Perseus is a legendary ancient Greek athlete, hero and winner, a character of myths Ancient Greece... Perseus - demigod, son of the supreme god of thunder and lightning Zeus and the earthly princess, the beautiful Danae.

Danae's father, King Acrisius, having heard the oracle's prediction that her daughter would give birth to a child from God, and this child would accidentally kill him, Acrisia, imprisoned her in prison and assigned a servant to guard the princess day and night. But Zeus, in love, entered the beautiful Danae in the form of a golden rain, and while the maid was collecting gold coins from the floor in excitement, he entered the princess's bedroom. The famous classic painting by the artist Rembrandt tells exactly about this love story. Perseus was born from this love meeting.

When Perseus grew up, he became famous for the fact that defeated the monster Medusa Gorgon. This sorceress wore hissing venomous snakes on her head instead of her hair, and everyone who looked at the Gorgon turned to stone forever. So many people and heroes died that they tried to destroy the monster. King Polydect, imprisoning the mother of Perseus, Danae, in his chambers, sent Perseus to kill the Gorgon in order to get rid of him once and for all. Such an assignment then was tantamount to sending someone to certain death.

The gods helped Perseus to kill Medusa - they gave him magical equipment: winged sandals, magic bag, invisibility hat. Killing Medusa and not disappearing to Perseus himself was helped by skill and ingenuity - he looked at the sleeping monster through the reflection of that on a copper mirrored shield. Having chopped off Medusa's head, Perseus brought her in a sack to Polydect's palace and showed her to the king. The head of Medusa for a long time retained the ability to turn people to stone, and Polydect and his retinue turned to stone, and Perseus freed his mother from captivity.

After this feat, Perseus was called to free people from another monster. It was a sea monster that rose from the depths to eat the captives prepared for him as a sacrifice. After killing the sea serpent, Perseus freed the captives tied to the rock, and then married one of the captives - princess Andromeda. Perseus and Andromeda had many children, they lived happily ever after.

Perseus's story is about heroism, fortitude and courage. Message about Perseus Perseus is a legendary ancient Greek athlete, hero and winner, a character in the myths of Ancient Greece. Perseus is a demigod, the son of the supreme god of thunder and lightning Zeus and the earthly princess, the beautiful Danae. Danae's father, King Acrisius, having heard the oracle's prediction that her daughter would give birth to a child from God, and this child would accidentally kill him, Acrisia, imprisoned her in a dungeon and assigned a servant to guard the princess day and night. But Zeus, in love, entered the beautiful Danae in the form of a golden rain, and while the maid was collecting gold coins from the floor in excitement, he entered the princess's bedroom. The famous classic painting by the artist Rembrandt tells exactly about this love story. Perseus was born from this love meeting. When Perseus grew up, he became famous for defeating the monster Medusa Gorgon. This sorceress wore hissing venomous snakes on her head instead of her hair, and everyone who looked at the Gorgon turned to stone forever. So many people and heroes died that they tried to destroy the monster. King Polydect, imprisoning the mother of Perseus, Danae, in his chambers, sent Perseus to kill the Gorgon in order to get rid of him once and for all. Such an assignment then was tantamount to sending someone to certain death. The gods helped Perseus to kill Medusa - they gave him magical equipment: winged sandals, a magic bag, an invisibility hat. Dexterity and ingenuity helped Perseus to kill Medusa and not perish himself - he looked at the sleeping monster through the reflection of that on a copper mirrored shield. Having chopped off Medusa's head, Perseus brought her in a sack to Polydect's palace and showed her to the king. The head of Medusa for a long time retained the ability to turn people to stone, and Polydect and his retinue turned to stone, and Perseus freed his mother from captivity. After this feat, Perseus was called to free people from another monster. It was a sea monster that rose from the depths to eat the captives prepared for him as a sacrifice. After killing the sea serpent, Perseus freed the captives tied to a rock, and then married one of the captives, Princess Andromeda. Perseus and Andromeda had many children, they lived happily ever after. Perseus's story is about heroism, fortitude and courage.

Perseus Perseus

(Perseus, Περσεύς). Son of Zeus and Danae. His most remarkable feat was the slaying of the Gorgon Medusa; he accomplished this feat with the help of Athena and Hermes, who got him flying sandals, a bag and Hades' invisibility helmet; besides, Hermes gave him a sickle, and Athena a mirror. Equipped with all these items, he went to the dwelling of the Gorgons. He found them sleeping and, looking at the image of Medusa in the mirror of Athena, so as not to turn to stone, he chopped off the monster's head and hid it in a bag. Then, putting on an invisibility helmet, with his burden on his back, he escaped the pursuit of the other two Gorgons and went to Ethiopia; where he saved Andromeda from the sea monster, whom he married (see Andromeda). Perseus gave the head of Medusa to Athena, who placed it in the middle of her shield. Subsequently, in fulfillment of an ancient prophecy, Perseus accidentally killed his grandfather (see Acrisius).

(A source: " Concise vocabulary mythology and antiquities ”. M. Korsh. St. Petersburg, publication of A.S.Suvorin, 1894.)

Perseus

The famous hero, the son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of the Argos king Acrisius. Acrisius was once predicted that he would die at the hands of his grandson. To avoid this, Acrisius imprisoned Danae in a copper tower, where no mortal could have access. Mortal - yes, but Greece was inhabited not only by mortal people ... Zeus contrived to penetrate the tower to Danae in the form of a golden rain, as a result, after the allotted time, she gave birth to Perseus. The enraged Acrisius placed his daughter and grandson in a box and ordered him to be hard nailed, and then thrown into the sea.

Stars shine in the blue sky

In the blue sea, waves whip;

A cloud is walking across the sky

The barrel floats on the sea.

