Hypsĭpy̆le

, a queen of Lemnos, daughter of Thoas and Myrine. During her reign, Venus, whose altars had been universally slighted, punished the Lemnian women, and rendered their mouths and breath so extremely offensive to the smell, that their husbands abandoned them, and gave themselves up to some female slaves, whom they had taken in a war against Thrace. This contempt was highly resented by all the women of Lemnos, and they resolved on revenge, and all unanimously put to death their male relations, Hypsipyle alone excepted, who spared the life of her father Thoas. Soon after this cruel murder, the Argonauts landed at Lemnos, in their expedition to Colchis, and remained for some time in the island. During their stay the Argonauts rendered the Lemnian women mothers, and Jason, the chief of the Argonautic expedition, left Hypsipyle pregnant at his departure, and promised her eternal fidelity. Hypsipyle brought twins, Euneus and Nebrophonus, whom some have called Deiphilus or Thoas. Jason forgot his vows and promises to Hypsipyle, and the unfortunate queen was soon after forced to leave her kingdom by the Lemnian women, who conspired against her life, still mindful that Thoas had been preserved by means of his daughter. Hypsipyle, in her flight, was seized by pirates, and sold to Lycurgus king of Nemæa. She was entrusted with the care of Archemorus the son of Lycurgus; and, when the Argives marched against Thebes, they met Hypsipyle, and obliged her to show them a fountain, where they might quench their thirst. To do this more expeditiously, she laid down the child on the gra , and in her absence he was killed by a serpent. Lycurgus attempted to revenge the death of his son, but Hypsipyle was screened from his resentment by Adrastus the leader of the Argives. Ovid , Heroides , poem 6.— A poll on i us , bk. 1 .— Statius , bk. 5 , Thebiad .— Flaccus , bk. 2 .— Apollo dor us , bk. 1 , ch. 9 ; bk. 3 , ch. 6 .— Hyginus , fables 15, 74, . See: Archemorus .