The Legend of Perseus

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The Legend of Perseus
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MAIN
CHARACTERS
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Who is...
PERSEUS
Perseus is the son of Danae, a human, and Zeus, a
mighty god. He is famous for killing the only
mortal Gorgon, Medusa, with the guidance and
assistance of Hermes and Athena.
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Who is...
DANAE
Danae is the mother of Perseus, whose father,
Acrisius, regretted having a girl, and when
visiting a priestess that foretold her son
killing the king, he decided to lock her in a
stone tower where she would eventually waste
away. However, Zeus took pity on her, and took
the form of showering gold coins and impregnated
her with the boy who would become Perseus.
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Who is...
KING ACRISIUS OF ARGOS
King Acrisius was afraid to kill his daughter,
Danae, because he had heard of the harsh
punishment the gods gave when one shed the blood
of fellow kin, especially their children.
However, when he traveled to Delphi the priestess
had explained that her son would kill him. So he
locked her in a stone tower, where he hoped she
would be out of his way. When she did have a
child, he locked them both in a brass chest in
hopes that they would sink to the bottom of the
ocean and forever be out of his way.
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Who is...
DICTYS
Dictys, a local fisherman, found the brass bound
chest that Danae and her son Perseus were trapped
in. He broke it open and took the two souls to
his home, where he nourished them for many years
with his caring wife. Dictys brother is
Polydectes.
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Who is...
MEDUSA
One of the three Gorgans who lived on Terrible
Sisters Island, and the only one that was mortal
and could be slain. It is said that the gaze of
Medusa would instantly turn any man into stone.
The Gorgons were known for deadly power and the
snakes in their hair. Perseus offered to claim
Medusas head as a wedding gift (hmm) between
his mother and Polydectes.
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Who is...
HERMES
The guide and the giver of good, who wears a
winged hat, winged sandals, and carries a winged
gold wand. Hermes was Perseuss guide to find
the Fates, and lead him to the land of the
Northern Nyphs that would help to properly equip
him to kill Medusa. He presented Perseus with a
sword that could cut through the Gorgons
extremely tough scales.
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Who is...
ATHENA
Athena supplied Perseus with the mirror shield
that enabled him to see Medusa, and accurately
kill the horrid Gorgon. She is the patron
goddess of Athens and of crafts and domestic arts
and also those of war.
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Who are...
THE FATES
The Fates (or Gray Women) are three witches that
dwell in a country of shrouded darkness where no
ray of light, whether moon or sun, ever enters.
The are gray themselves, as from extreme age, and
the three share one eye which they take turns
with, placing it on their foreheads to see.
These three hags were the only ones who knew how
to reach the Nyphs of the North.
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Who is...
POLYDECTES
Polydectes was Dictyss brother. And when he
discovered the mother and son that Dictys and his
wife were watching over, he instantly fell in
love with Danae. Being the king, Polydectes
wished to marry Danae, but did not want Perseus.
So when time of the wedding came, he knew that
Perseus would not be able to afford a nice
wedding gift, and suggested he bring back
Medusas head, sure of himself that Persues would
take the bait, and be slaughtered by the three
Gorgons.
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The Story
that wont put you to sleepor else
King Acrisius of Argos had only one child, a
daughter. Her name was Danae, and she was the
most beautiful girl in the landbut to him, that
was hardly a comfort. He journeyed to Delphi to
consult a priestess as to if there was any chance
he would be the father of a boy. She said that
he would not have a son, but something far worse
would happen. Danaes future son, would grow up
and come to kill him. The easiest way for the
king to escape his fate would be to kill his
daughter, however he knew that the gods had
horrible punishment for those that killed their
kin. Instead, Acrisius locked his daughter in a
stone tower, where all she had to look out of was
a glass window to the sky. Zeus soon came to
visit her in the form of showering gold coins,
where he impregnated her, and she eventually had
her son, Perseus.
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The king was terrified when he heard of Danaes
son. So he then built a brass chest which he
locked Danae and her son young son into, and then
tossed it into the ocean in hope that they would
sink within the oceans depths. Quite the
opposite happened, because it floated, maybe Zeus
was looking over his child, or some other god may
have taken pity, maybe it was just the way of
fate, but the chest made it to shore where a
local fisherman named Dictys broke it open, and
took the two poor individuals to his home where
his wife took care of them for many years. The
husband and wife nourished the two, and watched
over young Perseus, teaching him the traits of
the fisherman. Danae believed her son was out of
harms way, as it turns out, she was wrong.
Polydectes was the brother of Dictys, and ruler
of the small island. He fell in love with Danae,
and wanted to marry her, but didnt want Perseus
as extra baggage.
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Polydectes had heard of some fearsome monsters
called Gorgons, which he had evidently talked to
Perseus quite a bit about. When time for the
wedding came, Perseus had no great gift to offer,
so he proclaimed that he would bring back
Medusas head! This is exactly what Polydectes
had predicted and wished to happen. For he knew
that no man in his right mind would dare to go
after one of the most fearsome monsters of all
time. Especially one that could turn any man
into stone just by one piercing glare. Perseuss
adventure to seek out and kill Medusa had begun.
