Tantalus (son of Thyestes)

For other uses, see Tantalus (mythology).

In Greek mythology, Tantalus (Ancient Greek: Τάνταλος Tántalos) was a prince of the south of Argolis as son of King Thyestes. He was the brother of Pleisthenes. An alternative genealogy makes him the son of Broteas.^[1]

Tantalus and Pleisthenes were killed in revenge by their uncle Atreus, their father’s brother, after Thyestes seduced Aerope, wife of Atreus. The latter was a king of Mycenae.

In some accounts, Tantalus was the first husband of Clytemnestra. He was slain together with their newborn child by Agamemnon who married the Spartan princess after his death.^[2]

See also

• Aegisthus
• Orestes