For many days, the box rushed along the waves until it was nailed to the island of Serif. Danae and Perseus were saved. Perseus was first brought up in the house of Dictis, and then was sent by the king Polydect (by the way, the brother of Dictis), who fell in love with Danae, behind the head of the gorgon Medusa. Athena and Hermes helped Perseus. On the advice of the gods, the glorious hero first reached the limits of the far west, where the prophetic old women lived - the three sisters of Graia, who had one eye and one tooth for three. By cunning, Perseus stole this tooth and eye from them, and returned them only for winged sandals, a bag and a magical Hades invisibility hat. The Grays showed Perseus the way to the Gorgons. Hermes gave him a sharp, crooked knife. Armed with this gift, Perseus arrived at the gorgons. Rising into the air on winged sandals, Perseus was able to cut off the head of the mortal Medusa, one of the three sisters of the gorgons, looking at the reflection on the shining shield of Athena - after all, Medusa's gaze turned all living things into stone. Perseus hid from other gorgons with the help of an invisibility cap, hiding Medusa's head in his shoulder bag. In Ethiopia, on the way home, Perseus freed the royal daughter Andromeda from the sea monster, who was given to be eaten by the sea monster. And having killed her fiancé, he took Andromeda as his wife. Arriving at Serif, Perseus found Danae in the temple, where she was hiding from the persecution of Polydect. Perseus turned Polydect and his minions into stones, showing them the head of Medusa the Gorgon, after which he made Dictis the ruler of the island. Having done all this, Perseus gave the sandals and the invisibility helmet to the nymphs, and the head of Medusa the Gorgon to Athena. Somehow Danae and Perseus decided to visit Acrisius, but he, remembering the prediction, did not let either her or Perseus into the house. Many more years passed, and once at the games Perseus accidentally threw the disc to where the audience stood. Among them was Acrisius. The disc hit him and killed him to death. Not wanting to reign after the accidental murder of his grandfather, Perseus left the Argos throne to his relative, and he himself went to Tiryns. From Andromeda, Perseus had a daughter, Gorgophon, and six sons. The eldest of them, Pers, was considered the ancestor of the Persian people, Alcaeus - the father of Amphitryon, Sfenel - the father of Eurystheus, Electrion - Alcmene. Perseus was the grandfather of Leucippus. Great-grandfather of Hercules. Perseus was credited with the founding of Mycenae. According to later myths, the gods lifted Perseus to heaven, Andromeda, the mother of Andromeda Cassiopeia, and the sea monster, from which Pndromeda was once saved, turning them into constellations. There is an opinion about the eastern origin of the myth of Perseus, but the analysis of the names actors suggests a Mycenaean origin for the legend. The myth attracted many artists (Tintoretto, Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, Tiepolo), sculptors (Benvenuto Cellini, Canova, etc.). The features of the Perseus myth were included in the Christian legend of George the Victorious. // Edward BURN-JONES: Perseus and Graia // Edward BURN-JONES: Perseus and the sea nymphs

// Edward BURN-JONES: The Death Head // Edward BURN-JONES: The Death of Medusa // Jose Maria de HEREDIA: Perseus and Andromeda // N.A. Kuhn: THE BIRTH OF PERSEUS // N.A. Kuhn: PERSEUS KILLS GORGON MEDUSA // N.A. Kuhn: PERSEUS AND ATLAS // N.A. Kuhn: PERSEUS SAVES ANDROMEDA // N.A. Kuhn: THE WEDDING OF PERSEUS // N.A. Kuhn: THE RETURN OF PERSEUS TO THE SERIF // N.A. Kuhn: PERSEUS IN ARGOS

(Source: "Myths of Ancient Greece. Reference Dictionary." EdwART, 2009.)

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Perseus- chases the gorgon Medusa. Fragment of painting on an amphora. Around 490 BC NS. Perseus pursues the gorgon Medusa. Fragment of painting on an amphora. Around 490 BC NS. Perseus in the myths of the ancient Greeks is the son of Danai and Zeus, the hero who chopped off the head of the gorgon Medusa. ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary "World History"

Perseus- Perseus. Sculpture by B. Cellini. Bronze. 1545 54. Loggia dei Lanzi. Florence. PERSEUS, in Greek mythology hero, son of Zeus and Danae. With a sickle-shaped sword, presented by Hermes, Perseus with the help of a cap of invisibility and winged sandals (gifts of nymphs) ... ... Illustrated encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Greek sob. name). 1) the son of Jupiter and Danai, who defeated Medusa by chopping off her head. 2) the constellation of the northern hemisphere. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov AN, 1910. PERSEUS in Greek. mythol., son of Zeus and Danae, hero ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

PERSEUS, in Greek mythology, a hero, the son of Zeus and Danae. With a sickle-shaped sword, presented by Hermes, Perseus with the help of a cap of invisibility and winged sandals (gifts from nymphs) cut off the head of the Gorgon Medusa ... Modern encyclopedia

- (c. 213,166 BC) the last king of Macedonia (in 179,168). In the war (171-168) against Rome, having organized and led an anti-Roman coalition, he won several victories, but in 168 at the Battle of Pydna, the army of Perseus was defeated; captured Perseus died in ...

- (Perseus), bright constellation Northern Hemisphere. Alpha Perseus has a magnitude of 1.8. Beta Perseus, ALGOL, is an obscured DOUBLE STAR. Perseus crosses The milky way … Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

I Perseus in Greek mythology is a hero, the son of Zeus and Danae. Killed the gorgon Medusa; freed Andromeda and others from the sea monster. II Perseus (about 213 166 BC), the last king of Macedonia (179 168). In the war (171,168) against Rome, organizing ... encyclopedic Dictionary

PERSEUS (Περσαίος) from Kitia (approx. 300 approx. 243 BC) Greek philosopher Stoic, student and pupil of Zeno of China (according to one version, was his slave). For a long time he lived at the court of Antigonus Gonatus and was appointed commandant of Corinth (where, ... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

In Greek mythology, the hero, the son of Zeus and Danae. Killed the gorgon Medusa; freed Andromeda and others from the sea monster ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

