A king named Acrisius lived in the glorious city of Argos. He was rich and respected, but he was not happy, since he did not have an heir. Once the king decided to turn to the Delphic oracle for help, where the priestess Pythia told him the future. She said that your daughter will be born, and she will give you an heir who will kill you when she grows up. The king did not say a word, he was horrified by such a prediction. After a while, the king of Argos really had a daughter, but not an easy one. The girl was of exorbitant beauty, she was named Danae, in honor of the founder of the dynasty, King Danae and his fifty daughters Danaids. According to legend, Danai received a prediction that he would die at the hands of his son-in-law. He had 50 beautiful daughters. And his brother Egypt has 50 youths. The Egyptians wanted to intermarry with the daughters of Danae, but he was against this union.

Also, Perseus was presented with magic sandals, with the help of which it was possible to quickly float above the ground. The donated bag had the magical ability to change in size depending on the volume of things put inside. Putting Hades' sandals and hat in it, Perseus set off for the decisive battle.

The battle with Medusa the Gorgon Thanks to the magic sandals, Perseus managed to cross the sea and get to the island where serpentine monsters lived. When the hero managed to find the Gorgons, they all slept, to his happiness. The mirror-polished shield served Perseus as eyes.

With his help, he was able to clearly make out the sleeping sisters with steel scales and golden wings. Only the snakes on the heads of the Gorgons moved a little. The myth of Perseus and Medusa the Gorgon says that the hero's task was complicated by the fact that the deadly sisters were like two drops of water alike.

One more step

On the advice of Athena, Danai built a huge 50-oared ship to escape from the fifty sons of Egypt. However, on the island of Argos, the Egyptians reached Danaids and forced them to marry them. Holiday bells sounded, the holiday ended, but the silence of the night was interrupted by the last cries of young husbands.

Attention

The messenger of the gods gives Perseus a silver shield, lends him his winged sandals, a bag and a very sharp sickle that can cut anything. Hermes advises Perseus to fly to the caves where three sorceresses - Graia live. The Graia were the sisters of the Gorgons. According to legend, they were either already born old, or were born gray-haired. For three, they had only one eye, which they took turns passing to each other.

Thanks to winged sandals, Perseus quickly flies to the right place. According to one version, Perseus takes possession of their eye by force, at the moment of its transmission. On the other, an eye accidentally falls out of the hand of one sister and Perseus returns it.

For this, overwhelmed by the beauty and kindness of the youth, the Graia tell him the way to the island where the Gorgons live. Perseus immediately goes to the indicated island, and a terrible picture appears before him.

Ancient Greek myths: the myth of Perseus

Over time, his daughter becomes more and more beautiful, the age is approaching when she can already be wooed. In addition, there is not a single man who would not want such a beautiful and beautiful girl as a wife. However, Acrisius remembers the prediction, in secret he wishes his daughter to die.
One day he calls his daughter and her wet nurse with him. He leads them for a long time until they reach a huge tower. He asks them to come in first and the huge door slams shut at once. Now Danae is locked in the tower, now no young man can get close to her.
Danae screams in horror, but the inhabitants of Argos consider her missing, no one will hear her. But what is hidden from the eyes of people cannot be hidden from the eyes of the gods. Soon Danae is noticed by Zeus himself. God is amazed at her beauty.
Whoever Zeus was mortal women to take possession of them.

The myth of Perseus - a summary. Perseus and Medusa Gorgon

Important

Once he decided to go to the oracle to find out the further fate of his reign. In ancient Greece, as you know, the rule could be passed from father to son, but not to daughter. And Acrisius received a terrible prediction. His grandson will take his life.

The myth of Perseus and Medusa Gorgon

Thus, the ancient myths about Perseus tell of the victory of light over darkness, the change of night to a new day. Almost all legends of the times of antiquity are interpreted in a similar way. Any myth - about Perseus, Orpheus and Eurydice, Theseus and Ariadne, the exploits of Hercules - appears in this theory as a description of physical phenomena.

Whatever meaning is hidden behind the poetic narration, ancient legends continue to delight with their imagery and brilliance. The myth of Perseus inspired the creation of the great paintings of Delacroix, Rubens, Veronese, Titian. The famous sculpture by Cellini, depicting the hero with the severed head of Medusa in his hand, is still considered the most beautiful decoration of Florence.
Legend of the battle of Perseus with the Gorgon Medusa Having reached the place described by Hermes, he sees three terrible gorgons on the rock. Each scale burns with fire. How to determine which of them is Medusa? The myth of Perseus says that the brave hero heard a hint from Athena. It was the goddess who pointed out to him Medusa. The battle proceeded as follows:

1. From above, Perseus rushed to Medusa.
2. He defended himself with a shield and chopped off her head in one fell swoop.
3. He then donned a helmet to avoid fighting the immortal gorgons.
4. Used my sandals to escape.

