ARGUS

argus, in ancient greek mythology, the son of inachus, agenor or arestor, or, according to others, an earth-born hero (autochthon). he was called panoptes (all-seeing), from having eyes all over his body. after performing several feats of valour, he was appointed by hera to watch the cow into which io had been transformed. while doing this he was slain by hermes, who stoned him to death, or put him to sleep by playing on the flute and then cut off his head. his eyes were transferred by hera to the tail of the peacock. argus with his countless eyes originally denoted the starry heavens (apollodorus ii. 1; aeschylus, _p. v._ 569; ovid, _metam._ i. 264). another argus, the old dog of odysseus, who recognized his master on his return to ithaca, figures in one of the best-known incidents in homer's _odyssey_ (xvii. 291-326).