Episode 31: The House of Tantalos, or, the Family of Agamemnon

In this episode, we consider the family history of Agamemnon, the chief commander of the Trojan War, and his brother Menelaus, who married Helen, the woman who started the whole kerfuffle. To get to these two very important figures in the Trojan War, it’s necessary to talk about their family history, starting with the trickster Tantalus. His history is complicated, but generally speaking he tried to trick or deceive the gods—leading to a very special punishment after his death. In addition, there are many other “sinners” against the gods that are also punished in the underworld, reminding us to follow the rules of the universe and never offend the gods!

First, the genealogical chart of Tantalus’ family and descendants is very complicated. So, here is a chart to help keep it all straight!

Family tree of Tantalus, son of Zeus, down to Agamemnon and his children.

Tantalus’s son Pelops migrates from the east to Greece, giving his name to the landmass to the south of the Greek mainland, Peloponnesus, or “Island of Pelops.” His children Atreus and Thyestes are invited to take power in Argos/Mycenae. Agamemnon inherits the throne there, while his brother Menelaus marries Helen of Sparta and becomes king there.

Map of places mentioned in the episode.

Sisyphus on left (trying to carry the rock over the ridge, Ixion bound to the flaming wheel, and Tantalus trying to get a drink of water.

There are other figures also punished in the underworld. Two others are often found associated with the other, Tityus and the Danaids (“daughters of Danaus”). What sin did Tityus commit? Well, he tried to violate Artemis, as Homer tells us (Odyssey 11.567ff.):

I saw Tityos also, son of the mighty goddess Gaia; he lay on the ground, his bulk stretched out over nine plethra (= 900ish feet). Two vultures, one on each side of him, sat and kept plucking at his liver, reaching down to the very bowels; he could not beat them off with his hands. And this was because he had once assaulted a mistress of Zeus himself, the far-famed Leto, as she walked towards Pytho through the lovely spaces of Panopeus.

Tityos, Sisyphus, Ixion and Tantalus are joined by a set of women who, ordered by their father Danaus, killed their husbands on their wedding night. The 49 of them—one did not follow through on the plot—are punished in the underworld with the task of filling a pot full of holes, an impossible task. The story is rather straighforward, but here is a cool ancient pot with all of them punished—and they are associated with the sinner Sisyphus as well.

Downloaded years ago from the Beazley Archive of ancient Greek pottery (Munich 1493). The daughters of Danaus (the Danaids) are paired alongside Sisyphus.

Credits:

Written by: Jordan Tryon

Narrated by: R. Scott Smith

Voice Acting: Jackson Scheele

Sound Engineering: Jackson Scheele

Music: Jared Sims