They pursued him but could not find him.
The hero returns home with the head of Medusa in the sack! An interesting fact from the myth about Perseus According to ancient Greek mythology, when Perseus returned home, Medusa's blood dripped from the bag. At this time, the hero of ancient Greek mythology flew over Libya.
The entire people also feasted with the rulers of Ethiopia. During the feast, Perseus told the guests about his exploits. However, the wedding feast was ruined after the appearance of Andromeda's first groom with a large army. Phineus in the palace began to accuse the hero of stealing his bride, after which a desperate battle began. Perseus bravely fought with the superior forces of the enemy, but he was able to win only with the help of the head of Medusa. Thus, the statue of Phineus with an expression of fear and slavish supplication in his eyes remained forever in the palace. Return to Serif and revenge on Polydectus Perseus did not stay in Ethiopia for a long time after the bloody battle. Together with his beautiful wife, he hastened to return to his native island. Perseus's mother at this time was in despair, because she had to constantly hide in the temple of Zeus from Polydect. The angry Perseus decided to get even with the king of Serif in full.

Myths about Perseus summary 5 6 sentences

If you are the son of Zeus, you will defeat Medusa the Gorgon "- manipulates Polydect. -" Well, I'm ready "- After these words, Perseus sets off. The hero goes to the West, where the queen, the goddess of the night, reigns, where the three most dangerous gorgon sisters live. Their bodies are covered with strong, shiny scales, and their hands are covered with sharp claws that can cut through flesh. Snakes moved together hair, and eyes burned with fury. Everyone who met their gaze immediately turned to stone. The strongest was Medusa Gorgon, but it can be killed. The two older sisters are immortal. The gods take the side of Perseus For a long time Perseus wandered, but no one could help him with the road to the jellyfish. Only the glorious goddess Athena decided to tell the hero of ancient Greek mythology where to go. She sent Perseus to Hermes.

Myths about Perseus a summary of 5-6 sentences

Together with Danae and Andromeda, Perseus sailed to his homeland, to Argos. Upon learning of this, grandfather Acrisius, who had thrown him into the sea earlier, fled to the city of Larissa. After a while, the king of Larissa Teutamid invited Perseus to participate in athletic games.

The disc thrown by Perseus during the games accidentally fell into the leg of Acrisius, and the former king died from this wound. There the prophecy given to him was fulfilled. Repenting about this involuntary murder, Perseus decided to relinquish power over the inherited from his grandfather Argos and exchanged kingdoms with his uncle Megapent, who ruled in Tiryns. Near Tiryns, Perseus erected another glorious city - Mycenae. The walls of Mycenae were made of huge Cyclops stones.

Year of writing: 1936

Genre: fairy tale

Main characters: Perseus, Andromeda, Jellyfish

Plot

Perseus entered into battle with Medusa, from one glance into whose eyes people turned to stone. The young man was able to defeat this creature with the help of a mirror shield and chopped off its head and hid it in a bag.

Returning to his homeland, he saw a beautiful girl chained to a rock. He asked why this was done. And she replied that she was prepared as a sacrifice to the sea dragon, which once a year comes out of the sea and takes the most beautiful girl.

And at that moment a huge monster appeared from the depths of the sea, but Perseus was not at a loss, but pulled the head of Medusa out of the bag and showed it to the dragon, from the last glance of the witch he turned to stone. From now on, the inhabitants of this country did not need to sacrifice their daughters, and the beautiful Andromeda became the wife of a young man.

Conclusion (my opinion)

With the help of myths, people in ancient times explained the appearance of planets, stars, sun, moon, arts and crafts. The constellation Perseus and the radiant star Andromeda shine in the sky, looking at which we recall a wonderful legend, designed to perpetuate the bravery and valor of ancestors in the memory of descendants.

She said that your daughter will be born, and she will give you an heir who will kill you when she grows up.

The king did not say a word, he was horrified by such a prediction. After a while, the king of Argos really had a daughter, but not an easy one. The girl was of exorbitant beauty, she was named Danae, in honor of the founder of the dynasty, King Danae and his fifty daughters Danaids.

According to legend, Danai received a prediction that he would die at the hands of his son-in-law. He had 50 beautiful daughters. And his brother Egypt has 50 youths. The Egyptians wanted to intermarry with the daughters of Danae, but he was against this union.