When Prometheus stole the divine fire for mortals, taught them arts and crafts and gave them knowledge, life on earth became happier. Zeus, enraged by the act of Prometheus, severely punished him, and sent evil to the people. He commanded the glorious blacksmith god Hephaestus to mix earth and water and make from this mixture a beautiful girl who would have the strength of people, a gentle voice and eyes like those of immortal goddesses. The daughter of Zeus, Pallas Athena, had to weave beautiful clothes for her; the goddess of love, the golden Aphrodite, had to give her an irresistible charm; Hermes - give her a cunning mind and resourcefulness. Immediately, the gods fulfilled the command of Zeus. Hephaestus made an unusually beautiful girl out of the earth. The gods revived her. Pallas Athena with the charites clothed the girl in clothes shining like the sun and put gold necklaces on her. The ores laid a wreath of fragrant spring flowers on her lush curls. Hermes put false and flattering speeches into her mouth. The gods called her Pandora, since she received gifts from all of them * 1. Pandora had to bring misfortune to people. ___________ * 1 Pandora means - endowed with all gifts. When this evil for people was ready, Zeus sent Hermes to take Pandora to earth to Prometheus's brother, Epimeteus. Wise Prometheus many times warned his unreasonable brother and advised him not to accept gifts from the thunderer Zeus. He was afraid that these gifts would bring grief to people. But Epimetheus did not listen to the advice of his wise brother. Pandora captivated him with her beauty, and he took her as his wife. Soon Epimetheus learned how much evil Pandora had brought with her to people. In the house of Epimetheus there was a large vessel, tightly closed with a heavy lid; no one knew what was in this vessel, and no one dared to open it, since everyone knew that it threatened with trouble. Curious Pandora secretly removed the lid from the vessel, and the calamities that were once contained in it scattered across the land. Only Nadezhda remained at the bottom of the huge vessel. The lid of the vessel slammed shut again, and Nadezhda did not fly out of Epimetheus's house. I didn't want it thunderer Zeus... Lived happily before people without knowing evil, hard work and destructive diseases. Now a myriad of calamities have spread among the people. Now both the land and the sea were filled with evil. Uninvited, day and night, evil and sickness come to people, they bring suffering with them to people. With inaudible steps, they silently come, since Zeus deprived them of the speechlessness - he created evil and diseases dumb. EAC * 1 ___________ * 1 The myth of Eak is especially interesting in that it clearly expresses a vestige of totemism. The myth tells how the Myrmidonian tribe came from ants. The belief that humans can be descended from animals is inherent in primitive religion. Based on Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses" Zeus the Thunderer, having kidnapped the beautiful daughter of the river god Asop, took her to the island of Oinopia, which has since been named after Asop's daughter, Aegina. The son of Aegina and Zeus, Eak, was born on this island. When Eak grew up, matured and became the king of the island of Aegina, no one could equal him throughout Greece either in love of truth or justice. The great Olympians themselves honored Eak and often elected him as a judge in their disputes. After death, Eak, like Minos and Radamant, became, by the will of the gods, a judge in the underworld. Only the great goddess Hera hated Eak. Hera sent a great calamity to the kingdom of Eak. A thick fog enveloped the island of Aegina, and this fog lasted for four months. Finally the south wind dispersed it. But not liberation from calamity, but death was brought by the wind with its breath. From the pernicious fog, innumerable poisonous snakes filled the ponds, springs and streams of Aegina, they poisoned everyone with their poison. A terrible pestilence began on Aegina. All living things died out on it. Only Eak and his sons remained unharmed. In despair, Eak raised his hands to the sky and exclaimed: - Oh, great aegis Zeus, if you really were the spouse of Aegina, if you really are my father and are not ashamed of your offspring, then return my people to me, or hide me in in the gloom of the grave! Zeus gave a sign to Eak that he heeded his plea. Lightning flashed, and a thunderclap rolled across the cloudless sky. Eak understood that his prayer had been heard. Where Eak prayed to father Zeus, there was a mighty oak dedicated to the Thunderer, and at its roots there was an anthill. Accidentally, Eak's eyes fell on an anthill full of thousands of hard-working ants. Eak watched for a long time as the ants fussed and built their ant city, and said: - Oh, gracious father Zeus, give me as many hardworking citizens as there are ants in this anthill. As soon as Eak uttered this, the oak rustled with its mighty branches in complete calm. Another sign was sent by Zeus to Eak. Night has come. Eak had a wonderful dream. He saw the sacred oak of Zeus, its branches were covered with many ants. The branches of the oak fluttered, and ants rained down from them. Falling to the ground, the ants became more and more, so they got to their feet, straightened, they disappeared dark color and thinness, they gradually turned into people. Eak woke up, he does not believe the prophetic dream, he even complains about the gods that they do not send him help. Suddenly there was a loud noise. Eak hears footsteps, human voices, which he has not heard for a long time. "Isn't this a dream," he thinks. Suddenly his son Telamon runs in, rushes to his father and, joyful, says: - Get out soon, father! You will see a great miracle, which you did not expect. Eak came out of peace and saw alive those people whom he saw in his dream. The people who were earlier ants proclaimed Eacus king, and he called them the Myrmidons * 1. So Aegina was settled again. ___________ * 1 From the word myrmex - ant. DANAIDS Basically, it is based on the tragedy of Aeschylus "Those who pray for protection". The son of Zeus and Io, Epaph, had a son Bel, and he had two sons - Egypt and Danai. The entire country irrigated by the blessed Nile was ruled by Egypt, from which this country received its name. Danai ruled in Libya. The gods gave Egypt fifty sons. I give fifty beautiful daughters. They captivated the Danaids of the sons of Egypt with their beauty, and they wanted to marry beautiful girls, but Danai and the Danaids refused them. The sons of Egypt gathered a large army and went to war against Danae. Danai was defeated by his nephews, and he had to lose his kingdom and flee. With the help of the goddess Pallas Athena, Danai built the first fifty-oar ship and set off on it with his daughters into the endless, ever-rustling sea. Danae's ship sailed for a long time on the waves and finally sailed to the island of Rhodes. Here Danai stopped; he went ashore with his daughters, founded a sanctuary for his patroness, the goddess Athena, and made rich sacrifices to her. Danai did not stay in Rhodes. Fearing the persecution of the sons of Egypt, he sailed with his daughters further, to the coast of Greece, to Argolis * 1 - the homeland of his progenitor Io. Zeus himself guarded the ship during a dangerous voyage on the boundless sea. After a long journey, the ship landed on the fertile shores of Argolis. Here Danai and the Danaids hoped to find protection and salvation from the marriage they hated with the sons of Egypt, ___________ * 1 Region in the north-west of the Peloponnese. Under the guise of begging for protection with olive branches in their hands, the Danaids went ashore. There was no one to be seen on the shore. Finally, a cloud of dust appeared in the distance. It was approaching quickly. Already in the cloud of dust one can see the glittering of shields, helmets and spears. The noise of the wheels of war chariots is heard. This is the approach of the army of the king of Argolis, Pelasgus, the son of Palekhton. Announced of the arrival of the ship, Pelasgus came to the seashore with his army. He did not meet the enemy there, but the old man Danae and his fifty beautiful daughters. With branches in hand, they greeted him, begging for protection. Stretching out their hands to him, with eyes full of tears, his beautiful daughters Danae pray to help them against the proud sons of Egypt. In the name of Zeus, the mighty protector of those who pray, they conjure the Danaids of Pelasgus not to betray them. After all, they are not strangers in Argolis - this is the homeland of their progenitor Io. Pelasgus is still hesitant - he is afraid of the war with the mighty rulers of Egypt. What should he do? But he is even more afraid of the wrath of Zeus, if, having violated his laws, he repels those who pray in his name of the Thunderer for protection. Finally, Pelasgus advises Danai to go to Argos himself and there put olive branches on the altar of the gods as a sign of a prayer for protection. He himself decides to gather the people and ask their advice. Pelasgus promises the Danaids to make every effort to convince the citizens of Argos to protect them. Exit Pelasgus. The Danaids await with trepidation the decisions of the national assembly. They know how indomitable the sons of Egypt are, how formidable they are in battle; they know what threatens them if the ships of the Egyptians dock on the coast of Argolis. What should they, defenseless maidens, do if the inhabitants of Argos deprive them of shelter and help? Unhappiness is near. The messenger of the sons of Egypt has already arrived. He threatens to take the Danaids to the ship by force, he grabbed one of Dana's daughters by the hand and orders his slaves to seize the others. But here again King Pelasgus appears. He takes the Danaids under his protection, he is not afraid of the fact that the messenger of the sons of Egypt threatens him with war. The death brought Pelasgus and the inhabitants of Argolis the decision to protect Danai and his daughters. Defeated in a bloody