Atridae, legend of the

In Greek mythology, the story of the dynastic rivalry between the houses of Atreus and Thyestes, sons of Pelops, king of Pisa in Elis. The feud later centred on the struggle for control of the throne of Mycenae between Thyestes' son, Aegisthus, and the sons of Atreus, Agamemnon and Menelaus. The legend also includes the expansion of Atreid power and involvement with the Trojan wars.

Variations occur in the genealogy of the story, and elaborations include additional incest, murder, and intrigue.

Atreus and Thyestes Having murdered their half-brother Chrysippus, Atreus and Thyestes took refuge with King Eurystheus of Mycenae. With his second wife Aerope, Atreus had two sons, Agamemnon and Menelaus, and a daughter, Anaxibia, and eventually succeeded to the throne of Mycenae. His rival Thyestes was exiled, having already seduced Aerope. In revenge for his expulsion, Thyestes tricked Atreus into killing Pleisthenes, Atreus' son by his first wife.

Curse of Atreus Some time later Atreus recalled Thyestes, pretending to be reconciled, but killed his two sons and served up their flesh at a banquet. Thyestes fled, and the gods cursed the house of Atreus, visiting Mycenae with famine which an oracle foretold would only be relieved by the return of Thyestes.

Revenge of Thyestes While searching for his brother, Atreus reached the court of King Thesprotus and married Pelopia, unaware that she was the daughter of Thyestes and unwillingly pregnant with her father's child. She tried to expose the baby son, Aegisthus, but Atreus rescued him believing him to be his own. When Thyestes was finally brought to Mycenae, Atreus commanded Aegisthus to kill him; Thyestes disarmed the boy and, claiming him as his son, ordered him to slay Atreus before taking the throne of Mycenae.

Sons of Atreus After the death of their father, Agamemnon and Menelaus fled to Sparta where they were welcomed by King Tyndareus and his two daughters Clytemnestra and Helen. Agamemnon married Clytemnestra, and had a son, Orestes, and three daughters, Iphigenia, Electra, and Chrysothemis.

Menelaus married Helen, succeeded King Tyndareus, and with the help of Agamemnon drove his cousin Aegisthus and uncle Thyestes from Mycenae. Having recovered his father's throne, he established his authority over the whole of Argolis.

Agamemnon and the Trojan War When Paris abducted Helen, her brother-in-law Agamemnon persuaded a number of Greek princes to unite in a war against Troy. He himself provided 100 ships and was chosen to lead the expedition. After two years of preparation a fleet of 1200 ships assembled at Aulis in Boeotia. However Agamemnon killed a stag sacred to the goddess Artemis and she retaliated with a period of adverse weather. The seer Calchas announced that her wrath would only be appeased by the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia.

After a ten-year siege, Agamemnon sacked the city of Troy and received King Priam's daughter Cassandra as a prize. On his return home from the Trojan wars, he and Cassandra were murdered by his wife Clytemnestra at the instigation of her lover Aegisthus. Agamemnon's children Orestes and Electra eventually killed the guilty couple.