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No man, by himself, could ever dream of killing
Medusa. However, two powerful gods were watching
over him, Hermes and Athena. Perseus first
traveled to Delphi to consult with the priestess
as to where he should travel to reach Terrible
Sisters Island. All the priestess told him was
seek the land where men eat not Demeters golden
grain, but only acorns. So he traveled to
Dodona, the land of the talking oaks, which they
only told him you are under the protection of
the gods, but did not know where the gorgons
lived. Perseus heart began to fill with despair,
when suddenly a being so lovely and so beautiful
appeared wearing a winged hat, winged sandals,
and carried a golden winged wand, that it had to
be no other than Hermes. His hope was
rejuvenated, and with a new energy, and Hermes as
a guide, and went in search for the Nymphs of the
North to gain some precious equipment to kill
Medusa. First however, he needed to know where
to find them. Hermes suggested going to the
Fates, or the three Grey Women who all shared one
eye. A master plan was being formulated
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Hermes thought day and night, and came up with a
brilliant plan. When the witches would pass the
eye, Perseus should run up and grab it, then
demand that they tell him how to find the Nymphs
of the North. It was flawless. Perseus waited
for the opportune moment, then ran up and grabbed
the slimy eye. The witches of course told him
how to find the secret path, because they
couldnt live without their sacred pupil.
Neither by ship nor yet by land shall one find
the wondrous road to the gathering place of the
Hyperborean, however, Perseus finally reached
them, and received three gifts winged sandals,
in which he could fly a magic wallet, which
would automatically become any size for whatever
was to be carried and the most significant gift,
a magical cap, which made the wearer invisible.
Hermes gave him a special sword that could cut
through the strongest marble, and the Gorgons
golden scales. Athena gave him a mirror shield
in which he could view Medusa without getting
turned to stone.
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Armed to his teeth, Perseus was finally ready to
take on Medusa. Hermes guided him to Terrible
Sisters Island where the three gorgons lay
sleeping. Athena told which Perseus which gorgon
was Medusa, for the other two were immortal. In
one smooth motion, with his hand guided by Athena
and viewing Medusa through the mirror shield,
Perseus sliced through her neck, grabbed her
head, and dropped it into the wallet, flying off
into the night, invisible to the enraged gorgon
sisters.
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As Perseus was heading back home, he stopped by
at Eithiopia, where he discovered an incredibly
beautiful maiden by the name of Adromeda, who was
tied to a rock and was going to be sacrificed to
a sea serpent. By this time Hermes had long left
Perseuss side. Andromedas mother, the Queen
of Eithiopia, had boasted that her daughter was
more beautiful than the daughter of Nereus, the
sea god. Back in those days it was most certain
anguish that would fall upon those who claimed
any sort of superiority over any deity. In this
case, her daughter was to be punished by being
devoured alive while tied to big stone over
looking the ocean, smooth move mom. This
sacrifice was the only way for the Eithiopians to
rid them-selves of the terrifying serpent. Once
Perseus looked upon her tortured face, he fell in
love, and waited by her side until the serpent
came, and when it did, SPLAT! He sliced its head
off just like Medusa, and proceed to ask her
parents for her hand, which they readily agreed
to.
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Perseus finally returned to the island, and was
enthralled to tell his mom the grand newsbut
Dictyss wife was dead, and Danae and the
fisherman, along with some friends, were hiding
in a cave from Polydectes. He was incredibly
enraged because Danae had refused to marry him.
Perseus was sickened by this new, until he
learned that the king was having a banquet for
all that favor him, to be held in the grand hall,
the opportune moment had arisen. Perseus
attended the banquet, and when he entered the
room, all men turned in disbelief as to how he
could have survived his quest. Impossible! And
before any of the kings cruel and servile men
could turn away, out popped Medusas head and
they all turned to stone. The island was now
free of Polydectes tyrant rule. Perseus placed
Dictys as the islands king, and his mother went
with Perseus and Andromeda back to Greece to try
and reconcile with Acrisius
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When Perseus, along with his girlfriend and mom,
returned to Argos, they were surprised to
discover that Acrisius had been dethroned and
driven out of the city. No one knew where the
coward ran to. It was fairly soon after their
arrival that Perseus heard of an athletic contest
being held in the North by King Larissa.
Entering the discus competition, to show
Andromeda how big and strong he was, he hurled
the missile which landed in the audience and hit
Acrisius himself, who was on a visit to the king.
The blow was fatal, and the prophecy foretold
many years before held true and completed. With
his death, a newfound piece fell over Perseus and
Andromeda, and they lived happily ever afterbut
not before they had a kid. His name was
Electryon, later the grandfather of Hercules. As
for Medusas head, Athena kept it and bore it on
aegis, Zeuss shield, which she always held for
him.
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THE END