In Greek mythology, Abas (/ˈbəs/; Ancient Greek: Ἄβας) was the twelfth king of Argos. He was the great-grandfather of Perseus, and the founder of the towns Abae and Argos Pelasgikon. Hera favoured Abas and blessed his shield making it resistant to any sword.

Family

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Abas was the son of Lynceus[1] of the royal family of Argos, and Hypermnestra, the last of the Danaides.[2] With his wife Ocalea (or Aglaea, depending on the source), he had twin sons Acrisius (grandfather of Perseus) and Proetus,[3] and one daughter, Idomene.[4] According to Pausanias, Abas had also an illegitimate son named Lyrcus, who gave his name to the city of Lyrcea.[5]

The name Abantiades (/ˌæbænˈtədz/; Ancient Greek: Ἀβαντιάδης) generally signified a descendant of this Abas, but was used especially to designate Perseus, the great-grandson of Abas,[6] and Acrisius, a son of Abas.[7] A female descendant of Abas, as Danaë and Atalante, was called Abantias.[8]

Mythology

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Abas was a successful conqueror, and was the founder of the city of Abae in northeastern Phocis,[9] home to the legendary oracular temple to Apollo Abaeus, and also of the Pelasgic Argos in Thessaly.[10] When Abas informed his father of the death of Danaus, he was rewarded with the shield of his grandfather, which was sacred to Hera.[11][12] Abas was said to be so fearsome a warrior that even after his death, enemies of his royal household could be put to flight simply by the sight of this shield.[13] He bequeathed his kingdom to Acrisius and Proetus, bidding them to rule alternately, but they quarrelled even while they still shared their mother's womb.

Argive genealogy

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Argive genealogy in Greek mythology
InachusMelia
ZeusIoPhoroneus
EpaphusMemphis
LibyaPoseidon
BelusAchiroëAgenorTelephassa
DanausElephantisAegyptusCadmusCilixEuropaPhoenix
MantineusHypermnestraLynceusHarmoniaZeus
Polydorus
SpartaLacedaemonOcaleaAbasAgaveSarpedonRhadamanthus
Autonoë
EurydiceAcrisiusInoMinos
ZeusDanaëSemeleZeus
PerseusDionysus
Colour key:

  Male
  Female
  Deity

Notes

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  1. ^ Pausanias, 2.16.2
  2. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae 244
  3. ^ Apollodorus, 2.2.1; Pausanias, 2.16.2; Hyginus, Fabulae 170, De Astronomie 2.18.1
  4. ^ Apollodorus, 2.2.2
  5. ^ Pausanias, 2.25.5
  6. ^ Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.673; 5.138 & 5.236
  7. ^ Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.607
  8. ^ Bell, Robert E. (1991). Women of Classical Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary. ABC-CLIO. p. 1. ISBN 9780874365818.
  9. ^ Pausanias, 10.35.1
  10. ^ Strabo, 9.5.5 p. 431
  11. ^ Schmitz, Leonhard (1867), "Abas (2)", in Smith, William (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. 1, pp. 1–2, archived from the original on 2008-07-14, retrieved 2007-08-19
  12. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae 273
  13. ^ Virgil, Aeneid 3.286; Statius, Thebaid 2.220 & 4.589; Servius, Commentary on Virgil's Aeneid, 3.286

References

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Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Argos Succeeded by