Agamemnon
Agamemnon led the Greek coalition against Troy but was murdered upon return by his wife Clytemnestra.
The Legend of Agamemnon
King of Mycenae and brother of Menelaus, Agamemnon commanded the Greek alliance against Troy after Paris abducted Helen. At Aulis, Artemis becalmed the fleet, and Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia for winds. He quarrelled bitterly with Achilles over Briseis, nearly costing the war. After ten years he returned triumphant, but his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus murdered him in his bath. Apollo commanded his son Orestes to avenge him, and Athena's court in Athens finally broke the cycle of bloodshed that cursed the house of Atreus.
Parents
Atreus and Aerope
Symbols
Fun Fact
Schliemann's gold mask is centuries older than any historical Agamemnon.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Clytemnestra
🗡 heroQueen who murdered Agamemnon
Clytemnestra murdered Agamemnon on his return from Troy, driven by rage over Iphigenia's sacrifice.
Polynices
🗡 heroPrince who led the Seven Against Thebes
Polynices was the son of Oedipus who raised an army of seven champions to take Thebes from his brother Eteocles — the brothers killed each other in single combat.
Neoptolemus
🗡 heroSon of Achilles
Neoptolemus was Achilles' fierce son, brought to Troy because a prophecy declared the city could not fall without him.
Menelaus
🗡 heroKing of Sparta, husband of Helen
Menelaus was the king of Sparta whose stolen wife Helen was the cause of the Trojan War — yet he survived the war, the return, and old age, a rare happy ending among Greek heroes.
Eurypylos
🗡 heroCombat, Mysian alliance
Son of Telephus and leader of the Mysians who came late to Troy's defence and was killed by Neoptolemus
Hector
🗡 heroChampion of Troy
Hector was Troy's greatest warrior, who fought not for glory but to defend his city, wife, and son.
Sarpédon
🗡 heroSon of Zeus who died at Troy
Sarpedon was a son of Zeus and the greatest Lycian warrior at Troy — his death forced Zeus to confront the limits of even divine power.
Tenes
🗡 heroPurity, Betrayal, Apollo
Prince of Colonae and first ruler of Tenedos, killed by Achilles despite his divine protection by Apollo.
Eteocles
🗡 heroKing of Thebes who refused to share
Eteocles was the son of Oedipus who refused to share the throne of Thebes with his brother Polynices, sparking the war of the Seven — and dying in mutual fratricide.
Megara
🗡 heroNone recorded
First wife of Heracles, given to him as a reward and later killed in his madness
Imbrios
🗡 heroMarriage, Trojan alliance
Son-in-law of Priam from the island of Imbros who fought and died defending Troy
Nauplius
🗡 heroNavigation, Vengeance, Deception
Master navigator who wrecked the Greek fleet on false beacon fires in revenge for his son Palamedes' unjust execution.