A-Z: General definitions: Aerope

Definition

Wife of Atreus, king of Mycenae, and secret lover of his brother, Thyestes. Aerope's father was told he would be killed by one of his children, so he gave his two daughters to a slave trader, who gave Aerope to Atreus. Their children were Agamemnon and Menelaus.

Aerope then had an affair with Thyestes, the brother of her husband Atreus. She secretly gave him Atreus' golden lamb: this was linked with the kingship of Mycenae, but its origins are unsure. Thyestes then announced that whoever owned this should be Mycenae's King. Thinking he still had the lamb, Atreus agreed, and so lost the throne to his brother. Zeus then proved that he supported Atreus in his claim by making the sun rise in the west and set in the east, so Atreus became king and banished his brother. When he learned Aerope and Thyestes had been lovers, he drowned her.

Related Topics

Menelaus; Atreus

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