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Argus Panoptes
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giant with hundred eyes in Greek mythology
~11 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Hermes killing Argus on an Attic red-figure hydria by the Eucharides Painter, ca. 490 BC, Martin von Wagner Museum.
Argus or Argos Panoptes (Ancient Greek: Ἄργος Πανόπτης, "All-seeing Argos") is a many-eyed giant, son of Gaia, in Greek mythology. Known for his perpetual vigilance, he served the goddess Hera as a watchman. His most famous task was guarding Io, a priestess of Hera, whom Zeus had transformed into a heifer. Argus's constant watch, with some of his eyes always open, made him a formidable guardian. His eventual slaying by Hermes, on Zeus's orders, is a prominent episode in the myths surrounding him, and his eyes were then incorporated into the peacock's tail by Hera in his honor.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Argus Panoptes” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.