Electra, << ih LEHK truh >>, in Greek mythology was famous for her loyalty to her father, the Greek leader Agamemnon. Clytemnestra, who was Electra’s mother, and Clytemnestra’s lover, Aegisthus, murdered Agamemnon. Electra sent Orestes, her younger brother, from the royal palace to protect him from Clytemnestra. Electra hated her mother, but lived with her and Aegisthus until Orestes was grown. Orestes then returned from exile to avenge the death of his father, killing Clytemnestra and Aegisthus with Electra’s help. Electra is a central character in tragedies by the Greek playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
The Swiss psychologist Carl Jung originated the term Electra complex. He used it to describe a girl’s excessive attachment to her father and corresponding hostility toward her mother.
