Hippodamia

Hippodamia

Hippodamia, in Greek mythology, was the daughter of King Oenomaus of Pisa and either Evarete or Eurythoe. She was the wife of Pelops, with whom they had numerous children. Their daughters were named Astydameia, Nicippe, Lysidice, Mytilene, and Eurydice; while their sons were Atreus, Thyestes, Pittheus, Alcathous, Troezen, Hippalcimus, Copreus, Dias and Hippasus.

According to a prophecy, Oenomaus would be killed by the husband of Hippodamia. Afraid that the prophecy might come true, when it was time for Hippodamia to be married, Oenomaus said that anyone who would defeat him in a chariot race would take his daughter's hand; otherwise, he would be killed. A total of eighteen suitors died trying to win Oenomaus. When Pelops decided to participate in the contest, he first asked his former lover, the god Poseidon, to help him. Poseidon offered him a chariot yoked on winged horses. Pelops also convinced the charioteer of Oenomaus, Myrtilus, to sabotage his chariot; so during the race, Oenomaus' chariot fell apart. However, Oenomaus was unable to untangle himself and he was dragged to death by the horses.

For his services, Myrtilus was promised either half of the kingdom or one night with Hippodamia. However, when he tried to claim his prize, he was murdered by Pelops. Before he died, he cursed Pelops and Hippodamia, which led to the demise of their children Atreus and Thyestes, and their grandchildren Agamemnon, Aegisthus, Menelaus and Orestes.

See Also: Oenomaus, Pelops, Astydameia, Nicippe, Lysidice, Atreus, Thyestes, Pittheus, Alcathous, Troezen, Copreus, Myrtilus, Poseidon, Agamemnon, Aegisthus, Menelaus, Orestes

Hippodamia Q&A

Who was Hippodamia?

Hippodamia, in Greek mythology, was the daughter of King Oenomaus of Pisa and either Evarete or Eurythoe. She was the wife of Pelops, with whom they had numerous children.

Who were the parents of Hippodamia?

The parent of Hippodamia was Oenomaus.

Link/Cite Hippodamia Page

You can freely use the content on this page for non-commercial reasons (homework, lessons, school essays or college projects, free online courses) as long as you cite this page as the source.

Written by: The Editors of GreekMythology.com. GreekMythology.com editors write, review and revise subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge based on their working experience or advanced studies.

For MLA style citation use: GreekMythology.com, The Editors of Website. "Hippodamia". GreekMythology.com Website, 29 Mar. 2015, https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Hippodamia/hippodamia.html. Accessed 18 March 2024.