
Orestes was pursued by the Furies for committing matricide
Orestes was the only son of Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra. He was the grandson of (paternally) Atreus and Aerope and (maternally) Tyndareus and Leda. Thus he inherited both the kingdoms of Mycenae and Sparta. He was also the last member of his family to be affected by the curse placed upon his family.
Murder of Agamemnon[]
When his father returned from Troy he was murdered by Clytaemnestra and Aegisthus (Orestes' uncle). As the only male descendant of Agamemnon, Aegisthus planned to kill him, however, Orestes' sister Electra, smuggled him out of Mycenae to the court of king Strophius, their father's brother-in-law. When he was 20, he returned with Pylades, his cousin. With the instruction of Apollo and Athena, he kills his mother and her lover and is subsequently plagued by the Erinyes/Furies. Eventally, he was tried for matricide by the gods and acquitted by Athena and Apollo. He eventually married Hermione, daughter of Helen and Menelaus, inheriting almost all of the Peloponnese. His sister Electra, married Pylades.
Later life[]
Orestes is said to have died at age 70 in Arcadia by a snake bite.
Family[]
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Preceded by: Aegisthus (Second Rule) |
King of Mycenae Mythic |
Succeeded by Tisamenus |
Preceded by: Menelaus |
King of Sparta Mythic |
Succeeded by Tisamenus |