Nycteus
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In Greek mythology, Nycteus (Template:IPAc-en; Template:Langx) was a king of Thebes. His rule began after the death of Polydorus, and ended when he was succeeded by his brother Lycus.
Family
[edit]Nycteus and his brother Lycus were the sons of either Chthonius, one of the Spartoi,<ref name="ReferenceA">Apollodorus, 3.5.5.</ref> or of the nymph Clonia and Hyrieus, the son of Poseidon and the Atlantid Alkyone,<ref>Apollodorus, 3.10.1.</ref> or of Poseidon and the Pleiad Celaeno. Nycteus had two daughters by Polyxo, Nycteis and Antiope.
Mythology
[edit]Nycteus and Lycus fled from Euboea after they murdered King Phlegyas, settling in Hyria and then moving to Thebes, because they were friends with Pentheus, its king.<ref>Apollodorus, 3.5.</ref> Nycteus's daughter, Nycteis married Polydorus, who was the successor of Pentheus, and their son was Labdacus. However, Pentheus and Polydorus both died soon after, and Nycteus became regent for Labdacus.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
After Antiope was impregnated by Zeus and fled to marry king Epopeus in Sicyon, the Bibliotheca reports that Nycteus killed himself in shame, after asking Lycus to punish her.<ref>Apollodorus, 3.5.5</ref> Pausanias, however, states that Nycteus led the Thebans against Epopeus, but was wounded and carried back to Thebes, where he died after asking Lycus to continue the battle.<ref>Pausanias, 2.6.2</ref> Lycus succeeded him as regent of Thebes.
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Theban royal family tree
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Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
- Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. Template:ISBN. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
- Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.