Pelops

Family: Greek heroes · Role: king · First appears: Apollodorus, Library 2.4

🌐 Also appears in: The Metamorphoses of Ovid (as Pelops) · Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans (as Pelops) · Greek Tragedy — The Same Myth, Three Voices (as Pelops)

Pelops was restored to life after being slaughtered and boiled at a banquet of the gods, and his beauty brought him the favor of Poseidon, who gave him a winged chariot. He came courting Hippodamia, who fell in love with him; when Myrtilus sabotaged Oenomaus’s chariot, Oenomaus died and Pelops won Hippodamia. He married her and succeeded to Oenomaus’s kingdom in Pisa, Elis.

When Pelops learned from Hippodamia that Myrtilus had attempted to rape her, he threw Myrtilus into the sea at Cape Geraestus, which became the Myrtoan Sea; as he died, Myrtilus cursed the house of Pelops. Pelops was the father of Astydamia, Nicippe, Atreus, Thyestes, Copreus, Chrysippus, Alcathus, Pittheus, and Sciron, though Sciron was also said to be the son of Poseidon.

Relationship record

Life events

Pelops was restored to life and received Poseidon’s winged chariot.(Apollodorus, Epitome 2)
- With: Poseidon
- “Pelops, after being slaughtered and boiled at the banquet of the gods, was fairer than ever when he came to life again, and on account of his surpassing beauty he became a minion of Poseidon, who gave him a winged chariot”
Myrtilus sabotaged Oenomaus’s chariot, causing his death and enabling Pelops to win Hippodamia.(Apollodorus, Epitome 2)
- With: Oenomaus Myrtilus Hippodamia
- “Accordingly Myrtilus, being in love with her and wishing to gratify her, did not insert the linchpins in the boxes of the wheels, and thus caused Oenomaus to lose the race and to be entangled in the reins and dragged to death; but according to some, he was killed by Pelops. And in dying he cursed Myrtilus, whose treachery he had discovered, praying that he might perish by the hand of Pelops. Pelops, therefore, got Hippodamia”
Pelops threw Myrtilus into the sea after learning he had attempted to rape Hippodamia.(Apollodorus, Epitome 2 · 📍 Myrtoan Sea)
- With: Myrtilus Hippodamia
- “But when Pelops learned that from her, he threw Myrtilus into the sea, called after him the Myrtoan Sea, at Cape Geraestus ; and Myrtilus, as he was being thrown, uttered curses against the house of Pelops.”

Apollodorus, Library 2.4

child: Astydamia “Astydamia, daughter of Pelops”
child: Nicippe “Nicippe, daughter of Pelops”
child: Atreus “Atreus and Thyestes, the sons of Pelops”
child: Thyestes “Atreus and Thyestes, the sons of Pelops”

Apollodorus, Library 2.5

child: Copreus “Copreus, son of Pelops the Elean.”

Apollodorus, Library 3.5

child: Chrysippus “and while he taught Chrysippus, the son of Pelops, to drive a chariot, he conceived a passion for the lad and carried him off.”

Apollodorus, Library 3.12

child: Alcathus “Alcathus, son of Pelops”

Apollodorus, Library 3.15

child: Pittheus “Pittheus, son of Pelops”

Apollodorus, Epitome 1

child: Sciron “Sciron, the Corinthian, son of Pelops, or, as some say, of Poseidon.”

Apollodorus, Epitome 2

patron: Poseidon (Poseidon gave Pelops a winged chariot.) “he became a minion of Poseidon, who gave him a winged chariot”
courtship with Hippodamia (Pelops courted Hippodamia, who fell in love with him.) “So Pelops also came a-wooing; and when Hippodamia saw his beauty, she conceived a passion for him”
with Myrtilus (Pelops threw Myrtilus into the sea after learning of his attempted rape of Hippodamia.) “But when Pelops learned that from her, he threw Myrtilus into the sea”
with Hephaestus (Hephaestus cleansed Pelops.) “When Pelops had reached the Ocean and been cleansed by Hephaestus”
married with Hippodamia (Pelops obtained Hippodamia as his wife.) “Pelops, therefore, got Hippodamia”
with Oenomaus (Pelops succeeded Oenomaus as king.) “he returned to Pisa in Elis and succeeded to the kingdom of Oenomaus”
siblings with Atreus (Atreus was a son of Pelops.) “The sons of Pelops were Pittheus, Atreus, Thyestes, and others.”
siblings with Thyestes (Thyestes was a son of Pelops.) “The sons of Pelops were Pittheus, Atreus, Thyestes, and others.”
enemies with Oenomaus “but according to some, he was killed by Pelops.”
enemies with Myrtilus “But when Pelops learned that from her, he threw Myrtilus into the sea”
child: Thyestes “The sons of Pelops were Pittheus, Atreus, Thyestes, and others.”

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Extracted from the original text of Greek Mythology. Made with Rho MD.