On the advice of Athena, Danai built a huge 50-oared ship to escape from the fifty sons of Egypt. However, on the island of Argos, the Egyptians reached Danaids and forced them to marry them.

Holiday bells sounded, the holiday ended, but the silence of the night was interrupted by the last cries of young husbands. By order of their father, the Danaids drove sharp daggers into the heart of their husbands at night.

Hypermnestra alone was unable to kill her new husband, Linkeus. She took pity on him and saved him. Subsequently, their union brought a whole generation of heroes, Hercules himself belonged to this family.

According to one of the versions, Linkey subsequently caused the death of Danae. The Danaids themselves received their punishment only after death. Once in Hades, they are now forced to forever fill the bottomless well with water.

Acrisius can kill his daughter with one hand, but he is afraid to anger the gods. He does nothing. Over time, his daughter becomes more and more beautiful, the age is approaching when she can already be wooed. In addition, there is not a single man who would not want such a beautiful and beautiful girl as a wife.

However, Acrisius remembers the prediction, in secret he wishes his daughter to die. One day he calls his daughter and her wet nurse with him. He leads them for a long time until they reach a huge tower. He asks them to come in first and the huge door slams shut at once.

Now Danae is locked in the tower, now no young man can get close to her. Danae screams in horror, but the inhabitants of Argos consider her missing, no one will hear her.

But what is hidden from the eyes of people cannot be hidden from the eyes of the gods. Soon Danae is noticed by Zeus himself. God is amazed at her beauty. Whoever Zeus was mortal women to take possession of them. This time Zeus takes the form of a golden rain, and golden drops seep through the walls and gently drip onto the dozing Danae's belly. This is how the future hero, Perseus, was conceived.

Danae tries to explain to her father that she is not guilty of anything, but Acrisius, in anger, orders the maid and the guard to be beheaded, believing that they led the man into the tower.

Acrisius thinks for a long time what to do with his daughter and grandson. In the end, he decides to take action. He asks to build a large wooden box. In the finished chest he locks Danae and little Perseus and throws the chest overboard.

A thousand times Danae and his son were supposed to drown, but Zeus does not want one of his sons to die, he protects them until the chest reaches the island of Serifos.

On the shore, the chest is noticed by Dictis, a fisherman of the royal family. Dictis is horrified by Danaë's story and decides to accept them as if they were members of his family.

Then Polydect comes up with a trick. He informs that he is going to marry a foreign princess Gipadamia and arranges a feast for the whole world. Everyone should bring a rich gift in honor of this holiday. Preferably a horse or a whole stable, because his beloved loves horses.

“And you, Perseus, what will you give me? "Polydect asks. You have nothing of your own, everything that you have is only thanks to our help. Perseus is wounded and replies that he is ready to bring anything to the king as a gift.

“Is that all? "Answers Polydect, then bring me the head of Medusa the Gorgon." An icy silence reigns in the throne room. Everyone knows what this monster is.

According to legend, the sea elder Fork and the sea deity Keto had 3 daughters. Beautiful nymphs - Euryale, Sfeno and Medusa... The sisters personified chastity and served in the temple of Athena.

But once in a holy place - a temple, the god took possession of the medusa Poseidon... Athena became angry with Medusa and turned her into a terrible monster. Now her skin is rough and green, instead of the hair of a snake, and from one glance at her any living creature turns to stone.

According to one version, the same fate befell the sisters of Medusa, according to another, they themselves wanted to become monsters, since they could not live normally, knowing how their sister was suffering. Medusa was the only one of the three sisters who knew how to turn all life into stone, but she is also the only one did not possess immortality.

Athena punished Medusa for desecrating the temple, now no one dares to look at this monster. According to one version, Medusa was not evil and was hiding on the island. According to another, the change in appearance changed her, she loved to turn all living things into stone, believing that in this way she would grant immortality to all living things.

Polydect's plan would be perfect if not for one thing. Perseus is not a mere mortal, he is the son of Zeus. And besides, Athena herself has sympathy for Perseus. Athena believes that Medusa the Gorgon must be finally done away with, she must die.

Then she decides to help Perseus and sends him a messenger in the form Hermes... The messenger of the gods gives Perseus a silver shield, lends him his winged sandals, a bag and a very sharp sickle that can cut anything.
Hermes advises Perseus to fly to the caves where three sorceresses - Graia - live.

Graia were the sisters of the Gorgons. According to legend, they were either already born old, or were born gray-haired. For three, they had only one eye, which they took turns passing to each other.