battle, Pelasgus was forced to flee to the very north of his vast domains. True, Danae was elected king of Argos, but in order to buy peace from the sons of Egypt, he still had to give them his beautiful daughters as wives. The sons of Egypt splendidly celebrated their wedding with the Danaids. They did not know what fate this marriage brings them. The noisy wedding feast was over; wedding hymns fell silent, marriage torches went out; the darkness of the night enveloped Argos. A deep silence reigned in the city enveloped in sleep. Suddenly, in the silence, there was a dying, heavy groan, here's another, another and another. A terrible atrocity was committed under the cover of the night of the Danaids. With the daggers given to them by their father Dan, they pierced their husbands, as soon as sleep closed their eyes. Thus, the sons of Egypt perished a terrible death. Only one of them, the beautiful Linkey, escaped. Danae's young daughter, Hypernestra, took pity on him. She was unable to pierce her husband's chest with a dagger. She woke him up and secretly led him out of the palace. Danai came to a violent anger when he learned that Hypermnestra had disobeyed his command. Danai put his daughter in heavy chains and threw her into prison. The court of the elders of Argos gathered to judge Hypernestra for disobeying her father. Danai wanted to put his daughter to death. But the goddess of love herself, the golden Aphrodite, came to the court. She protected Hypernestra and saved her from brutal execution... Compassionate loving daughter Danae became Linke's wife. The gods blessed this marriage with numerous offspring of great heroes. Hercules himself, the immortal hero of Greece, belonged to the family of Linkeus. Zeus did not want the death of other Danaids either. At the behest of Zeus, Athena and Hermes cleansed the Danaids from the filth of the shed blood. King Danai staged great games in honor of the Olympian gods. The winners in these games received the wives of the daughters of Danae as a reward. But the Danaids still did not escape punishment for their atrocity. They carry her after their death in the dark kingdom of Hades. The Danaids must fill a huge vessel that has no bottom with water. They always carry water, scooping it up in an underground river, and pour it into a vessel. Here, it seems, the vessel is already full, but water flows out of it, and again it is empty. Again the Danaids are set to work, again they carry water and pour it into a vessel without a bottom. And so their fruitless work lasts endlessly. PERSEUS Perseus is one of the most popular heroes in Greece. Many myths have survived about him, which were not told the same everywhere. It is interesting that the ancient Greeks transferred a number of persons acting in these myths to heaven. And now we know such constellations as Perseus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia (Andromeda's mother) and Kefey (her father). Based on Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses" THE BIRTH OF PERSEUS The king of Argos Acrisius, the grandson of Linkeus, had a daughter, Danai, famous for her unearthly beauty. Acrisius was predicted by the oracle that he would die at the hands of the son of Danae. To avoid such a fate, Acrisius built vast chambers deep underground of bronze and stone, and there he imprisoned his daughter Danae so that no one would see her. But the great thunderer Zeus fell in love with her, entered the underground chambers of Danae in the form of a golden rain, and the daughter of Acrisius became the wife of Zeus. From this marriage, a lovely boy was born to Dana. His mother named him Perseus. Little Perseus did not live long with his mother in the underground chambers. Once Acrisius heard the voice and cheerful laughter of little Perseus. He went down to his daughter to find out why children laugh in her chambers. Acrisius was surprised to see a lovely little boy. How frightened he was when he learned that this was the son of Danae and Zeus. Immediately he remembered the prediction of the oracle. Again he had to think about how to avoid fate. Finally Acrisius ordered to make a large wooden box , imprisoned Danae and her son Perseus in it, clogged the box and ordered them to be thrown into the sea. For a long time the box rushed along the stormy waves of the salty sea. Danae and her son were threatened with death. The waves threw the box from side to side, then lifted it high on their crests, then lowered it into the depths of the sea. Finally, the eternally noisy waves drove the box to the island of Serifu * 1. At that time, the fisherman Dictis was fishing on the shore. He just threw a net into the sea. The box got entangled in the nets, and together with them Dictis pulled it ashore. He opened the drawer and, to his surprise, saw in it a strikingly beautiful woman and a lovely little boy. Dictis took them to his brother, the king of Serif, Polydect. ___________ * 1 One of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. He grew up at the palace of King Polydectus Perseus and became a strong, slender youth. Like a star, he shone among the youths of Serif with his divine beauty, no one was equal to him, neither in beauty, nor strength, nor dexterity, nor courage. PERSEUS KILLS GORGON MEDUSA Polydectus planned to forcibly marry the beautiful Danae, but Danae hated the harsh Tsar Polydectus. Perseus stood up for his mother. Polydect was angry and from that time he thought of only one thing - how to destroy Perseus for him. In the end, the cruel Polydectus decided to send Perseus to fetch the head of the gorgon Medusa. He called Perseus and said to him: - If you are really the son of the Thunderer Zeus, then you will not refuse to perform a great feat. Your heart will not flinch before any danger. Prove to me that Zeus is your father, and bring me the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Oh, I believe Zeus will help his son! Perseus looked proudly at Polydect and calmly replied: - Okay, I'll get you the head of Medusa. Perseus set off on a long journey. He needed to reach the western end of the earth, the country where the goddess of Night and the god of death, Thanat, reigned. Terrible gorgons also lived in this country. Their whole body was covered with scales, shiny and strong as steel. No sword could cut through these scales, only the curved sword of Hermes. The gorgons had huge brass hands with sharp steel claws. On their heads, instead of hair, poisonous snakes were moving, hissing. The faces of the gorgons, with their sharp, like daggers, fangs, with lips as red as blood, and with their eyes burning with fury, were filled with such anger, were so terrible that everyone turned to stone from one glance at the gorgon. On wings with sparkling golden feathers, the gorgons quickly flew through the air. Woe to the person they met! The Gorgons tore him apart with their brass hands and drank his hot blood. A difficult, inhuman feat was to be accomplished by Perseus. But the gods of Olympus could not let him die, the son of Zeus. To his aid came a quick, like thought, messenger of the gods Hermes and the beloved daughter of Zeus, the warrior Athena. Athena gave Perseus a copper shield, so shiny that everything was reflected in it, as in a mirror; Hermes gave Perseus his sharp sword, which cut, like soft wax, the hardest steel. The messenger of the gods showed the young hero how to find the gorgons. Long was the path of Perseus. He passed many countries, saw many peoples. Finally he reached the gloomy country where the old grays lived. They had only one eye and one tooth on all three. They took turns using them. While the eye was at one of the grays, the other two were blind, and the seeing graya led the blind, helpless sisters. When, taking out an eye, the graya passed it next in turn, all three sisters were blind. These grays guarded the path to the gorgons, only they alone knew it. Perseus quietly crept up to them in the darkness, and on the advice of Hermes, tore out a wonderful eye from one of the edges just at the moment when she passed it to her sister. The grays screamed in horror. Now all three of them were blind. What are they blind and helpless to do? They began to pray to Perseus, conjuring him with all the gods, to give them an eye. They were ready to do everything for the hero, if only he returned their treasure to them. Then Perseus demanded from them for the return of the eye to show him the way to the gorgons. The grays hesitated for a long time, but it was necessary for them to regain their sight, to show this path. So Perseus learned how to get him to the island of the Gorgons, and quickly went on. During the further journey, Perseus came to the nymphs. From them he received three gifts: the helmet of the ruler of the underworld Hades, which made everyone who wore it invisible, sandals with wings, with which one could quickly rush through the air, and a magic bag: this bag alternately expanded, then contracted, looking across the magnitude of what lay in it. Perseus put on winged sandals, the helmet of Hades, threw a wonderful bag over his shoulder and quickly rushed through the air to the island of the Gorgons. Perseus rushed high in the sky. Beneath it was a land with green valleys, along which rivers flowed like silver ribbons. The cities could be seen below, in them the temples of the gods shone brightly with white marble. In the distance, mountains covered with green forests rose, and, like diamonds, their summits, covered with snow, burned in the rays of the sun. Perseus rushes in a whirlwind farther and farther. He flies as high as eagles do not fly on their mighty wings. The sea gleamed in the distance like molten gold. Now Perseus flies over the sea, and the noise sea ​​waves a barely perceptible rustle reaches him. The land is no longer visible. In all directions, wherever the gaze of Perseus is enough, the plain of waters stretches beneath him. Finally, in the blue distance of the sea, an island appeared like a black stripe. He is getting closer. This is the island of Gorgon. Something with an unbearable brilliance