Whoosh! Issue 77 - May/June 2003

MYTHOLOGY IN PERSPECTIVE:
THE TIES THAT BIND AND THE CURSE OF ATREUS

By Eugena Moulton
Content © 2003 held by author
WHOOSH! edition © 2003 held by Whoosh!
913 words


The Unanswered Question (01-02)
Atreus (03-04)
The Curse Continues: Atreus and Thyestes (05-07)
Aegisthus and Agamemnon (08-09)
Notes
Articles
Biography



MYTHOLOGY IN PERSPECTIVE:
THE TIES THAT BIND AND THE CURSE OF ATREUS



The Unanswered Question

[01] Who is Xena's father? This is a question that the many writers of Xena: Warrior Princess left up to interpretation. Xena's title, "Warrior Princess," could be the only illuminating clue in the matter. Her title suggests that she is in a royal line. Yet, her mother is not a queen, nor does she have any known royal blood. Therefore, the lineage of her father must have given reason to this designation.

[02] In TIES THAT BIND, Xena reunites with her long-estranged father, Atrius. At first, perhaps, one might surmise that he is a king, maybe a prince, yet his name illustrates a few of the most important Grecian mythological stories in history.


Atreus

[03] The name closest associated with Atrius is Atreus. Although they are not spelled the same, the root of Atrius is most likely Atreus. Different names or similar spelling of the same name refers to the same characters in Greek Lexicon and Literature.

[04] Atreus, king of Mycene, was the grandson of Tantalus, one of the more infamous residents of Tartarus. In life, Tantalus was more favored than most mortals were, not only because he was semi-divine from Zeus' lineage, but also because he shared in the feast of the gods: ambrosia. He decided on one occasion to trick the gods, and invited them to a banquet. While they feasted on what they thought was ambrosia, he reveled in the extent of his machination: his son, Pelops, dismembered by his own hand, was the "ambrosia" the gods ate. Yet his revelry did not last long, and his destiny was to be punished in Tartarus: 'tantalized' by the sight of food and water, but denied its nourishment. [Note 01]


The Curse Continues: Atreus and Thyestes

[05] The gods spared his son, Pelops, and returned him to life. He became the father of Atreus and Thyestes, two brothers who would constantly feud over one kingdom. At one point, "Atreus vowed to sacrifice the finest animal in his flock to Artemis; however, when he discovered a golden lamb in the flock, he reneged on the promise and hid the lamb away."[Note 02] This unusual lamb became the key to the throne. Atreus and Thyestes agreed that the possessor of the lamb should gain control of the throne upon the latter's insistence. Unbeknownst to Atreus, his wife, Aerope, had been having an affair with his brother and had given him the lamb. When Thyestes revealed the lamb, he seized the throne, but Atreus was determined to get his rule back.

[06] With Hermes' advice, Atreus "got Thyestes to agree to yield the throne when the sun ran backwards in its course." [Note 03] Zeus provided this unusual occurrence, again making Atreus king and banishing Thyestes.

[07] Atreus' wrath was not satisfied after he learned of his wife's affair. He tricked his brother into believing that he wanted reconciliation. Meanwhile, he had "killed Thyestes' sons, cut them up, and cooked everything except their hands and feet." [Note 04] He served these to his brother in a banquet for his honor, and when it was over, Atreus produced the only uncooked parts of his nephews.


Aegisthus and Agamemnon

[08] The feuding between the brothers did not last much longer. At the advice of an Oracle, Thyestes fathered a son, Aegisthus, with his daughter. When Aegisthus grew to manhood, he killed Atreus and restored his father to the throne. Agamemnon, son of Atreus, later returned to Mycene to rule and banished his uncle. The sons of Atreus and Thyestes became two of the famous characters of the Trojan War, Agamemnon and Menelaus, the husband of Helen. Even then, the curse of Tantalus was not satiated. His line would remain cursed for five generations.

[09] What hope does the story of such misfortune give to Xena? Did she know that Atrius was the name of her father or was that a name of Ares' choosing? Could one name shed more light upon the life of Xena than the identity of her father himself? The gods cursed Atreus' ancestors and descendants, and Xena received the curse in that line. If Atreus only had two descending generations, would this imply that only Xena and her children were cursed? Perhaps the hope of this story lies in a few generations beyond Xena. Maybe one day, they will be able to live their life free of the mythologies that oppressed their ancestors.


Notes

Note 01:
"Tantalus," Encyclopedia Mythica.
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Note 02:
"Atreus," Encyclopedia Mythica.
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Note 03:
ibid.
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Note 04:
ibid.
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Articles

Eugena Moulton, "The Use of Character Relationships on TV: How Writers Use Character Relationships To Keep An Audience Hooked," WHOOSH #75


Biography

the author Eugena Moulton
Eugena Moulton is a college student who is studying Technical Writing. She has completed one novel and is working on several others. In the Xenaverse, she writes Ares and Xena stories.


Favorite episode: LOOKING DEATH IN THE EYE
Favorite line: "Oh Xena, you could have had it all. I think one day you will." - Ares, from THE RECKONING
First episode seen: SINS OF THE PAST
Least favorite episode: Many of them, once TPTB tossed mythology

 

 

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