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This is the Cretan king who sold a couple of his daughters, and was accidentally killed by his son. Yet nothing was more fateful about him than his own funeral.
How worries began
Catreus' worries started the day he inquired
from the oracle in which way his life would end.
For the oracle answered that he was fated to die by
the hand of one of his children. On learning such a sad prophecy, Catreus hid the
oracles. But since the most distinctive feature of
secrets is that they are often unveiled, the oracle
was discovered by his son Althaemenes. Knowing
secrets, however, often causes disturbances and
anxiety, and that is why fear possessed
Althaemenes. Thinking that he should try to avoid
becoming his father's murderer, he left Crete, taking his sister
Apemosyne with him, and settled in the island of Rhodes. There he took
possession of the territory called Cretinia, and
after having ascended the highest mountain in Rhodes, which is Mount
Atabyrium, he founded an altar to Zeus. Later Hermes fell in
love with Althaemenes' sister Apemosyne, but she,
being faster in running than the god, which sounds
indeed extraordinary, fled away from him, and Hermes was unable to catch her. But then the god spread fresh hides on her path and she, having slipped, was caught by him and deflowered. Apemosyne came home and told Althaemenes what
had happened, but he, believing the story of the
god to be a mere pretext, kicked her to death. Such
was the terrible deed that Althaemenes, who had
migrated so that he would not kill his own father,
performed in his new land. When years passed and Catreus was an old man, he
wished to transmit the kingdom to his son
Althaemenes. And with this purpose in mind, he
sailed to Rhodes.
However, when he landed the cowherds took him and
his men for pirates, and chased them. Catreus, they
say, tried to identify himself, but the Rhodians
could not hear him because of the barking of the
dogs. And so while the cowherds were still pelting
the intruders, Althaemenes arrived and, casting a
spear, slew unwittingly his own father. This is how Althaemenes, after having murdered his sister, killed also his father as the oracle had prophesied. Later, when he learned the truth of what he had done, he disappeared in a chasm while he was praying.
The Funeral of Catreus
Catreus is also known for having given two of his daughters, Aerope 1 and Clymene 5, to the merchant and sailor Nauplius 1, to be sold in foreign lands. Aerope 1 became the mother of Agamemnon and Menelaus, either by Plisthenes 1 or by Atreus, but Clymene 5 was married by Nauplius 1, who had by her sons: Palamedes and Oeax. Yet the most interesting thing about Catreus is
probably his funeral, which was celebrated in Crete at the time when the
seducer Paris had come to Sparta to fetch the bride
that was the bribe he had received on Mount Ida
when he judged the three goddesses. And because
Catreus was Menelaus'
grandfather, the latter sailed to Crete to perform the
obsequies, leaving Paris alone with Helen at his
palace in Sparta. These
two then, taking advantage of such an splendid
opportunity, became lovers during Menelaus' absence and
fled away to Troy, filling
the ship with Spartan treasures. And so, because of
The Funeral of Catreus, Menelaus left Sparta, which made the
abduction of Helen possible, which led to the Trojan War.
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- Queen Pasiphae of Crete is the
daughter of Helius.
- Crete 1 is daughter of King Asterius 3, husband of Europa and son of Tectamus, son of Dorus 1, son of Hellen 1, son of Deucalion 1, the man who survived the Flood.
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Althaemenes
Aerope 1
Clymene 5
Apemosyne
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Althaemenes emigrated from Crete to Rhodes. He became the murderer of his sister, kicking her to death, and later unintentionally killed his father, whom he took for a pirate. He disappeared in a chasm (see also main text above).
Aerope 1 was given by Catreus to Nauplius 1 to be sold in foreing lands. She married Plisthenes 1, or as others say Atreus,
and became the mother of Agamemnon and Menelaus.
Clymene 5 was also given to Nauplius 1 to be sold in foreing lands, but Nauplius 1 having married her, she gave birth to Palamedes and Oeax.
Apemosyne emigrated to Rhodes with Althaemenes,
who killed her after she was seduced by Hermes.
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Genealogical Charts
Names in this chart: Aerope 1, Agamemnon, Agenor 1, Althaemenes, Amymone 1, Anaxibia 4, Anchinoe, Apemosyne, Ares, Atreus, Belus 1, Catreus, Clymene 5, Clytoneus 1, Corybas, Danaus 1, Epaphus 1, Europa, Helius, Himas, Hippodamia 3, Ide 1, Io, Ithone, Lernus 1, Libya, Lycastus 1, Lyctius, Memphis 2, Menelaus, Minos 1, Minos 2, Naubolus 3, Nauplius 1, Nauplius 2, Nausimedon, Nilus, Oeax, Oenomaus 1, Palaemon 1, Palamedes,
Pasiphae, Pelops 1, Perseis, Pluto 3, Poseidon, Proetus 4, Tantalus 1, Zeus.
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Sources
Abbreviations |
Apd.3.1.2, 3.2.1-2; Dio.4.60.4,
5.59.3.
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