sparkles in the rays of the sun on this island. Perseus descended below. Like an eagle, he soars over the island and sees: three terrible gorgons are sleeping on the rock. In a dream, they spread their brass hands, their steel scales and golden wings burn like fire in the sun. The snakes on their heads move a little in a dream, Perseus quickly turned away from the gorgons. He is afraid to see their menacing faces - after all, one look, and he will turn to stone. Perseus took the shield of Athena-Pallas - as in a mirror reflected in him gogons. Which one is Medusa? Gorgons are like two drops of water. Of the three gorgons, only Medusa is mortal, only she can be killed. Perseus thought. Here the quick Hermes helped Perseus. He pointed Medusa to Perseus and quietly whispered in his ear: - Hurry, Perseus! Go down boldly. Vaughn, extreme to the sea Medusa. Chop off her head. Remember, don't look at her! One look and you are lost. Hurry before the gorgons wake up! As an eagle falls from the sky on the intended victim, so Perseus rushed to the sleeping Medusa. He looks into a clear shield in order to strike more accurately. The snakes on Medusa's head sensed an enemy. With a menacing hiss they rose. Medusa stirred in her sleep. She had already opened her eyes. At that moment, like lightning, a sharp sword flashed. Perseus chopped off Medusa's head with one blow. Her dark blood poured into the rock in a stream, and with streams of blood from Medusa's body the winged horse Pegasus and the giant Chrysaor soared to the sky. Perseus quickly grabbed the head of Medusa and hid it in a wonderful bag. Writhing in the convulsions of death, Medusa's body fell off a cliff into the sea. From the noise of his fall, the sisters of Medusa, Steino and Euryale woke up. Flapping mighty wings, they soared over the island and gaze around with fiery eyes. Gorgons noisily rush through the air, but the murderer of their sister Medusa disappeared without a trace. Not a single living soul can be seen either on the island or far out in the sea. And Perseus quickly rushed, invisible in the helmet of Hades, over the rustling sea. Now he rushes over the sands of Libya. Blood seeped through the bag from Medusa's head and fell in heavy drops onto the sand. From these drops of blood, the sands of poisonous snakes were spawned. Everything around was teeming with them, all living things were fleeing from them; the serpents turned Libya into a desert. PERSEUS AND ATLAS Perseus rushes further and further from the island of the Gorgons. Like a cloud driven by a stormy wind, it rushes across the sky. Finally he reached the country where the son of the titan Iapetus, the brother of Prometheus, the giant Atlas, reigned. Thousands of herds of fine-wool sheep, cows and steep-horned bulls grazed in the fields of the Atlas. Luxurious gardens grew in his domain, and among the orchards there was a tree with golden branches and foliage, and the apples that grew on this tree were also golden. Atlas kept, like the apple of his eye, this tree, it was his greatest treasure. The goddess Themis predicted to him that the day would come when the son of Zeus would come to him and stole the golden apples from him. Atlas was afraid of this. He surrounded the garden, in which the golden tree grew, with a high wall, and at the entrance he placed a dragon casting down the flame as a guard. Atlas did not allow foreigners into his possessions - he was afraid that the son of Zeus would appear among them. So Perseus flew to him in his winged sandals and turned to Atlas with such friendly words: - Oh, Atlas, accept me as a guest in your house. I am the son of Zeus, Perseus, who killed the gorgon Medusa. Give me a rest from my great feat. When Atlas heard that Perseus was the son of Zeus, he immediately remembered the prediction of the goddess Themis and therefore rudely answered Perseus: - Get out of here! Your lie about a great feat and that you are the son of a thunderer will not help you. Atlas wants to kick the hero out the door. Perseus, seeing that he cannot fight the mighty giant, hurries out of the house himself. Anger rages in the heart of Perseus; Atlas angered him by denying him hospitality and calling him a liar. In anger, Perseus says to the giant: - Well, Atlas, you drive me away! Well, take it on at least a gift from me! With these words, Perseus quickly took out the head of Medusa and, turning away, showed it to Atlas. At once the giant turned into a mountain. His beard and hair turned into dense deciduous forests, his arms and shoulders - into high rocks, his head - into the top of a mountain that went into the sky. Since then, Mount Atlas has supported the entire firmament, with all its constellations. Perseus, when the morning star ascended to heaven, carried on. PERSEUS SAVES ANDROMEDA After a long journey, Perseus reached the kingdom of Kefei, which lay in Ethiopia * 1 on the shores of the Ocean. There, on a rock, at the very shore of the sea, he saw the chained beautiful Andromeda, the daughter of King Kefei. She had to redeem her mother, Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia angered the sea nymphs. Proud of her beauty, she said that she was the most beautiful, Queen Cassiopeia. The nymphs got angry and begged the god of the seas Poseidon to punish Kefei and Cassiopeia. Poseidon sent, at the request of the nymphs, a monster like a gigantic fish. It emerged from the depths of the sea and devastated the possessions of Kefei. The kingdom of Coffee was filled with crying and groans. He finally turned to the oracle of Zeus Ammon * 2 and asked how to get rid of this misfortune. The oracle gave the following answer: ___________ * 1 Ethiopia is a country that, according to the Greeks, lay in the extreme south of the earth. Ethiopia, the Greeks, and then the Romans, called the entire country lying in Africa to the south of Egypt. * 2 Located in the oasis of the Libyan Desert, west of Egypt. - Give your daughter Andromeda to be torn apart by a monster, and then Poseidon's punishment will end. The people, having learned the answer of the oracle, made the king chained Andromeda to a rock by the sea. Pale with horror, stood at the foot of the cliff in the heavy shackles of Andromeda; with inexpressible fear she looked at the sea, expecting that a monster was about to appear and tear her to pieces. Tears rolled from her eyes, horror gripped her at the mere thought that she should perish in the color of beautiful youth, full of strength, not having tasted the joys of life. It was her that Perseus saw. He would have taken her for a marvelous statue of white Parian marble if the sea wind had not fluttered her hair and large tears had not fallen from her beautiful eyes. He looks at her with delight young hero , and a powerful feeling of love for Andromeda lights up in his heart. Perseus quickly went down to her and gently asked her: - Oh, tell me, beautiful maiden, whose country is this, tell me your name! Tell me, why are you chained to a rock here? Andromeda told whose fault she had to suffer. The beautiful maiden does not want the hero to think that she is atoning for her own guilt. Andromeda had not yet finished her story, when the depths of the sea began to gurgle, and a monster appeared among the raging waves. It raised its head high with a huge gaping mouth. Andromeda screamed loudly in horror. Distraught with grief, Kefey and Cassiopeia ran to the shore. They cry bitterly, hugging their daughter. There is no escape for her! Then the son of Zeus, Perseus, spoke: - You will still have a lot of time to shed tears, little time just to save your daughter. I am the son of Zeus, Perseus, who killed the gorgon Medusa entwined with snakes. Give me your daughter Andromeda as my wife, and I will save her. Kefey and Cassiopeia happily agreed. They were ready to do everything to save their daughter. Kefei even promised him the whole kingdom as a dowry, if only he would save Andromeda. The monster is already close. It quickly approaches the rock, cutting through the waves with its broad chest, like a ship that rushes along the waves, as if on wings, from the flapping of the oars of mighty young rowers. Not further than the flight of an arrow was a monster when Perseus flew high into the air. His shadow fell into the sea, and the monster rushed with fury at the hero's shadow. Perseus boldly rushed from a height to the monster and thrust a curved sword deep into his back. Sensing a grievous wound, the monster rose high in the waves; it beats in the sea like a wild boar surrounded by a pack of dogs with frantic barking; it plunges deep into the water, then floats again. The monster is fiercely hitting the water with its fish tail, and thousands of splashes fly up to the very tops of the coastal cliffs. The sea was covered with foam. Opening its mouth, the monster rushes at Perseus, but with the speed of a seagull he takes off in his winged sandals. Blow after blow he strikes. Blood and water gushed from the jaws of the monster, struck to death. The wings of Perseus's sandals are wet, they barely hold the hero in the air. The mighty son of Danae quickly rushed to the rock that protruded from the sea, grabbed it with his left hand and plunged his sword three times into the broad chest of the monster. A terrible fight is over. Shouts of joy come from the shore. Everyone praises the mighty hero. The eyes were removed from the beautiful Andromeda, and, triumphant, Perseus leads his bride to the palace of her father Kefei. THE WEDDING OF PERSEUS Rich sacrifices were brought by Perseus to his father Zeus, Athena-Pallas and Hermes. A merry wedding feast began at Kefei's palace. Hymenaeus and Eros lit their fragrant torches. The entire Kefei palace is covered with greenery and flowers. The sounds of kifar and lyre are loud, and wedding choirs are thundering. The doors of the palace are wide open. The banquet hall burns with gold. Kefey and Cassiopeia are feasting with the newlyweds, and the whole nation is also feasting. Fun and joy reigns around. At the feast, Perseus talks about his exploits. Suddenly a terrible clang of weapons rang out