![]() A furious Poseidon unleashed the sea monster Cetus to frequently ravage the coast and devastate the land of Ethiopia in order to avenge the insult to his wards, the Nereids. The sea nymphs fell angry to hear that and complained to Poseidon, the god of the sea. One day, the vain queen had bragged that her daughter Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea nymphs. The beautiful Andromeda was the daughter of the Ethiopian king Cepheus and queen Cassiopeia. Perseus continued his journey home and, as he passed the kingdom of Ethiopia, he came upon the beautiful and helpless maiden Andromeda, chained to the rocks waiting to be devoured by a sea monster. In their confrontation, Perseus used Medousa's head to turn the Titan into stone. So easily then, the brave and intelligent Perseus managed to complete this difficult task! Saving AndromedaĪs he was flying over Africa in his return home, Perseus encountered Atlas the Titan, a mythical giant, who challenged him. In order to avoid looking Medousa directly to her face and thereby being turned into a stone, Perseus approached Medousa looking at her reflection in the mirror and cut off her head with the sword of Hermes. Since he was wearing the winged sandals, he could fly around her and since he was wearing the magical cap of Hades, he was invisible. With these divine aids, Perseus started his long journey to the cave of Medousa, somewhere in Africa. To help him, god Hermes gave him a curved sword and a pair of winged sandals (other versions of the myth say that Hermes did not give Perseus a pair of winged sandals but a white winged horse) while Athena gave him a mirror of polished bronze and a cap from Hades that could make invisible anyone who would wear it. What Polydectes had not known was that Perseus was beloved by the gods. Polydectes was sure that Perseus would not survive this dangerous task. By killing Medousa, Perseus would prove his braveness, as fits to the son of Zeus. Gorgon Medousa was a terrible monster with snakes in her head and she could turn into stone everyone that looked her face. He challenged Perseus to dare a difficult task, to kill the fearsome Gorgon Medusa and bring back her head. ![]() So he decided to set up a plan to get rid of this annoying youth. Polydectes thought that the presence of Perseus was an obstacle for Danae and that is why she didn’t wish to get married. Danae, however, did not wish this marriage. In the meanwhile, King Polydectes began to be inflamed by passion for Danae, who was still a charming lady although many years had passed since her youth. Perseus grew up into a fine young man under the care of the kind fisherman Dictys. There Dictys, a fisherman and brother of the island's king, found them and took them to his home, where they would be safe. Indeed, the sea calmed down and after a few days, Danae and his new-born son landed on the island of Serifos. However, Zeus saw the desperate woman and asked Poseidon to calm the sea water. So he cast his daughter and grandson into a wooden chest and set them into the wild sea to get drowned. But he couldn't do as he feared he would cause the anger of Zeus. When king Acrisius heard the baby crying and realized he had a grandson, his first thought was to kill the unfortunate boy and his mother. From this union, Danae gave birth to a son whom she named Perseus. He then took the form of a golden rain to get into the bronze chamber and seduce Danae. However, Zeus the all mighty saw the girl and fell in love with her. Fearing that this prophecy would come true, he locks his only daughter, Danae, into an underground bronze chamber, to keep her away from all men. ![]() The story starts when the Oracle of Delphi warns Acrisius, King of Argos, that his own grandson would kill him. Discover the myth of Perseus and Andromeda The birth of Perseus He was praised as a brave man, a good son and an honorable king. Perseus is also said to be an ancestor of Hercules and the Asian race of the Persians. He is best known as the slayer of the Gorgon Medusa, a fearsome monster, and as the rescuer of the Ethiopian princess Andromeda. He was the son of mighty Zeus and mortal Danae. Perseus is one of the greatest heroes of Greek Mythology. The story of Perseus and Andromeda derives from Greek mythology and contains very deep wisdom on the interactions of male and female energy.
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