Hippodamia

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Hippodamia (also Hippodamea), was a daughter of King Oenomaus and mother of Thyestes, Atreus, and Pittheus, Alcathous by Pelops. Pelops wanted to marry Hippodamia. Oenamaus had pursued thirteen suitors of Hippodamia and killed them all after beating them in a chariot race. He did this because he loved her himself or, alternatively, because a prophecy claimed he would be killed by her son. Pelops (or alternatively, Hippodamia herself) convinced Myrtilus (by promising him half of Oenomaus kingdom), Oenomaus' charioteer to remove the linchpins attaching the wheels to the chariot. Oenomaus died. Pelops then killed Myrtilus because he didn't want to share the credit for winning the chariot race, or because Myrtilus had attempted to rape Hippodamia. As Myrtilus died, he cursed Pelops. This was the source of the curse that haunted Pelops' descendants, including Atreus, Thyestes, Agamemnon, Aegisthus, Menelaus and Orestes.

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