Perseus is one of the greatest heroes of greek mythology. Do you have what it takes to survive and save your mother. Hamilton draws the story of perseus from the later writers ovid and apollodorus, though it was also widely popular among the greeks. Perseus in greek mythology greek legends and myths. Jan 01, 2011 now even though donna jo napolis treasury of greek mythology. Perseus, in greek mythology, the slayer of the gorgon medusa and the rescuer of andromeda from a sea monster. He fought for them against the giant and against apollo when the gods oracle would not speak for him. He was the brother of perses, alcaeus, sthenelus, electryon, mestor, cynurus, gorgophone and autochthe. Daulaires book of greek myths by edgar parin daulaire. It is an epic poem in the style of homer, and tells the story of jason and the argonauts and their quest for the golden fleece. Valerius flaccus was a roman poet who flourished in the late c1st a. Amongst the most famous of these mortal heroes was perseus, and even today the story of perseus in greek mythology is one of the best known.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The adventures of perseus part 2 greek mythology ep. Like with jason, the first sign of perseuss hero status besides being raised without a father is that he gladly accepts impossible, dangerous tasks. Greek gods, greek myths, greek heroes kindle edition by sagona, uranus. Oct 31, 2012 discover the story of perseus, who magically captured the head of medusa the sight of which turned onlookers to stone and rescued the fair andromeda from a sea monster. Apr 16, 2019 possibly derived from greek meaning to destroy. Meaning, origin and history of the name perseus behind. He is best known as the slayer of the gorgon medusa. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Several greek vases show danae and the young perseus with the chest that was supposed to ensure their deaths. Perseus life was a very interesting one, full of adventures. Apollodorus, library, book 2, chapter 4 perseus digital library. You will also face magical nymphs and dangerous creatures on your journey.
Arcisius, perseus grandfather, had asked an oracle if he would ever have any kids. Apollonius rhodius, argonautica, book 1, line 260 perseus. The only son of zeus and danae and, thus, a halfgod by birth perseus was one. Greek mythologyheroesperseus wikibooks, open books for an. With the help of the gods, perseus obtained winged sandals, an invisible helm and a magical sword. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. In his 2006 book perseus, daniel odgen notes the striking affinity between the stories of jason and perseus, which both represent archetypical quest narratives. It can be assumed that he served as a base for the development of future greek heroes.
Part 1 3 the hero perseus in greek mythology was the son of danae and zeus, who had turned into a stream of gold in order to get into her chambers. He is thought to be the oldest of all the greek heroes, coming before theseus, heracles, odysseus, and the rest. Jason impregnated hypsipyle and swore eternal fidelity to her. In greek mythology perseus was a hero who was said to have founded the ancient city of mycenae. Perseus perseus facts and information on the greek hero perseus. His reputation and character quickly turned him into a local hero of argos a place in peloponese, greece.
The superhero survival story puts readers in control of the action. The story of danae and the birth of perseus, one of the greatest heroes of greek mythology. He was, alongside cadmus and bellerophon, the greatest greek hero and slayer of monsters before the days of heracles. King acrisius of argos was warned by an oracle that he would be killed in time by a son born to his daughter danae. The work differs in many respects from the likethemed argonautica of apollonius rhodius, composed four centuries earlier in greek. Perseus myth is one of the earliest found in greek art. Clash of the titans and the classics charlotte higgins. Each page of the aratea has a poem on the bottom half, written by the 3rd century bc poet aratus and translated into latin by cicero, describing a constellation. We wrote about them in the first book of the genealogiae.
It draws upon knowledge of the gods and goddesses and mythological creatures, as well as the epic hero motif found in other myths like those of heracles and orpheus. As an infant he was cast into the sea in a chest with his mother by acrisius, to whom it had been prophesied that he would be killed by his grandson. Now even though donna jo napolis treasury of greek mythology. The only surviving hellenistic epic, the argonautica tells the myth of the voyage of jason and the argonauts to retrieve the golden fleece from remote colchis. He put it out that, instead, he planned to seek the hand of another maiden, one hippodameia. Acrisius though, was desperate for a son to be his heir. Greek mythologyheroesperseus wikibooks, open books for. A ruler of dardanus, who, with his wife philobia, assisted laodice in forming a reconciliation with acamas. But the god zeus got in, disguised as a shower of gold, with the result that perseus was born. Yes helios was the son of perseus helios later married his sister selene and bore a child who later married a mortal woman and had 4 children, 2 twin boys and 2 daughters younger than the twins however it is not completely beloved by majority his. Mingle with myth the story of perseus long ago, king acrisius of argos learned from an oracle that he would one day be killed by his grandson. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading greek mythology.
