Perseus, son of Danae and Zeus, was raised on Serifos and tasked by Polydectes to kill Medusa. With the help of Athena and Hermes, he succeeded and also saved Princess Andromeda. He used Medusa’s head to petrify Polydectes and accidentally killed his grandfather Acrisius at a funeral game.
In Greek mythology, Perseus is one of a group of heroes that also includes
Theseus, Achilles, Jason, Ulysses, Hercules and Bellerophon. Her story begins with her grandfather on her mother’s side, King Acrisius of Argos. An oracle told the king that he would be killed by her daughter Danae’s son, and he responded by locking her in a tower.
But Acrisius didn’t reckon with Zeus, who decided he wanted to woo Danae, and descended on her like a golden rain. The result of the liaison was the newborn Perseus. Acrisius didn’t feel he could kill her daughter directly, so he put Danae and the child in a wooden box and threw her into the sea. A fisherman on the island of Serifos rescued them and the king of Serifos, Polydectes, welcomed them to court, and Perseus was raised there.
Polidette’s initial kindness turned into desire for Danae, who had no interest in marrying. Given the protection of her mother by Perseus, Polydette pretended to give in and look for a bride elsewhere. She asked all subjects to contribute to the nuptial gift, and Perseus, who had nothing material to give, offered her services to her king. Polydectes asked him for the head of the Gorgon Medusa, fully intending that the task was the fate of the young man, as Medusa’s gaze turned people to stone.
And in fact, Perseus could have perished fighting Medusa if it hadn’t been for the intercession of Athena, who considered Medusa as her enemy. Athena warned the hero of the danger of Medusa’s gaze and gave him such a brilliant shield that it could serve as a mirror. Hermes gave him a sickle and a leather pouch and directed him to where to find the Graiae, sisters of the Gorgons, who could, if they wished, show Perseus where he might find Medusa, as well as an invisibility cap and winged sandals, both of which he would need if he were to defeat the Gorgon.
The Graias lived near Mount Atlas and were distinguished by having one eye that they shared with each other. Perseus sneaked up on them and grabbed their eye as they passed it between them. Since he refused to give it back until his questions were answered and since they were powerless without their eyes, he got what he wanted.
With these helpers, Perseus managed to sneak up on Medusa, kill her without looking at her, cut off her head and put her in the bag. The winged horse Pegasus was born from the headless body of Medusa.
Flying home in his winged sandals, Perseus spotted Princess Andromeda chained to a rock in the ocean, fodder for a sea monster. The hero turned the sea monster to stone with a glance at Medusa’s head and saved the princess. After returning her to her parents, King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia, he asked for Andromeda’s hand in marriage and, given her consent, they returned together to Serifos.
Arriving in Serifo, Perseus discovered that Danae had taken refuge with the fisherman who had first saved them to escape the unwelcome offers of Polidette. Medusa’s head came in handy for petrifying Polydectes, and the fisherman Dictys was made king, while Danae, Perseus and Andromeda made their way to Argos, after which Perseus returned Athena’s shield and gave her the head of Medusa. Acrisius set out for Larissa to try to avoid his nephew and his fate, but Perseus received an invitation to Larissa to attend the funeral games of the king’s father. While participating in the funeral games, Perseus threw a discus which went astray and struck an old man in the rostrum – Acrisius – killing him. There are several variations on the ending of the story, depending on the author.
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