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King Danaüs of Egypt had 50
daughters (called the The Danaïds). His twin brother
Aegyptus, wishing to settle a quarrel between them,
wanted his 50 sons to marry their cousins, but the girls,
and their father, were bitterly opposed to it. The family
fled to another country for sanctuary, but Aegyptus and
his sons prevailed. Danaüs presided over the mass
wedding, but secretly gave each of his daughters a dagger
with which to kill her husband on the wedding night. That
night the Danaïds slew their bridegrooms, all except
Hypermnestra who refused to stab Lynceus, for which
disobedience her father threw her in prison. Her sisters
suffered a worse fate, however, as a panel of gods
sentenced them to the fruitless and eternal task of
filling leaking jars for all eternity in Hades. |
 
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