In Greek mythology, the Danaïdes (Ancient Greek: Δαναΐδες), also Danaides or Danaids, were the fifty daughters of Danaus, king of Libya. Danaus and the Danaids feared that Danaus's twin brother, Aegyptus, was plotting to overthrow and kill them. So, they fled to Argos, where Danaus became king. However, Aegyptus's 50 sons soon followed them there. The Danaids were then forced to marry the 50 sons. In the most common version of the myth, all but one of the Daniads, Hypermenstra, killed their husbands on their wedding night. The Danaids were then condemned to spend eternity carrying water in a sieve or perforated jug.
The myth of the Danaids is found in numerous written mythological accounts from antiquity, such as in the writings of Apollodorus, Pindar, and Pausanius. The names of the Danaids are inscribed in lists from Apollodorus and Hyginus, though the lists differ greatly and most of the Danaids names were likely assigned randomly by their respective authors.
Sources from Antiquity[]
The most complete version of the myth of the Danaids is in Apollodorus's Biblioteca. The myth was also documented by several other authors in Ancient Greece and Rome, such as in Pindar's "Pythian Odes", Pausanius' "Description of Greece", and Hyginus's "Fabulae." Aeschylus also devoted a dramatic trilogy to the subject, containing The Suppliants, The Egyptians, and The Danaids, or perhaps a tetralogy, with Amymone. The Danaids are also the subject of a epic poem which has been lost, called the Danais.
In Metamorphoses by Ovid, the Danaids are referenced briefly as the “daughters of Belus,” or the Beliedes in some translations, after their grandfather Belus. They appear to Orpheus when he enters the underworld, along with other mythical figures in the Underworld such as Sisyphus.
They also are referenced in Strabo’s Geography, where he describes how the Danaids discovered water underneath the region of Lerna, bringing wells to the previously waterless region surrounding Argos.
Family Background[]
The Danaids were all daughters of Danaus, king of Libya. In most versions of the myth Danaus is said to be a son of Belus and Achiroe, however, in Euripides version of the myth he is the son of Io. The Danaids grandfather, Belus, was a son of Poseidon, and ruled over a large territory in the middle east and Northern Africa, including Assyria, Egypt, Libya, and Arabia. Belus and Achiroe had three sons, twin brothers Danaus and Aegyptus, along with their brother Cepheus.
Despite having the same father, the Danaids may have all been born of different women, though this fact differs among the different versions of the myth. Apollodorus claims that six of the daughters were born to the naiad Polyxo; six to Pieria; two to Elephantis; four to Queen Europa; ten to the hamadryad nymphs Atlanteia and Phoebe; seven to an Aethiopian woman; three to Memphis; two to Herse, and lastly four to Crino.
According to Hippostratus, all of the daughters were begotten by Europa, the daughter of the river god Nilus. In other accounts, Melia, daughter of King Agenor, was the mother of all the Danaids.
Mythology[]
Danaus and Aegyptus[]
Danaus and his twin brother Aegyptus were given territories by their father to rule over. Danaus was chosen to be king of Libya, while Aegyptus was sent to rule the Kingdom of Arabia, who he later called Egypt, after himself.
Both men fathered 50 children, with Danaus having 50 daughters (the Danaids) and Aegyptus having 50 sons. When their father died, Aegyptus and Danaus fought over his inheritance. Disguising it as a form of truce, Aegyptus proposed marriages between all their children. However Danaus suspected his brother had a plan to overthrow him and his kingdom, and therefore refused the marriage proposal.
Danaus feared Aegyptus was plotting to kill him and the Daniads, so under the advice of Athena, he built a boat and fled Egypt with his daughters, sailing out of Chemmis.
Danaus and the Danaids sailed to Rhodes, where there they set up a monument to honor Athena Lindia. In some variations of this myth, the Daniads were the ones to build the temple at the site. After being in Rhodes, they sailed to the coast of Apobathmi, a location not far from Lerna and Argos.
Danaus in Argos[]
After arriving in Argos, Danaus declared that he was divinely chosen to rule Argos by Athena’s support. The current king of Argos, King Gelanor, did not believe him. Even so, Gelanor got together an assembly to discuss Danaus' claim to the throne. Unsure how to decide, they agreed to reconvene in the morning. However, after seeing a wolf killing a bull the next morning, Gelanor feared this was an omen that Danaus would take over Argos with violence, and therefore surrendered his rule to Danaus peacefully.
The Draught in Argos[]
During Danaus' rule, a draught ravaged the land of Argos. This draught was due to Poseidon's rage over his dispute with Hera. Both gods claimed they were the patron god of the city, however, the Argives decided they preferred Hera, and so Poseidon dried up all the water in the land.
Danaus sent the Danaids to look for water. While searching, one of the daughters, Amymone, accidentally disturbed a sleeping satyr thinking it was a deer. The Satyr attacked her, but Poseidon saved Amymone by throwing a trident at the satyr. She then slept with him, and afterward he instructed her to pull his trident from the rock it had lodged itself in, and when she did out sprang water. This is now at the site of Lerna, and the spring was named after Amymone. It later became the birthsite of the Hydra.
