Erigone (daughter of Aegisthus)

Not to be confused with Erigone (daughter of Icarius).

In Greek mythology, Erigone (/ɪˈrɪɡəni/; Ancient Greek: Ἠριγόνη, romanized: Ērigónē, lit. 'early-born') is the daughter of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, rulers of Mycenae after the murder of King Agamemnon. Depending on version she was either married to her half-brother Orestes and bore him children, or Orestes tried to kill her when he claimed his throne, but the goddess Artemis saved her.

Family

As the daughter of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, Erigone was the full-sister of Helen and Aletes, and half-sister to Orestes, Electra, Iphigenia and Chrysothemis.

Mythology

Orestes, her older half-brother, avenged the murder of his father Agamemnon by slaying Erigone's parents, Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. After that Orestes was hunted by the Erinyes for his crime, and left for Taurica where he chanced upon his sister Iphigenia, alive and well. During that time, Erigone's full-brother Aletes seized the throne after a false message conveyed that Orestes had died. Orestes returned nevertheless along with Iphigenia, and slew Aletes; he would have killed Erigone as well had Artemis not intervened and taken the girl away to be her priestess.[1]

In other traditions however Erigone bore Orestes children (either within wedlock or illegitimate ones), to wit Tisamenus[2] (usually the son of Hermione), and Penthilus.[3]

Notes

References

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