Lynceus (Argonaut)
heroThe Argonaut with superhuman eyesight who could see through the earth and beneath the sea, serving as the expedition's lookout aboard the Argo.
The Myth
Lynceus was the son of Aphareus and one of the keenest-eyed mortals in Greek mythology. His vision was so sharp that he could see objects buried underground, spot ships beyond the horizon, and peer through solid walls. He sailed with Jason on the Argo as the lookout, his supernatural sight guiding the ship through dangers that would have destroyed a lesser crew. Lynceus could track the movements of Hephaestus beneath volcanic mountains and see the dead in the realm of Hades below the earth. His brother Idas was the strongest of the Argonauts. Together they quarrelled fatally with the Dioscuri, Castor and Polydeuces, over the daughters of Leucippus. Lynceus spotted Castor hiding inside a hollow oak tree using his penetrating sight, and Idas killed Castor — but Polydeuces then slew Lynceus, and Zeus destroyed Idas with a thunderbolt.
Parents
Aphareus
Symbols
Fun Fact
The lynx (the cat) was named after Lynceus because of its supposedly penetrating gaze. "Lynx-eyed" became an idiom for sharp-sightedness in multiple European languages. The Accademia dei Lincei — "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed" — founded in Rome in 1603 with Galileo as a member, took its name from this tradition. The world's oldest scientific academy is named after an Argonaut's superhuman eyesight.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Lynceus the Argonaut
heroArgonaut famed for supernatural eyesight so sharp he could see through solid earth and spot objects...
Idas
heroStrongest of the Argonauts, who kidnapped his bride from Apollo and later died fighting the...
Dioscuri
heroThe Dioscuri were twin brothers — Castor (mortal) and Pollux (divine) — inseparable in life, who...
Jason
heroThe hero who assembled the Argonauts and sailed to Colchis in quest of the Golden Fleece. Jason's...
Danaus
heroEgyptian-born king of Argos whose fifty daughters murdered their fifty husbands on their wedding...
Argo (Ship)
placeThe Argo was the ship built by Argus for Jason's quest — the first long-voyage ship in Greek myth,...
Argonauts
conceptThe Argonauts were the band of heroes who sailed with Jason on the Argo to retrieve the Golden...
Hades
godRuler of the underworld and lord of the dead. Despite his fearsome reputation, Hades was not evil —...
Hades (God)
godHades was the lord of the underworld who received the dead — feared but not evil, wealthy from...
Hephaestus
godThe divine blacksmith of Olympus, god of fire and the forge. Despite being lame, Hephaestus created...
Hephaestus (Smith)
godHephaestus was the divine smith who forged Achilles' shield, Harmonia's necklace, Pandora herself,...
Hypermnestra
heroThe only one of the fifty Danaids who refused to murder her husband Lynceus on their wedding night.