Catreus

Crete was divided between Minos two sons, Catreus (Κατρεύς) and Deucalion (Δευκαλίων).

Deucalion was the father of Idomeneus and a daughter named Crete. Crete was probably the eponym of the island; however, some said that Crete was the daughter of Europa and Asterius. Deucalion also had an illegitimate son named Molus. According to the Odyssey, Deucalion had another son named Aethon. When Odysseus was disguised as a beggar in his palace, he introduced himself to Penelope as Aethon, who met her husband before the war.

Catreus had only one son named Althaemenes, and three daughters named Apemosyne, Clymene and Aërope.

Catreus either ruled Crete alone, or the kingdom was divided between him and his brother, Deucalion. Catreus heard from the oracle that he would die at the hand of one of his children. Catreus tried to keep this a secret, but Althaemenes overheard. Fearing that he would be the one to murder his father, Althaemenes fled to the island of Rhodes, taking his sister Apemosyne with him. Althaemenes founded a city in Rhodes, which he called Cretinia.

While the brother and sister were living in Rhodes, Hermes raped Apemosyne so that she fell pregnant. When Althaemenes saw this, he did not believe her about who had raped her. Althaemenes killed his sister by kicking Apemosyne to death.

Catreus ordered Nauplius to kill his other two daughters; instead, Nauplius married Clymene, who became the mother of Palamedes and Oiax or Oeax.

Nauplius sold the other sister, Aerope, to Atreus, the king of Mycenae. Atreus had a brother named Thyestes, his archenemy and rival. Her adultery with Thyestes led the two brothers into conflict, and began a cycle of violent deaths between Atreus and Thyestes, her children and grandchildren. See House of Atreus.

When Theseus became a widower, Catreus agreed to the hero's marriage to his younger sister, Phaedra. However, this marriage ended in tragedy, when Phaedra fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus, the son of the Amazon Antiope. (Read about Hippolytus in Theseus' page, in the section about Phaedra and Hipploytus.)

When Catreus reached an old age and knew that he was dying. Catreus went to Rhodes, in the hope that his son Althaemenes would kill him, so that he would succeed him in Crete.

When the Cretans landed on the island, Althaemenes thought they were pirates, so he led his armed warriors against the intruders. Althaemenes killed his own father with a javelin. When Althaemenes found out the truth that he had indeed killed his own father, Althaemenes prayed for his own death. The gods answered his prayer by causing the earth to swallow the sorrowful Althaemenes.

With the death of Catreus and his son Althaemenes, Catreus' nephew Idomeneus became the king of Crete.