Dirce

Dirce (Greek Δίρκη ) is the most violent wife of King Lycus that her widowed niece Antiope torments in Greek mythology.

Antiope was taken after her father's death Nycteus by his brother Lycus. Nycteus died when he freed his beautiful daughter from the hands of the kidnapper Epopeus that had the Virgin, however, been desecrated. When they later gave birth to the twins Amphion and Zethos, the alleged desecration of the fruit was exposed in the mountains - only later it was realized that Zeus was the father of the boy.

But Antiope came into the household of the Lycus and his wife Dirce. Dirce imprisoned, gnawed by jealousy, the beautiful Antiope in a basement, let her spin on bread and water and chained to sleep on a stone. They also burned the niece with a hot iron the curls away and slapped her face with his fist. Only Zeus rescued Antiope by opening chains and gates. As Antiope then fled into the mountains, they came suddenly into the custody of their sons, but neither they realized yet been detected from it. Only when the rushed to the scene Dirke demanded by the twins, one may bind the runaway to a bull and grind to death, and they were willing to obey the Queen unveiled a cause geeilter shepherd and foster father of the twins, the family relationships and rescued Antiope before Dirce. In their place the twins now tied the wicked aunt on the bull, and brought them to death so.