House of Pelops
The cursed royal dynasty of Mycenae descended from Pelops, encompassing the Trojan War generation
The Meaning of House of Pelops
The House of Pelops, also called the Pelopids or Atreids, is one of the most tragically cursed families in Greek mythology. Pelops, son of Tantalus, won the hand of Hippodamia by defeating her father Oenomaus in a chariot race, aided by the treachery of the charioteer Myrtilus. When Pelops killed Myrtilus to conceal the deception, the dying man cursed Pelops and all his descendants. This curse compounded the pollution inherited from Tantalus, who had served his own son as a meal to the gods. Pelops' sons Atreus and Thyestes fought savagely over the throne of Mycenae, with Atreus serving Thyestes' children as food. Atreus's sons Agamemnon and Menelaus led Greece to Troy, and upon return Agamemnon was murdered by his wife. The cycle of bloodshed continued until Orestes was finally acquitted by Athena.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
The curse of the House of Pelops spans five generations and includes two separate instances of fathers eating their own children
Explore Further
House of Atreus
💭 conceptNarrative
The cursed royal dynasty of Mycenae whose generations of bloodshed and vengeance form the darkest saga in Greek mythology
House of Oedipus
💭 conceptDynasty, fate
The doomed Theban royal line of Laius and Oedipus, destroyed by patricide, incest, and fraternal war
Theban Royal Family
💭 conceptDynasty, Thebes
The cursed ruling house of Thebes spanning from Cadmus through Oedipus to the fratricidal war of his sons
Theban Cycle
💭 conceptepic, dynasty
The cycle of myths surrounding the cursed royal house of Thebes, from Cadmus's founding through Oedipus's tragedy to the war of the Seven and their sons.
House of Cadmus
💭 conceptDynasty, Thebes
The royal dynasty of Thebes founded by the Phoenician prince Cadmus who sowed the dragon's teeth
Seven Against Thebes
💭 conceptwar, curse
The doomed military expedition of seven champions against the seven gates of Thebes, organised by Polynices to reclaim the throne from his brother Eteocles.
Oedipus Cycle
💭 conceptNarrative
The interconnected myths tracing the cursed lineage of Oedipus from prophecy to tragic fulfilment
Danaid Lineage
💭 conceptDynasty, Argos
The royal lineage descending from Danaus and his fifty daughters, central to the mythology of Argos
Descendants of Aeolus
💭 conceptDynasty, lineage
The vast family tree stemming from Aeolus son of Hellen, encompassing many of Greece's greatest heroic houses
Trojan Royal Family
💭 conceptDynasty, Troy
The ruling dynasty of Troy descended from Dardanus through Tros, Ilus, and Laomedon to Priam and his fifty sons
Heraclids
💭 conceptDynasty, conquest
The descendants of Heracles who claimed the Peloponnese and established the Dorian kingdoms of Sparta, Argos, and Messenia
Necklace of Harmonia
💭 conceptcurse, artifact
A cursed golden necklace crafted by Hephaestus as a wedding gift for Harmonia, bringing destruction to every subsequent owner across multiple generations.