Source Verification: House of Atreus

Every claim below is either what a named ancient source attests, in its own line or section, or a point where the sources themselves disagree.

What the Sources Attest

What was the curse of the House of Atreus?

No single curse explains it. Apollodorus says Myrtilus, thrown into the sea by Pelops, cursed the house of Pelops as he fell. In Aeschylus, Aegisthus says Thyestes cursed the line of Pelops after Atreus served him his own sons. Euripides's Orestes ties the curse to the golden lamb. The sources name different causes, and the result is the same in each: a chain of family killings from Atreus to Orestes.

Source: Apollodorus, Epitome 2.8

Who was Atreus in Greek mythology?

Atreus was a son of Pelops and king of Mycenae. Apollodorus says his wife Aerope loved his brother Thyestes, and that Atreus took the throne when the sun reversed its course. He killed Thyestes's sons and served them to their father. In Aeschylus, Clytemnestra calls the spirit behind Agamemnon's death the ancient bitter spirit of Atreus, that grim banqueter. He is the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus.

Source: Apollodorus, Epitome 2.10

Why is it called the House of Atreus?

It is named for Atreus, the ancestor whose crimes fix the family's fate in tragedy, and for his sons Agamemnon and Menelaus, whom the Odyssey calls the sons of Atreus. In Aeschylus, Clytemnestra blames the ancient bitter spirit of Atreus for Agamemnon's death. Aegisthus, in the same play, says Thyestes cursed the line of Pelops, so the sources also push the guilt further back.

Source: Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1497-1504

Can you summarize the House of Atreus?

Pelops wins Hippodamia by a chariot race and throws Myrtilus into the sea. His sons Atreus and Thyestes fight over the throne of Mycenae, and Atreus serves Thyestes his own children. Atreus's son Agamemnon is killed on his return from Troy. His son Orestes kills his mother and Aegisthus, is pursued by the Furies, and is acquitted by Athena's court in Athens.

Source: Apollodorus, Epitome 6.25

How did the House of Atreus end?

In Aeschylus it ends in Athens. Orestes stands trial on the Areopagus, the jury votes equally and Athena's decision acquits him. Athena then promises the Furies a sanctuary and honour in her land. Apollodorus adds a quiet coda: Orestes marries Hermione, has a son named Tisamenus and dies of a snake bite in Arcadia.

Source: Aeschylus, Eumenides 752-753

Where Accounts Differ

pelops-cauldron-feast-accepted-or-rejected
golden-lamb-origin
sun-reversal-meaning
aegisthus-birth-and-role
who-killed-agamemnon
who-prosecuted-orestes

Pelops's cauldron banquet is disputed. Apollodorus, Epitome 2.3, says Pelops was slaughtered and boiled at a banquet of the gods and restored. Pindar, Olympian Ode 1.25-53, rejects the tale as a malicious rumour and says Poseidon carried the boy to Olympus.
The origin of the golden lamb differs. Apollodorus, Epitome 2.10-11, has Atreus vow the best of his flock to Artemis and hide the lamb. Euripides, Electra 699-746, brings it from Pan. Euripides, Orestes 982-1000, says it was sent by Hermes, the son of Maia.
Why the sun turned back is not settled. Apollodorus, Epitome 2.12, makes it a sign that Atreus's claim to the throne was just, sent by Zeus through Hermes. Frazer's note there records a version favoured by Latin poets in which the sun reverses in horror at the banquet. Euripides, Electra 699-746, has the chorus say it gives the report small belief.
Aegisthus's origin differs. Apollodorus, Epitome 2.14, says Thyestes fathered him on his own daughter on an oracle's advice and that he killed Atreus. Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1583-1611, has Aegisthus call himself Thyestes's third child, a baby when the two were exiled, with no mention of incest.
Who killed Agamemnon differs. Homer, Odyssey 4.512-537, names Aegisthus and a banquet ambush. Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1379-1392, gives the blow to Clytemnestra. Apollodorus, Epitome 6.23, names both, and Frazer's note there lists the sources for each version.
The prosecutor is not fixed. Frazer's note to Apollodorus, Epitome 6.25, says Orestes is variously reported to have been brought to trial by the Furies, by Tyndareus or by Erigone, the daughter of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. Aeschylus, Eumenides 734-753, has the Furies prosecute and has Athena vote for Orestes, so that the tie acquits him.

Sources

Primary sources

Homer, Odyssey 4.512-537
Pindar, Olympian Ode 1.25-53
Pindar, Olympian Ode 1.67-96
Apollodorus, Epitome 2.3
Apollodorus, Epitome 2.5
Apollodorus, Epitome 2.6
Apollodorus, Epitome 2.7
Apollodorus, Epitome 2.8
Apollodorus, Epitome 2.10
Apollodorus, Epitome 2.11
Apollodorus, Epitome 2.12
Apollodorus, Epitome 2.13
Apollodorus, Epitome 2.14
Apollodorus, Epitome 6.23
Apollodorus, Epitome 6.24
Apollodorus, Epitome 6.25
Apollodorus, Epitome 6.27
Apollodorus, Epitome 6.28
Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1217-1222
Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1379-1392
Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1497-1504
Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1583-1611
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 269-296
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 899-930
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 1048-1062
Aeschylus, Eumenides 470-489
Aeschylus, Eumenides 734-741
Aeschylus, Eumenides 749-753
Aeschylus, Eumenides 752-753
Aeschylus, Eumenides 754-777
Aeschylus, Eumenides 795-807
Euripides, Electra 699-746
Euripides, Orestes 982-1000
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.18.1