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Revision as of 14:42, 2 January 2009
In Greek mythology, Abas was the son of Lynceus of the royal family of Argos, and Hypermnestra, the last of the Danaides. Abas himself was the twelfth king of Argos. His name derives from a Semitic word for 'father'.
Abas was a successful conqueror, and was the founder of the city of Abae, Phocis, home to the legendary oracular temple to Apollo Abaeus, and also of the Pelasgic Argos in Thessaly. When Abas informed his father of the death of Danaus, he was rewarded with the shield of his grandfather, which was sacred to Hera. 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.
With his wife Ocalea (or Aglaea, depending on the source), he had three sons: the twins Acrisius (grandfather of Perseus) and Proetus, and Lyrcos, and one daughter, Idomene. 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. It was from this Abas that the kings of Argos were called by the patronymic Abantiads.
References
- Pausanias, x. 35. § 1.
- Strabo, Geographica ix. p. 431.
- ^ Schmitz, Leonhard (1867), "Abas (2)", in Smith, William (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. 1, pp. 1–2
- Virgil, Aeneid iii. 286; Serv. ad loc.
- Apollodorus, ii. 2. § 1 ; Hygin. Fab. 170.
Sources
- Robert Graves. The Greek Myths. London: Penguin, 1955; Baltimore: Penguin, 1955. ISBN 0-14-001026-2
- Edith Hamilton. Mythology. New York: Mentor, 1942.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)