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Danaïd
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Danaïd

Greek mythology
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Danaüs, in Greek legend, was the son of Belus, king of Egypt, and the twin brother of Aegyptus. Driven from Egypt by his brother, Danaüs fled with his 50 daughters, the Danaïds, to Argos. There, he became king. When Aegyptus's sons arrived to marry the Danaïds, Danaüs commanded his daughters to kill their husbands on their wedding night. All but one, Hypermestra, obeyed. In punishment for their crime, the Danaïds were condemned in Hades to the eternal task of filling a bottomless vessel with water. Lynceus and Hypermestra became the ancestors of the royal line of Argos. The name Danaüs is also the type genus for a group of butterflies.12

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