Pelops

The Mythology of Olympia: Zeus, Pelops and the Founding of the Games

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The east pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, showing the founding myth of the chariot race of Pelops and Oinomaos

The mythology of Olympia is as rich as its ruins, for the sanctuary was woven through with legends that explained the origin of the Olympic Games and bound them to the gods. Several founding myths were told: that Zeus himself founded the Games after defeating his father Kronos; that his son Herakles established them after … Read more

Pelops: Ancestor of the Kings of Mycenae

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Pelops: Ancestor of the Kings of Mycenae

Pelops stands as the great ancestor of the royal house of Mycenae in Greek myth, the figure who gave the Peloponnese, the island of Pelops, its very name. A son of Tantalus, he won his bride Hippodamia by defeating her father Oinomaos in a deadly chariot race. That victory came through the treachery of the … Read more