Danaïdes

[[File:Danaides by John William Waterhouse, 1903.jpg|thumb|331x331px|John William Waterhouse, The Danaïdes (1906), Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums Collection] In Greek mythology, the Danaïdes (/dəˈneɪ.ɪdiːz/; Greek: Δαναΐδες), also Danaides or Danaids, were the fifty daughters of Danaus, king of Libya. Danaus and the Danaids feared that Danaus's twin brother, Aegyptus, was plotting to overthrow and kill them. So, they fled to Argos, where Danaus became king. However, Aegyptus's 50 sons soon followed them there. The Danaids were then forced to marry the 50 sons. In the most common version of the myth, all but one of the Daniads, Hypermenstra, killed their husbands on their wedding night. The Danaids were then condemned to spend eternity carrying water in a sieve or perforated jug.

The myth of the Danaids is found in numerous written mythological accounts from antiquity, such as in the writings of Apollodorus, Pindar, and Pausanius. The names of the Danaids are inscribed in lists from Apollodorus and Hyginus, though the lists differ greatly and most of the Danaids names were likely assigned randomly by their respective authors.