About Pelops     When he was a child, his father cut him to pieces and served his flesh as food to the gods.  Hermes was ordered by Zeus to place his grandson, Pelops, in a pot and cook him back to life. But since his shoulder was missing having been eaten by Demeter, Demeter gave him an ivory shoulder to replace it.  Later in life in his wanderings Pelops come to Arcadia, which was ruled by King Oenomaus, who had a beautiful daughter, Hippodamia.  Oenomaus fearing the fulfillment of an oracle that he would be killed by his son-in-law, would challenge Hippodamia's suitors to a chariot race in which the loser would die.  Pelops entered the contest with winged horses given him by Poseidon, and bribed Myrtilus, charioteer of Oenomaus, to sabotage his chariot.  Pelops won the race, killed Oenomaus, and married Hippodamia.  Pelops then threw Myrtilus into the sea to avoid paying him the promised reward, and the dying curse of Myrtilus brought woes upon the whole family of Pelops.  Pelops went on to have a very successful reign.  He conquered the whole Peloponnesus, which was named after him, had many children, and revived the Olympian games in honor of Zeus. Back to Family Tree Back to Literature Index