Danaus

Dănăus, i, m., Δαναός,

• son of Belus, and twin-brother of Aegyptus: he was the father of fifty daughters; he emigrated from Egypt into Greece, and there founded Argos; was slain by Lynceus, after a reign of fifty years, Hyg. Fab. 168; 170; Serv. Verg. A. 10, 497; Cic. Parad. 6, 1, 44; cf. under no. II. B.—Danai porticus, at Rome, dedicated by Augustus to the Palatine Apollo (726 A. U. C.), famed for its statues of Danaus and his daughters, Ov. Am. 2, 2, 4; cf. Prop. 2, 31, 4 (3, 29, 4 M.); Tib. 1, 3, 79; Ov. Tr. 3, 1, 60.—
• II Derivv.
• • A Dănăus, a, um, adj. (belonging to Danaus; hence, in the poets, meton.), Greek, Grecian: classes, Ov. M. 13, 92; cf. rates, Prop. 3, 22, 34 (4, 22, 34 M.): flammae, Ov. M. 14, 467: ignis, id. Her. 8, 14: miles, id. ib. 24: manus, id. R. Am. 66: res, id. M. 13, 59. Esp. freq.,
  • A Subst. plur.: Dănăi, ōrum, m., the Danai, for the Greeks (esp. freq. of the Greeks before Troy), Cic. Tusc. 4, 23, 52; id. Fin. 2, 6, 18; Prop. 3, 8, 31 (4, 7, 31 M.); Verg. A. 2, 5 et saep.—Gen. plur.: Danaum, Lucr. 1, 87; Prop. 2, 26, 38 (3, 22, 18 M.); 3, 9, 40 (4, 8, 40 M.); Verg. A. 1, 30 et saep.—
  • B Dănăĭdes, um, f., Δαναδες, the daughters of Danaus, the Danaides, who, with the exception of Hypermnestra, murdered their husbands at their father's command, Hyg. Fab. 170; 255; Sen. Herc. Fur. 757. The classical poets substitute Danai proles, Tib. 1, 3, 79; cf. Prop. 2, 31, 4 (3, 29, 4 M.): Danai puellae, Hor. Od. 3, 11, 23: Danai genus infame, id. ib. 2, 14, 18.—
  • C Dănăĭdae, ārum, m., Δαναΐδαι = Danai (v. no. II. A.), the Greeks, Sen. Troad. 611.

Danaus, ī, m. (Δαναός), Sohn des Belus, Zwillingsbruder des Ägyptus, Vater von fünfzig Töchtern, floh aus Ägypten nach Griechenland, wo er das Reich Argos gründete, Cic. parad. 6, 44; vgl. Hyg. fab. 168 u. 170: agmen Danai = Danaides, Ov. am. 2, 2, 4: ebenso Danai genus infame, Hor. carm. 2, 14, 18: Danai puellae, Hor. carm. 3, 11, 23: Danai proles, Tibull. 1, 3, 79: Danai femina turba, Prop. 2, 31, 4. – Dav.: A) Danaidae, ārum, m. (Δαναΐδαι), die Danaër = Argiver od. Griechen, Sen. Troad. 616 u. 767. – B) Danaides, um, f. (Δαναΐδες), die Danaiden, die fünfzig Töchter des Danaus, die, mit den fünfzig Söhnen des Ägyptus vermählt, auf Geheiß ihres Vaters in der ersten Nacht ihre Männer umbrachten, mit Ausnahme der Hypermnestra, die ihren Gatten Lynceus am Leben ließ, Sen. Herc. fur. 761. Hyg. fab. 170 u. 255. – C) Danaus, a, um, zu Danaus gehörig, dah. bei Dichtern meton. = argivisch od. griechisch, Prop., Ov. u.a.: bes. Plur. subst., Danaī, ōrum, m., die Danaër = Griechen (vorz. die vor Troja), Verg. u. Prop.: Genet. Plur. Danaûm, ibid.

1 Danaus [CL < Δαναός] , Greek. ~i, Greci GlC D 8; in auxilium Michaelis, quem ~i de throno imperiali expulerant Ord. Vit. IV 3 p. 172.

2 Danaus v. 2 Danus

1 Dănăus, (13) ī, m. (Δαναός), Danaüs [roi dʼArgos, père des Danaïdes] : Cic. Par. 44 ; Serv. En. 10, 497.

2 Dănăus, (13) a, um, relatif à Danaüs, c.-à-d. aux Argiens, aux Grecs ; [dʼoù] grec, des Grecs : Ov. M. 13, 92, v. Danai.

