Myrtilus
heroCharioteer of King Oenomaus bribed by Pelops to sabotage his master's chariot, then murdered by Pelops and the origin of the Pelopid curse.
The Myth
He sabotaged his own king's chariot axle for a bribe — and the man who bribed him threw him off a cliff. Myrtilus, son of Hermes, was promised half of Oenomaus's kingdom (or a night with Hippodamia) if he replaced the bronze linchpins in the king's chariot with wax ones. The wheels collapsed mid-race, killing Oenomaus. When Pelops refused to pay, Myrtilus tried to assault Hippodamia, and Pelops threw him into the sea. As he drowned, Myrtilus cursed Pelops and all his descendants. Hermes placed his son among the stars as the constellation Auriga (the Charioteer). The curse echoed through Atreus, Agamemnon, Orestes — three generations of murder.
Parents
Symbols
Fun Fact
Myrtilus became the constellation Auriga — the charioteer rides forever in the sky as a reminder of the curse.
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