One version tells that he was killed and served up as part of a feast to Zeus;[5][6] and was later brought back to life.
[7] Another story claims that he was the only son of Lycaon to survive the blast of thunderbolts of Zeus as a result of the interference of Gaia, who quickly laid hold of his right hand and so appeased his wrath.
His rule was short-lived, however, due to floods in the age of Deucalion, which some speculate was caused by the impiety of his brothers.
[10] Some scholars identify Lycaon with Zeus Lycaeus, Zeus in his role as god of light,[citation needed] who slays Nyctimus (the dark), or is succeeded by him, in allusion to the perpetual succession of night and day.
The succession of Nyctimus to the throne of Arcadia was explained by Sir James George Frazier in his notes to Apollodorus' The Library: