Son of Pandion, king of Megara [2]. According to an oracle, his purple lock of hair guaranteed the continuation of his rule. When Minos besieged Megara, Scylla, daughter of Nisus, stole the lock out of calculation or for love (since the Hellenistic period: Parthenius fr. 20; Ov. Met. 8,6-151; Pseudo-Verg. Ciris). After his transformation into a sea eagle, N. pursued his daughter, who had been transformed into a bird (ciris, Greek keiris).
Gauly, Bardo Maria (Kiel) and
Gatti, Paolo (Trento),
“Nisus”, in:
Brill’s New Pauly, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry.
Consulted online on 10 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_brill900080>