Even if perseus myth is a little on the simple side, it has still had a huge impact on greek mythology. Valerius flaccus, argonautica book 1 greek mythology. Such parallels had been noted in the past, usually in passing, and frequently under the mistaken nineteenth century impression that both jason and perseus represented the sun battling the his way through the constellations. Myth of perseus roman and greek gods and goddesses. The greek myths might be bizarre, exciting, violent and dramatic, but that didnt stop the creators of the highly enjoyable clash of the.
Perseus is often depicted in ancient art as a young hero with as attributes the winged shoes, the helmet of invisibility, and a scimitar. His story was recorded by many major greek historians like apollodorus and pausanias. Perseus was about to reply, but mens voices from close by cut him off. Argonautika is a greek epic poem written by apollonius rhodius in the 3rd century bc. Perseus was one of the great heroes of classical mythology. Learn mythology chapter 9 with free interactive flashcards.
But perseus was poor, and could not, so polydectes demanded that he would bring him the head of medusa the gorgon. The adventures of perseus have been told, and retold, over the millennia, and even today his story regularly appears on the big screen. The argonautica is the best known work by the 3rd century bce hellenistic poet and scholar, apollonius of rhodes. But the gods help perseus, and hermes appears to him and gives him a magical sword, and athena gives him a mirrored shield. The argonautica apollonius of rhodes ancient greece. In greek mythology, was helius really the son of perseus. And theres no better way of meeting that literary quota than with the daulaires book. King acrisius was father to one child by his queen, eurydice. Medusa is a woman with impenetrable scales and snakes for hair, and anyone who looks at her turns to stone killing her should be an impossible feat. Perseus was the son of the mortal danae and the god zeus. He beheaded the gorgon medusa for polydectes and saved andromeda from the sea monster cetus.
Engage your students during remote learning with video readalouds. Heleus accompanied his nephew amphitryon, son of alcaeus, on the expedition to taphos, and after the victory shared the sovereignty of their domain with cephalus. The hero perseus in greek mythology was known as the one who killed the medusa, saved andromeda and founded the city of mycenae. Okay, okay, dont get yourself into an uproar, he said to perseus, though not perhaps in those exact words. But the story is long, lets start with the beginning.
Like many other kings in the myths, polydectes fears to kill perseus outright, as perseus has been his guest, so instead he sends him on a deadly quest. So when the young men of the island were bringing him wedding gifts, he demanded that perseus give him something too. Perseus was one of the oldest out of all of the greek mythological heroes. Perseus is one of the greatest heroes spoken of in greek mythology, for perseus was the famed vanquisher of the gorgon medusa.
Tufts university provided support for entering this text. Perseus, a hero of greek mythology, with the head of the snakehaired medusa. Mingle with myth perseus this story incorporates many elements of mythology that have been taught in previous lessons. He was also the great grandfather of heracles, also a son of zeus. And i expect every one of my loyal subjects to contribute a gift to the bride price, he said, looking meaningfully at perseus. Get a detailed summary and analysis of every chapter in the book from. The story of perseus in greek mythology begins in argos during the reign of king acrisius. Greek mythologys adventures of perseus is one of the most thrilling myths for kids. Perseus the short mythical story of perseus is one of the famous legends that feature in the mythology of ancient civilizations. His only surviving work is an unfinished epic poem entitled the argonautica, describing the voyage of the argonauts in their quest for the golden fleece. Perseus was one of the most celebrated heroes of greek mythology. Fearing that, he hid his daughter danae in a chamber underground.
Perseus is the only greek hero that i am aware of who does not fit the. Perseus perseus facts and information on the greek hero. He is best known in greek mythology as the slayer of medusa, one of three female creatures, or gorgons, with hair said to be made of poisonous snakes. Perseus was very protective of his mom, so polydectes knew that he had to get rid of perseus somehow. No education is complete without a large slice of greek mythology. Cepheus and cassiopeia the king and queen of ethiopia ahad a daughter called andromeda. Before his birth, it was predicted by the oracle of apollo that he would kill his grandfather. In greek mythology, was helius really the son of perseus, or. Her mother boasted that andromeda was more beautiful than the nereids, daughters of nereus and doris, and companions. Heleus was the youngest son of perseus and andromeda. In greek mythology, perseus is the legendary founder of mycenae and of the perseid dynasty. Learn more about the traditional story of perseus in this article.
