In
Greek mythology, Lynceus (; grc, Λυγκεύς, Lynkeús, lynx-eyed) was a king of
Argos, succeeding
Danaus
In Greek mythology, Danaus (, ; grc, Δαναός ''Danaós'') was the king of Libya. His myth is a foundation legend of Argos, one of the foremost Mycenaean cities of the Peloponnesus. In Homer's ''Iliad'', "Danaans" ("tribe of Danaus") and " ...
on the throne.
Family
Lynceus was named as a descendant of
Belus through his father
Aegyptus
In Greek mythology, Aegyptus or Ægyptus (; grc, Αἴγυπτος) was a legendary king of ancient Egypt. He was a descendant of the princess Io through his father Belus, and of the river-god Nilus as both the father of Achiroe, his mother ...
, who was the twin brother of
Danaus
In Greek mythology, Danaus (, ; grc, Δαναός ''Danaós'') was the king of Libya. His myth is a foundation legend of Argos, one of the foremost Mycenaean cities of the Peloponnesus. In Homer's ''Iliad'', "Danaans" ("tribe of Danaus") and " ...
, father of fifty daughters called
Danaïdes
In Greek mythology, the Danaïdes (; el, Δαναΐδες), also Danaides or Danaids, were the fifty daughters of Danaus. In the ''Metamorphoses'', Ovid refers to them as the Belides after their grandfather Belus. They were to marry the 50 so ...
. He had forty-nine
siblings and out of them had five full brothers namely
Proteus,
Busiris,
Enceladus Lycus and
Daiphron through their mother
Argyphia, a woman of royal blood. By
Hypermnestra
Hypermnestra ( grc, Ὑπερμνήστρα, ''Hypermnēstra''), in Greek mythology, was a Libyan princess as one of the 50 Danaids the daughter of King Danaus, son of King Belus of Egypt. Her mother was Elephantis and full sister to Gorgophone.
...
, Lynceus became the father of Abas, who succeeded him as king.
Mythology
Lynceus's father Aegyptus commanded that his sons should marry the Danaïdes but Danaus together with his daughters fled to
Argos where King
Pelasgus ruled. Then Lynceus together with his brothers and father arrived to take the Danaïdes. Danaus gave them to spare the Argives the pain of a battle. However, he instructed his daughters to kill their husbands on their wedding night. Forty-nine followed through, but one,
Hypermnestra
Hypermnestra ( grc, Ὑπερμνήστρα, ''Hypermnēstra''), in Greek mythology, was a Libyan princess as one of the 50 Danaids the daughter of King Danaus, son of King Belus of Egypt. Her mother was Elephantis and full sister to Gorgophone.
...
refused because Lynceus honored her wish to remain a virgin. Danaus was angry with his disobedient daughter and threw her to the Argive courts but
Aphrodite intervened and saved her. Lynceus later killed Danaus as revenge for the death of his brothers. Lynceus and Hypermnestra then began a dynasty of Argive kings (the
Danaid Dynasty) beginning with
Abas. In some versions of the legend, the Danaïdes, minus Hypermnestra (or sometimes alternately
Amymone) were punished in
Tartarus by being forced to carry water through a jug with holes, or a sieve, so the water always leaked out.
[ Ovid, '' Metamorphoses'' 8.304]
Argive genealogy in Greek mythology
See also
*
City of Lyrceia
References
{{Authority control
Kings of Argos
Sons of Aegyptus
cs:Lynkeus#Lynkeus - syn Aigyptův