@HistorybyMae

In Greek mythology, the Danaïdes were the fifty daughters of Danaus, king of Libya. Danaus ruled Argos for many years and was leading a quiet life till one day a foreign ship came. His brother, Aegyptus (from Egypt), had sent his fifty sons to find Danaus and try to take over his new kingdom. Soon the sons of Aegyptus presented themselves to the palace and asked once more to marry the Danaides. Danaus didn't want to enter a war so he consented for the wedding. He made a secret plan to get rid of Aegyptus and his sons for good. Before the wedding, he presented each of his daughters a dagger and instructed them to kill their husbands in their wedding night.

Only one of the girls, Hypermnestra, did not commit the act. She felt pity for her husband, Lynceus, and spared his life.

The 49 Danaides were forced to a torment for eternity. They should carry jugs of water and fill a basin. They would be released from this punishment, only if the basin was full of water. However, this torture would never stop because the basin had holes all over it and water would run out.

@allison7809

Also fun fact: the wife who spared her husband only spared him because he respected her wish to remain a virgin.

@fatimahshahidk7432

The irony is that if their father wanted the marriages but they didn't they would still have been condemned. They're doomed if they listen to their father and doomed if they don't.

@cinderfox5217

Since there’s 49 of them I think like 3 of them should cover the holes and the rest should pour water inside

@patriciawilson2013

Geez, women were sort of treated like slaves too. No free will, no choices at all. Beautiful, thought provoking art work. 😢😭💔

@judyberry8693

Women in mythological  were treated like crap

@deborahaviles708

The most frustrating afterlife ever!!!! What became of the wife with compassion?  Besides, no bad back or pruney fingers for eternity? Happy Sunday, Mae & tysm, for all your fabulous videos, where the art is beautiful, but the stories behind the pieces are often out of this world!

@bronwynreijnders7205

Married against their will, ordered to commit murder, and then punished for it.
Poor ladies.
You just know that if they hadn't murdered their husband's, their father would have killed them for being disobedient or they would have been locked in a tower for conspiracy or something

@kathleenmccrory9883

Sounds like some man's revenge fantasy.

@pemcortes9467

Why should the obedient daughters be punished for saving their father,family and country?

@Caedynna

If the 50th sister committed to murdering her husband, would she not also be condemned to the underworld...? Would if have been better for all the sisters if none of them used their knives...?
I don't know the full story, so maybe I am missing something. But it feels like the father set his daughters up for condemnation just because he didn't want his brother to win.

@kingace6186

This is a great representation of how women were treated in Ancient Greek. The mythos of their religions matched their culture.

@cardboard2night

This story is a reminder that Ancient Greece was a patriarchal society and most if not all of it's mythology mirrors that. Moreover, ancient greeks weren't a unified society, each Polis had it's own customs and traditions, for example something something noble for a Spartan would be seen as savage for an Athenian. In this case, this myth probably comes from Argos, and was probably farther changed in Ovid's Metamorphoses, to showcase this task of futility as punishment for going against your husband (the murder itself is usually is not that much of a "sin" in greek and roman mythology, and often is justified if done by a gods themselves - see Apollo and Artemis kill a bunch of kids in front of their mother).

@LisaImhoff-v8q

My paternal grandparents early 20th century.  It took until my 40's as a mature woman to look back at that - my grandmother was forced to marry an unattractive small man she didn't love back in Eastern Europe 😒 as a result, she hated her life (as if life wasn't hard enough) and abused my father who in turn abused his 4 kids. No happy ending here either.

@anosmia6279

50 sisters?!?!? Their parents must reeeaaaally like eachother

@bananapanqueques

I find it poetic that they spend eternity together, even if occupied with a useless task

@JoeZUGOOLA

A punishment as harsh and pointless as your average 9-5

@bertbaker7067

"Billy Mays here with Flex Seal©, I'm in Hades with the Danaides....

@fierceperedur

Boy, those Pre-Raphaelites are a ray of sunshine! I love it!!❤

@rossjohnson1872

Mae, your vids are the best. They are deep healing moments.