Advanced Intermediate Beginner Home English Spanish

Andromeda



"Perseus and Andromeda" by Vasari.
Painting (1570). Click on image for full size (140K JPEG)
Image courtesy of Planet Art.
In Greek mythology, Andromeda was a young woman who was the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus, the king of Ethiopia. Andromeda's mother claimed that they were more beautiful than the sea nymphs, the Nereids.

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.

The Constellation Andromeda


Credits Settings Sponsorship Membership Contact us About the site Site map Help Myths People News Arts, books and film Images and multimedia Tours Life Geology Physics Space weather Space Missions Solar system Astronomy and the Universe Shop for science stuff Games Ask a scientist Journal Comets Dwarfs Neptune Uranus Saturn Jupiter Asteroids Mars Earth Venus Mercury Sun Teacher resources Kids Space Search Home


Last modified prior to September, 2000 by the Windows Team

The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer