Pelops and Hippodamia
Pelops competes for Hippodamia in a deadly chariot race against her father Oenomaus and becomes ruler in the Peloponnese.
The Story
Pelops sought to marry Hippodamia, daughter of King Oenomaus.
But winning her was dangerous.
Oenomaus challenged Hippodamia's suitors to a chariot race.
Those who lost were killed.
Many had already died before Pelops attempted the contest.
Pelops prepared carefully.
An important tradition introduces Myrtilus, the charioteer of Oenomaus.
Myrtilus was persuaded to sabotage the king's chariot.
During the race the chariot failed.
Oenomaus was killed.
Pelops won Hippodamia.
But the victory carried another act of betrayal.
Pelops later killed Myrtilus rather than honouring what had been promised to him.
As Myrtilus died, he cursed Pelops and his descendants.
The curse became one explanation for the violence that later consumed the family of Atreus and Thyestes.
Pelops became an enormously important ancestral king.
The Peloponnese itself was mythologically connected with his name.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
Pelops and Hippodamia bridge Tantalus with Atreus and Thyestes and provide one traditional source for the inherited curse affecting the later family.
Traditions & Variations
Ancient traditions differ over Pelops' agreement with Myrtilus, Hippodamia's role in the plot and the precise circumstances of Oenomaus' death.