Daughter of king Catreus of
Crete, and granddaughter of
Minos. Catreus had been told that one of his children would kill him one day
and so he made sure to get rid of them. His son Althaemenes and daughter
Apemosyne left willingly, but Aerope and her sister Clymene were given to
Nauplius to be sold abroad.
Aerope was sold to
Atreus'
son Pleisthenes and they had three children:
Agamemnon,
Menelaos and
Anaxibia. Because Pleisthenes was sickly, he died young, and so Atreus
decided to marry his daughter-in-law and adopt his grandchildren. It was through
these marriages that Aerope became the link between Crete and
Mycenae.
Atreus' brother
Thyestes
seduced Aerope, which was to lead to the famous
curse of Atreus' house. Aerope was drowned for her adultery.