Thanks to winged sandals, Perseus quickly flies to the right place. According to one version, Perseus takes possession of their eye by force, at the moment of its transmission. On the other, an eye accidentally falls out of the hand of one sister and Perseus returns it. For this, overwhelmed by the beauty and kindness of the youth, the Graia tell him the way to the island where the Gorgons live.

Perseus immediately goes to the indicated island, and a terrible picture appears before him. The entire island is surrounded by statues of unfortunate warriors, in whose eyes horror is read.

Finally, Perseus finds Medusa the Gorgon asleep. He knows not to look her in the eye. Having fastened his shield to the ground, Perseus waits for the gorgon to come a short enough distance, looking only at the reflection. Seeing her face in the reflection, behind him, Perseus makes only one sharp blow, and the Gorgon's head falls dead.

According to legend, from the blood of a gorgon that spell was born Pegasus- winged horse and Chrysaor- a giant. These were the children of Medusa and Poseidon.
That hour Perseus put the head of a jellyfish in a bag and went home. Where Perseus flew, the blood of a jellyfish dripped onto the land and sea. Falling on land, she gave birth to snakes, and red corals on the sea.

The blood of the gorgon had life-giving and destructive properties. It was collected in two vessels by Athena and presented to Asclepius. Subsequently, who studied the art of healing from Chiron, he could revive people. People stopped dying, and the god of death, Thanatos, complained to Zeus. Soon, Ascepius was struck by lightning.

It is noteworthy that Ascepius is depicted with a staff entwined with snakes. The snakes wrapped around the bowl later became a symbol of medicine.
The ancient name of the city of Anapa is associated with the name of the Gorgon - Gorgippia. The names of Gorgodian, Gorgon and Gorgias, and later George, who have survived to our time.

In the Middle Ages, strange creatures - gargoyles - were depicted on the walls of castles. Subsequently, they became the prototypes of modern gargoyles, winged creatures that turn into stone and in this state heal all wounds.

But on the way back to the island of Polydect, Perseus notices a young girl chained to a rock. It was Andromeda... Her mother, Queen Cassiopeia, once said that she is more beautiful than all the nymphs of the ocean. For this, the nymphs sent a terrible sea monster to her kingdom.

Together with Andromeda and the head of Medusa, Perseus finally arrives at Serifos and learns with horror that Polydectus was not going to marry a foreigner, all this time he was chasing his mother, who is still hiding in the temple of the goddess Hera.

Leaving Andromeda under the auspices of Dictis, Perseus goes to the throne room of the king. There he finds Polydect with his retinue. Perseus approaches the table and shows the severed head of medusa to the king and all his advisers. They did not answer. Perseus again hides his head in the bag and leaves, leaving behind the stone statues.

Soon after arriving in Argos, Perseus takes part in sports games organized in his honor. A crowd has gathered around and an unremarkable man sits among it. Discus throw competition begins. Perseus throws a disc, but a strong wind flow changes its trajectory and the disc hits a person. It was Acrisius. This is how the prediction of the Delphic oracle comes true again.

Birth of Perseus. Acrisius, king of the city of Argos, was rich and famous. He did not know the need for anything, and only one sorrow tormented his heart: he did not have a son. True, the immortal gods of unearthly beauty gave him a daughter named Danae, but it was not for her to transfer the throne after the death of her father. Acrisius decided to turn to the oracle for a prediction and find out if he would have a son. His answer was horrified: "You will never have a son, Acrisius, and your grandson will kill you." Then Acrisius decided: let him not have grandchildren, let Danae not marry!

He ordered to build vast chambers of bronze and stone deep underground and imprisoned his daughter in them; and to leave him alone, the suitors, who asked for the hand of Danae, announced that his daughter had unexpectedly died.

Zeus infiltrates Danae. Time passed. Danae lived in underground chambers, Acrisius calmed down, and less and less often recalled the ominous prediction, it seemed to him that he cleverly deceived fate. However, it was in vain that he thought so! The thunderer Zeus himself fell in love with Danae, from whom no one and nothing on earth would hide.

He penetrated to Danae in the form of a golden rain. The Argos princess became his wife and soon gave birth to a lovely boy. And she named him Perseus.

Acrisius concludes Danae
with Perseus in the box

Acrisius punishes Danae and little Perseus. For a long time Danae hid her son from Acrisius. But one day, when Acrisius was walking to his daughter, he heard children's laughter in her chambers. Acrisius crept silently to the door, flung it open - and saw the child. Acrisius was angry that they violated his order and allowed someone to go to Danae, he could not believe that Zeus himself was descending to his daughter. Acrisius decided to punish his daughter. By his order, skilled craftsmen made a huge box. They put Danae and little Perseus in this box, nailed him up and threw him into the sea: let them find their death there.

