Perseus

Once there was a king named Acrisius, he had a beautiful daughter named Danae. The
oracle of Apollo told Acrisius that Danae's son would one day kill him. Acrisius could not let that
happen, so he locked Danae in a bronze tower so that she would never marry or have children.
The tower had no doors, but it had one very small window. Danae was very sad, but one day a
bright shower of gold came through the small window. A man appeared, he had a thunderbolt in
his hand and Danae knew he was a god, but she didn't know which. The man said, "Yes, I am a
god and I wish to make you my wife. I can make this dark prison a wonderful sunny land with
many flowers "
All happened as he said, the horrible prison became fields almost as wonderful as the
Elysian Fields themselves, but one day Acrisius saw light coming out of the small window. He
told his men to tear down one of the walls. He walked into the tower and saw Danae with a baby
on her lap, smiling she said, "I have named himPerseus." Acrisius was furious, he shut Danae
and baby Perseus up in a large chest and cast them out to sea.
Somehow they got safely to the island of Seriphos where Polydectes was king. The kings
brother who was a fisherman, caught them in his net and pulled them to shore, his name was
Dictys. Perseus grew up to become a strong young man. Polydectes heard about Danae and
wanted her to marry him, but she rejected him. Polydectes would have married Danae by force
if Perseus wasn't there to protect her.

Polydectes decided on a plan to get rid of Perseus. Polydectes pretended to be marrying
a daughter of a friend of his. Everybody had to bring a present, includingPerseus. Polydectes
pretended to be furious when Perseus arrived empty-handed, for he was not only very strong
and brave but very poor. "What, no wedding present?" yelled Polydectes. " I don't have any
money." exclaimed Perseus. " That's what you get for a lazy good-for-nothing." said
Polydectes. Perseus was furious. "I can bring you any present in the world, anything." he said.
"Then bring me the head of the gorgon Medusa!" replied Polydectes. "Fine!" said Perseus.
So he went of on his perilous voyage. For days he wandered, searching for theGorgons lair.
One night in an unknown country he realized how hopeless things were. The Gorgons were
horrible, instead of hair they had black serpents that writhed on their head, they had brazen
hands that could have squashed poorPerseus, but worst of all if you looked a gorgon you were
instantly turned to stone.
Then suddenly a tall woman and a young man with winged sandals appeared. The man
said, "I am Hermes and this is our sister Athena. Yes, you are a son of Zeus. We have some
things that may help you in slaying Medusa. Here are my winged sandals and the sickle
which Cronos used to overpower Uranus and Zeus used against mighty Typhoeus." "And here
is a gifts from me." said Athena, "Use this shield to reflect the image of Medusa so you won't be
turned to stone." "You must find the Graeae and get them to tell you how to get to the Nymphs
of the North, they will give you the cap of darkness and give you a magic wallet and tell you how
to get to the Gorgons' lair." Hermes said.
So Perseus went to the cave of the Graeae. The Graeae were strange women, there
were three of them having only one eye for all three of them which they constantly fought
over. Perseus hid behind some bushes and watched them. When one took out the eye to give
to another Perseus sprang from his hiding place and snatched the eye from them. Then he said,
"I have your eye and if you don't tell me how to find the Nymphs of the North you shall never
have it back!" So they reluctantly told them how to find the Nymphs of the North. He gave them
back their eye and flew off on his winged sandals.
The kindly Nymphs of the North gave him the Cap of Darkness which has the power to make its
wearer invisible and the magic wallet. They told him how to reach the Gorgons'
lair. Perseus went farther north until he found an island surrounded by rocks and statues which
used to be men.
Perseus raised his shield and saw Medusa and her sisters asleep, he put on the Cap of
Darkness and flew down. He swung the sickle and felt it tearing through sinew and bone. Still
looking into the shield, he put Medusa's head in the magic wallet.Medusa's sisters woke up and
attacked Perseus. He flew quickly away on his winged sandals and was not hurt.
On his way back to Seriphus he had many adventures, one was that when he saw
the Atlas holding up the sky Perseus was sorry for Atlas and turned him to stone by showing
him the head of Medusa so he could no longer feel the weight of his burden.
Later he saw what looked like a statue chained to a rock, he flew down. He saw that it was not a
statue, but a woman. He asked why she was chained to the rock. "My name is Andromeda and I
have been punished because of my vain mother. She boasted that I was more beautiful than
the Nereids. Poseidon was angered and said that I must be sacrificed to a sea monster," she
said. Even as she spoke a monster rose from the sea.
Perseus pulled Medusa's head out of the wallet and the sea monster turned to stone and
crumbled to pieces. Perseus cut Andromeda's chains and took her to her father, King Cepheus
of Phoenicia. When Perseus asked Andromeda's hand in marriage Cepheus gladly agreed.
So Perseus - with Andromeda in his arms set off for Seriphus.
On the way they stopped at Larisa so Perseus could compete in some games, but when
he threw a discus it hit an old man in the stands who was Acrisius. So the prophecy came true
and after mourning for a while Perseus and Andromeda left.
When they arrived at Seriphus, the first person they met was Dictys the fisherman who
brought Danae and Perseus to shore after they sailed in the trunk. Dictys toldPerseus and
Andromeda how Polydectes had never really married, but since Danae wouldn't marry
Polydectes, he forced her to be his handmaiden. Perseus was furious. He told Dictys to take
care of Andromeda.
Perseus stormed to the palace, walked in and said, "Let all who are my friends shield
their eyes!" So saying he raised Medusa's head and Polydectes and his courtiers were changed
to statues. Perseus and Andromeda lived happily for many years and their descendants
became great kings, but the greatest of these wasHeracles the strongest man in the world.
Later Perseus was killed by Dionysus. Perseus and Andromeda were put up in the sky as
constellations.

Clash of the Titans (the movie)

Clash of the Titans is a 2010 fantasy film (remake of the 1981 film of the same name). As you will see this
film is very loosely based upon the Greek myth ofPerseus. (CAREFUL SPOILER FOLLOWS!!!)

The film begins with a narration describing how the Olympians managed to overthrow their own creators,
the Titans, through the aid of the Kraken, Zeus's creation. After their fierce struggle, Zeus (Liam Neeson)
became the King of the Gods, his brother, Poseidon (Danny Huston), the Lord of the Seas, and their
brother, Hades (Ralph Fiennes), tricked by Zeus to rule the sickening Underworld in chaos and terror.

A coffin is then seen drifting through the sea before it is rescued by a fisherman, Spyros (Pete
Postlethwaite). When Spyros opens it, he discovers the baby Perseusand his mother, Danae, inside and
raises the boy as his own. Perseus does not know who his real father and mother are, and worries that he
will be neglected when his adoptive parents have a child of their own, but Spyros reassures him of his
love. Years later, Perseus (Sam Worthington) and his family are fishing when they witness a group of
soldiers from Argos destroying a massive statue of Zeus, effectively declaring war on the gods.
Immediately following the fall of the statue, Zeus rises from the ocean, killing most of the soldiers and
then destroying the boat Perseus and his family are on. Perseus attempts to save his family from the
sinking boat, but is unable to, and passes out on driftwood from the wreckage. The surviving soldiers find
him and take him back to Argos.

When King Cepheus (Vincent Regan) and Queen Cassiopeia (Polly Walker) of Argos, at a feast for the
returning soldiers, compare themselves to the gods and compare the beauty of their daughter,
Andromeda (Alexa Davalos), to that ofAphrodite, Zeus appears again, killing the remaining soldiers.
When Perseus is unaffected by his attack, Zeus realizes he is a demigod, and tells him of his true
father, Zeus. Zeus kills the queen, and demands that Argos further pay for its insolence and vanity; in 10
days, the Kraken will be released, and if the princess Andromeda is not sacrificed, then Argos will be
destroyed. Zeus then seeks out the gods on Mount Olympus and convinces Zeus to agree to his plan in
order to punish mankind for their lack of love.

Initially, the Argives see Perseus as an agent of the gods and imprison him, but the king later seeks his
help. A woman named Io (Gemma Arterton), who has been watching over Perseus his entire life, advises
him that the only way to avenge the death of his family is to agree to the king's wishes and attempt to
defeat the Kraken. He is sent out with a small group of soldiers, led by Draco (Mads Mikkelsen), along
with Io to seek the Stygian Witches, while Zeus visits Acrisius (Jason Flemyng), a disfigured man who
was married to Danae when Zeus impregnated her withPerseus. When Acrisius planned to kill his wife
and the newborn Perseus, Zeussends down a thunderbolt from Olympus, badly scarring and disfiguring
Acrisius's entire body. To help him achieve his goals, Zeus imbues him with superhuman powers to
enable him to kill Perseus. Acrisius attacks the Argive group, killing several, and even when his hand is
severed in the fight, his blood falling on the sand causes giant scorpions to rise from the desert and
continue the attack. Perseus and the Argives manage to kill the first two scorpions, but are surrounded by
three more, even larger than the first. As they are about to attack, the scorpions are suddenly calmed by
a group of Djinn, gentle and benevolent Sand-Demons with magical powers. There is initially mistrust
between the two groups, until the chief healsPerseus of grave injuries sustained during the fight, and the
two sides agree to cooperate.

Perseus and his group, via the scorpions, arrive at the barren, rocky "Garden of Stygia", the site where
the Gods ended the Great War and defeated the Titans. They find the three Stygian Witches, who are
hideous and share one eye. They tellPerseus, after he threatens to throw their eye off the mountain,
that Medusa's head will be able to kill the Kraken, but that he will die in the process. The soldiers go to
the Underworld, where Medusa lives in seclusion in a temple, and only the soldiers enter (Io cannot
because she is a woman). Medusa turns all the remaining soldiers into stone, the Djinn destroys himself
with his heart, weakening Medusa, and Draco, who is gravely injured by one of Medusa's arrows early in
the fight, rescues a cornered Perseus by skewering Medusa with a stone pillar from the ceiling and allows
himself to be turned to stone in order to give Perseus a clear shot atMedusa's head. Perseus, eyes shut,
kills Medusa. As he exits the temple, Acrisius returns and stabs Io. Perseus fights him again and, this
time, successfully kills him, which turns Acrisius back to human form. Io dies, telling Perseus "this is the
part of the journey you do alone..."

