| Aerope | |
|---|---|
Queen of Mycenae | |
| Member of the Cretan Royal Family | |
 Tiestes and Aérope by Nosadella | |
| Abode | Crete then Mycenae |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Catreus |
| Siblings | Althaemenes, Apemosyne and Clymene |
| Consort | (1) Atreus or Pleisthenes, (2) Thyestes |
| Offspring | (1) Agamemnon, Menelaus, (2) Tantalus and Pleisthenes |
In Greek mythology, Aerope (Ancient Greek: Ἀερόπη)[1] was a Cretan princess as the daughter of Catreus, king of Crete. She was the sister of Clymene, Apemosyne and Althaemenes. After an oracle said he would be killed by one of his children, Catreus gave Aerope to Nauplius to be sold abroad.[2] Nauplius spared her, and she became the wife of Atreus or Pleisthenes (or both). By most accounts, she is the mother of Agamemnon and Menelaus. While the wife of Atreus, she became the lover of his brother Thyestes, and gave Thyestes the golden lamb that allowed him to become king of Mycenae.[3]
- ^ Smith, s.v. Aerope.
- ^ Hard, Robin (2003-10-16). The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's Handbook of Greek Mythology (0 ed.). Routledge. p. 355. doi:10.4324/9780203446331. ISBN 978-0-203-44633-1.
- ^ Grimal, s.v. Aerope; Tripp, s.v. Aërope; Bell, pp. 9–10; Smith, s.v. Aerope; Parada, s.v. Aerope.