science

Licymnius

Licymnius is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Licymnius rather than just read about it. In short: In Greek mythology, Licymnius (; Ancient Greek: Λικύμνιος) was a good friend of Heracles and an illegitimate son of Electryon, King of Tiryns and Mycenae in the Argolid (which makes him half-brother of Alcmene, mother of Heracles). His mother is given as Mideia, a Phrygian woman.

Key takeaways

Licymnius belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Licymnius to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Licymnius from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In Greek mythology, Licymnius (; Ancient Greek: Λικύμνιος) was a good friend of Heracles and an illegitimate son of Electryon, King of Tiryns and Mycenae in the Argolid (which makes him half-brother of Alcmene, mother of Heracles). His mother is given as Mideia, a Phrygian woman. One source mentions Alco (Ἀλκώ) as his sister. Licymnios appears in the Iliad (II, 661–663) as an old uncle of Heracles (without other details than that of being a "spawn of Ares - which can be understood figuratively as "warrior")

Mythology Licymnius was the only one of Electryon's sons to return home after the unsuccessful war against the Taphians and Teleboans. Licymnius married Perimede, daughter of Alcaeus and sister of Amphitryon, and became the father of Melas, Argius and Oeonus. Licymnius accompanied Amphitryon when the latter was expelled from the Argolid and fled to Thebes. According to one story, found in the Iliad, he was accidentally killed in his old age by Heracles' son Tlepolemus, when the latter was beating his servant with a stick and Licymnius ran in between (or else Tlepolemus and Licymnius had a quarrel over a certain matter). Pausanias mentions his tomb in Argos.

Notes

References Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History translated by Charles Henry Oldfather. Twelve volumes. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989. Vol. 3. Books 4.59–8. Online version at Bill Thayer's Web Site Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica. Vol 1-2. Immanel Bekker. Ludwig Dindorf. Friedrich Vogel. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1888–1890. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library. Homer, The Iliad with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Homer, Homeri Opera in five volumes. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1920. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library. Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library. Pindar, Odes translated by Diane Arnson Svarlien. 1990. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Pindar, The Odes of Pindar including the Principal Fragments with an Introduction and an English Translation by Sir John Sandys, Litt.D., FBA. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1937. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library. Pseudo-Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Licymnius

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Licymnius claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Licymnius before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Licymnius ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Licymnius

In research: Licymnius appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Licymnius in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Licymnius is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Children of Ares, Kings in Greek mythology, Mythological Mycenaeans, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Licymnius outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Licymnius in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Licymnius means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Licymnius out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Licymnius in simple terms?

Why does Licymnius matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Licymnius?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Licymnius.