The Marriages of the Danaids[]
The Danaïdes kill their husbands, miniature by Robinet Testard. ca. 1490s
Murder of the Sons of Aegyptus[]
Meanwhile, Aegyptus was enraged by his brother's betrayal. He organized an army led by all his sons, 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. When the sons of Aegyptus arrived in Argos, they begged Danaus to let them marry the Danaids. When Danaus refused once again, they lay siege to the city.
Danaus, facing a probable loss and wanting to protect the Argives, agreed to let the brothers marry his daughters in a large wedding feast where every couple was married on the same night.
In some translations of the myth, Danaus gave all the Danaids daggers, and instructed them to cut off their husbands after they had fallen asleep on their wedding night and bring their heads to him as proof of their deaths. Others scholars interpret this as instead Danaus giving them sharp hair pins and telling them to stab their husbands in the heart at midnight. The Danaids all followed their father's command except one: Hypermnestra, who spared her husband Lynceus because he respected her desire to remain a virgin. Hypermnestra then helped Lynceus escape to Lycrea, and told him to light a beacon-fire so she could know when he reached safety.
Danaus was angered that his daughter refused to do as he ordered, so he imprisoned her and tried her in the Argive courts. In Euripides version of the myth, Lynceus killed Danaus and his daughters as revenge for the death of his brothers. However, in most versions of the myth Danaus himself united Hypermnestra and Lynceus and later passed the kingdom to Lynceus. Occasionally, Amymone and/or Bryce (Bebryce) are instead named as the Danaids who defied Danaus.
Apollodorus claims the heads of the murdered husbands were buried at Lerna, where the Danaids carried out funeral rites in front of the city. In this version, Athena and Hermes then purified the ground at the command of Zeus. However, Pausanias claims the heads were instead buried at Larisa, and the headless bodies were buried in Lerna. The separation of the heads from the bodies may have been due to the Ancient Greek custom to bury the heads of sacred figures or kings outside the walls to protect against invasion.
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The Danaides by Walter Crane (ca.1870)
The Re-marriage of the Danaids[]
Afterwards, the Danaids were said to be remarried through athletic contests, specifically footraces. Pindar claimed that Danaus would place a daughter at the end of a racecourse, and arranged the suitors to race towards her. The first man who touched her robes could then marry her. Pausanias instead wrote that Danaus had great difficulty in marrying off his daughters due to their crime, so he sent out a notice that he would give away his daughters without bride-gifts, and that each suitor could choose whichever daughter pleased him most. He then held a footrace where participants were able to choose their wife in the order they came in in the race. Races were carried out until every daughter was chosen.
The Danaids in the Underworld[]
Some accounts tell that their punishment in Tartarus was being forced to carry a jug to fill a pithos without a bottom (or with a leak) to wash their sins off. Because the water constantly leaked, they would forever try to fill the pithos without succeeding.
The Danaïdes and their husbands[]
Apollodorus[]
The list in the Bibliotheca preserves not only the names of brides and grooms but also those of their mothers. A lot was cast among the sons of Aegyptus to decide which of the Danaids each should marry, except for those daughters born to Memphis who were joined by their namesakes, the sons of Tyria. According to Hippostratus, Danaus had all these progenies begotten by a single woman, Europa, the daughter of Nilus.
| No. | Danaids | Mother | Aegyptus' Sons | Mother | No. | Danaids | Mother | Aegyptus' Sons | Mother |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hypermnestra | Elephantis | Lynceus | Argyphia | 26 | Chrysippe | Memphis | Chrysippus | Tyria |
| 2 | Gorgophone | Proteus | 27 | Autonoe | Polyxo, a naiad | Eurylochus | Caliadne, a naiad | ||
| 3 | Automate | Europe | Busiris | 28 | Theano | Phantes | |||
| 4 | Amymone | Enceladus | 29 | Electra | Peristhenes | ||||
| 5 | Agave | Lycus | 30 | Cleopatra (different one) | Hermus | ||||
