Lynceus of Messene



In Greek mythology, Lynceus (Λυγκεύς) is a Messenian prince and one of the Argonauts who served as a lookout on the Argo. He also participated in the hunt for the Calydonian boar.

Family
Lynceus was a son of Aphareus and Arene or Polydora or Laocoosa, and thus brother to Idas and Peisus.

Mythology
Lynceus was the murderer of Castor, along with his brother, Idas. He helped Idas to spot and kill Castor, and was in turn killed by Pollux, but first managed to wound Pollux with a thrown rock. Idas and Lynceus murdered Castor because he and his brother Pollux had kidnapped and married Phoebe and Hilaeira, the daughters of Leucippus, who were betrothed to Lynceus and Idas or possibly their relatives.

Lynceus was said to have excellent sight; enabling him to see through walls, trees, skin and the ground. This ability had been compared to the real technique of x-ray photography and to Superman's x-ray vision. According to some versions he was also able to see in the dark; in others his reputation for being able to see through the ground was simply a rumor that resulted from his knowledge of geology and gold-mining.