Lynceus the Argonaut
heroArgonaut famed for supernatural eyesight so sharp he could see through solid earth and spot objects miles away.
The Myth
He could see through the earth itself — the ancient world's answer to X-ray vision. Jason brought Lynceus on the Argo specifically because his eyes could penetrate stone, soil, and wood. He served as the ship's lookout, spotting hazards before any other crewman. Some sources say he could see the dead beneath the ground. His brother Idas was the strongest of the Argonauts, making them a complementary pair. Both brothers died fighting the Dioscuri (Castor and Polydeuces) in a cattle dispute — Lynceus spotted Castor hiding inside a hollow oak tree, and Idas killed him, triggering the battle that killed them all except immortal Polydeuces.
Parents
Aphareus, Arene
Symbols
Fun Fact
The word lynx-eyed meaning sharp-sighted may derive from confusion between Lynceus and the animal.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Lynceus (Argonaut)
heroThe Argonaut with superhuman eyesight who could see through the earth and beneath the sea, serving...
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...
Hypermnestra
heroThe only one of the fifty Danaids who refused to murder her husband Lynceus on their wedding night.
Achilles
heroThe greatest warrior in the Greek army at Troy, nearly invulnerable thanks to being dipped in the...
Actaeon
heroActaeon was a master hunter who accidentally saw Artemis bathing naked — she transformed him into a...
Adonis
heroAdonis was a youth of such extraordinary beauty that Aphrodite herself fell in love with him — his...
Adrastus
heroAdrastus was the only survivor of the Seven Against Thebes — he escaped on his divine horse Arion...