Danaus

(Δαναός), a son of Belus and Anchinoe, and a grandson of Poseidon and Libya. He was brother of Aegyptus, and farther of fifty daughters, and the mythical ancestor of the Danai. (Apollod. 2.1.4, &c.) According to the common story he was a native of Chemnis, in the Thebais in Upper Egypt, and migrated from thence into Greece. (Hdt. 2.91.) Belus had given Danaüs Libya, while Aegyptus had obtained Arabia. Danaus had reason to think that the sons of his brother were plotting against him, and fear or the advice of an oracle (Eustath. ad Hom. p. 37), induced him to build a large ship and to embark with his daughters. On his flight he first landed at Rhodes, where he set up an image of Athena Lindia. According to the story in Herodotus, a temple of Athena was built at Lindus by the daughters of Danaüs, and according to Strabo (xiv. p.654) Tlepolemus built the towns of Lindus, Ialysus and Cameirus, and called them thus after the names of three Danaides. From Rhodes Danaüs and his daughters sailed to Peloponnesus, and landed at a place near Lerna, which was afterwards called from this event Apobathmi. (Paus. 2.38.4.) At Argos a dispute arose between Danaüs and Gelanor about the government, and after many discussions the people deferred the decision of the question to the next day. At its dawn a wolf rushed among the cattle and killed one of the oxen. This occurrence was to the Argives an event which seemed to announce to them in what manner the dispute should terminate, and Danaus was accordingly made king of Argos. Out of gratitude he now built a sanctuary of Apollo Lycius, who, as he believed, had sent the wolf. (Paus. 2.19.3. Comp. Serv. ad Aen. 4.377, who relates a different story.) Danaüs also erected two wooden statues of Zeus and Artemis, and dedicated his shield in the sanctuary of Hera. (Paus. 2.19.6; Hyg. Fab. 170.) He is further said to have built the acropolis of Argos and to have provided the place with water by digging wells. (Strab. i. p.23, viii. p. 371; Eustath. ad Hom. p. 461.) The sons of Aegyptus in the mean time had followed their uncle to Argos; they assured him of their peaceful sentiments and sued for the hands of his daughters. Danaüs still mistrusted them and remembered the cause of his flight from his country; however he gave them his daughters and distributed them among his nephews by lot. But all the brides, with the exception of Hypermnestra murdered their husbands by the command of their father. [Danaides.] In aftertimes the Argives were called Danai. Whether Danaüs died a natural death, or whether he was killed by Lynceus, his son-in-law, is a point on which the various traditions are not agreed, but he is said to have been buried at Argos, and his tomb in the agora of Argos was shewn there ae late as the time of Pausanias. (2.20.4; Strab. viii. p.371.) Statues of Danaus, Hypermnestra and Lynceus were seen at Delphi by Pausanias. (10.10.2.) [L.S]

Danaüs

(Δαναός). A son of Belus and Anchinoë, and brother of Aegyptus. Belus assigned the country of Libya to Danaüs, while to Aegyptus he gave Arabia. Aegyptus conquered the country of the Melampodes and named it from himself. By many wives he became the father of fifty sons. Danaüs had by several wives an equal number of daughters. Dissension arising between him and the sons of Aegyptus, they aimed at depriving him of his kingdom; and, fearing their violence, he built, with the aid of Athené, a fifty-oared vessel, the first that ever was made, in which he embarked with his daughters and fled over the sea. He first landed on the isle of Rhodes, where he set up a statue of the Lindian Athené; but, not caring to remain in that island, he proceeded to Argos; where Gelanor, who at that time ruled over the country, cheerfully resigned the government to the stranger who had brought thither civilization and the arts. The people took the name of their new monarch, and were called Danaï (Δαναοί). The country of Argos being at this time extremely deficient in pure and wholesome water (see Inachus), Danaüs sent forth his daughters in quest of some. As Amymoné, one of them, was engaged in the search, she was rescued by Poseidon from the intended violence of a satyr, and the god revealed to her a fountain called after her name and the most famous among the streams that contributed to form the Lernaean lake or marsh. The sons of Aegyptus came now to Argolis and entreated their uncle to bury past enmity in oblivion, and to give them their cousins in marriage. Danaüs, retaining a perfect recollection of the injuries they had done him and distrustful of their promises, consented to bestow upon them his daughters, whom he divided among them by lot; but on the wedding-day he armed the hands of the brides with daggers, and enjoined upon them to slay in the night their unsuspecting bridegrooms. All but Hypermnestra obeyed the cruel orders of their father; and cutting off the heads of their husbands, they flung them into Lerna, and buried their bodies with all due rites outside of the town. At the command of Zeus, Hermes and Athené purified them from the guilt of their deed. Hypermnestra had spared Lynceus for the delicate regard which he had shown to her modesty. Her father, at first, in his anger at her disobedience, put her into close confinement. Relenting, however, after some time, he gave his consent to her union with Lynceus, and proclaimed gymnastic games, in which the victors were to receive his other daughters as the prizes. It was said, however, that the crime of the Danaïdes did not pass without due punshment in the lower world, where they were condemned to pour water forever into a perforated vessel.

Danaus Danaus, his legendary migration to Greece from Chemmis in Egypt

• Hdt. 2.91, Hdt. 7.94
• his daughters: Hdt. 2.171, Hdt. 2.182
• with his daughters lands in Argolis: Paus. 2.38.4, Paus. 4.35.2
• son of Belus: Apollod. 2.1.4
• settled in Libya: Apollod. 2.1.4
• has fifty daughters: Apollod. 2.1.4
• the first to build a ship: Apollod. 2.1.4
• flees with his daughters to Argos and obtains the kingdom from Gelanor: Apollod. 2.1.4; Paus. 2.16.1, Paus. 2.19.3
• feared by Aegyptus: Paus. 7.21.13
• consents to marry his daughters to the sons of Egyptus: Apollod. 2.1.4, Apollod. 2.1.5, Apollod. 2.1.5
• his daughters murder their husband cousins: Apollod. 2.1.5; Paus. 2.16.1
• gives his daughters to victors in an athletic contest: Apollod. 2.1.5; Paus. 3.12.2
• dedicates sanctuary and image of Wolfish Apollo: Paus. 2.19.3ff.
• dedicates pedestal adorned with reliefs: Paus. 2.19.7
• his daughters dedicate image of Aphrodite: Paus. 2.37.2
• tomb of Danaus: Paus. 2.20.5
• his throne: Paus. 2.19.5
• statue at Delphi: Paus. 10.10.5