in the banquet hall. A war cry echoed through the palace, like the sound of the sea, when it surging and beating with its waves driven by a stormy wind against the high rocky coast. It was Andromeda's first fiancé, Phiney, who came with a large army. Entering the palace and shaking his spear, Phineus loudly exclaimed: - Woe to you, bride kidnapper! Neither your winged sandals, nor even Zeus the Thunderer himself will save you from me! Phineus was about to throw a spear at Perseus, but Tsar Kefey stopped him with the words: - What are you doing? What makes you so crazy? So you want to reward the feat of Perseus? Will this be your wedding present? Did Perseus kidnap your bride from you? No, she was kidnapped from you when they took her to a rock, when she was on her way to death. Why didn't you come to her aid then? Do you want to take away the winner's award now? Why did you not come for Andromeda yourself, when she was chained to a rock, why then did you not take her away from the monster? Phiney did not answer Kefey, he angrily looked at Kefei, then at the beautiful son of Zeus, and, suddenly, straining all his strength, threw a spear at Perseus. A spear flew past and stabbed into the bed of Perseus. The young hero pulled it out with a mighty hand, jumped up from his bed and threateningly brandished his spear. He would have struck Phineus to death, but he hid behind the altar, and the spear hit the head of the hero Reth, and he fell dead. A terrible battle began to boil. The warrior Athena was quickly brought from Olympus to the aid of her brother Perseus. She covered him with her umbrella and breathed invincible courage into him. Perseus rushed into battle. Like lightning, the deadly sword with which he killed Medusa gleams in his hands. One after another, he strikes the death of the heroes who have come with Phineus. A mountain of bodies covered in blood piles up in front of Perseus. He grabbed with both hands a huge bronze bowl, in which wine was mixed for a feast, and threw it at the head of the hero Eurytos. As if struck by thunder, the hero fell, and his soul flew off into the kingdom of the shadows. Heroes fall one after another, but Phiney brought many of them with him. Perseus is a stranger in the kingdom of Kefei, he has few comrades in the battle, almost alone he has to fight many enemies. Many of Perseus's companions have already fallen in this fierce battle. Killed, struck by a spear, and the singer, who sweet-sounding singing delighted the feasting, playing the golden-stringed cithara. Falling, the singer touched the strings of the cithara, and the strings rang sadly, like a dying groan, but the clatter of swords and the groans of the dying drowned out the ringing of the strings. Arrows fly like hail, driven by the wind. Leaning against the pillar and hiding behind the shining shield of Athena, Perseus fights against the enemies. And they surrounded the hero from all sides; the battle around him grew fiercer. Seeing that he was threatened with imminent death, the mighty son of Danae exclaimed loudly: “I will find help from the enemy I have slain! You yourself forced me to seek his protection! Quickly turn away all who are my friend! Perseus quickly took out the head of the Gorgon Medusa from the wonderful bag and raised it high above his head. One by one, the heroes attacking Perseus turn into stone statues. Some of them turned to stone, swinging a sword to pierce the chest of the enemy, others - shaking sharp spears, others - covered with shields. One glance at Medusa's head turned them into marble statues. The entire banquet hall was filled with marble statues. Fear gripped Phineas when he saw that all his friends had turned to stone. Falling to his knees and stretching out his hands in supplication to Perseus, Phineus exclaimed: - You won, Perseus! Oh, hide the awful head of Medusa as soon as possible, I pray you - hide it. Oh, great son of Zeus, take everything, own everything, leave only one life to me! Perseus answered Phineus with a sneer: - Do not be afraid, miserable coward! My sword will not slay you. I will give you a reward for eternity! You will forever stand here in Kefey's palace, so that my wife will be comforted by looking at the image of her first groom. The hero held out the head of Medusa to Phineus, and no matter how hard Phineus tried not to look at the terrible gorgon, his gaze fell on her, and instantly he turned into a marble statue. Phineus, turned to stone, stands, bowing like a slave before Perseus. The expression of fear and slavish entreaty has been preserved forever in the eyes of the article-Phineus. RETURN OF PERSEUS TO SERIF Perseus did not stay long after this bloody battle in the kingdom of Kefei. Taking with him the beautiful Andromeda, he returned to Serif to the king Polydect. Perseus found his mother Danae in great grief. Fleeing from Polydect, she had to seek protection in the temple of Zeus. She did not dare to leave the temple for a single moment. The enraged Perseus came to Polydect's palace and found him with friends at a sumptuous feast. Polydect did not expect Perseus to return, he was sure that the hero died in the fight against the Gorgons. King Serif was surprised when he saw Perseus before him, and he calmly said to the king: - Your order is fulfilled, I brought you the head of Medusa. Polydect did not believe that Perseus had accomplished such a great feat. He began to mock the godlike hero and called him a liar. Mocked Perseus and friends of Polydect. Anger boiled in the chest of Perseus, he could not ask for an insult. Menacingly flashing his eyes, Perseus took out the head of Medusa and exclaimed: - If you do not believe, Polydect, then here is proof for you! Polydect glanced at the head of the gorgon and instantly turned into stone. The king's friends who feasted with him did not escape this fate. PERSEUS IN ARGOS Perseus handed over power over Serif to Polydect's brother, Dictis, who once saved him with his mother, and himself with Danae and Andromeda went to Argos. When Perseus's grandfather, Acrisius, learned about the arrival of his grandson, remembering the prediction of the oracle, he fled far north to Larissa. Perseus began to rule in his native Argos. He returned the helmet of Hades, winged sandals and a wonderful bag to the nymphs, and returned to Hermes his sharp sword. He gave the head of Medusa to Pallas Athena, and she fixed it on her chest, on her sparkling shell. Perseus ruled happily in Argos. His grandfather Acrisius did not escape what was determined to him by inexorable fate. Once Perseus arranged magnificent games. Many heroes gathered at them. The elderly Akrisiy was also among the spectators. During the competition in throwing a heavy disc, Perseus threw a bronze disc with his mighty hand. High, to the very clouds, a heavy disk flew up, and falling to the ground, hit with terrible force in the head of Acrisius and struck him to death. This is how the oracle's prediction came true. Full of grief, Perseus buried Acrisius, lamenting that he had become an unwitting murderer of his grandfather. Perseus did not want to rule in Argos, the kingdom of Acrisius killed by him; he went to Tiryns * 1 and reigned there for many years. Perseus gave Argos to his relative Megapenta. ___________ * 1 One of the oldest cities in Greece, located in Argolis. SIZIF Set out from the poems: "Iliad" by Homer and "Heroine" Ovidia Sisyphus, the son of the god of all the winds Aeolus, was the founder of the city of Corinth, which in ancient times was called Ether. No one in all of Greece could equal Sisyphus in deceit, cunning and resourcefulness of mind. Sisyphus, through his cunning, amassed innumerable riches in his Corinth; the fame of his treasures spread far. When the god of death, the gloomy Thanat, came to him in order to bring him down to the sad kingdom of Hades, Sisyphus, feeling the approach of the god of death even earlier, cunningly deceived the god Thanat and fettered him in chains. Then people stopped dying on earth. There were no large, lavish funerals anywhere; stopped making sacrifices to the gods of the underworld. The order established by Zeus was violated on earth. Then the thunderer Zeus sent the mighty god of war Ares to Sisyphus. He freed Thanat from the shackles, and Thanat plucked out the soul of Sisyphus and took her to the kingdom of the shadows of the dead. But here, too, the cunning Sisyphus managed to help himself. He told his wife not to bury his body and not offer sacrifice to the subterranean gods. Sisif's wife obeyed her husband. Hades and Persephone waited a long time for the burial victims. All of them are not! Finally, Sisyphus approached the throne of Hades and said to the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, Hades: - Oh, the ruler of the souls of the dead, great Hades, equal in power to Zeus, release me to the bright land. I will tell my wife to bring you rich sacrifices and return back to the kingdom of shadows. So Sisyphus deceived the lord of Hades, and he let him go to earth. Sisyphus did not return, of course, to the kingdom of Hades. He remained in his magnificent palace and feasted merrily, rejoicing that one of all mortals was able to return from the dark kingdom of shadows. Hades got angry, he again sent Thanat for the soul of Sisyphus. Thanat appeared in the palace of the most cunning of mortals and found him at a sumptuous feast. Pluck the soul of Sisyphus, the god of death, hateful to gods and people; forever flew away now the soul of Sisyphus in the kingdom of shadows. Sisyphus bears a heavy punishment in the afterlife for all the deceit, for all the deceptions that he committed on earth. He is condemned to roll a huge stone onto a high, steep mountain. Straining all his strength, Sisyphus works. Sweat streams from him from hard work. The top is getting closer; another effort, and the work of Sisyphus will be finished; but a stone breaks out of his hands and rolls down noisily, raising clouds of dust. Sisyphus is taken to work again. This is how Sisyphus rolls the stone forever and can never reach the goal - the top of the mountain.