She was the daughter of king cepheus and queen cassiopeia, who ruled in the region of aethiopia, which consisted of the upper nile region, along with areas south of the sahara desert. Mar 25, 2015 most of the surviving stories of greek mythology tend to be based around the deeds of the gods of mount olympus, and the exploits of mortal heroes fighting man and beast. Minor deities, protogenoi, and titans mythology greek god pan, god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music. Hercules was the most admired hero in all of greece, except athens. Ancient legends of gods and heroes two books in one. Cassiopeia was proud of her daughter and boasted about her beauty constantly. Perseus is the son of zeus and danae, only child and daughter of king acrisius of argos. King polydectes commanded he fetch the head of medusa. Dictionary of greek and roman biography and mythology. In greek mythology, perseus, the legendary founder of mycenae and of the perseid dynasty of danaans, was the first hero. Perseus then travels to the graiae the three gray sisters who share only one eye, and he steals their. Perseus and the gorgons head the greek myth of the hero perseus famous quest to kill the snakyhaired medusa, the mere sight of whom could turn a person to stone.
Perseus beheaded the gorgon medusa and saved andromeda from the sea monster cetus. Perseus and andromeda greek myth essay example graduateway. But zeus having metamorphosed himself into a shower of gold. Perseus and his origins on argos perseus was thought to exist several generations. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Perseus a face only a mother could love homeward bound a family reunion could there be a hero more virtuous than perseus. Perseus and andromeda greek mythology part 10 youtube. Megapenthes 2 is a son of proetus 1 by stheneboea, that is, halfbrother of perseus 1. The story of perseus from ancient mythology read about gods, goddesses and mythical creatures in the myth story of perseus. He was an important part of early greek mythology and certainly inspired the heroes that would follow him. Discover the story of perseus, who magically captured the head of medusa the sight of which turned onlookers to stone and rescued the fair andromeda from a sea monster. This was a rather complex task, as anyone who saw her hideous face would be turned immediately to stonethe gorgons.
Perseus, in greek mythology, the slayer of the gorgon medusa and the. The product of that pregnancy was twins, euneus 1 and nebrophonus 2 or deiphilus 3 or thoas 4. Perseus 1 is also said to have been made immortal and placed among the stars. Choose from 500 different sets of mythology chapter 9 flashcards on quizlet. He was the son of jupiter and danae, and is best known for his killing of the gorgon medusa. See more ideas about art, greek and roman mythology and mythology. Perseus 1 is said to have being killed by megapenthes 2, on account of the death of his father, as someone puts it. He then sought out the ancient graeae and stealing their single eye compelled them to reveal the location of the gorgons. Or will your battles with mythical creatures lead to your doom. There were actually three gorgon sisters, but the other two gorgons were immortal. Perseus shoved the statue into the hole, replaced the rock, and herded quintus into the house.
The constellation is drawn above the poetry constructed with words taken from hyginus astronomica. The tale of perseus is one of the most famous in all greek mythology. Mar 28, 2018 yes helios was the son of perseus helios later married his sister selene and bore a child who later married a mortal woman and had 4 children, 2 twin boys and 2 daughters younger than the twins however it is not completely beloved by majority his. Andromeda, in greek mythology, beautiful daughter of king cepheus and queen cassiope of joppa in palestine called ethiopia and wife of perseus. He sought revenge when necessary and proved himself to be honorable and clever. Cassiope offended the nereids by boasting that andromeda was more beautiful than they, so in revenge poseidon sent a sea monster to devastate cepheus. This text was converted to electronic form by professional data entry and has been proofread to a medium level of accuracy. But it is greek epic poetry updated for the tastes of a more discerning and rational hellenistic audience. The story of perseus is featured in the book entitled stories of old greece by emma m. Perseus myths are full of gods, creatures, and monsters that you might see in a number of hollywood movies and television shows. A model of chivalry, he rescued his future bride, andromeda, from a monster and his mother from a lecherous and powerful king. Mother and child were exiled by danaes father acrisius, and perseus was raised on the island of seriphos. Pinned by the mystics emporium on etsy pan is the god of the wild, hunting, and companion of the nymphs. So acrisius straightaway stuck daughter and infant into a chest and pushed it out to sea.
92 1305 994 1345 1464 1122 439 495 1263 241 196 1630 1330 610 312 584 1653 1577 124 104 764 851 1043 1403 1297 1193 1097 1033 571 1036 1052 601 887 373 54 665 1471 187