| 6 | Scaea | Daiphron | 31 | Eurydice | Dryas | ||||
| 7 | Hippodamia | Atlanteia or of Phoebe,
the Hamadryads |
Istrus | Arabian woman | 32 | Glaucippe | Potamon | ||
| 8 | Rhodia | Chalcodon | 33 | Antheleia | Cisseus | ||||
| 9 | Cleopatra | Agenor | 34 | Cleodore | Lixus | ||||
| 10 | Asteria | Chaetus | 35 | Evippe (different one) | Imbrus | ||||
| 11 | Hippodamia (different one) | Diocorystes | 36 | Erato | Bromius | ||||
| 12 | Glauce | Alces | 37 | Stygne | Polyctor | ||||
| 13 | Hippomedusa | Alcmenor | 38 | Bryce | Chthonius | ||||
| 14 | Gorge | Hippothous | 39 | Actaea | Pieria | Periphas | Gorgo | ||
| 15 | Iphimedusa | Euchenor | 40 | Podarce | Oeneus | ||||
| 16 | Rhode | Hippolytus | 41 | Dioxippe | Aegyptus | ||||
| 17 | Pirene | Ethiopian woman | Agaptolemus | Phoenician woman | 42 | Adite | Menalces | ||
| 18 | Dorion | Cercetes | 43 | Ocypete | Lampus | ||||
| 19 | Phartis | Eurydamas | 44 | Pylarge | Idmon | ||||
| 20 | Mnestra | Aegius | 45 | Hippodice | Herse | Idas | Hephaestine | ||
| 21 | Evippe | Argius | 46 | Adiante | Daiphron (different one) | ||||
| 22 | Anaxibia | Archelaus | 47 | Callidice | Crino | Pandion | |||
| 23 | Nelo | Menemachus | 48 | Oeme | Arbelus | ||||
| 24 | Clite | Memphis | Clitus | Tyria | 49 | Celaeno | Hyperbius | ||
| 25 | Sthenele | Sthenelus | 50 | Hyperippe | Hippocorystes |
Hyginus[]
Hyginus' list is partially corrupt, and some of the names are nearly illegible. Nevertheless, this catalog has almost nothing in common with that of Pseudo-Apollodorus. Names with the (†) symbol mean corrupted entries but annotations from various editors were provided to rationalize their possible names.
| No. | Danaïdes | Aegyptus' Sons | No. | Danaïdes | Aegyptus' Sons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idea † | Antimachus | 26 | Autodice | Clytus |
| 2 | Philomela | Panthius | 27 | Polyxena | Aegyptus |
| 3 | Scylla | Proteus | 28 | Hecabe | Dryas |
| 4 | Phicomone † | Plexippus | 29 | Acamantis or Achamantis † | Echomius † |
| 5 | Evippe | ? | 30 | Arsalte † | Ephialtes |
| 6 | ? | ? | 31 | Monuste † | Eurysthenes † |
| 7 | ? | Agenor | 32 | Amymone | Midamus † |
| 8 | Demoditas | ? | 33 | Helice | Evideas † |
| 9 | ? | Chrysippus | 34 | Amoeme or Oeme | Polydector |
| 10 | Hyale † | Perius | 35 | Polybe | Itonomus † |
| 11 | Trite | Enceladus | 36 | Helicta † | Cassus |
| 12 | Damone † | Amyntor | 37 | Electra | Hyperantus † |
| 13 | Hippothoe (possibly Hypothoe) | Obrimus (possibly Bromius) | 38 | Eubule | Demarchus |
| 14 | Myrmidone | Mineus † (possibly Oeneus) | 39 | Daplidice † | Pugnon † |
| 15 | Eurydice | Canthus | 40 | Hero | Andromachus |
| 16 | Cleo | Asterius | 41 | Europome † | Atlites or Athletes † |
| 17 | Arcania † | Xanthus | 42 | Pyrantis † | Plexippus |
| 18 | Cleopatra | Metalces | 43 | Critomedia | Antipaphus |
| 19 | Philea † | Philinas | 44 | Pirene | Dolichus |
| 20 | Hyparete | Protheon | 45 | Eupheme or Eupheno † | Hyperbius |
| 21 | Chrysothemis | Asterides † | 46 | Themistagora | Podasimus |
| 22 | Pyrante | Athamas | 47 | Celaeno | Aristonoos † |
| 23 | Armo † | asbus † | 48 | Itea † | Antiochus |
| 24 | Glaucippe | Niavius † | 49 | Erato † | Eudaemon |
| 25 | Demophile | Pamphilus | 50 | Hypermnestra | Lynceus |
Other Danaïdes[]
Several minor female characters mentioned in various accounts unrelated to the central myth of Danaus and the Danaïdes are also referred to as daughters of Danaus. These include:
- Archedice, along with her sister Helice and two others, chosen by lot by the rest, had founded the temple of Lindian Athene where they made offerings on Lindos in Rhodes.
- Anaxithea, mother of Olenus by Zeus.
- Amphimedusa, mother of Erythras by Poseidon
- Eurythoe, one of the possible mothers of Oenomaus by Ares; alternatively, mother of Hippodamia by Oenomaus
- Hippe, who, like her sister Amymone, gave her name to a freshwater source
- Hippodamia, mother of Olenus by Zeus. (Maybe the same as the above Anaxithea)
- Isonoe or Isione or Hesione, mother of Orchomenus or Chryses by Zeus.
- Kamira
- Phaethusa, one of the possible mothers of Myrtilus by Hermes
- Phylodameia, mother of Pharis by Hermes
- Physadeia, who, like her sister Amymone, gave her name to a freshwater source
- Polydora, nymph-mother of Dryops (Oeta) by the river god Spercheios
- Side, mythical eponym of a town in Laconia