The Life of Perseus

Prof. Neva Bersamen- Benito

Faculty, Liberal Arts Department
PERSEUS (Perseus). The famous Argive hero,
was a son of Zeus and Danae, and a grandson
of Acrisius.
Acrisius, who had no male issue, consulted the
Pythian oracle, and received the answer, that if
Danae should give birth to a son, he would kill
his grandfather. Acrisius, accordingly, shut up his
daughter in a subterraneous apartment, made of
brass or stone. But Zeus having metamorphosed
himself into a shower of gold, came down upon
her through the roof of the apartment, and
became by her the father of Perseus.
When Acrisius discovered that Danaë had
given birth to a son, he threw both mother
and son into a chest, and put them out to
sea; but Zeus caused the chest to land in
the island of Seriphos, where Dictys, a
fisherman, found them, and carried them
to his brother, king Polydectes.
Later when Perseus was grown, King
Polydektes, command he bring back the
head of Medousa. With the help of the
gods, Perseus first obtained an invisible
helm, magical sword, and winged sandals.
He then stole the single eye of the Graiai,
three ancient hags, who told him where to
find the Gorgones.
 The hero approached the sleeping
Medousa, and beheaded her with eyes turned
away, to avoid her petrifying visage.
On his way back to Greece, he spied the
princess Andromeda chained to the rocks
as a sacrifice to a sea-monster. Perseus
slew the monster, and rescued the girl,
bringing her back to Greece as his bride.
.
On Seriphos, he turned King Polydektes to
stone, then travelled to his grandfather's
kingdom to claim the throne.

The old man fled, and was later accidentally

killed by Perseus at some Games with an
awry discuss throw.