Perseus finds Pegasus and flies back to Argos as the Kraken is being released, thus destroying the city.
As a priest is about to sacrifice Andromeda, Zeus appears, and has his creatures attack Perseus and
steal Medusa's head. Perseus defeats the creatures and regains the head, as well as successfully turning
the Kraken to stone before it consumes Andromeda. Zeus appears once more and boasts that he cannot
die because he is immortal; but Perseus throws his sword, charged together withZeus's lightning at him
which banishes him to the Underworld. Perseus then saves Andromeda from drowning when the
apparatus used to restrain her falls into the ocean, but refuses to become king of Argos.

In the final scene, Perseus stands at the broken statue of Zeus seen at the beginning.Zeus appears and
offers to make Perseus a god on Olympus; but he refuses. Zeusnotes that Zeus will return one day for
revenge when mankind is in fear. Zeus states that if Perseus is still intent to stay on earth then he might
give him a gift since he is the son of Zeus after all. A resurrected Io appears before Perseus, and the two
begin to embrace while Pegasus flies above them.

PERSEUS

Family Man, Monster-Slayer, Hero
of Men

The poet Homer referred to Perseus as the most renowned of all menand with
good reason. Perseus was kind, faithful to his wife, and loyal to his mother and his
family. He was also a fearsome slayer of monsters. Perseus was a model man and
the epitome of a hero.

PROTECTING HIS MOTHER

Perseus was born to Danae and Zeus. When Danae was still a virgin, her father heard a
prophecy that Danaes son would one day kill him, so he imprisoned his daughter in a tower to
keep her away from men. But Zeus managed to get to her and their union produced Perseus.
Danaes father locked Danae and her son in a chest and cast them out to sea, but they were
saved by a kind fisherman.

Later, King Polydectes wanted a sexual relationship with Danae, but she wanted
nothing to do with him. He was relentless in his pursuit, however, and Perseus defended his
mother. Polydectes knew that he was no match for Perseus, so he devised a plan to get the
young man out of the way. He pretended he was going to marry another woman and demanded
lavish wedding gifts from his subjects. Perseus couldnt afford such a gift, but he offered to get
the king anything he wanted. Polydectes told Perseus to bring him Medusas head.

This Gorgon was such a formidable monster that Polydectes was sure that Perseuss
quest would kill him. However, Perseus was favored by the gods; he had both Athena and
Hermes on his side, and they helped him to overcome and kill Medusa. (See Medusa: The
Witch with a Bad Hair Day to find out how Perseus accomplished his task.) When Perseus
returned home, he found that Polydectes was still persecuting Danae, forcing her to work as a
slave in his palace. Perseus showed Polydectes the head of Medusa and turned the king to
stone.

RESCUING A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

Perseus met his bride in the true fashion of a herohe rescued her. Andromeda was a
beautiful young woman, daughter of the king of Joppa. Her mother Cassiopeia was proud of her
daughters beauty, but she went too far and declared that her daughter was more beautiful than
the Nereids. The offended sea nymphs complained to Poseidon, who sent Cetus, a sea
monster, to attack the coast. In great distress, the king consulted an oracle and learned that the
only way to stop Cetus was to offer his daughter as a sacrifice to the monster. The king
reluctantly complied and ordered that Andromeda be chained to the foot of a cliff by the sea. As
Cetus approached Andromeda to devour her, Perseus flew in on winged sandals and used
Hermess sword to kill the monster.

Eternal Love
Andromeda and Perseus stayed together even after their deaths. Athena placed
Andromeda in the sky as a constellation, along with Perseus, her parents, and Cetus.
Andromeda and Perseus were married and lived happily together. Unlike most husbands in
mythology, Perseus was faithful to his wife for as long as he lived. Together they had a son,
Perses.

A PROPHECY RETURNS

Perseus, a family man through and through, went to Argos to visit his grandfather,
Acrisius. Even though his grandfather had tried to have him and his mother killed, Perseus had
no hard feelings.b Acrisius, on the other hand, hearing about his grandsons journey to Argos
and remembering the prophecy that Danaes son would kill him, fled in fear. Perseus followed
Acrisius to Larissa, a city in Thessaly. Upon his arrival, he learned that the local kings father
had died and funeral games were being held in his honor. Perseus joined in the funeral games,
entering the discus-throwing competition.
During the games, Perseus threw a discus that struck Acrisius, accidentally killing him.
The old prophecy had been fulfilled. With the death of Acrisius, Perseus gained the throne of
Argos. He was so ashamed of the fact that hed killed his own grandfather, however, that he
wanted nothing to do with Argos. He
traded kingdoms and became king of Tiryns instead.