Banished from Argos before he was born (due to an ominous prophecy), Perseus grew up on a distant island. When he arrived of age, he was sent to destroy the Gorgon Medusa, a monster whose gaze turned all who seemed on her to stone.
The details of The parable vary somewhat across the varied traditions, but The end result is often precisely the same: Pelias was murdered by Medea.
Medea was also a descendant on the gods. Her grandfather was Helios, the Titan who personified the Sunshine, and she was the niece of Circe, a slight goddess who was also a strong magician.
Perseus was the son of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Danae, a mortal princess and daughter of your Argive king Acrisius.
Homer: Medusa just isn't named inside the eighth-century BCE epics the Iliad along with the Odyssey, but Every time Athena marches into battle, she is said to hold The top in the Gorgon on her armor.
Perseus’ title became related to the effective Perseid dynasty, which integrated not just numerous Mycenaean kings but will also well known heroes for instance Heracles.
Fashionable Students have proposed other probable origins with the title. Some have connected Pegasus into the stem *piḫašš-, which implies “lightning” or quite possibly “energy” while in the Luwian language spoken in ancient Anatolia.
Perseus married Andromeda, an Jap princess. Andromeda’s mother, Cassiopeia, had offended The ocean gods by boasting of her own natural beauty; as punishment for this conceitedness, she was produced to sacrifice her daughter to the gods.
The venomous vipers of the Sahara had been also at times said to have already been born from Medusa’s blood. During this fantasy, the vipers emerged in the droplets of Medusa’s blood as Perseus flew more than the Sahara With all the Gorgon’s severed head.[19]
In historic and contemporary iconography, he is commonly proven Keeping the head of Medusa, which he wielded to turn his enemies to stone.
And with swift toes unmarked [Eros] handed the brink and keenly glanced close to; and gliding within reach Aeson’s son [Jason] he laid the arrow-notch over the twine during the centre, and drawing huge aside with equally hands he shot at Medea; and speechless amazement seized her soul. Even so the god himself flashed back yet again through the high-roofed hall, laughing loud; as well as bolt burnt deep down during the maiden’s coronary heart like a flame; and at any time she stored darting bright glances straight up at Aeson’s son, and within just her breast her heart panted speedy by anguish, all remembrance left her, and her soul melted While using the sweet discomfort.
Medusa was mentioned to get after been a lover of Poseidon. As outlined by Ovid, This really is what to start with acquired her into hassle: when Medusa slept with Poseidon in the temple of Athena, Athena turned her hair into snakes for a punishment.
Hence Geared up, Perseus went towards the cave from the Gorgons. When he found Medusa, he was capable of approach her with no turning to stone by looking at her reflection in Athena’s shield.
Poseidon was generally named as the father of both equally creatures, even when the mechanics of his paternity have been obscure at finest.[five]
An early hero as well as a well known slayer of monsters, Perseus was normally represented While using the weapons and artifacts he obtained through the gods read more to combat Medusa: an unbreakable sword, a helmet of invisibility, a mirror protect, winged sandals, along with a magic satchel.