Danaid Lineage
The royal lineage descending from Danaus and his fifty daughters, central to the mythology of Argos
The Meaning of Danaid Lineage
The Danaid Lineage traces the descendants of Danaus, twin brother of Aegyptus, both grandsons of Poseidon through Epaphus and Libya. Danaus fled Egypt with his fifty daughters to escape forced marriage to the fifty sons of Aegyptus. They settled in Argos, where Danaus became king. When the sons of Aegyptus pursued them and forced the marriages, Danaus gave each daughter a pin and ordered them to kill their husbands on the wedding night. Forty-nine obeyed, but Hypermnestra spared her husband Lynceus out of love. Through Hypermnestra and Lynceus the royal line continued, producing Abas, then the warring twins Acrisius and Proetus, then Danae, and finally Perseus. The lineage thus connects the foundation myths of Argos to the great hero cycle of Perseus and the Gorgon, and extends through Perseus's descendants to Heracles himself.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
The forty-nine murdering Danaids were condemned in the underworld to fill leaking water jars for all eternity
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