But Zeus did not let his son drown; for a long time the box rushed along the stormy waves of the salty sea, threw it from side to side, lifted it up on the waves and lowered it down into the very depths of the sea. The sea goddesses noticed him, started such a conversation: “What kind of box is rushing over the waves? Oh, hear, a little child is crying in it! Let's help him! ” They carefully picked up the box, brought it to the shore and there they lowered it into fishing nets.

The fisherman rescues Danae and Perseus. The owner of the nets, the fisherman Dictis, left the house. He pulls the nets to the shore, and in them is a box. "Wasn't the immortal gods sent me treasures?" He thought. Dictis opened the lid and saw a strikingly beautiful woman and a small child. Dictis took them to his brother, the king of the island of Serif named Polydect, and Danae and Perseus remained at the royal court. Perseus grew up there. Like a star, he shone among the young men of Serif: there was no equal to him in beauty, strength, courage.

Meanwhile, Polydect's wife died, and he planned to marry Danae. But she did not want marriage, and Perseus was her reliable protection. Polydect decided to get rid of Perseus.

Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa. Polydect began to sarcastically ridicule Perseus: “Miserable braggart! You assert that your father is the thunderer Zeus, but you yourself have not done anything great! " Perseus was hot: “I will prove to you who my father is! Give orders, and I will complete any of your tasks! " Pleased Polydect laughed: "Well, if you are so brave, bring me the head of the Gorgon Medusa!" “Okay, I'm ready,” Perseus replied calmly to the king.

He knew that it was incredibly difficult to keep his word. Far to the west, where the goddess of the night reigned, lived three Gorgon sisters. Their whole body was covered with hard shiny scales, their hands were copper and they ended not with fingers, but with sharp curved claws. Instead of hair, hissing venomous snakes moved on their heads; their eyes burned with fury, and everyone who met their gaze turned to stone. The two sisters were immortal, and only Medusa, the youngest of them, could be killed.

Athena comes to the aid of Perseus. Perseus set off on a journey. For a long time he wandered around the world, but no one could show him the way to the habitats of the gorgons. Perseus was already desperate, but the goddess of wisdom Athena appeared to him and said: “Your task is difficult, Perseus, but I will help you. Hermes will show you the way, and from me take a bronze shield: it is polished like a mirror. When you find the gorgons, look not at them, but at this shield: you will see everything, and you will not turn to stone ”. Saying so and giving Perseus a shield, the goddess disappeared, and Hermes appeared in her place. "Follow me!" - he ordered Perseus.

The instructions of Hermes. Perseus and Hermes walked for a long time, and now the end of the earth is near. “You will go further alone,” said Hermes. - Take this sharp sword - only with it can cut off Medusa's head. Listen to me carefully: there are three old grayi women living nearby, they have one eye and one tooth for three, and they pass them on to each other. You must take possession of them, then the grays will show you the way to the gorgons. You will meet nymphs on your way, take what they will give you, and their gifts will be useful to you ”. Having said so, Hermes disappeared. Perseus was left alone, but now he knew what to do. He walked forward.

Graia. The nymphs equip Perseus. Soon Perseus reached the places where the grays lived. The hero came up there in time - just one of them was passing an eye and a tooth to the other. Perseus snatched them from the old woman's hands: all three grays were blind. They prayed, asking them to return what was dearer to them than all the treasures in the world. Perseus took pity, but the grays had to show him the way. Perseus went where he was told, and soon found himself at a wonderful grove. Streams gurgled merrily in it, trees rustled cheerfully. The nymphs came out to meet Perseus and said: “We know where you are going! Here is a magic helmet for you: if you put it on, you will become invisible; and in these winged sandals you will be able to fly to the island where the gorgons live, and in this bag you will put the head of Medusa. "

Perseus thanked the good goddesses for their gifts, now he was sure that he would defeat Medusa! Perseus put on winged sandals and flew like a bird. Far below it is a land with green valleys and high mountains; the sea flashed - and already the hero rushes over its waves. Finally, here is the island of the gorgons.

