Perseus

The Gorgon-Slayer

Perseus is among the greatest of the Greek heroes, predating Heracles and representing the archetypal monster-slayer favored by the gods. His myths are preserved in Apollodorus's Bibliotheca, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and fragments of earlier traditions.

The Golden Rain

King Acrisius of Argos imprisoned his daughter Danae in a bronze chamber (or underground vault) after the Delphic oracle prophesied that her son would kill him. Zeus desired Danae and came to her as a shower of golden rain that streamed through the roof. She bore Perseus in secret, but Acrisius discovered the child and, unable to kill his own kin, cast both mother and son into the sea in a wooden chest. They washed ashore on Seriphos, where the fisherman Dictys rescued them.

The Quest for Medusa's Head

Years later, King Polydectes of Seriphos desired Danae. To remove Perseus, he demanded the head of Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon, whose gaze turned men to stone. The gods aided Perseus: Athena gave him a polished bronze shield to view Medusa's reflection, Hermes provided winged sandals and the sickle-sword (harpe), and the Graeae (or Nymphs, in some versions) supplied the cap of invisibility and the kibisis, a magical bag to safely contain the severed head.

Perseus flew to the western edge of the world where the Gorgons dwelt. Using his shield as a mirror, he approached the sleeping Medusa and beheaded her with a single stroke. From her neck sprang Pegasus and the warrior Chrysaor, children she had conceived with Poseidon. Perseus fled with the head as Medusa's immortal sisters pursued him.

The Rescue of Andromeda

Returning home, Perseus saw Andromeda chained to a rock by the sea in Ethiopia. Her mother Cassiopeia had boasted of surpassing the Nereids in beauty, and Poseidon sent the sea monster Cetus to ravage the coast. The oracle demanded Andromeda as sacrifice. Perseus slew Cetus—either with his sword or by revealing Medusa's head—and claimed Andromeda as his bride. At their wedding feast, he turned her former suitor Phineus and his followers to stone with the Gorgon's gaze.

Return to Seriphos and Argos

Back on Seriphos, Perseus found that Polydectes had been persecuting his mother. He entered the king's hall during a banquet and displayed Medusa's head, turning Polydectes and his courtiers to stone. He gave the head to Athena, who set it in her aegis.

Perseus then returned to Argos to reconcile with Acrisius. His grandfather fled to Larissa, but fate could not be escaped. During funeral games, Perseus threw a discus that struck and killed Acrisius, fulfilling the prophecy. Ashamed to rule Argos, Perseus exchanged kingdoms with his cousin Megapenthes, becoming king of Tiryns instead. He founded Mycenae and became ancestor to Heracles through his son Electryon.

Legacy

Perseus was honored as founder of Mycenae and was placed among the stars as the constellation that bears his name. His myth exemplifies the Greek hero's journey: divine parentage, exile, quest, monster-slaying, marriage, and the establishment of a royal line.