the lives of Atreus’ grandchildren.
Key Figures of the House of Atreus
The House of Atreus plays a significant role in Greek mythology. Here are some of the most consequential members of this cursed House, and how they perpetuated the curse in their lifetimes:
Atreus
Atreus was one of the sons of Pelops and Hippodamia. His twin was Thyestes. Together, they are remembered for murdering their half-brother Chrysippus in a jealous rage when they suspected that the inheritance of Olympia would fall to him. Chrysippus was, after all, their father’s favorite son. That’s probably why their father banished them and Hippodamia after finding out his twins tossed their half-brother down a well.
In Atreus’ banishment with his brother, the pair took over Mycenae in a joint stewardship during the absence of King Eurystheus. Yes, the very same Eurystheus who assigned Heracles his Twelve Labors. His leave was due to warring with the Heraclids, Heracles’ descendants. Anyways, once Eurystheus fell in battle, the twins became permanent co-kings of Mycenae. At least, they would have been so if either weren’t so desperate to rule.
Thyestes began an affair with the wife of Atreus, Aerope, and cheated him out of kingship with her help. None the wiser to the adultery, Atreus petitioned Zeus for aid in reacquiring the throne. The god, through Hermes, directed Atreus to broker a deal with Thyestes: if the rising and setting of the sun were to be reversed, then he would be king. After Helios made the sun rise in the West and set in the East, Atreus became the King of Mycenae.
Only after Atreus became king did he learn of Aerope and Thyestes’ affair. What followed was a brutal quest for revenge, one which involved the murdering of his nephews, and the incestuous birth of Aegisthus from the union of Thyestes and his daughter, Pelopia. When Aegisthus discovered who his father was, he killed Atreus, and he and Thyestes took control of Mycenae. By then, Atreus and Aerope had children of their own: Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Anaxibia.
Agamemnon
Agamemnon was a crucial figure in the story of the Trojan War. He was the commander of the Greek forces sent to retrieve his sister-in-law, Helen, from Troy. His wife was Helen’s sister, Clytemnestra, and together they had five children: Iphigenia, Electra, Laodike, Orestes, and Chrysothemis.
In Homer’s epics, Agamemnon is described as having taken refuge in Sparta with Menelaus after their cousin, Aegisthus, overthrew their father. It is there that the brothers met their future wives, the daughters of King Tyndareus, and accumulated power to challenge Aegisthus. In time, Menelaus became the King of Sparta, and Agamemnon was able to overthrow his cousin and uncle. As the King of Mycenae, Agamemnon became one of the most powerful rulers in ancient Greece.
When Helen was abducted by Paris, it was up to Agamemnon to rally Achaean forces to the cause. He recruited Odysseus, Achilles, and other great heroes – many of whom questioned the motivations behind the war. Before being able to set sail for Troy, Agamemnon had offended the goddess Artemis in some way; the “how” changes with the sources. According to Homer, Agamemnon had killed a deer in a sacred grove. In response, Artemis stilled the winds and set a plague upon Mycenae.
To appease the goddess, Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia. This decision would later haunt him, as his wife, Clytemnestra, never forgave him. While Agamemnon was in Troy, Clytemnestra began an affair with Aegisthus. And, Agamemnon made enemies of the men he commanded, notably Achilles when he took the hero’s “war prize,” Briseis, as his own. He also angered Ajax, who in his death cursed Agamemnon.
So, being double-cursed didn’t seem ideal when it was time to return from war a decade later. Upon Agamemnon’s homecoming, he is murdered by his wife and her lover, Aegisthus. Agamemnon returned with the cursed Trojan prophetess, Cassandra, as a war prisoner – the vengeful couple also murdered her.
Menelaus
Menelaus was the second of two sons born to Atreus by his wife Aerope and was the King of Sparta. His wife, Helen, was the famous face that launched 1,000 ships. In traditional accounts, the couple had a single child, a daughter named Hermione. Menelaus is also cited to have an illegitimate son, Megapenthes. Both children were born by the time of the outbreak of the Trojan War.
When the Trojan prince Paris absconded with Helen back to his hometown, Menelaus was away at a funeral. He did not learn of Helen’s kidnapping until he returned. He evoked an oath made by Helen’s suitors years ago to get the support of other kings in his quest to get his wife back. Before going any further, we should say that Menelaus is perhaps one of the more amicable members of the House of Atreus.
The Spartan king at least didn’t directly earn the ire of the gods through his actions, which is a huge step in the right direction for the Atreides. Maybe Agamemnon could have learned a thing or two from him.
