Lycus (mythology)

Lycus or Lykos (Greek: Λύκος "wolf") is the name of multiple people in Greek mythology:

• Lycus (son of Ares), a Libyan king who sacrificed strangers to his father. He was the father of Callirhoê, who rescued Diomedes from being sacrificed, and committed suicide upon his departure.^[1]
• Lycus (brother of Nycteus), a son of Hyrieus and Clonia. He became the guardian of Labdacus and Laius. Nycteus, unable to retrieve his daughter Antiope from Epopeus of Sicyon, sent his brother Lycus to take her. He invaded Sicyon, killed Epopeus and gave Antiope as a slave to his own wife, Dirce.^[2]
• Lycus (descendant of Lycus), a descendant of the above, said to have usurped the power over Thebes.^[3]
• Lycus, son of Poseidon and Celaeno, brother of Eurypylus. The two brothers ruled over the Fortunate Islands.^[4]
• Lycus, son of Poseidon and Alcyone.
• Lycus, son of Prometheus and Celaeno, brother of Chimaerus. The brothers are said to have had tombs in the Troad; they are otherwise unknown.^[5]
• Lycus, one of the four sons of Pandion II and Pylia. Upon the death of Pandion, Lycus and his brothers (Aegeus, Nisus, and Pallas) took control of Athens from Metion, who had seized the throne from Pandion. They divided the government in four but Aegeas became king.^[6] According to Herodotus (1.173) he gave his name to Lycia in Asia Minor, hitherto known as Tremilis/Termilae.^[7] Pausanias reports that after getting driven out of Athens, Lycus came to Aphareus and introduced him and his family to the rites of the Great Goddess.^[8] "The Lykos tradition is probably a pseudo-myth of no great antiquity, as the German scholar Treuber claimed on the grounds that there is no evidence of a family tree in Athenian genealogy; Treuber suggests that political motives may have helped to foster the tradition", reported T. R. Bryce.^[9]
• Lycus, son of Dascylus of Mysia or Mariandyne. He was hospitable towards the Argonauts^[10] and Heracles, who conquered the land of the Bebryces (Heraclea Pontica).^[11] He is apparently identical with the Lycus given as a son of Titias, brother of Priolaus and eponym of a city.^[12]
• Lycus, a son of Aegyptus who married and was murdered by the Danaid Agave.^[13]
• Lycus, a defender of Thebes against the Seven.^[14]
• Lycus, a lost companion of Aeneas^[15]
• Lycus, another companion of Aeneas, killed by Turnus.^[16]
• Lycus, one of the companions of Diomedes that were changed into birds in Italy^[17]
• Lycus, a Thracian killed by Cycnus in single combat.^[18]
• Lycus, a centaur at the wedding of Pirithous and Hippodamia, was killed by Pirithous.^[19]
• Lycus, a satyr son of Hermes and Iphthime, brother of Pherespondus and Pronomus.^[20]
• Lycus, one of the Telchines who fought under Dionysus in his Indian campaign.^[21] He is otherwise said to have erected a temple to Apollo Lycius on the banks of Xanthus river.^[22]
• Lycus, son of Arrhetus and Laobie, who, together with his father and brothers, fought under Deriades against Dionysus.^[23]
• Lycus and Termerus were two notorious brigands in Caria.^[24]
• Lycus and Pernis are listed by Hyginus^[25] as parents of Ascalaphus and Ialmenus, who are otherwise known as sons of Ares and Astyoche.
• Lycus, same as Lycurgus of Nemea.
• Lycus, an alternate name for Ischys.

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