Tragic Tale Of The Cursed House Of Atreus

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Once the wheel of misfortune has been set in motion, it can be challenging to stop it from spinning. Tragedies have an uncanny tendency to follow each other, and the House of Atreus certainly experienced the greatest miseries life has to offer.

The misadventures of the House of Atreus is a tragic tale that has inspired writers for almost three thousand years.  “Of the thirty-three, Greek dramas which have come down to us intact, eight of them are concerned with members of this accursed family. Scores of later writers, including many contemporaries, have also mined the riches of this tragic tale.” ¹

Feast of Atreus and Thyestes by Václav Jindřich Nosecký, Michael Václav Halbax (r. 1700). Credit: Institute of Art History ASCR - CC BY-SA 3.0

It is a remarkable story that shows how dangerous it is to awaken the ancient Greek gods' fury. All family members and descendants of the mythical Mycenaean king Atreus had to suffer all their lives for horrible deeds made in the past. Shameful arrogance was unacceptable to ancient Greek gods, whose punishment often lasted a lifetime.

But why were the Atreids cursed?

Greek mythology offers amazing stories of passion, love, heroism, betrayal, and revenge, and the tale of the Atreids has captivated the world for many years. The genuinely horrifying events members of the accursed family experienced are a reminder of how vengeful, angry deities could be.

Tantalus Unleashed The Greek Gods’ Fury

The House of House Atreus's misery started with the misdeed of Tantalus, the ancestor of the Atreids.

Tantalus was the son of Zeus and a nymph Pluto, daughter of Rhea and Cronus. Often invited to feast with the Olympians, Tantalus was loved by Zeus and the other gods and goddesses. Still, he was an evil and cruel individual who did not hesitate to murder to impress. Tantalus made two mistakes the gods would never forgive. When invited to a feast with the deities, he slaughtered his son, Pelops,  cut him up, and boiled him.  Tantalus wanted to impress by serving the rarest delicacy, but the gods had no idea they were offered human flesh. Once they discovered the truth, they were horrified and furious. Fortunately, the gods were able to save poor Pelops and bring him back to life.

Tantalus was placed thirsty in a pool of water, which drained away when he tried to drink it. Painting by Joseph Heinz the Elder, 1535. Credit: Public Domain

However, Tantalus showed once again he was not worthy of the gods' appreciation and respect, and his next act awakened the rage of the deities. Tantalus “revealed the secrets of the gods to mortals and passed them divine nectar and ambrosia, giving immortality or longevity to those who consumed it.” ²

As punishment for his despicable crimes, Tantalus was cast to Hades, the Underworld, where he was condemned to eternal hunger and thirst.

Cursed Family Members Of The House Of Atreus

Giving Tantalus a severe punishment was the beginning of the tragedy family members of the House of Atreus suffered.

Pelops of Mycenae, who the gods had rescued after his father killed him, married Hippodamia. The couple had a son named Atreus, who had a troubled relationship with his twin brother Thyestes, but this did not prevent them from murdering their half-brother Chrysippus. This murder led to Hippodamia, Atreus, and Thyestes were banished to Mycenae, King Agamemnon’s kingdom, where a devastated Hippodamia committed suicide later by hanging herself.

Death followed in the footsteps of the House of Atreus. When Atreus’ wife, Aerope, fell in love with his brother Thyestes and bore him two children, we are once again reminded of the horrible crime committed by Tantalus.

A jealous and furious Atreus “took a terrible vengeance: He killed the two children, roasted them, and served them to his brother at a banquet. For this horrid crime the gods fastened a curse upon Atreus and all his descendants.” ¹

Thyestes was so horrified that he fled to Sicyon. Knowing his sons had been brutally murdered by his brother, he impregnated his daughter Pelopia in the hope of raising one more son to avenge himself.

This drama turned into a disaster Atreus did not foresee. When Atreus married Pelopia, the daughter of Thyestes, she bore him a son named Aegisthus. Atreus did not know that this was not his son but the child fathered by his brother Thyestes!

The sons of Atreus and Aërope , Agamemnon, and Menelaus continued to the persecution of Thyestes. When they found him, he was imprisoned at Mycenae.

Aegisthus was sent to murder Thyestes, but the plan failed. The two men recognized the other because of the sword Pelopia had taken from her father and given her son. Father and son slew Atreus, seized the throne and drove Agamemnon and Menelaus out of the country.

Unfortunately, the death of Atreus did not put an end to the family’s misfortunes.

King Menelaus of Sparta married Helen of Troy, he was soon betrayed.

“Paris, a Trojan prince, came to Sparta to claim Helen, in the guise of a supposed diplomatic mission. Before this journey, Paris had been appointed by Zeus to judge the most beautiful goddess; Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite. In order to earn his favor, Aphrodite promised Paris the most beautiful woman in the world. Swayed by Aphrodite's offer, Paris chose her as the most beautiful of the goddesses, earning the wrath of Athena and Hera.

King Menelaus and Helen of Troy by Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein. Credit: Public Domain

While the three contestants were competing for the prize, Aphrodite promised Paris that if he chose her, she would help him marry the most beautiful woman in the world. This promise led to the kidnapping of Helen.

Other myths have it that Helen fled with Paris and went to Troy on her own accord.” ³

“Agamemnon, leader of the Greek forces against Troy, was murdered by his own wife upon his return from the wars. His grandson, Orestes, killed his mother, Clytemnestra, to avenge his father’s death, and was himself torn by the Furies. “ ¹

“Cassandra in her manic speech brings up the curse saying that something dark and sinister dwells deep in the House of Atreus which must come to light. She says that this is:

“The house that hates god,

an echoing womb of guilt, kinsmen

torturing kinsmen, severed heads,

slaughterhouse of heroes, soil streaming blood” (1088-1091).

What becomes apparent with this speech is the extent and grip the curse has on the House itself. The House is fated to fall with the death of Agamemnon.” ⁴

The House of Atreus's family members committed unspeakable crimes. Looking back at their story, one can wonder whether it was a curse that haunted them or their fate depended solely on their actions.

Was the evil that continuously plagued the family their own doing, or were all descendants of the House of Atreus doomed from birth?

Updated on August 16, 2022

Written by Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com

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