Proetus

Proetus (Ancient Greek: Προῖτος) was a mythical king of Tiryns. His father Abas, son of the last surviving Danaid, had ruled over Argos and married Ocalea. However, Proetus quarreled continually with his twin brother Acrisius, inventing bucklers in the process, and in the end the realm was partitioned between them. Alternatively, Proetus started out as king of Argos, but Acrisius exilied him and he fled to either Corinth or Tiryns. He married Antea. Later Proetus' son, Megapenthes, exchanged kingdoms with Acrisius' grandson Perseus.

The prince, Proetus' son, suffered from a strange malady and the king offered a reward for anybody that could heal him. Melampus, a local seer, killed an ox and talked to the vultures that came to eat the corpse. They said that the last time they had had such a feast was when the king made a sacrifice. They told Melampus that the prince had been frightened of the big, bloody knife and the king tossed it aside to calm the child. It had hit a tree and injured a hamadryad, who cursed the prince with the sickness. The hamadryad told Melampus that the boy would be healed if the knife was taken out of the trunk of the tree and boiled, then the rusty water that resulted drunk by the prince. Melampus followed her directions and demanded two thirds of the kingdom for himself, and one third for his brother, Bias. The king agreed.

Alternate

When the women of Argos were driven mad by Dionysus, in the reign of Proetus, Melampus was brought in to cure them, but demanded a third of the kingdom as payment. The king refused, but the women became wilder than ever, and he was forced to seek out of Proetus fled when struck with madness; Melampus by secret sacrifices and purifications brought them down to a place called Lusi, where they were healed of their madness in a sanctuary of Artemis.^[1][2]

Others

Proetus, son of Thersander, was the father of Maera.

References