Greek Mythology Notes
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Orestes

hero
Ὀρέστης
Avenger of Agamemnon

Orestes killed his mother to avenge his father — then was acquitted by Athena's court.

The Myth

Apollo commanded matricide. The Furies pursued him. Athena's court split; she cast the deciding vote for acquittal. The Furies became the Eumenides.

Parents

Agamemnon and Clytemnestra

Children

Tisamenus

Symbols

swordFuriesAreopagus

Fun Fact

The Areopagus took its authority from this trial — the first in Western literature.