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Andromeda |
The Nereids complained to the sea god Poseidon. Poseidon threatened to send a flood and a sea monster to destroy the kingdom. The king was advised to sacrifice his daughter. Andromeda was chained to a sea-cliff to be eaten by the sea monster. Perseus noticed her as he was sailing by and immediately fell in love with her. Perseus killed the monster and freed Andromeda. The goddess Athena placed the image of Andromeda among the stars as a reward for keeping her parents'promise.
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The Nereids felt insulted by this and complained to the sea god Poseidon. Poseidon threatened to send a flood and a sea monster to destroy the kingdom of Ethiopia. The king was advised by the oracle to sacrifice his daughter. Andromeda was chained to a sea-cliff to be devoured by the sea monster. Perseus, the nephew of the king of the city of Argos noticed her as he was sailing by and immediately fell in love with her. He promised to rescue Andromeda if her parents would allow him to marry her. Cassiopeia and Cepheus accepted. Perseus killed the monster and freed Andromeda. Andromeda insisted that their wedding be celebrated. Unfortunately, her parents had forgotten their promise to Perseus.
After the marriage, Andromeda left her country to live with Perseus who later became the king
of Tiryns and Mycenae. The goddess Athena placed the image of Andromeda among the stars as a reward for keeping her parents'promise.
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Poseidon threatened to send a flood and a sea monster to destroy the kingdom of Ethiopia. The king consulted the oracle of Ammon who advised him to sacrifice his daughter. Andromeda, dressed only with few jewels, was chained to a sea-cliff. At this time, Perseus, a Greek hero, was traveling along the coast to the north. He noticed the beautiful naked woman chained to a rock and immediately fell in love with her. Perseus offered to rescue Andromeda in return for her hand in marriage. Andromeda had already been promised to a man named Agenor. However, hoping to save their daughter from the approaching sea monster, Cepheus and Cassiopeia -in bad faith- consented to Perseus'request. Perseus was a valiant warrior and possessed some powerful weapons. He used the head of the Gorgon Medusa, which had the capability to turn everything into stone. Perseus slew the monster and freed the young woman. On Andromeda's insistence, the wedding was then celebrated. Her parents, who had forgotten their promise to Perseus, informed Agenor of the wedding. He interrupted the ceremony with an armed party. A violent fight took place, with Cepheus ad Cassiopeia siding with Agenor. Perseus prevailed, using the Gorgon's head to petrify his opponents. Finally, Andromeda left her country to live with Perseus who later became the king of Tiryns and Mycenae. The goddess Athena placed the figure of Andromeda among the stars as a reward for keeping her parents'promise.
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