Perseus decapitates
Gorgon Medusa

Perseus kills Medusa. Perseus went down and sees: three terrible gorgons are sleeping on a rock; their scales burn with fire in the sun, snakes on their heads move even in a dream. But which one is Medusa? Like two drops of water, gorgons look alike. Athena appeared here next to Perseus and whispered to him: “That one, extreme to the sea, is Medusa. Rather strike, but don't look at her! One look - and you are lost! " From above, Perseus rushed to Medusa; he looked into the shield, trying to strike. The snakes on Medusa's head felt the approach of the enemy, they hissed menacingly, but a sharp sword flashed like lightning, and Medusa's head fell; her dark blood poured onto the rock, and along with the streams of blood the winged horse Pegasus soared to the sky. Perseus quickly put on the invisibility helmet, grabbed the head of Medusa, put it in a sack and rushed away from the island. The sisters of Medusa woke up and saw a decapitated body; viciously and for a long time they rushed around the island through the air, but they did not find anyone. And Perseus was already over the sands of Libya; Medusa's blood seeped from the bag and fell to the ground in heavy drops. Tangles of poisonous snakes emerged from these drops. Since then, there have been more snakes in the Libyan Desert than anywhere else.

Medusa's head

Perseus and the unfortunate Andromeda. Long was the way back Perseus. So he reached the country of Ethiopia, the extreme south of the earth. King Kefei ruled there. His wife Cassiopeia was proud and declared that she was the most beautiful of all, even the immortal goddesses. The gods were angry and sent a terrible monster to Ethiopia - a huge whale that appeared from the sea, attacked people and swallowed them. He opened the oracle to Kefey that he should sacrifice his daughter Andromeda, and then the gods will have mercy on his country.

They took Andromeda to the seashore, chained her to a rock: she stands and waits for her death. Perseus saw Andromeda from above, and at first it seemed to him that in front of him was a beautiful statue of snow-white marble. But large tears rolled from the girl's eyes, her beautiful hair fluttered from the wind. Perseus went downstairs and asked: “Who are you, beautiful maiden? Why were you chained to a rock? " Andromeda told Perseus everything, and he decided to save her. Kefey and Cassiopeia agreed to give Andromeda as a wife to the hero if he defeats the monster.

Battle of Perseus with the whale monster. And then a huge whale appeared in the sea; Andromeda screamed loudly in horror, and the monster opened its mouth wide and began to approach the rock. Perseus rushed at him, and a terrible battle began. Perseus rushes around the whale in his winged sandals, strikes blow after blow. The monster furiously hits the water with a huge tail, throws thousands of splashes into the air; the sea was covered with foam mixed with blood. Perseus's winged sandals are wet, he can barely stay in the air. Perseus grabbed the rock that rose into the sea with one hand, and when the monster rushed at him to swallow him, he plunged the sword into his huge chest ... The dead whale turned upside down, and his black blood began to spread throughout the sea.

Perseus and Andromeda

Perseus broke heavy chains and brought Andromeda to the parental palace. They celebrated a magnificent wedding there, and then Perseus and his wife set off on their way to Serif, to their mother.

Polydect is punished. So the island appeared in the distance, on which Perseus and his mother had once found shelter. Perseus happily hurries home - and learns that Polydectus has completely tortured his mother with harassment; she had to seek refuge from him in the temple. Then Perseus went to Polydect's palace: there the tsar feasted merrily with friends. He saw Perseus and laughed drunkenly: “A-ah, a tramp, he has appeared! How long have you worn somewhere! Well, did you bring me the head of Medusa? " - "Yes, I have it here, in this bag." All the royal guests laughed here too: “You are lying, youth! You don't have the head of Medusa! And if there is, show us it! " Perseus's heart boiled with anger: he opened the sack, took out his head and exclaimed: "Do not believe, blame yourself!" Polydect and his guests instantly turned into stones.

Perseus in Argos. Perseus handed over power to Serif to Dictis, who once saved him with his mother, and he himself decided to move to his homeland, to Argos. Acrisius learned about his return and fled from Argos far to the north. And Perseus returned the helmet, sandals and bag to the nymphs, the shield to Athena, the sword to Hermes and began to rule happily in Argos. He gave the head of Medusa to Athena, and she placed it on her shield.

Many years later. Old Acrisius missed his homeland and decided to visit Argos again before his death. He came there on the day when Perseus arranged a competition. The Argos youths threw a heavy disc. The turn came to Perseus, he threw the disc; he soared high into the sky, and falling to the ground, hit Acrisius in the head and struck him to death. This is how the oracle's prediction came true. But this was the only sad event in the long and happy life of Perseus. When the earthly life of Perseus and Andromeda ended, the gods placed them in heaven. The constellations bearing their names are still shining for people.

Once the king of Argos, Acrisius, was predicted that his daughter Danae would have a son, from whose hands he was destined to perish. To avoid
fulfillment of the prediction, then king Acrisius locked his daughter in a copper-stone dungeon, but Zeus fell in love with Danae, penetrated there in the form of a golden rain, and after that Danae's son Perseus was born.
Hearing the cry of the child, the king ordered to take Danae and her baby out of there, to confine them both in a barrel and throw them into the sea. For a long time, Danae and the child carried the raging waves, but Zeus guarded her. Finally she was washed ashore on Serif Island. At this time, a fisherman named Dictis was fishing on the seashore. He noticed the barrel and pulled it ashore. Having freed Danae and her little son from the barrel, he brought them to his brother, the king of the island Polydectus. He accepted them cordially, left to live in his royal house and began to educate Perseus.
Perseus grew up and became a handsome youth. When Polydectus decided to marry Danae, Perseus in every possible way prevented this marriage. For this, Tsar Polydect took a dislike to him and decided to get rid of him. He instructed Perseus to perform a dangerous feat - to go to a distant country and cut off the head of the terrible Medusa, one of the three terrible monsters called Gorgons. There were three of them, and one of them was called Sfeno, the other was Euryale, and the third was Medusa, and only this of the three was mortal. These winged serpentine maidens lived in the far West, in the region of Night and Death.
They had such a terrible look and such a terrible look that anyone who saw them turned to stone at their very glance.
Tsar Polydect hoped that if young Perseus met Medusa in that distant country, he would never return.
So the brave Perseus set off on a journey in search of these monsters and after long wanderings he finally came to the area of ​​Night and Death, where the father of the terrible gorgons, named Forkis, reigned. Perseus met three old women on the way to the gorgons, who were called grays. They were born with gray hair, all three had a single eye and only one tooth, which they shared alternately.

These gras were guarded by the Gorgon sisters. Good nymphs lived on the way to them.
Perseus came to the nymphs, and they gave him winged sandals that could easily support him in the air. They also presented him with a bag and a helmet of Hades, made of dog skin, making a person invisible. The cunning Hermes handed him his sword, and Athena gave him a metal shield, smooth as a mirror. Armed with them, Perseus took off on his winged sandals, flew across the ocean and came to the gorgon sisters. When he approached them, the terrible sisters were sleeping at that time; and Perseus cut off the head of Medusa with his sharp sword and threw it into the bag presented to him by the nymphs. Perseus did all this without looking at Medusa - he knew that her gaze could turn him to stone, and he held a mirror-smooth shield in front of him. But as soon as Perseus had time to cut off Medusa's head, the winged horse Pegasus immediately emerged from her body and the giant Chrysaor grew up.
At this time, Medusa's sisters woke up. But Perseus put on his invisibility helmet and flew back in winged sandals, and his terrible gorgon sisters could not catch up.
The wind lifted him high into the air, and when he flew over the sandy Libyan desert, drops of Medusa's blood fell to the ground and poisonous snakes, which are found in Libya so much, grew out of her blood.
Mighty winds rose and began to carry Perseus through the air in different directions; but by evening he managed to reach the Far West, and young Perseus found himself in the kingdom of the giant Atlanta. Fearing to fly at night, Perseus sank to the ground.
And the giant Atlas was a rich king of that country, and he owned many herds and huge gardens; in one of them grew a tree with golden branches, and the leaves and fruits were also all golden.

It was predicted to Atlanta that one day the son of Zeus would appear and pick the golden fruits from the tree. Then Atlas surrounded his garden with a high wall and instructed the young hesperides and the terrible dragon to guard the golden apples and not let anyone near them.

