Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...

, King Oenomaus (also Oenamaus; grc-gre, Οἰνόμαος, ''Oἱnómaos'') of

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ci ...

, was the father of

Hippodamia Hippodamia (, ; also Hippodamea and Hippodameia; Ancient Greek: Ἱπποδάμεια "she who masters horses" derived from ''hippos'' "horse" and ''damazein'' "to tame") was a Greek mythological figure. She was the queen of Pisa as the wife ...

and the son of

Ares Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war ...

. His name ''Oinomaos'' denotes a

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...

man.

Family

Oenomaeus' mother was either

naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who ...

Harpina (daughter of the river god Phliasian

Asopus Asopus (; grc, Ἀ̄σωπός ''Āsōpos'') is the name of four different rivers in Greece and one in Turkey. In Greek mythology, it was also the name of the gods of those rivers. Zeus carried off Aegina, Asopus' daughter, and Sisyphus, who h ...

, the armed (''harpe'') spirit of a spring near Pisa) or

Sterope Sterope (; Ancient Greek: Στερόπη, , from , ''steropē'', lightning) was the name of several individuals in Greek mythology: * Sterope (or Asterope), one of the Pleiades and the wife of Oenomaus (or his mother by Ares). * Sterope, a Pl ...

, one of the

Pleiades The Pleiades (), also known as The Seven Sisters, Messier 45 and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance ...

, whom some identify as his consort instead. He married, if not Sterope, then Evarete of Argos, the daughter of

Acrisius In Greek mythology, Acrisius (; Ancient Greek: Ἀκρίσιος means 'ill-judgment') was a king of Argos. He was the grandfather of the famous Greek demi-god Perseus. Family Acrisius was the son of Abas and Aglaea (or Ocalea, depending on ...

and

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice') was a character in Greek mythology and the Auloniad wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several meanings for the na ...

. Yet others give Eurythoe, daughter of

Danaus In Greek mythology, Danaus (, ; grc, Δαναός ''Danaós'') was the king of Libya. His myth is a foundation legend of Argos, one of the foremost Mycenaean cities of the Peloponnesus. In Homer's ''Iliad'', "Danaans" ("tribe of Danaus") and ...

, either as his mother or consort. His children besides Hippodamia were

Leucippus Leucippus (; el, Λεύκιππος, ''Leúkippos''; fl. 5th century BCE) is a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who has been credited as the first philosopher to develop a theory of atomism. Leucippus' reputation, even in antiquity, was obscured ...

(who perished because of his love for Daphne) and Alcippe (mother of

Marpessa In Greek mythology, Marpessa ( grc, Μάρπησσα, Márpēssa, "the robbed one" or "snatcher" or "gobbler") may refer to the following figures: * Marpessa, an Aetolian princess and daughter of Evenus. * Marpessa or Marpesia, an Amazon quee ...

by Evenus). Pausanias, who is generally skeptical about stories of humans descending from gods, makes Oenomaus son of a mortal father, Alxion. John Tzetzes adduces a version which, in the same vein, calls Oenomaus son of a Hyperochus by Sterope. The genealogy offered in the earliest literary reference,

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars ...

' ''

Iphigenia in Tauris ''Iphigenia in Tauris'' ( grc, Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Ταύροις, ''Iphigeneia en Taurois'') is a drama by the playwright Euripides, written between 414 BC and 412 BC. It has much in common with another of Euripides's plays, '' Helen'', as ...

'', would place him two generations before the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans ( Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ...

, making him the great-grandfather of the Atreides,

Agamemnon In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; grc-gre, Ἀγαμέμνων ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Greeks during the Trojan War. He was the son, or grandson, of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the ...

and

Menelaus In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; grc-gre, Μενέλαος , 'wrath of the people', ) was a king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of ...

Mythology

Courtship of Hippodamia

King Oenomaus, fearful of a prophecy that claimed he would be killed by his son-in-law, had killed eighteen suitors of his daughter Hippodamia after defeating them in a chariot race. He affixed their heads to the wooden columns of his palace. Pausanias was shown what was purportedly the last standing column in the late 2nd century AD; he mentions that

Pelops In Greek mythology, Pelops (; ) was king of Pisa in the Peloponnesus region (, lit. "Pelops' Island"). He was the son of Tantalus and the father of Atreus. He was venerated at Olympia, where his cult developed into the founding myth of the O ...

erected a monument in honor of all the suitors who preceded him, and lists their names: #

Marmax In Greek mythology, Marmax (Ancient Greek: Μάρμαξ) was one of the suitors of Hippodameia,Hesiod, ''Great Eoiae'' fr. 10 who was slain by Oenomaus, and was buried with his two horses, Parthenia and Eripha.Pausanias, 6.21.6 Mythology The g ...

# Alcathous, son of Porthaon # Euryalus #

Eurymachus The name Eurymachus (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρύμαχος ''Eurúmakhos'') is attributed to the following individuals: ''Mythology'' * Eurymachus, son of Hermes and father of Eriboea, mother of the Aloadae. *Eurymachus, a prince of the Phlegyes ...

# Crotalus # Acrias of Lacedaemon, founder of Acriae # Capetus #

Lycurgus Lycurgus or Lykourgos () may refer to: People * Lycurgus (king of Sparta) (third century BC) * Lycurgus (lawgiver) (eighth century BC), creator of constitution of Sparta * Lycurgus of Athens (fourth century BC), one of the 'ten notable orators' ...

Lasius ''Lasius'' is a genus of formicine ants. The type species for this genus is the black garden ant, ''Lasius niger''. Other major members, which live in drier heathland, are the cornfield ant, '' L. neoniger'', and '' L. alienus''. Other species ...

