Idas & Lynceus

Messenian heroes. Idas (Ἴδας) and Lynceus (Λυγκεύς) were twin sons of Aphareus and Arene. Some say that Idas was the son of Poseidon and Arene. Idas was the stronger of the two, being skilled with javelins and bow, but Lynceus was extremely sharp-sighted such that he could see through the bole of a tree.

They sailed with the Argonauts and joined the boar hunt in Calydon. On the Argo, the seer Idmon rebuked Idas for blasphemy, when he boasted that his spear was a better weapon than Zeus' thunderbolts.

Their main rivals and enemies were the Spartan cousins, Castor and Polydeuces (Pollux), known as the Dioscuri. When the brothers were going to marry their cousins, Phoebe and Hilaera, daughters of Leucippus, the Dioscuri abducted them and married the two girls.

When Idas later fell in love with Marpessa, daughter of Evenus, Apollo abducted her. Idas pursued them with spear and bow. Zeus separated Apollo and Idas from fighting, and asked the girl to choose between the god and hero. She chose Idas. Together they had a daughter named Cleopatra.

Idas' last adventure with Lynceus was when they joined a cattle raid with the Dioscuri. They decided that whichever brothers ate their cows first would have all of the cattle. Idas ate his cow quickly and helped Lynceus finish his, winning the contest. They had won the right to keep all of the cattle.

As they drove the cattle back to Messene, Lynceus, who could see great distances, told his brother that the Dioscuri were following them. They ambushed the Spartan heroes. In the ensuing fight, Polydeuces killed Lynceus, while Idas felled Polydeuces with a rock and killed Castor with his spear. Idas would have also killed Polydeuces, had Zeus not intervened and killed Idas with a thunderbolt.

It seemed that Zeus got his belated revenge for Idas' blasphemy during the quest of the Golden Fleece, where Idas had boasted that his spear was better than Zeus' thunderbolt.