Perseus appeared to Atlant and, calling himself Zeus's son, began to ask him to receive him. But Atlas remembered the ancient prediction and refused shelter to Perseus and wanted to drive him out. Then Perseus took the head of Medusa from the bag and showed it to Atlanta. The giant could not resist the terrible power of Medusa and petrified with horror. His head became the top of a mountain, and his shoulders and arms became its spurs, his beard and hair turned into dense forests. A pointed mountain rose, grew to enormous proportions. She reached the very sky, and it lay with all its stars on the shoulders of Atlanta, and from that time on, the giant has been holding this heavy burden.
So after taking revenge on Atlant, the next morning Perseus rose again on his winged sandals into the air, and he flew for a long time until he finally arrived at the shores of Ethiopia, where Kefei reigned.
Perseus saw the beautiful young Andromeda on the deserted coast, chained to a rock. She had to atone for the guilt of her mother Cassiopeia, who once, boasting of her beauty in front of the nymphs, said that she was the most beautiful of all. Angry, the nymphs complained to Poseidon and asked her to punish her. And Poseidon sent a flood to Ethiopia and a terrible sea monster that devoured people and livestock.
The oracle predicted that Kefey should give his daughter Andromeda to this terrible monster to be devoured; and now she was chained to the sea rock.
Perseus saw the beautiful Andromeda chained to a rock. She stood motionless, and the wind of her hair did not stir, and if there were no tears in her eyes, one could take her for a marble statue.
The astonished Perseus looked at her, went down to her, began to ask the crying girl what her name was, where she was from and why she was chained to a desert rock. Not immediately, but finally the girl told Perseus who she was and why she was chained to this rock.
Suddenly the sea waves rustled and a monster swam out of the depths of the sea. Opening its terrible mouth, it rushed to Andromeda. The girl cried out in horror, King Kefey and Cassiopeia came running to her cry, but they could not save their daughter and began to mourn her bitterly. Then Perseus shouted to them from above:
- I am Perseus, the son of Danae and Zeus, who cut off the head of the terrible Medusa. Promise me to give your daughter to wife if I save her.
Kefey and Cassiopeia agreed to this and promised to give him not only their daughter, but also their entire kingdom to boot.
At this time, the monster swam up, cutting the waves like a ship, closer and closer, and now it is almost at the very rock. Then young Perseus rose high into the air, holding his shiny shield in his hand. The monster saw the reflection of Perseus in the water and in a rage rushed at him. Like an eagle that pounces on a snake, so Perseus swooped down on the monster and thrust his sharp sword deep into it. The wounded monster flew high into the air, then rushed down to Perseus like a wild boar pursued by dogs. But the young man in his winged sandals dodged the monster and began to strike him with a sword blow after blow, and now black blood gushed from the monster's mouth. During the battle, Perseus's wings got wet, with difficulty he flew to the coast and, noticing a rock rising from the sea, escaped on it. Holding onto the stone with his left hand, he inflicted several more wounds on the monster with his right, and the monster, bleeding, sank to the bottom of the sea.
The young man rushed to Andromeda and freed her from her chains.
Delighted, Kefey and Cassiopeia joyfully greeted the young hero and took the bride and groom to their home. Soon a wedding feast was arranged, and Eros and Hymen were at their wedding with torches in their hands, played flutes and lyres, sang merry songs; the wedding guests listened to the story of the exploits of the hero Perseus.
But suddenly a crowd came to Kefei's house, led by the king's brother Phineus, who had previously wooed Andromeda, but left her during the trouble.
And here Phineus demanded to give him Andromeda. He raised his spear to Perseus, but Kefey obscured him. Then the enraged Phiney threw a spear at the young man with all his might, but did not hit. Perseus grabbed the same spear, and if Phineus had not hidden behind the altar, it would have pierced his chest, but the spear hit one of Phineus's warriors, who fell dead to the ground. And then a bloody battle began at a merry feast. Like a lion, Perseus fought against numerous enemies; the young hero was surrounded by a large crowd of enemies led by Phineus. Leaning against a high column, he hardly fought off the soldiers attacking him, but at last he saw that he could not defeat the overwhelming enemies. Then he took the head of Medusa out of the bag, and one by one, at the sight of her, the enemies turned to stone. Already the last warrior stands like a stone statue with a spear raised in his hand.

In horror, Phineus saw that his soldiers were petrified. He recognized them in the stone statues, began to call them and, in disbelief, touched each of them - but he had only a cold stone at hand.
In horror, Phineus held out his hands to Perseus and asked to spare him. Laughing, Perseus answered him: "You will not be touched by my spear, but I will set you up as a stone monument in the house of my father-in-law." And he raised the head of the terrible Medusa over Phineus. Phineus looked at her and immediately turned into a stone statue expressing cowardice and humiliation.

Perseus married the beautiful Andromeda and went with his young wife to the island of Serif, where he saved his mother by turning King Polydectus into stone, who forced her to marry, and Perseus gave power over the island to his friend Dictis.
Perseus returned the winged sandals to Hermes, and the invisible helmet to Hades; Pallas Athena received the head of Medusa as a gift and attached it to her shield.
Then Perseus went with his young wife Andromeda and his mother to Argos, and then to the city of Larissa, where he took part in games and competitions. The grandfather of Perseus, who moved to the land of the Pelasgians, was also present at these games. Here the oracle's prediction finally came true.
Throwing the disc, Perseus accidentally hit his grandfather with it and inflicted a mortal wound on him.
In deep sorrow, Perseus recognized who this old man was, and buried him with great honors. Then he gave power over Argos to his relative Megapent, and he himself began to rule Tiryns.
For many years Perseus lived happily with Andromeda, and she bore him beautiful sons.

- THE END -

Myths and legends of ancient Greece. Illustrations.