Nisos

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Nisos (Nisus) was a king of Megara in Greek mythology. He was the son of Pandion II, the king of Athens, and Pylia. His brothers were Aegeas, Pallas, and Lycos, and he was married to Abrota. After Abrota died, Nisos made Megarian women wear clothes like hers. He had three daughters: Eurynome (with Poseidon), Iphinoe (who married Megareus, her uncle), and Scylla. Scylla would later help bring about his death.

Metion, Pandion II’s usurper, had taken the throne. When their father died, Nisos and his brothers returned to Athens, drove out Metion’s sons, and restored Aegeus as king. They shared power, with Aegeus ruling Athens and Nisos ruling Megara.

Minos, the king of Crete, attacked Megara during the war with Athens over Androgeus. Nisos had a treasured purple lock of hair that protected him from harm. Eros made Scylla fall in love with Minos. In one version, Minos tempts Scylla with a golden necklace to betray and kill her father; in another, she cuts off the purple lock and gives it to Minos after falling in love from afar. As Minos’s ships sailed away, Scylla tried to climb aboard. Nisos transformed into a sea eagle, and his daughter also turned into a bird. Some versions mention Ares as well. In another account, Nisos killed himself when he lost his precious hair.