Perseus – Mythopedia
Jul 3, 2023 · Perseus, son of Zeus and the Argive princess Danae, was a Greek hero and king connected with the Argolid. Perseus’ numerous exploits included beheading Medusa, saving the princess Andromeda, and founding the city of Mycenae and the Perseid dynasty. Banished from Argos before he was born (due to an ominous prophecy), Perseus grew up on a ...
Pegasus - Mythopedia
Mar 24, 2023 · Pegasus, an immortal winged horse, was born when Perseus beheaded Medusa; he emerged from the Gorgon ’s blood along with the Giant Chrysaor. Eventually, Pegasus was tamed and bridled by the Corinthian hero Bellerophon, and together they fought and killed the monstrous, fire-breathing Chimera. In some traditions, Bellerophon grew arrogant ...
Medusa - Mythopedia
Mar 11, 2023 · Avi Kapach is a writer, scholar, and educator who received his PhD in Classics from Brown University. Medusa, one of the three monstrous Gorgons, was a snake-haired female who turned anybody who looked upon her to stone. She was finally killed by the hero Perseus, who used her severed head as a weapon against his enemies.
Greek Heroes – Mythopedia
Jun 20, 2023 · Perseus, for example, killed the Gorgon Medusa, who turned all those who looked upon her to stone; Bellerophon killed the fire-breathing hybrid monster known as the Chimera; and Heracles—perhaps the most prolific monster-slayer in all of Greek mythology—fought and defeated numerous creatures, including the Nemean Lion, the Hydra, and Cerberus.
Andromeda - Mythopedia
Mar 10, 2023 · Andromeda followed Perseus back to Greece. The newlyweds stopped first on the island of Seriphos, where Perseus had been raised, so that he could save his mother Danae from the unwanted advances of King Polydectes. Perseus then took Andromeda to his ancestral kingdom of Argos on the Greek mainland. Perseus and Andromeda by Peter Paul Rubens (ca ...
Danae - Mythopedia
Oct 4, 2023 · Greek Mythology. Danae. Danae, daughter of Acrisius, was a princess of Argos who was imprisoned by her own father. After Zeus seduced her as a shower of gold dust, she gave birth to the hero Perseus. Acrisius locked Danae and her child in a chest and threw it into the sea, but they were ultimately rescued by a fisherman in Seriphos.
Gorgons - Mythopedia
Mar 8, 2023 · Gantz, Timothy. “Perseus and the Gorgons.” In Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources, 304–7. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993. Hard, Robin. “The King of Seriphos Sends Perseus to Fetch the Gorgon’s Head.” In The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology, 8th ed., 226–27. New York: Routledge, 2020.
Atlas - Mythopedia
Mar 11, 2023 · Perseus. Atlas also appeared in a tale of Perseus, the legendary hero of early Greek lore. According to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Perseus traveled to Atlas’s kingdom in northwestern Africa and demanded shelter, claiming that he was the son of the great Zeus. Atlas refused, as he had received a prophecy foretelling the downfall of his kingdom at ...
Graeae - Mythopedia
Jan 18, 2023 · Perseus Returning the Eye to the Graeae by Henri Fuseli (1790–1800) Wikimedia Commons Public Domain. In another version, Perseus was able to acquire the tools he needed (sandals, cap, and bag) with the help of the gods. But the Graeae stood guard at the entrance to the land of the Gorgons.
Heracles - Mythopedia
Jul 14, 2023 · Heracles, the son of Zeus and Alcmene (a mortal woman), was a Greek hero and demigod. Because he was the product of one of Zeus’ many affairs, Heracles was hated and hounded by Zeus’ jealous wife Hera. Hera ensured that Heracles’ life was filled with hardship and tragedy. Of all Heracles’ heroic deeds, the most important were the Twelve ...