(), a son of Hyrieus by the nymph Clonia, brother
of Lycus and Orion, and husband of Polyxo, by whom he became the father of Antiope. (Apollod. 3.10.1; Ant. Lib. 25.)
According to others Antiope was the daughter of the river-god Asopus. (Apollod. l.c.; Hom. Od. 11.259, &c.) Antiope was
carried off by Epopeus, king of Aegialeia; and Nycteus, who, as the guardian of Labdacus, was
staying at Thebes, took revenge by invading with a Theban army the territory of
Sicyon : but he was defeated; and being severely wounded, he was carried back to Thebes,
where, previous to his death, he appointed his brother Lycus guardian of Labdacus, and at the
same time demanded of him as a duty to take vengeance on Epopeus. But the died before Lycus
could fulfil his promise. (Paus. 2.6.2; Hygin. Fab. 7, 8.) When Labdacus had grown up, Lycus surrendered the government to him; but as
Labdacus (lied soon after, Lycus again became the guardian of his son, Laius, but was expelled
by his own great-nephews, Amphion and Zethus. (Paus. 9.5.2; Eur. Her. 27.) A very different account is found in Apollodorus
(3.5.5), for according to it, Nycteus and Lycus were the sons
of Chthonius, and were obliged to quit their country on account of the murder of Phlegyas.
They then settled at Hyria; but Lycus was chosen commander by the Thebans, and usurped tile
government which belonged to Laius, and in which he maintained himself for twenty years, until
he was slain by Amphion and Zethus. Nycteus made away with himself in despair, because his
daughter, who was with child by Zeus, fled to Epopens at Sicyon; but before he died, he
commissioned Lycus to take vengeance on Epopeus. Lycus promised, and kept his word, for he
slew Epopeus, and kept Antiope as his prisoner. According to Hyginus (Hyg. Fab. 157), Nycteus and Lycus were the sons of Poseidon and Celaeno.
(Völcker, Mythol. des Japet. Geschlechts, p. 116.)