Zeus

(“light”) descended on her in a shower of gold, and she became mother of the sun-hero Perseus. Her father set her afloat in a chest which drifted to the island of Seriphos. Danaos, son of Belus (Bél “the sun”), was the brother of Aiguptos or Egypt. He had 50 daughters the Danaides, who all (except Hupermnestra) murdered their cousins, sons of Aiguptos, on their bridal night, and were condemned to draw water in leaky ve els in Hades. Danaos was the ancestor of the Danai or Greeks, He had received Libya from his father, while Aiguptos received Arabia. Both were The bans of Egypt, but Danaos fled to Lindos in Rhodes, where his daughters built a temple to Athéné. Thence a colony of Danai went to Lerna in the Peloponnesos, which they called Apobathmi. They built the acropolis of Argos, where Danaos long ruled, and founded the temple of Apollo Lukios, with statues of Zeus and Artemis. The shield of Danaos was dedicated, some 2000 years later, to Juno by Cwsar, and sent to Rome, being decorated it is said with British pearls, Danaos was attacked by the Egyptians, and murdered, though he is said to have slain them all except Lunkeos (“the lynx”): he was buried in Argos, and his name is connected with an ark called Amphiprumnon, The Danai are said to have instructed the Pelasgi in the worship of Egyptian and Aithiopian deities, and in the mysteries of Démétér and Thesmophoros. As Daunii they colonised Tyrrhenian Italy founding Ardea, Argiletum, and other cities, being distinguished builders and artizans. Turnus father of the Tyrrhenians is called Daunus, son of Danae, which the Latins pronounced Taunus (Niebuhr, Lect. on Anct. Histy. xxii), Agamemnon led the Danai against Troy; and Mr Gladstone (Homeric Age, i, p. 346) regards their name Argives as geographical (see Argos). Dr Isaac Taylor regards the legend of the Danaid nymphs, pouring water from huge amphore, as referring to rivers (Notes and Queries, Jany. 5th, 1901); and in Aryan speech Tan signifies “ water.” [The Danau are noticed in a text of Rameses III, about 1200 B.c,, as invading Egypt in alliance with the Libyans, This may be the historic foundation of the legends, As an Aryan word the name would come from the root Dhan “to smite.” In Turanian speech it would mean “ strong.” —Ep.] Danawas. 539