Canopus (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Canopus or Canobus (Greek: Κάνωβος) was the pilot of the ship of King Menelaus of Sparta during the Trojan War. Canopus is described as a handsome young man who was loved by the Egyptian prophetess, Theonoe, but never reciprocated her feelings.

According to legend, while visiting the Egyptian coast, Canopus was bitten by a serpent and died. His master, Menelaus, erected a monument to him at one of the mouths of the River Nile, around which the town of Canopus later developed.

Also named for Canopus is Canopus, the brightest star in the southern constellation of Carina (the keel of the ship Argo), and the second-brightest star in the night sky, after Sirius.