Pleisthenes

Pleisthenes was a name given to various individuals in Greek mythology, all of them descendants of Tantalus.

One of them was the son of Pelops and Hippodamia, and grandson of Tantalus. He was the brother of Atreus and Thyestes.

Another Pleisthenes was the son of Atreus and Aerope, who married Cleolla and had three children; Agamemnon, Menelaus and Anaxibia. A source says that he was raised by his uncle, Thyestes, who then sent him to kill Atreus, his father. Atreus did not know that he was the father of Pleisthenes, and killed him.

Thyestes and Aerope had an illegitimate son by the name of Pleisthenes, who, along with his brother Tantalus, were killed by Atreus, to avenge the death of Atreus' son Pleisthenes. Atreus then fed the bodies of the dead brothers to their father.

A fourth Pleisthenes who is only briefly mentioned was the son of Menelaus, king of Sparta, and Helen, who followed his mother to Troy.

See Also: Tantalus, Pelops, Hippodamia, Atreus, Thyestes, Aerope, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Helen