Editing Lynceus (son of Aegyptus) (section)

== Mythology ==
Lynceus's father Aegyptus commanded that his 50 sons should be able to marry his brother's 50 daughters, the Danaids.<ref name=":5" /> However, Danaus had previously been told by an [[oracle]] that he would die at the hand of his [[son-in-law]], so he refused his brother and fled to Argos, where he was then made king by [[Pelasgus (king of Argos)|Pelasgus]].<ref name=":5" />

Aegyptus was enraged by his brother's betrayal. He organized an army led by his sons, including Lynceus, and sent them to Argos with the command that they should not return until either Danaus was dead or he had consented to let the brothers marry the Danaids. Danaus, facing siege and a probable loss, agreed to let the brothers marry his daughters in a large wedding feast where every couple was married on the same night.<ref name=":0" /> Couples were arranged, and Lynceus was paired with Hypermnestra (alternatively, [[Amymone]]).<ref name="Smith2">{{cite book |last=William Smith, Mahmoud Saba |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tJIfAAAAMAAJ&dq=Lyrcus&pg=PA231 |title=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (volume II) |publisher=Walton and Maberly |year=1857 |location=Original from the University of Michigan |pages=231}}</ref> However, though Danaus agreed to the arrangement, he was greatly angered by his brother's actions. He gave all the Danaids swords and instructed them to kill their husbands after they had fallen asleep on their wedding night. The next morning, they were to bring their husband's heads to him as proof of the deed.<ref name=":2">Pausanias. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.%202.24.2&lang=original 2.24.2]</ref> 

However, while all 49 other Danaids followed through and killed their husbands, Hypermnestra alone refused. In the most common version of the myth, she decided to spare Lynceus when he honored her wish to remain a [[Virginity|virgin]]. After sparing her husband, Hypermnestra helped Lynceus flee back to safety<ref name=":3">[[Ovid]], [[Heroides|''Heroides'']]. 14</ref> either with his father in Egypt<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Commentary on the Heroides of Ovid: Hypermnestra |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0061:poem=14&highlight=hypermnestra |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Perseus Digital Library}}</ref> or to [[Lyrceia|Lynceia]], a city in Argos.<ref name="Smith2" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Holinshed |first=Raphael |title=The Historie Of England, From The Time That It Was First Inhabited, Vntill The Time That It Was Last Conquered |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.03.0084:book=1:chapter=3&highlight=lynceus |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=Perseus Digital Library}}</ref> In the version of the myth where he flees to Lynceia, Lynceus informed his wife of his safety by lighting a torch: she then informed him of her safety by lighting a torch from [[Larissa (Argos)|Larissa]], the [[citadel]] of Argos. The city was later named Lynceia in his honor.<ref>Pausanias, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=paus.+2.25.4 25.4]</ref>

When Lynceus arrived back in Egypt, he informed his father of Danaus's treachery and his brothers' deaths. They raised an army and sailed to Argos, where Lynceus killed Danaus, united with Hypermnestra, and became king. According to [[Apollodorus of Damascus|Apollodorus]] however, there was no invasion and Lynceus did not kill Danaus; instead, Lynceus was passed the crown after Danaus's eventual death.<ref name=":0" /> Together, Hypermnestra and Lynceus had a son: Abas, who succeeded his father as king of Argos.

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 title=[[King of Argos]]
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 before=[[Danaus]]
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 after=[[Abas (son of Lynceus)|Abas]]
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