Chalcodon In Greek mythology, the name Chalcodon ( Ancient Greek: Χαλκώδων, ''gen''.: Χαλκώδοντος means "copper tooth" or "iron tooth", from χαλκός=copper and generally metal + ὀδών, ionic type of ὀδούς=toot Tricolonus In Greek mythology, Tricolonus ( Ancient Greek: Τρικολώνου, Τρικόλωνον or Τρικολώνῳ means 'three-hilled') may refer to the following personages: * Tricolonus, an Arcadian prince as one of the 50 sons of the impious Ki ...

# Aristomachus # Prias # Pelagon #

Aeolius In Greek mythology, Aeolus or Aiolos (; grc, Αἴολος , ) is a name shared by three mythical characters. These three personages are often difficult to tell apart, and even the ancient mythographers appear to have been perplexed about which A ...

# Cronius # Erythras, son of Leucon #

Eioneus In Greek mythology, Eioneus ( Ancient Greek: Ἠιονεύς) is a name attributed to the following individuals: *Eioneus, the Perrhaebian father of Dia, see Deioneus. *Eioneus, son of Magnes and Philodice and one of the suitors of Hippodamia. ...

, son of Magnes

Death

son of King Tantalus of Lydia, came to ask for her hand and prepared to race Oenomaus. Worried about losing, Pelops went to the seaside and invoked Poseidon, his former lover. Reminding Poseidon of their love ("Aphrodite's sweet gifts"), he asked Poseidon for help. Smiling, Poseidon caused a chariot drawn by winged horses to appear. Pelops and Hippodamia, very much in love, devised a plan to replace the bronze linchpins attaching the wheels to the

chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&n ...

axle with fake ones made of beeswax. The race began, and went on for a long time. But just as Oenomaus was catching up to Pelops and readying to kill him, the wheels flew off and the chariot broke apart. Oenomaus' charioteer, Myrtilus, survived, but Oenomaus was dragged to death by his horses. Pelops then killed Myrtilus (by throwing him off a cliff into the sea as he cursed him) after the latter attempted to claim Hippodamia. As Myrtilus died, he cursed Pelops. This was the source of the curse that haunted descendants of Pelops', including

Atreus In Greek mythology, Atreus ( , ; from ἀ-, "no" and τρέω, "tremble", "fearless", gr, Ἀτρεύς ) was a king of Mycenae in the Peloponnese, the son of Pelops and Hippodamia, and the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus. Collectively ...

, Thyestes,

, Aegisthus,

and

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; grc-gre, Ὀρέστης ) was the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, and the brother of Electra. He is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays and of various myths connected with his madness an ...

. Also, the burial place of Myrtilus was a '' taraxippus'' in Olympia, a "horse-frightening place" during races. In memory of Oenomaus, the Olympic Games were created (or alternatively the Olympic Games were in celebration of Pelops' victory). Oenomaus' chariot race was one legendary origin of the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

; one of its turning-posts was preserved, and round it grew an

Elean Elis () or Eleia ( el, Ήλιδα, Ilida, grc-att, Ἦλις, Ēlis ; Elean: , ethnonym: ) is an ancient district in Greece that corresponds to the modern regional unit of Elis. Elis is in southern Greece on the Peloponnese, bounded ...

legend of a burnt "house of Oenomaus", reported by Pausanias in the 2nd century AD.Eric L. Brulotte, "The "Pillar of Oinomaos" and the Location of Stadium I at Olympia", ''American Journal of Archaeology'' 98.1 (January 1994), pp. 53-64,

Notes

Bibliography

Pindar Pindar (; grc-gre, Πίνδαρος , ; la, Pindarus; ) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar ...

, ''Olympian Ode,'' I (476 BCE) *

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...

, ''Electra,'' 504 (430–415 BCE) and ''Oenomaus,'' Fr. 433 (408 BCE) *

, ''Orestes,'' 1024-1062 (408 BCE) * '' Bibliotheca'', ''Epitome'' 2, 1–9 (140 BCE) *

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history '' Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which ...

, ''Histories,'' 4.73 (1st century BCE) *

Hyginus Gaius Julius Hyginus (; 64 BC – AD 17) was a Latin author, a pupil of the scholar Alexander Polyhistor, and a freedman of Caesar Augustus. He was elected superintendent of the Palatine library by Augustus according to Suetonius' ''De Grammati ...

, ''Fables,'' 84: Oinomaus; ''Poetic Astronomy,'' ii (1st century CE) * Pausanias, ''Description of Greece,'' 5.1.3–7; 5.13.1; 6.21.9; 8.14.10–11 (c. 160 – 176 CE) * Philostratus the Elder ''Imagines,'' I.30: Pelops (c. 190 – c. 230 CE) * Philostratus the Younger, ''Imagines,'' 9: Pelops (3rd century CE) *

First Vatican Mythographer The so-called Vatican Mythographers ( la, Mythographi Vaticani) are the anonymous authors of three Latin mythographical texts found together in a single medieval manuscript, Vatican Reg. lat. 1401. The name is that used by Angelo Mai when he publi ...

, 22: Myrtilus; Atreus et Thyestes *

Second Vatican Mythographer The so-called Vatican Mythographers ( la, Mythographi Vaticani) are the anonymous authors of three Latin mythographical texts found together in a single medieval manuscript, Vatican Reg. lat. 1401. The name is that used by Angelo Mai when he publi ...

, 146: Oenomaus {{Authority control Children of Ares Kings in Greek mythology Elean characters in Greek mythology Characters in Greek mythology Elean mythology