Atreus
/ˈeɪ.tri.əs/noun
A legendary king of Mycenae in Greek mythology and father of Agamemnon and Menelaus.
Did you know?Greek myth says Atreus served his brother Thyestes the gruesome dish of his own murdered children, making the House of Atreus one of antiquity’s archetypal cursed dynasties.
Etymological Timeline
Mycenaean or Archaic Greek
Greek
Ἀτρεύς
“The personal name Atreus; its original meaning is uncertain.”
8th–7th Century BCE
Greek
Ἀτρεύς
“Atreus appears as a mythic ancestor in the epic tradition surrounding the Trojan War.”
5th Century BCE
Greek
Ἀτρεύς
“Classical Greek tragedy develops the violent legends of Atreus and his descendants.”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Atreus
“The Greek name is adopted into Latin literary and mythographic writing.”
16th–17th Century
English
Atreus
“The classical proper name enters English literary and scholarly usage.”
Modern English
English
Atreus
“A mythological name associated with the cursed royal house whose descendants include Agamemnon and Menelaus.”
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