Thyestes
Thyestes ( old Gr . Θυέστης; German also Thyest ), the son of Pelops and Hippodameia , is a king of Mycenae in Greek mythology and the father of Pelopeia and Aigisthus .
Thyestes and Atreus murdered their half-brother Chrysippos together and were banished from the land of their fathers for this. They fled to Eurystheus , King of Mycenae, and received Midea as their residence. When Eurystheus went to war against Athens and the Heracleans , he temporarily transferred the business of government to them. However, Eurystheus fell in battle.
Atreus swore to sacrifice his best lamb to Artemis . While looking for his flock, he found a golden lamb which he gave to his wife Aërope to hide from the goddess. She gave it to her lover Thyestes, who then persuaded Atreus that whoever had the lamb should also be King of Mycenae. Thyestes now showed the lamb and claimed the throne for himself.
Atreus got the throne back after taking advice from Hermes , the messenger of the gods . Thyestes consented to the return of the throne as soon as the sun moved backwards, a feat that Zeus accomplished. Thyestes was banished.
Atreus then learned of Thyestes 'and Aëropes' adultery and the planned act of revenge. According to a legend, he then killed Thyestes' sons out of jealousy in order to bring them to him for supper. An oracle recommended Thyestes that if he had a son with his own daughter Pelopeia, the latter would kill Atreus. That son was Aigisthus . After his birth he was given away by his mother out of shame about the incest. A shepherd found the child and gave it to Atreus, who raised it like his own son. When Aigisthos grew up, Thyestes revealed to Aigisthos that he was both his father and grandfather, whereupon Aigisthos killed Atreus.
Aigisthus and Thyestes ruled Mycenae together, exiling Atreus' sons Agamemnon and Menelaus to Sparta , where King Tyndareus gave them his daughters Clytaimnestra and Helena as wives. When Tyndareus died, he bequeathed his throne to Menelaus, who then helped Agamemnon defeat Aigisthus and Thyestes.
See also
swell
- Library of Apollodorus , 2, 56; 5, 10-16.
- Homer , Iliad , 2, 106.
- Pausanias , traveling in Greece , 2, 18, 1; 2, 22, 3; 9, 40, 11.
literature
- Beatrice Baldarelli: Atreus and Thyestes. In: Maria Moog-Grünewald (Ed.): Mythenrezeption. The ancient mythology in literature, music and art from the beginnings to the present (= Der Neue Pauly . Supplements. Volume 5). Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2008, ISBN 978-3-476-02032-1 , pp. 180-183.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Atreus |
King of Mycenae 13th century BC Chr. (Fictional chronology) |
Agamemnon |