Pelops Greek Son of Dione and Tantalus; brother of Niobe.

Pelops Greek Son of Dione and Tantalus; brother of Niobe. He married Hippodameia and became the father of Atreus and Thyestes. Pelops's first appearance in mythology was an unfortunate one. He was served up in a stew made by his wicked father to test the gods. All the gods and goddesses realized what was happening, except for Demeter, who was distracted with grief from losing her daughter, Persephone. Demeter ate a shoulder of the infant, but it was later restored when the gods brought the child back to life. The gods had to remake the missing shoulder from ivory. Though Pelops became the rich and successful king of Pisa in Elis, he and his descendants were forever followed by the dreadful curse of the charioteer Myrtilus. Pelops's descendants were called the Atreids after his son, Atreus. Pelops and the Charioteer - Mythology. When Pelops, son of the wicked Tantalus, grew up, he set off to look for a kingdom of his own. On his way he met the sea god, Poseidon, who befriended the youth and presented him with a fine chariot and a marvelous team of horses. These gifts led Pelops to challenge Oenomaus, king of Pisa in Elis, in a chariot race. King Oenomaus had a passion not only for fine horses, but for his daughter, Hippodameia. Whenever a suitor asked for his daughter's hand in marriage, Oenomaus challenged him to a chariot race, which the suitor invariably lost. The penalty for losing the race was death. By the time Pelops arrived on the scene, 13 suitors of Hippodameia had died. Their heads were hung around the gates of the palace of Oenomaus. 112 Peleus Pelops bribed the king's charioteer, Myrtilus, asking him to loosen the wheels of Oenomaus's chariot. (The king always drove his own chariot in the competitions for his daughter's hand.) This Myrtilus did, on the condition that Pelops would allow him to spend one night with Hippodaemia, whom he loved. Pelops won the race, Oenomaus was killed, and then Pelops killed Myrtilus. With his dying breath, the charioteer cursed Pelops and all his descendants. The curse took hold, for Myrtilus was the son of the god Hermes, and the gods knew how to make curses work. (See also Agamemnon and Menelaus, the descendants of Atreus and grandchildren of Pelops.)