Dynasties of Greek Myth
The great myths are often family stories. Gods, kings, heroes and monsters are connected across generations by marriages, rivalries, curses, inheritance and revenge. Explore some of the dynasties that shape Greek mythology.
These family cycles connect individual myths into stories that unfold across several generations.
Mycenae
Tantalus → Pelops → Atreus & Thyestes → Agamemnon → Orestes
One of the darkest dynasties in Greek mythology. Betrayal between Atreus and Thyestes develops into murder, revenge and inherited blood guilt that reaches Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and Orestes.
Explore the House of Atreus →Thebes
Cadmus + Harmonia → Semele / Agave → Dionysus / Pentheus
The founding family of Thebes connects the dragon of Ares and the Spartoi with Harmonia, Semele, Dionysus, Agave and the destruction of Pentheus.
Explore the House of Cadmus →Troy
Dardanus → Tros → Ilus → Laomedon → Priam
The royal ancestry of Troy reaches back generations before Hector and Paris. Its story includes the foundation of the city, Laomedon's conflict with the gods and Heracles, and the rise of Priam.
Explore the early royal line of Troy →Greek myths rarely exist as completely isolated stories. A decision made by one generation can create the conflict inherited by the next. Family relationships therefore help explain why characters who appear in very different myths are connected.
The House of Atreus is a particularly clear example. The feud between Atreus and Thyestes eventually reaches Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and Orestes. Understanding the genealogy turns several separate murders and revenge myths into one continuous family story.
The same pattern appears at Thebes. Cadmus founds the city, but his descendants include Semele, Dionysus, Agave and Pentheus. The tragedy of Pentheus therefore takes place inside the same family established by Cadmus generations earlier.
Other major genealogical traditions connect many of the heroes already found throughout Mythos Kosmos.
Aeacus → Peleus → Achilles → Neoptolemus
A major heroic line connecting Aegina with the Trojan War.
Laertes → Odysseus → Telemachus
The royal family of Ithaca at the centre of the Odyssey.