Perseus – Courageous Adventurer Who Fulfilled A Prophecy

It means that while Perseus may not have been a child of a god or had access to magical powers, he may have been a mortal person who did courageous acts.

As far as can be ascertained, the tales of Perseus and his adventures are among the oldest Greek legends.

Who Was Perseus?

Perseus' story starts with his grandfather, Akrisios (or Acrisius), a Greek king of Argos who went to the Oracle at Delphi because he did not yet have a son to succeed him. The Oracle gave him a prophecy that his grandson would kill him. Horrified by this prediction, he hurried home and locked his only daughter Danaë in an underground chamber made of copper so the prophecy could not come true.

Acrisios believed this fortification was safe enough, but Zeus had other ideas. As the story goes, Zeus transformed into golden rain and could enter the jail without detection. As a result of Zeus's and Danae's union, Perseus was born.

When the King learned about the birth, he was horrified because the prophecy could come true. He decided to get rid of the daughter and grandson. He locked them both in a coffin, which he threw into the sea. Instead of drowning the two, the waves brought the coffin towards the island of Seriphos, where they got caught in Dikty's fishing net. Diktys was the brother of Polydectes, the ruler of the island. Both Danae and her child were received with great hospitality.

Seriphos island became a new home for Danaë, and Perseus was given a safe place to grow up. As Perseus grew, King Polydectes fell more and more in love with his mother, Danaë. As soon as Perseus reached adulthood, Polydectes did everything to eliminate the patron son. He managed to trick the youth into trying to kill the monster Medusa and then bring her head back to the King as evidence, believing that the boy would be killed on the way.

Medusa was a well-known monster as she petrified everyone who looked at her.

Peter Paul Rubens - The severed head of Medusa. Painting created 1617-1618. Credit: Public Domain

Perseus did not like the new attention paid to his mother, so he guarded her 24 hours a day. Even though he was as strong, wise, and gifted as Zeus' other children, he could not always protect her. It led to the beginning of his many great adventures.

After a long and eventful adventure, Perseus managed to fulfill his mission using his cunning and strength with some help from the gods. Athena and Hermes decided to help Perseus. They gave him a gold shield and a helmet that rendered Perseus invisible. They also gave him a unique bag to hold Medusa's head once it was severed.

Perseus Rescues Andromeda

After fulfilling his boast, Perseus started his voyage home to save his mother from Polydectes. On the way home, he saved princess Andromeda from a sea monster and married her.

Andromeda was beautiful, and her father, Cepheus, boasted that her looks surpassed all women, including the Nereids.

It angered Poseidon, who sent a flood to damage Ethiopia and sent a sea monster to bother the country. The only way to be free from these punishments was for the King to sacrifice his daughter, Andromeda. The King chained his daughter to a rock and waited for the sea monster to take his daughter away.

But love wins out. Perseus fell in love with Andromeda the moment he saw her. He offered to save the girl and destroy the sea monster if he would be given Andromeda in marriage. The King agreed.

Perseus still had his gifts from the gods. He used them to get the sea monster in the proper position, and then he pulled Medusa's head out of its unique bag. The curse of Medusa still worked, and it worked on sea monsters as well. The creature was turned to stone. Perseus had almost saved Andromeda.

He did not know that Andromeda's uncle desired her by himself. It did not please Perseus, as Andromeda was now to be his wife. His bride-to-be plotted with Perseus to defeat her selfish uncle. But in this battle, Perseus had human help.

Working hand in hand, Andromeda and Perseus got her uncle to look at Medusa's head. When his eyes fell on the ugly face, he was turned to stone immediately.

In his absence, Polydectes harassed and bothered Perseus' mother. Displeased by this news, Perseus did not waste much time using Medusa's head again. When Perseus presented the head to the King, he positioned it so the King could not avoid Medusa's cursed stare.

Polydectes immediately turned to stone.

A Prophecy Is Fulfilled

It is not known if Perseus was aware of the prophecy or not. The myths do not say. However, upon hearing of the exploits of Perseus, Acrisios fled. He feared that his grandson would dispatch him as he had done to Andromeda's uncle and Polydectes.

Perseus competed in an athletic competition held in Larisa in Thessaly. He would throw a discus, which accidentally hit Acrisius, killing him. The fleeing did not help Acrisios. The prophecy of the Pythia had come true.

Perseus and Andromeda went on to rule in Tiryns and founded the city of Mycenae. They had four children, one of whom had a son named Hercules.