Perseus

Nationality/Culture

Greek/Roman

Pronunciation

PUR-see-uhs

Alternate Names

None

Appears In

Ovid's Metamorphoses, Hesiod's Theogony

Lineage

Son of Zeus and Danae

Character Overview

In Greek mythology, Perseus was the heroic slayer of the Gorgon Medusa (pronounced meh-DOO-suh). His mother was Danae (pronounced DAN-uh-ee), daughter of King Acrisius (pronounced uh-KRIZ-ee-uhs) of Argos. Before Perseus's birth, an oracle—or person who could communicate with the gods—predicted that Danae would bear a child who would one day kill his grandfather. Terrified by this prediction, Acrisius imprisoned his daughter in a tower. However, Danae received a visit in the tower from Zeus (pronounced ZOOS), the king of the gods, who had taken the form of a shower of gold, and she became pregnant with Zeus's child.

After Danaë gave birth to Perseus, Acrisius had his daughter and her child locked in a box, which he threw into the sea. The box came ashore on the island of Seriphos (pronounced SEHR-uh-fohs) and was found by Dictys (pronounced DIK-tis), a fisherman. Dictys sheltered Danaë and Perseus in his home, and they remained with him for many years.

When Perseus had grown into a young man, King Polydectes (pronounced pol-ee-DEK-teez) of Seriphos fell in love with Danaë and tried to persuade her to marry him. Danaë refused, and Perseus protected his mother from the king's unwanted advances. Hoping to rid himself of Perseus, Polydectes set him a seemingly impossible task: to obtain the head of Medusa, a monster so hideous that anyone who even glanced at her face turned to stone.

Perseus received gifts from the gods Hermes (pronounced HUR-meez) and Athena (pronounced uh-THEE-nuh) to help him in his task: a pair of winged sandals, an adamantine sword, a helmet that made the wearer invisible, and a bronze shield that was polished to shine like a mirror. Perseus then visited the Graeae (pronounced GREE-ee), three old hags who were sisters of the Gorgons and who shared a single eye. Seizing their eye, he demanded to know where he could find the Gorgons. When they told him, Perseus threw the eye into a lake so that the Graeae could not warn their sisters.

With the winged sandals, Perseus flew to the home of the Gorgons. When he reached their cave, he advanced toward Medusa using Athena's shield as a mirror to avoid looking directly at the monster. Then he took the sword and cut off Medusa's head, which he placed in a bag. Several drops of Medusa's blood touched the ground and changed into the winged horse Pegasus (pronounced PEG-uh-suhs). Wearing the helmet that made him invisible, Perseus flew off on Pegasus.

On his way home, Perseus came upon the giant, Atlas (pronounced AT-luhs), who held up the sky. Atlas tried to stop Perseus, but the hero took out the head of Medusa and turned the giant to stone. Next, Perseus saw a beautiful woman chained to a rock. This was Andromeda (pronounced an-DROM-i-duh), left as a sacrifice to a sea monster after her mother, Cassiopea (pronounced kas-ee-oh-PEE-uh), had boasted of her beauty and offended the sea god Poseidon (pronounced poh-SYE-dun). Perseus killed the sea monster, rescued Andromeda, and asked her to marry him.

Arriving back on the island of Seriphos, Perseus found that his mother had taken refuge in the temple of Athena to avoid the advances of Polydectes. Furious, Perseus used Medusa's head to turn Polydectes and his soldiers to stone. Perseus returned the winged sandals, helmet, and shield to the gods and gave the head of Medusa to Athena, who placed it on her shield. He then took Andromeda to Argos, the kingdom of his grandfather Acrisius.

Hearing that Perseus had arrived, Acrisius fled to a region of Greece known as Thessaly (pronounced THESS-uh-lee), mindful of the prophecy made years before. Later, however, Perseus took part in an athletic contest there and threw a discus—a heavy disc thrown for sport—that accidentally killed Acrisius. The prophecy was fulfilled.

Perseus in Context

The myth of Perseus is largely meant to warn ancient Greeks against trying to escape fate or the will of the gods. Perseus serves as an instrument of fate and the gods to carry out events in the human realm.

This reflects the ancient view that the gods were often not direct players in the affairs of humans, but acted indirectly to sway events. This helped to explain why gods were not seen interacting directly on a daily basis with humans.

Key Themes and Symbols

The intervention of the gods in the world of humans is an important theme in the story of Perseus. Zeus first intervenes by visiting Danaë in the form of a shower of gold and conceiving Perseus. Later, when Perseus is sent on an almost impossible mission to bring back the head of Medusa, Athena and Hermes intervene by providing him with weapons and armor. The inescapable nature of fate is also an important theme in the tale of Perseus. Acrisius tries to escape his fate on many occasions: he locks his daughter in a tower so she cannot have a child; after she has a son, Acrisius seals both mother and son in a box and sends them out to sea; and much later, when Acrisius discovers that Perseus is still alive, he flees to another region of Greece. In the end, Acrisius cannot escape his fate and is accidentally killed by his grandson during an athletic event.

Perseus in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life

Perseus was a popular hero in ancient Greek and Roman art, appearing frequently on pottery and in murals. He has been the subject of famous sculptures by Benvenuto Cellini, Antonio Canova, and Salvador Dali, and paintings by artists such as Piero di Cosimo and Edward Burne-Jones. In modern times, the myth of Perseus was used as the main storyline for the 1981 fantasy film Clash of the Titans, although some elements of the myth were changed. The actor who played Perseus in the movie, Harry Hamlin, also provided the voice of Perseus—this time portrayed as a villain—in the PlayStation 2 video game God of War II.

Read, Write, Think, Discuss

Legends about heroes often include tales about the slaying of great monsters or beasts, such as the sea monster Perseus defeats in order to save Andromeda. Although this theme is also found in stories today, modern heroes are often depicted fighting against human enemies, such as criminals. Why do you think older mythologies placed a strong emphasis on defeating beasts? Why do you think modern legends focus instead on human foes?

SEE ALSO Andromeda; Athena; Atlas; Danaë; Gorgons; Heroes; Medusa; Pegasus