Myrtilos

Myrtilos ( Greek  Μυρτίλος ) is in Greek mythology the charioteer of King Oinomaos of Pisa . His parents are Hermes and Cleobule (other mothers are also mentioned).

Oinomaos promises the hand of his daughter Hippodameia and his kingdom to those who defeat him in the chariot race. Pelops , the son of Tantalus , offers Myrtilos half of the empire if he helps him win the race. Before the race, Myrtilos replaces the iron nails of the royal chariot with blocks of black wax. During the race, the wheels of Oinomaos' car come loose and he is dragged to death. Lying dying, he sees through Myrtilus and curses him: He should find death by Pelops' hand. When Myrtilus tries to assault the beautiful king's daughter, the curse is fulfilled and Pelops throws him into the sea. He still shouts: "Curse you, Pelops, and all your sex!" And drowns. This curse haunted the Pelops family for several generations including, Atreus , Thyestes , Agamemnon , Aigisthus , Menelaus , Orestes and Chrysippus , until finally Orestes dissolved him with the help of the god Apollo.

literature

• Hans von Geisau : Myrtilos 1). In: The Little Pauly (KlP). Volume 3, Stuttgart 1969, column 1526.
• Karl Tümpel : Myrtilos . In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Hrsg.): Detailed lexicon of Greek and Roman mythology . Volume 2.2, Leipzig 1897, Col. 3315-3320 ( digitized version ).

Web links

• Myrtilos in the Greek Myth Index (English)