Lykus

1(Lycus) The king of the city that eventually became known as Thebes who assumed the throne after the suicide death of his brother, Nykteus (Nycteus).

Lykus and Nykteus were sons of one of the Spartoi, i.e. the soldiers born from the dragon’s teeth sewn by Kadmus (Cadmus); Lykus’ niece, Antiope, had been seduced by Zeus and given birth to twin sons, Amphion and Zethos (Zethus); Antiope’s father, Nykteus, was so disgraced by what he perceived as his daughter’s base behavior that he killed himself in shame but before he died he made his brother, Lykus, promise that he would eventually punish Antiope for having children of such questionable parentage.

Antiope took her children and fled to the city of Sikyon (Sicyon); Lykus, after he became king of Thebes, captured Sikyon and put Antiope in prison; when Antiope finally escaped, she was re-united with her sons, Amphion and Zethos, who were now grown men; the twins avenged their mother’s harsh treatment by deposing Lykus and killing his wife, Dirke (Dirce), by tying her to the horns of a bull.