While Menelaus succeeded in retrieving Helen after ten years of warfare, he and other Greek forces would struggle to find their way home. He and his men were stranded in Egypt for a time before he returned, wife in tow, to Sparta. Despite the infamous reputation of his House, his fleet didn’t suffer nearly as badly as Odysseus’ did. Shocker. He also lived a rather peaceful life on his return, and he and Helen maintained an ideal marriage. Even bigger shocker.
Orestes and Electra
Orestes and Electra are the children of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, both of whom are discussed at length in Aeschylus’ trilogy Oresteia and the tragedy Electra by Sophocles. These children would go on to murder their mother and Aegisthus to avenge the death of their father, Agamemnon. They are the final victims of the curse on the House of Atreus and the ones to finally break it.
Versions of the story depend on the source in question, but generally, Agamemnon returned home and was killed by his wife, his cousin, or both. Orestes would have been away in Athens with his sister, Electra, and the two would spend years devising a plan of revenge. The retribution would not be exacted until Orestes became a man.
Alas, the Greek tragedies are ever tragic. Although the murder of Agamemnon would be avenged by his son and daughter, Aeschylus described Orestes as going mad after. At that point, the Erinyes got involved based on Orestes violating family piety by committing matricide. Which…this family has been violating filial piety for a hot minute, but okay.
The legend of Orestes and Electra turned rapidly into a courtroom drama, with Athena acting as judge. Only after all sides were shared was the House of Atreus acquitted and their curse lifted by command of the goddess. Thereafter, Orestes’ madness was lifted and he ascended the throne of Mycenae.
The House of Atreus in Myth and Literature
The House of Atreus plays a prominent role in ancient Greek myth and literature. Their family members are depicted as being problematic: they’re incestuous, cannibalistic, and bloodthirsty. Their presence is met with hesitation from the audience. Moreover, the pride of the Atreides is emphasized in most myths they are featured in. Niobe’s pride gets her children killed, Agamemnon’s pride makes him enemies and ultimately is his downfall, while Menelaus’ pride starts a war that ends the House of Priam.
Unfortunately for the House of Atreus, they are born to be punished for their hubris. Tragic figures, every one of them.That is until a son would break the cycle.
In the Oresteia trilogy, the misfortune of the House of Atreus is known – acknowledged, even, by characters. The trilogy deals directly with the cause and effect the supposed curse has on Agamemnon and his lineage. While Agamemnon returned from Troy only to be killed, his death is a representation of the cruel cycle the House of Atreus had found themselves in. His father committed kin-strife, and so would his son in avenging him. But, the story ends there, with the absolvement of Orestes.
The curse of the House of Atreus is featured and discussed in many past works. These include…
- The Iliad and Odyssey by Homer
- The Oresteia by Aeschylus
- Agamemnon
- The Libation Bearers
- The Eumenides
- Electra by Sophocles
- Electra by Euripides
- The Trojan Women by Euripides
Legacy and Impact of the House of Atreus
The House of Atreus has a pervasive legacy of cruelty. It all began when Pelops, the son of Tantalus, was served to the gods as his father’s experiment.
With years in exile from misdeeds and a stack of curses four generations thick, the House of Atreus has captured the imagination of scholars and historians for centuries. From the Greek perspective, they represented the consequence of hubris in a family unit. The Atreides further portrayed the pinnacle of vigilante justice and the fate one is handed at birth.
In the media, the House of Atreus will ring familiar to fans of Frank Herbert’s Dune. The central family, the Atreides, are known descendants of the archaic Greek House. The Atreides of the Dune universe came from Agamemnon’s line, and the inspirations drawn from Greek mythos are noticeable throughout the novels. It is in Western literature such as Dune that the curse of Atreus is dissected for its cyclical familial violence which, at the end of the day, has some twisted semblance of honor.
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Wrapping Up the House of Atreus Family Tree
All in all, the House of Atreus is tragic. They knew firsthand the fury of the gods and men. It is for that very reason that the House of Atreus and its descendants maintained such an important role in Greek legends. They are just a few of many heroes and heroines that suffered for their hubris.
Part of the drama and allure of the story of the Trojan War is that everyone knows it is a tragedy masquerading as a war story. The characters are frequently depicted in anguish. Having members of the House of Atreus be central characters only further pushes the doomed narrative. Nothing good could have come of the war because, for Zeus’ sake, look who is running the show!
While the story of the House of Atreus and its curse makes for good theater, the humanity of the myths surrounding the family is undeniable. The Atreides make for fantastic evidence of the effects of the cycle of violence on a family unit. They also offer hope.
The curse upon the House of Atreides didn’t last forever. It took acceptance and forgiveness – and being tried by a divine court, but not everyone has that luxury. Without Orestes standing before Athena and confessing that yes, he committed a crime against his family and that he was remorseful, the curse may not have ever been broken. And that, folks, is how one of Greek mythology’s most famous cursed families was pardoned by the gods.