Perseus



Statue of Perseus. Vatican Museum, Rome, Italy
Click on image for full size (72K JPEG)
Image courtesy of Corel Corporation.
Perseus was an ancient Greek hero. He was the son of Zeus and Danae, the daughter of the king of Argos. Perseus was a courageous young man. He survived many dangerous missions.

He is most famous for killing the Gorgon Medusa. Medusa was a monster who had serpents in her head. Anyone who looked at her was turned into stone. With the help of the god Hermes, Perseus managed to kill Medusa.

On his way back home after this incredible adventure, he met the beautiful Andromeda and married her.

The constellation, Perseus

Perseus



Statue of Perseus. Vatican Museum, Rome, Italy
Click on image for full size (72K JPEG)
Image courtesy of Corel Corporation.
Perseus was an ancient Greek hero. His mother was Danae, the daughter of Acrisius, the king of Argos. When a prophecy revealed to Acrisius that his grandson would kill him, Acrisius imprisoned his daughter Danae to keep her chaste. Zeus, however, fooled Acrisius' precautions by entering the prison disguised as a shower of gold. When Acrisius discovered that Danae had given birth to Perseus, he had the mother and the son thrown into the sea in a chest of wood.

Luckily they reached the island of Seriphos where the king Polydectes offered them hospitality and protection. Perseus was secretly raised on the island and became a courageous young man. He was sent to complete a dangerous mission.

Perseus had to fetch the head of the Gorgon Medusa whose head could turn anyone who looked at it into stone. With the help of Hermes, Perseus succeeded. On his voyage back to Seriphos, he met the beautiful Andromeda in Ethiopia and married her. When his triumph became known, he was invited to the city of Larissa to participate in funeral games in honor of the king.

During the games, Perseus threw a discus and accidentally hit his grandfather Acrisius, who was watching the games, unaware of his grandson's presence. Acrisius died fulfilling the prophecy.

The constellation, Perseus

Perseus



Statue of Perseus. Vatican Museum, Rome, Italy
Click on image for full size (72K JPEG)
Image courtesy of Corel Corporation.
Perseus was an ancient Greek hero. His mother was Danae, the daughter of the king of Argos, Acrisius. When a prophecy revealed to Acrisius that his grandson would kill him, he imprisoned his daughter Danae in a bronze underground chamber to keep her chaste. Zeus, however, fooled Acrisius' precautions by entering the prison disguised as a shower of gold. When Acrisius discovered that Danae had given birth to Perseus , he had her and the newborn thrown into the sea in a chest of wood.

Luckily they were rescued by a fisherman of the island of Seriphos. The fisherman was the brother of king of Seriphos, Polydectes. He took the woman and her child to the royal palace where the king offered them hospitality and protection. Perseus grew up on the island and became a courageous young man.

Polydectes fell in love with Danae, but she rejected his advances. Hoping to overcome her resistance, Polydectes sent Perseus on a dangerous mission to get rid of him. Perseus had to fetch the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Instead of hair Medusa had serpents on her head and anyone who looked at her horrific features was turned into stone. Nevertheless, with the help of Athena and Hermes, Perseus managed to kill Medusa.

On his voyage back to Seriphos, he met Andromeda in Ethiopia and married her. In Seriphos, he rescued his mother and overthrew Polydectes. When his triumph became known, he was invited to the city of Larissa to participate to funeral games in honor of the king of that city.

During the games, Perseus threw a discus which accidentally hit his grandfather Acrisius, who was watching the games, unaware of his grandson's presence. Acrisius died fulfilling the prophecy.

The constellation, Perseus



Last modified prior to September, 2000 by the Windows Team

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