Mycenaean Saga

Range of myths Stories of Elis, Olympia, and Pisa Stories of Mycenae proper

The Peloponnese

Tantalus and Pelops The crime and punishment of Tantalus Fed his children to the gods in Hades tantalized by food and water just out of his reach The gods re-member Pelops Demeter distracted by the loss of Persephone Ate his shoulder Replaced with an ivory shoulder

Pelops and Oinomaüs Oenomaüs, king of Pisa Pelops won the race Held a chariot contest for his daughter Hippodameia ("horse tamer") Contest for the bride Pelops won the race bribed the father's charioteer, Myrtilus with ius primae noctis Oenomaüs was killed when he fell from the chariot. Pelops did not reward Myrtilus instead threw him off a cliff into the sea Myrtilus cursed the descendants of Pelops Pelops became king of Pisa

The Peloponnese

Slides from temple of Zeus at Olympia, with Apollo and Hippodameia

Hippodamia abducted by Pelops Attic red-figure amphora, ca. 415 BC. Arezzo, Museo Archeologico

Pelops and Oenomaus Attic red figure bell krater (ca. 380 BCE). Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Perseus Project)

Hippodamia abducted by Pelops Attic red-figure amphora, ca. 415 BC. Arezzo, Museo Archeologico

Atreus and Thyestes The sons of Pelops, Atreus and Thyestes Quarrelled over the kingship of Mycenae, It had been offered to a "son of Pelops" through an oracle To the one who owned a golden-fleeced ram Pan brought the ram to Atreus Thyestes seduced Aerope, Atreus' wife, and took the ram Atreus was exiled, but returned and exiled Thyestes Atreus pretended to be reconciled to Thyestes and recalled him murdered Thyestes' sons, and fed them to him Thyestes went into exile again

Leda and the Swan Leda married Tyndareos Zeus in the form of a swan visited Leda She laid an egg 2 mortal children Clytemnestra and 2 immortal children Helen and

Leda and the Swan Marble stele from Brauron, Attica (late Classical). Athens, Archaeological Museum

Leda and the Swan Apulian red figure leutrophoros (350-340 BCE). Malibu, J. Paul Getty Museum

Leda and the Swan Greek Stone cameo (Hellenistic period). Boston, Museum of Fine Arts

Leda and the Egg Attic red figure cup (430-425 BCE). Boston, Museum of Fine Arts.

Polydeukes, Leda, Kastor with his horse, a serving boy with a stool, and Tyndareos Drawing of side A of an Attic black figure amphora from Vulci, signed by Exekias (ca. 540 BCE), Vatican Museum.

Dioskouroi (Sons of Zeus, Kastor and Polydeukes) Attic black-figured neck amphora (ca. 550-540 BCE). Univ. of Mississippi Museum (Perseus Project).

Dioskouroi (sons of Zeus, Kastor and Polydeukes) Attic black-figured amphora (Archaic period). Univ. of Pennsylvania Museum (Perseus Project).

Aegisthus, Agamemnon, and Menelaus Thyestes had another son Aegisthus, by his own daughter Pelopia. Atreus had two sons (called Atreides) Agamemnon Menelaus Agamemnon married Clytemnestra Ruled Mycenae Menelaus married Helen Ruled Sparta

Agamemnon Led the expedition to Troy Before sailing: Sacrificed his daughter Iphigeneia To Artemis At Aulis So the winds would blow Two plays by Euripides Iphigeneia at Aulis Iphigeneia in Tauris

Sacrifice of Iphigenia Apulian red figure volute krater (375-350 BCE). British Museum (Perseus Project).

Clytemnestra and Aegisthus Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon hated him for sacrificing of their daughter Aegisthus, son of Thyestes Sought revenge against sons of Atreus Seduced Clytemnestra While Agamemnon was on the Trojan expedition They plotted to kill him on his return

Return of Agamemnon After the Trojan war Agamemnon returned with Cassandra Daughter of Priam, sister of Hektor Prophetess Fated not to be believed Aegisthus and Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon Alone or together, depending on version Odyssey, book 11 Aeschylus’ Agamemnon

Clytemnestra and slain Agamemnon. (ca. 490 BCE). New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Clytemnestra kills Cassandra Red Figure, c. 430 BCE

Orestes and Elektra Orestes grew up to avenge the death of Agamemnon Elektra loved her father, hated her mother Opposite of Oedipus Plotted to kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides All wrote plays on the subject

Orestes and Elektra Roman, ca. 25 BCE

Orestes stabbing Clytemnestra while Electra looks on and Aegisthus attempts to flee Bronze sheet, Greek, c. 570 BCE Olympia Museum. Credits: Barbara McManus, 1980

Death of Aegisthus at the hands of Orestes Attic red figure calyx krater (c. 470 BCE). J. Paul Getty Museum. (Perseus Project)

Orestes slaying Aegisthus as Clytemnestra flees Attic red figure pelike (ca. 480 BCE). Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum (Perseus Project).

Death of Aegisthus Drawing of previous vase

Talthybius restrains Clytemnestra Drawing of side B of previous vase

Orestes, Clytemnestra, Erinye Red figure amphora from Campania (340 BCE).

Madness of Orestes The Furies, or Erinyes avenge crimes against the family Drove Orestes mad Acquitted of his crime in Athens, a new type of justice replaces blood vengeance Aeschylus’ Eumenides In Homer, Aeschylus, and Sophocles Orestes (and Elektra) is an avenger of his father’s murder Euripides shows them to be real murderers. After he is purified, Orestes eventually marries Hermione, daughter of Helen and Menelaus. She had been married to Neoptolemos, son of Achilles. Neoptolemos was killed at Delphi.

Orestes at Delphi Erinyes on the left, Apollo on the right. Lucanian red figure (c. 350-340 BCE). Harvard Univ. Art Museums (Perseus Project).

Orestes and Furies (Bourguereau, 1862)