Danaus was a Greek mythological character, twin of Aegyptus and son of Belus. He had fifty daughters, the Danaides, and Aegyptus had fifty sons. Aegyptus commanded that his sons marry the Danaides and Danaus fled to Argos, ruled by King Pelasgus. When Aegyptus and his sons arrived to take the Danaides, Danaus gave them to spare the Argives the pain of a battle. However, he instructed his daughters to kill their husbands on their wedding night. Forty-nine followed through, but one, Hypermnestra refused because her husband, Lynceus, honored her wish to remain a virgin. Danaus was angry with his disobedient daughter and threw her to the Argive courts. Aphrodite intervened and saved her. Lynceus later killed Danaus as revenge for the death of his brothers. Lynceus and Hypermnestra then began a dynasty of Argive kings (the Danaan Dynasty), beginning with Abas. In some versions of the legend, the Danaides were punished in the underworld by being forced to carry water through a jug with holes, or a sieve, so the water always leaked out. Hypermnestra, however, went straight to Elysium.
Hypermnestra is also the daughter of Thestios and Eurythemis. Her sisters are Althaia and Leda. With her husband Oikles she had a son namend Amphiareos, who later took part in the war of the Seven Against Thebes
Hypermnestra was the only was of the 50 Danaides who didn't kill her husband (Lynceus).
Hypermnestra (whose name means "special intent" or "excessive wooing") claimed that she couldn't kill Lynceus because she loved and respected him (because he left her virginity in tact.
Hypermnestra was the only Danaid to escape the fate of carrying sieves of water through the Underworld in punishment for her sins.
From Greek mythology, Hypermnestra was the only one of the fifty daughters of Danaus that did not kill her husband, and this is how it happened: Danaus and his fifty daughters fled in fear of his twin brother Aegyptus.
Danaus, since he hated his brother, gave each of his daughters a pin to murder their husbands on their wedding night.
Hypermnestra was the only one who spared her husband, Lynceus.
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