danaus

[Agnes]

type genus of the Danaidae: monarch butterflies

[LindaArrit]

In Greek mythology, Danaus (, ; Ancient Greek: Δαναός Danaós) was the king of Libya. His myth is a foundation legend of Argos, one of the foremost Mycenaean cities of the Peloponnesus. In Homers Iliad, Danaans (tribe of Danaus) and Argives commonly designate the Greek forces opposed to the Trojans.

[Jason Yan]

Danaus is a term used in two distinct contexts:

1. In Greek mythology, Danaus is the name of a king of Libya and Egypt, who was the son of Belus and the twin brother of Aegyptus. Danaus is most famous for his fifty daughters, known as the Danaids.

2. In biology, Danaus is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae, which includes the well-known monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus).

[SpraVkina]

(Dana′us), King of Argos, was the father of fifty daughters, who, all but one, at the command of their father, slew their husbands directly after marriage. For this crime they were condemned to the task of forever trying to draw water with vessels without any bottoms.