Editing Agamemnon (section)

== The Curse of the House of Atreus ==
[[File:Lineage_Tantalus.svg|thumb|Family Tree of the House of Atreus]]

Agamemnon's family history is rife with misfortune, born from several curses contributing to the [[Miasma (Greek mythology)|miasma]] around the family. The curse begins with Agamemnon's great-grandfather Tantalus, who is in [[Zeus]]'s favor until he tries to feed his son Pelops to the gods in order to test their [[omniscience]], as well as stealing some [[ambrosia]] and nectar. Tantalus is then banished to the [[Greek underworld|underworld]], where he stands in a pool of water that evaporates every time he reaches down to drink, and above him is a fruit tree whose branches are blown just out of reach by the wind whenever he reaches for the fruit.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Pindar, Olympian, Olympian 1 For Hieron of Syracuse Single Horse Race 476 BC |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0162 |access-date=18 May 2021 |website=perseus.tufts.edu |archive-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227052549/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0162 |url-status=live}}</ref> This begins the cursed house of Atreus, and his descendants would face similar or worse fates.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=The Project Gutenberg eBook of The House of Atreus by Aeschylus |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8604/8604-h/8604-h.htm |access-date=18 May 2021 |website=gutenberg.org |archive-date=10 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210060946/https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8604/8604-h/8604-h.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Later, using his relationship with Poseidon, Pelops convinces the god to grant him a chariot so he may beat [[Oenomaus]], king of Pisa, in a race, and win the hand of his daughter [[Hippodamia of Pisa|Hippodamia]]. [[Myrtilus]], who in some accounts helps Pelops win his chariot race, attempts to lie with Pelops's new bride Hippodamia. In anger, Pelops throws Myrtilus off a cliff, but not before Myrtilus curses Pelops and his entire line.<ref name=":0" /> Pelops and [[Hippodamia (daughter of Oenomaus)|Hippodamia]] have many children, including Atreus and Thyestes, who are said to have murdered their half-brother [[Chrysippus of Elis|Chrysippus]]. Pelops banishes Atreus and Thyestes to Mycanae, where Atreus becomes king. Thyestes later conspires with Atreus's wife, Aerope, to supplant Atreus, but they are unsuccessful. Atreus then kills Thyestes' son and cooks him into a meal which Thyestes eats, and afterwards Atreus taunts him with the hands and feet of his now dead son. Thyestes, on the advice of an oracle, then has a son with his own daughter [[Pelopia (daughter of Thyestes)|Pelopia]]. Pelopia tries to [[Infant exposure|expose]] the infant Aegisthus, but he is found by a shepherd and raised in the house of Atreus. When Aegisthus reaches adulthood Thyestes reveals the truth of his birth, and Aegisthus then kills Atreus.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Apollodorus, Epitome, book E, chapter 2 |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0022:text=Epitome:book=E:chapter=2&highlight=atreus |access-date=4 June 2021 |website=perseus.tufts.edu |archive-date=5 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605000406/https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0022:text=Epitome:book=E:chapter=2&highlight=atreus |url-status=live}}</ref>

Atreus and Aerope have three children, Agamemnon, Menelaus, and [[Anaxibia]]. The continued miasma surrounding the house of Atreus expresses itself in several events throughout their lives. Agamemnon is forced to sacrifice his own daughter, Iphigenia, to appease the gods and allow the Greek forces to sail for [[Troy]]. When Agamemnon refuses to return [[Chryseis (mythology)|Chryseis]] to her father [[Chryses (priest of Apollo)|Chryses]], he brings plague upon the Greek camp. He is also later killed by his wife, Clytemnestra, who conspires with her new lover Aegisthus in revenge for the death of Iphigenia. Menelaus's wife, [[Helen of Troy]], runs away with [[Paris (mythology)|Paris]], ultimately leading to the [[Trojan War]]. According to book 4 of the ''Odyssey,'' after the war his fleet is scattered by the gods to Egypt and [[Crete]]. When Menelaus finally returns home, his marriage with Helen is now strained and they produce no sons.<ref name=":3" /> Both Agamemnon and Menelaus are cursed by Ajax for not granting him Achilles's armor as he commits suicide.<ref name=":2" />

Agamemnon and Clytemnestra have three remaining children, Electra, Orestes, and Chrysothemis. After growing to adulthood and being pressured by Electra, Orestes vows to avenge his father Agamemnon by killing his mother Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. After successfully doing so, he wanders the Greek countryside for many years constantly plagued by the [[Erinyes]] (Furies) for his sins. Finally, with the help of [[Athena]] and [[Apollo]] he is absolved of his crimes, dispersing the miasma, and the curse on house Atreus comes to an end.<ref name=":1" />