Poseidon is one of the most important gods on Olympus, he is considered the lord of the sea. Poseidon - the god of the seas, was born from Kronos and Rhea, is the blood brother of Zeus and Hades. By the will of the thrown lot, at the time of the division of power over the world, he received his inheritance, which became the sea.

Who is Poseidon?

Poseidon, whom the Romans call Neptune in their own way, was the Greek god of the seas. In existing images, he is presented as a domineering and stern man with a beard and a trident in his hands. If you look closely at the portraits, you can find a strong resemblance to Zeus.

Despite identification with the kingdom of the seas, Poseidon is associated with natural disasters on the ground, such as an earthquake. He has a middle name - the Earth Shaker. For the king, the horse and the bull appear as symbols among the animal world.

The trait that most conveys the character of the lord of the seas is a stormy temperament. Poseidon is characterized by irritability, cruelty and vindictiveness, therefore, during periods of his anger, a storm, storm or tornado may begin.

However, the magic trident helped in controlling the elements. In the presence of a storm at sea, one swing of a magic object - and the sea became absolutely calm.

On the sea, the king of the sea moved on a chariot of unprecedented beauty.

The lord of the seas and his beloved women

The first woman Poseidon desired was Thetis, the sea goddess. But Prometheus said that when a child is born, he will be more majestic than his father. And so it happened, Thetis conceived by a mortal and gave birth to a great Greek hero Achilles.

Amphitrite became the wife of the god of the seas, who for a long time rejected his advances. After being raped, she fled to the mountains, where a dolphin found her and persuaded her to marry the ruler. Poseidon highly appreciated these efforts and laid out the image of a dolphin as stars in the sky.

Poseidon was known as a depraved god, and Amphitrite was a jealous and cruel wife. Many women paid for the relationship with her husband. Medusa turned into a monster with dozens of snakes on her head, and Scylla became a barking monster with 6 heads and three rows of large teeth.

After meeting with Demeter, who was looking for her daughter Persephone in all cities, the god of the sea desired her, but was refused. Running away from Poseidon, the woman turned into a horse and tried to hide among the mass gathering of animals. But Vladyka made another decision: he turned himself into a stallion, found Demeter and took her by force.

Poseidon and his offspring

The sea goddess gave birth to Poseidon a son and two daughters. In addition to them, there are other sons of Poseidon, among whom there are many monsters, giants who destroy everything around them, as well as other evil and unbridled descendants. Children often helped their father. The sons of Poseidon took over from him cruelty and vindictiveness.

Odysseus, who blinded the one-eyed Cyclops under the name Polyphemus, was pursued by Vladyka all his life, since the monster was his child.

Poseidon had countless children from various women, be they mortals or nymphs. Some of Poseidon's sons became famous Argonauts.

Triton, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite

What was the name of Poseidon's son? Nereid Amphitrite gave birth to Triton, who became the god of Lake Triton, located in Libya. It was there that the ship of the traveling Argonauts ended up. Triton helped them return to the sea, and also bestowed a handful of land that would later become the island of Callista.

