IDAS, in Greek legend, son of Aphareus of the royal house of Messene, brother of Lynceus. In Homer (Iliad, ix. 556 et seq.), he is called the strongest of men on earth. He carried off Mar pessa, daughter of Evenus, as his wife, and dared to bend his bow against Apollo, who was also her suitor. Zeus intervened, and left the choice to Marpessa, who declared in favour of Idas, fearing that the god might desert her when she grew old (Apol lodorus i. 6o-61). The Apharetidae are best known for their fight with the Dioscuri. A quarrel had arisen about the division of a herd of cattle which the four had stolen. Idas claimed the whole, and drove the cattle off to Messene. The Dioscuri over took him and lay in wait in a hollow oak. But Lynceus, whose keenness of sight was proverbial, saw Castor through the trunk and warned his brother, who thereupon slew the mortal Castor; finally Polydeuces slew Lynceus, and Idas was struck by light ning (Apollodorus iii. 134-137; Pindar, Nem., x. 6o; Pausanias iv. 3. 1). According to others, the Dioscuri had carried off the daughters of Leucippus, who had been betrothed to the Aphare tidae (Ovid, Fasti, v. 690; Theocritus xxii. 137). The scene of the combat is placed near the grave of Aphareus at Messene, at Aphidne in Attica, or in Laconia; and there are other variations of detail in the accounts (see also Hyginus, Fab., 8o). The grave of Idas and Lynceus was shown at Sparta, according to Pausanias (iii. 13), whose own opinion, however, is that they were buried in Messenia.
See Roscher's Lexikon s.v. Idas, Leukippiden, Lynkeus, Marpessa.