BUSIRUS, BUSYRIDES. Busiris, son of Neptune, was king of Egypt. He sacrificed strangers to Jupiter in order to break the droughts. Hercules went to Egypt, allowed himself to be led to the altar, then broke the chains and slew Busiris and his men (Met X 183; The Art of Love (Ars Amatoria) I.647-652).

The Monk, in his tale of Hercules, MkT 2103-2104, says that horses ate Busirus's flesh, but that story is told of Diomedes, Met IX.194-196, not of Busiris. Busirus, who slays his guests, is in turn slain by a guest, Bo II, Prosa 6. Boethius appears to be the main source for the Monk's Tale of Hercules. R.L. Hoffman suggests that Chaucer's confusion of Busirus with Diomedes may have resulted from glosses on medieval manuscripts, such as those of the eleventh-century manuscript of Ovid's Ibis 401-402, where Busiris seems to have been confused with Diomedes.

Busirus is a misspelling for Busiris, MkT 2103, and appears in final rhyming position. Busyrides has been formed by analogy from other Greek patronymics and means "son of Busiris," but it is applied to Busirus himself, Bo II, Prosa 6.67. [Ercules]