Aginor's story

In Greek mythology, Aginor is the son of Poseidon, who was born thanks to a nymph named Livia. Growing up, he married Telefassa, who bore him three sons and a daughter named Europe.

Once Zeus stole a young girl, and the inconsolable father sent all his sons after her, ordering them not to return without his sister. Later long time the sons of Poseidon realized that their search was in vain, and settled in different areas. The places got their names from their names. They were Phenicia, Cadmea and Cilicia.

Perseus, ancestor of Hercules

The question often arises: Perseus is the son of Zeus or Poseidon, since according to some legends the data differ.

Perseus, according to Greek mythology, is the ancestor of Hercules, as well as the fruit of the love of Zeus and the daughter of King Argos Danai.

The king of the Argos state was predicted that he would be killed by his own grandson. Fearing that his daughter might give birth to a grandson, the father locked her in an underground house built of stones hard rocks... However, the thunderer Zeus, using lightning, was able to destroy the structure and took Danae as his wife. Soon they had a son, whose name is Perseus. The king of Argos, having learned about the birth of his grandson, hastened to get rid of Perseus and his daughter, throwing them in a box into the sea. The old fisherman caught them and freed them from captivity. Many years passed, Perseus grew into a stately man and suffered a lot of adventures in his life. Back in hometown, he became king of Argos, as his grandfather, afraid of retribution, fled. The prediction came true during the holiday. During the competition, the young man did not calculate the strength of the throw of the bronze disc, which flew over the entire arena and hit the old king, who secretly came to the stadium.

The inhabitants of Ancient Greece greatly respected the sea lord and, in order to achieve maximum disposition, tried to bring as many sacrifices to the deity as possible, plunging them into the abyss. This ritual was very important for the population of the country, since their financial situation depended on whether merchant ships would go by sea.

Therefore, before going out to sea, travelers paid tribute to Poseidon.

Perseus is the great hero of Greek mythology. Part 1

Perseus, Greek. - the son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of King Acrisius.

Perseus - was a mythological hero who lacked negative traits... In this respect, he surpasses, for example, Hercules, who sometimes succumbed to fits of rage and, moreover, often got drunk, or Achilles, for whom personal interests were above the interests of the entire army. Beauty Perseus was equal to the gods, was distinguished by strength, dexterity and unparalleled courage, and most importantly, he always and in everything achieved success.

Perseus was born under unusual circumstances. His grandfather Acrisius, king of Argos, was predicted to be killed by his own grandson. To avoid this fate, Acrisius hid his daughter in an underground dungeon of stone and bronze to isolate her from contact with men. However, the supreme god Zeus outwitted Acrisius. Since he liked Danae extremely, he entered the dungeon through the ceiling, pouring down a golden rain. After the allotted time, Danae had a son, whom she named Perseus. Danae did not hide the divine origin of her son, nevertheless Acrisius decided to get rid of him. He ordered to make a large wooden box, locked his daughter and grandson in it, boarded up the box with his own hand and threw it into the sea.

However, the son of Zeus was not destined to drown like a blind kitten. The waves carried the box far to the east, to the island of Serif, where it was caught by the fisherman Dictis, the brother of the local king Polydect. He took Danae and Perseus to the royal palace, and Polydectus gave her the most cordial welcome. He showered Danae and her son with signs of attention, counting on her gratitude and, perhaps, something more on her part. But Danae did not like his courtesy, turning into importunity; she did not want to have anything to do with him — and certainly not the son that Polydect wanted to have from her. Many years passed in this way. Desperate to achieve his good, he decided to resort to force, but by this time Perseus had already grown up and was able to stand up for himself and for his mother.

Polydect decided at any cost to get rid of Perseus, who prevented him from opposing him openly, he did not dare, fearing the wrath of the lord of gods and people. Instead, he decided to push the young man to a rash act. Once at a feast, Polydectus doubted the divine origin of Perseus: for this, they say, words alone are not enough, it still needs to be proved, say, to perform some superhuman feat. Perseus agreed, and then Polydect suggested that he kill the terrible gorgon Medusa and bring her head.

The task was indeed superhuman. First, it was known that at one glance at Medusa - a winged monster with long fangs and snakes instead of hair - everyone turned to stone; secondly, it was not known where Medusa lives with her two sisters. Only the gods could help Perseus in this matter, and since the gods love the brave, they decided to help Perseus, especially since he was the son of Zeus himself. Hermes gave him a magic curved sword, and the goddess Athena gave him a shining copper shield, in which everything was reflected, like in a mirror.

In search of the gorgons, Perseus went through many countries and overcame many obstacles that robbers and monarchs prepare for travelers. Finally he found himself in a dull and gloomy country, where the old grays lived, the sisters of the gorgons, who knew the way to them. The grays had only one eye and one tooth for three. While one of them had an eye, the other two were helpless and the sighted sister had to lead them by the hand. Perseus waited for the moment when one of the faces passed the eye to the other (at that time, none of them saw anything), and snatched out this eye. He returned it only after the grays had explained to him the way to the island of the gorgons. The path to the gorgons led past a grove in which the friendly nymphs lived, who made three precious gifts to Perseus: the invisibility helmet, which previously belonged to Hades, winged sandals and a magic bag that expanded or contracted depending on what was put in it. Shoeing winged sandals, Perseus flew into the sky and headed west, towards the island of the Gorgons.

From a bird's eye view, Perseus saw three sleeping Gorgon sisters on the coast of the island. He knew that two of them were immortal, only Medusa was mortal. But how do you recognize her? Perseus tried in vain to identify Medusa, looking at the reflection of the sisters in a shining shield (if he looked directly at them, he would turn into stone). Fortunately, Hermes appeared on the scene and pointed to a gorgon lying by the sea. Encouraged by Hermes, Perseus flew to Medusa like an eagle to a hare.

Sensing the enemy, the snakes on Medusa's head stirred and hissed. But before Medusa could open her eyes, Perseus, with one stroke of the sword, cut off her head, put it in a bag and flew up. Dark blood gushed from Medusa's torso, from which the giant Chrysaor and the winged horse Pegasus were born. Both immortal gorgons immediately took off to avenge their sister's death. But Perseus, in his invisible helmet, was already far away, winged sandals carried him east, to Serif.

Perseus stopped in the northwestern part of Africa, where the titan Atlas lived, who, as punishment for his rebellion against the gods, was doomed to eternally prop up the firmament. It was predicted to Atlanta that the visit of one of the sons of Zeus could cause him great trouble, so he did not like intruders. When Perseus appeared before him, called himself the son of Zeus and announced that he had defeated Medusa, Atlas called him a daring liar and ordered him to get away. Naturally, Perseus was offended. He removed the head of Medusa from his shoulder bag and, turning away, showed it to Atlanta to convince him of his truthfulness. At one glance at Medusa, Atlas turned into a stone mountain, which now stretches between Marrakech and Tunisia.

Having rested, Perseus put on his sandals and continued on his way. In the hot air of North Africa, blood seeped through the bag from Medusa's head. As soon as her heavy drops fell to the ground, poisonous snakes were born from them. Over time, they multiplied so much that they destroyed all life in these parts and turned them into a sandy desert. But before this happened, Perseus was already very far away - on the very edge of the then known world, in Ethiopia.