Danaïdes

For the butterfly genus, see Danaus (genus).

The Danaides (1904), a Pre-Raphaelite interpretation by John William Waterhouse

In Greek mythology, the Danaïdes (/dəˈneɪ.ɪdiːz/; Greek: Δαναΐδες), also Danaides or Danaids, were the fifty daughters of Danaus, king of Libya. In the Metamorphoses, Ovid refers to them as the Belides after their grandfather Belus. They were to marry the 50 sons of Danaus' twin brother Aegyptus, a mythical king of Egypt. In the most common version of the myth, all but one of them killed their husbands on their wedding night and are condemned to spend eternity carrying water in a sieve or perforated device. In the classical tradition, they came to represent the futility of a repetitive task that can never be completed (see also Sisyphus and Ocnus).

Mythology

The Danaïdes kill their husbands, miniature by Robinet Testard.

Danaus did not want his daughters to go ahead with the marriages. He fled with them in the first boat to Argos, which is located in Greece near the ancient city of Mycenae. Danaus agreed to the marriage of his daughters only after Aegyptus came to Argos with his fifty sons to protect the local population, the Argives, from any battles. The daughters were ordered by their father to kill their husbands on the first night of their weddings, and this they all did except for one, Hypermnestra, who spared her husband Lynceus because he respected her desire to remain a virgin. Danaus was angered that his daughter refused to do as he ordered and took her to the Argives courts. Lynceus killed Danaus as revenge for the death of his brothers, and he and Hypermnestra started the Danaid Dynasty of rulers in Argos. In other versions of the myth, Danaus himself united Hypermnestra and Lynceus instead.

The other 49 daughters buried the heads of their bridegrooms in Lerna and paid funeral honors to their bodies in front of the city. The gods Athena and Hermes purified them at the command of Zeus. Afterward, they remarried by choosing their mates in footraces (or their father bestowed them to the victors of the athletic contest). Some accounts tell that their punishment in Tartarus was being forced to carry a jug to fill a bathtub (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 tub. This myth is probably connected with a ceremony concerning the worship of waters, and the Danaïdes were water-nymphs.

The Danaïds 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.

Apollodorus' List of Danaids

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.

Hyginus' List of Danaids

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

Ellis

A third list was provided by the English antiquarian, Henry Ellis, which was derived from Hyginus. The names of the Danaïdes were complete but with new entries and some alterations in the spellings. It can be observed that the names Armoaste and Danaes (Danais) were an addition to complete the list, while Scea (Scaea) and Autonomes (Automate), which were borrowed from Apollodorus' accounts were also added.

Comparison of Hyginus' and Ellis' List of Danaids

Hyginus		Ellis	Hyginus		Ellis	Hyginus		Ellis	Hyginus		Ellis	Hyginus		Ellis
1	Midea or Idea	Idea	11	Trite	Trite	21	Chrysothemis	Chrysothemis	31	Monuste	Monuste	41	Europome	Europomene
2	Philomela	Philomela	12	Damone	Damone	22	Pyrante	Heranta	32	Amymone	Amimone	42	Pyrantis	Chrysanta
3	Scylla	Scillo	13	Hippothoe	Hippothoe	23	?	Armoaste	33	Helice	Helice	43	Critomedia	Critomedia
4	(Am)Phicomone	Phicomene	14	Myrmidone	Mirmidone	24	Glaucippe	Glaucippe	34	Oeme	Amaome	44	Pirene	Pyrene
5	Evippe	Euippe	15	Eurydice	Euridice	25	Demophile	Demophile	35	Polybe	Polybe	45	Eupheme	Eupheno
6	?	Danaes	16	Cleo	Chleo	26	Autodice	Autodice	36	Helicta	Helicte	46	Themistagora	Themistagora
7	?	Scea	17	Arcadia or Arcania	Vrania	27	Polyxena	Polyxena	37	Electra	Electra	47	Celaeno	Paleno
8	Demoditas	Demoditas	18	Cleopatra	Cleopatra	28	Hecabe	Hecate	38	Eubule	Eubule	48	Itea	Itea
9	?	Autonomes	19	Phila or Philae	Phylea	29	Acamantis	Achamantis	39	Daplidice	Daphildice	49	Erato	Erato
10	Hyale	Hyale	20	Hipparete	Hypareta	30	Arsalte	Arsalte	40	Hero	Hero	50	Hypermnestra	Hypermnestra

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 Spercheus
• Side, mythical eponym of a town in Laconia

Modern literature

John William Waterhouse, The Danaïdes (1906), Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums Collection

The Daughters of Danaus is also the title of an 1894 novel by Mona Caird, also dealing with imposed marriage although, in this case, it is a single marriage instead of 50, and in 19th-century Great Britain.

In 1910, the Hungarian poet Mihály Babits published his poem The Danaids, translated into English by Peter Zollman and István Tótfalusi.

Magda Szabó's 1964 novel, A Danaida (The Danaid), is about a woman who lives selfishly for two-thirds of her life without realizing that even she can change the course of history.

Le Châtiment des Danaïdes is an essay by the French-Canadian author Henri-Paul Jacques applying the Freudian concept of psychoanalysis to studying the punishment imposed on the Danaïdes after they committed their crimes.

In Monday Begins on Saturday, it is mentioned that the Danaïdes had their case reviewed in modern times, and, due to mitigating circumstances (the marriage being forced), had their punishment changed to laying and then immediately demolishing asphalt.

See also

• Names of the Greeks (Danaans)
• Las Danaides, Alameda Central, Mexico City

References

• Antoninus Liberalis, The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis translated by Francis Celoria (Routledge 1992). Online version at the Topos Text Project.
• Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
• Callimachus. Hymns, translated by Alexander William Mair (1875–1928). London: William Heinemann; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 1921. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
• Clement of Alexandria, Recognitions from Ante-Nicene Library Volume 8, translated by Smith, Rev. Thomas. T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh. 1867. Online version at theio.com.
• Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
• John Tzetzes, Book of Histories, Books VII-VIII translated by Vasiliki Dogani from the original Greek of T. Kiessling's edition of 1826. Online version at theio.com.
• Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. ISBN 0-674-99328-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
• Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.