Aegisthus
heroSon of Thyestes who murdered Agamemnon to avenge his father, ruling Mycenae with Clytemnestra for seven years.
The Myth
He was the product of incest — fathered specifically as a weapon of revenge. An oracle told Thyestes that only a son born from his own daughter could avenge the cannibal feast. Thyestes raped his daughter Pelopia, and she bore Aegisthus. Raised in Atreus's household without knowing his true parentage, Aegisthus was sent to kill Thyestes but recognized his father by a sword. He then killed Atreus instead. While Agamemnon was at Troy, Aegisthus seduced Clytemnestra and ruled Mycenae. Together they murdered Agamemnon on his return. Orestes, Agamemnon's son, later killed both of them. Homer calls Aegisthus a coward; Aeschylus barely mentions him, giving the real agency to Clytemnestra.
Parents
Thyestes, Pelopia
Symbols
Fun Fact
Homer uses Aegisthus as a warning to Odysseus — the faithful Penelope is contrasted with the murderous Clytemnestra.
Explore Further
Agamemnon
heroAgamemnon led the Greek coalition against Troy but was murdered upon return by his wife...
Clytemnestra
heroClytemnestra murdered Agamemnon on his return from Troy, driven by rage over Iphigenia's sacrifice.
Orestes
heroOrestes killed his mother to avenge his father — then was acquitted by Athena's court.
Thyestes
heroBrother of Atreus who seduced his sister-in-law and was tricked into eating his own children at the...
Mycenae
placeMycenae was the great Bronze Age citadel in the Argolid, seat of King Agamemnon who led the Greek...
Atreus
heroKing of Mycenae who murdered his nephews and fed them to his brother Thyestes, establishing the...
Odysseus
heroThe cleverest of the Greek heroes, whose ten-year journey home from Troy is one of the greatest...
Odysseus (Trickster)
heroOdysseus was the most cunning of all Greek heroes — the man of polytropos (many turns), whose...
Penelope
heroThe wife of Odysseus who waited twenty years for his return, fending off 108 suitors through clever...
Electra
heroDaughter of Agamemnon who plotted with her brother Orestes to avenge their father's murder by...
Pylades
heroPylades was the devoted friend of Orestes who accompanied him through matricide, madness, and exile...
Aegis
conceptThe aegis was a divine shield or breastplate belonging to Zeus and wielded by Athena, fringed with...