Abas

The term 'Abas' functions as an anthroponym in Greek myth rather than denoting a single origin. Individual bearers include: (1) Abas, king of Argos (a royal figure in the Argive genealogical cycle); (2) Abas, son of Poseidon and Arethusa, a Thracian-born founder who gave his name to the Abantians/Abantes and migrated to rule in Euboea; (3) Abas, son of Metaneira (in one version), a boy who mocked the wandering Demeter and was changed into a lizard (this metamorphosis narrative is alternatively told of a boy named Ascalabus with mother Misme in other traditions); (4) Abas, son of Melampus, an Argive seer in the prophetic lineage of Melampus; (5) various martial and attendant figures called Abas who serve as defenders of Thebes, companions of heroes such as Perseus, Diomedes, and Aeneas, a centaur present at the wedding of Pirithous and Hippodamia, and a servant/watchman of King Lycomedes on Scyros. These disparate genealogies and episodes derive from a range of classical authors and scholiasts summarized in the available sources.

No single physical description unites all bearers of the name. Descriptions follow the individual's narrative role: the metamorphosed boy is explicitly transformed into a lizard in the Demeter episode; one Abas is a centaur (implying the conventional half-man, half-horse form); royal, seer, attendant, and warrior Abases are described only by their social roles and actions in the surviving summaries rather than by distinctive corporeal traits.

Bearer-specific, generally mortal capacities consistent with their narrative roles. Abas son of Poseidon functions as a dynastic founder and king who leads migrations and rules (founding the Abantians/Abantes in Euboea). Abas son of Melampus is placed in the prophetic tradition (a seer), though no discrete prophetic acts are preserved in the provided summaries. Several Abases act as warriors and defenders who engage in battle and may be slain by named opponents; others serve as attendants or watchkeepers (e.g., the servant of Lycomedes who reports approaching ships). The metamorphosed youth exhibits the outcome of divine transformation rather than an innate supernatural ability.