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Atreus
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Atreus

In Greek mythology, the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus (the Atridae); son of King Pelops; brother of Thyestes, with whom he contested the throne of Mycenae. At a banquet held to confirm the reconciliation of the two brothers, Atreus served the flesh of Thyestes' children to their father.

The sun turned back in horror and the gods cursed the house of Atreus, sending famine to Mycenae; only the return of Thyestes would break the spell. Advised by an oracle to seek out his brother, Atreus left his kingdom and eventually met and married Pelopia, unaware that she was Thyestes' daughter and unwillingly pregnant with her father's child, later named Aegisthus. When Thyestes was finally captured and brought to Mycenae, Aegisthus was ordered to kill him, but Thyestes disarmed the boy and, recognizing his son, commanded him to murder Atreus before taking the Mycenean throne.

The feud was continued by the sons of Atreus, Menelaus and Agamemnon, as described in the legend of the Atridae.



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