Perseus was conceived, and maybe born, in Argos, the homeland of his mom Danae. But when his grandfather Acrisius learned that Danae had turn out to be Expecting despite his safeguards, he locked her and her little one in a very upper body and threw it into the sea.

Cepheus sooner or later acquired that the only way to get rid of the monster was to sacrifice his daughter Andromeda to it. Hence, Andromeda was certain to a terrific rock over the shore and remaining to die.

As Andromeda was awaiting her fate, Perseus happened to pass by on his way house from killing the Gorgon Medusa. When he realized what was taking place—that The attractive Female bound to the rock was being sacrificed to Poseidon’s sea monster—Perseus manufactured Cepheus and Cassiopeia an offer: when they promised him Andromeda’s hand in marriage, he would preserve her daily life.

Specified her pedigree, it is unsurprising that historic sources ended up divided on no matter whether Medea was a standard mortal or possibly a divine getting. Even though most authorities—by way of example, Apollonius of Rhodes in his Argonautica—represented her to be a mortal, there were some who did envision her as a goddess or demigoddess.

Perseus occurred to get passing by at the moment. Observing the beautiful Female chained into a rock, he killed the sea monster and returned her to her mothers and fathers. In gratitude, Cassiopeia and her partner Cepheus gave Andromeda to Perseus in marriage.

The etymology of Perseus’ identify is obscure. An historical people etymology linked the name “Perseus” Together with the Persians, as he was occasionally mentioned to have already been their ancestor.[1]

The origins with the Graeae are obscure. It absolutely was when considered which they initial emerged as sea goddesses (a fitting concept, provided that their mom and dad had been early sea deities).

As outlined by this account, he was at first the king from the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. Soon after Phorcys was killed inside of a war against Atlas, his followers produced him a god.[9]

Gonna Polydectes’ palace, Perseus confirmed the lecherous king the “present” he himself experienced requested: The top of Medusa. Polydectes, disbelieving, looked at the Gorgon’s head and turned to stone.

Minerva wove a wonderful tapestry that depicted triumphantly winning the patronage of Athens as another gods seemed on. Though gorgeous and very well crafted, Arachne’s tapestry depicted numerous well known episodes in which male gods transformed on their own into human beings and seduced mortal Gals. Such depictions had been taboo, as it had been deeply offensive to indicate the gods while in the midst of these types of folly.

Andromeda was recognized for her outstanding magnificence. As she was a princess of Ethiopia, it truly is acceptable to believe that she was black; certainly, evidently historical authors took it with no consideration that the legendary Ethiopians experienced darkish skin.[1]

The serpentine locks of Medusa’s hair had an result similar to that of the head: when they did not always transform persons to stone, they could scatter total armies. One this sort of lock was sometimes mentioned to safeguard the Greek town of Tegea.[23]

And like a bad female heaps dry twigs round a blazing brand … and the flame waxing wondrous terrific through the tiny manufacturer consumes every one of the twigs with each other; so, coiling spherical her heart, burnt secretly Appreciate the destroyer; as well as the hue of her soft cheeks went and came, now pale, now click here pink, in her soul’s distraction.[15]

While Hesiod is little question our most vital supply on Phorcys, there are actually further references to him scattered throughout Greek and Roman literature.

Perseus, nevertheless, was no everyday guy: he was the son of Zeus himself, as well as gods rallied to aid him defeat his foe.