Sections & Primary Sources<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n
- \r\n \t
- Lucian,\u00a0Dialogues of Sea Gods<\/em>, \"Doris and Thetis\"<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t
- Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, \"Nemean 10,\" 1-15<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nBirth of Bellerophon<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
<\/a>Birth of Perseus<\/h2>\r\n[content warning: sexual violence, abduction]\r\n
The hero Perseus was the son of Zeus and and Danae, a mortal woman and the only child of King Acrisius of Argos. Acrisius asked the oracle of Delphi whether he would ever have a son. The oracle told him that he would not have a son, but that his daughter would, and he would be killed by his own grandson. To prevent the oracular prophecy from coming true, Acrisius locked his daughter up in a chamber with only a small opening at the top to let in some light and air. In this way he hoped to keep her from ever having sex and giving birth to a child.<\/p>\r\n
However, Zeus saw Danae locked in the chamber and lusted after her. He changed himself into a shower of gold and rained down into the chamber, impregnating Danae. When Danae gave birth to a boy, Perseus, Acrisius put her and her son into a wooden chest and set them out to sea, counting on them to drown.<\/p>\r\n
The chest washed ashore on the island of Seriphos, where is was found by a fisherman, Dictys, the brother of the king of the island, Polydectes. Dictys gave Danae a home and raised Perseus.<\/p>\r\n \r\n
\r\n<\/a>Lucian, Dialogues of Sea Gods,\u00a0<\/em>\"Doris and Thetis\" (trans. H. W. & F. G. Fowler, adapted by P. Rogak)<\/h3>\r\n
Greek satire, 2nd century CE<\/h4>\r\n
In the second century CE, the Greek satirical writer Lucian of Samosata envisioned a conversation between the sea nymphs Doris and Thetis (mother of Achilles) about Danae and Perseus shut up in the chest. According to Lucian's account, it is Doris and Thetis who take action to rescue the mother and baby from drowning.<\/div>\r\nDORIS:<\/h6>\r\nCrying, dear?\r\n
THETIS:<\/h6>\r\nOh, [pb_glossary id=\"4433\"]Doris[\/pb_glossary], I have just seen a lovely girl thrown into a chest by her father, and her little baby with her; and he gave the chest to some sailors, and told them, as soon as they were far enough from the shore, to drop it into the water; he meant them to be drowned, poor things.\r\n
DORIS:<\/h6>\r\nOh, sister, but why? What was it all about? Did you hear?\r\n
THETIS:<\/h6>\r\nHer father, [pb_glossary id=\"1141\"]Acrisius[\/pb_glossary], wanted to keep her from marrying. And, as she was so pretty, he shut her up in an iron room. And\u2014I don't know whether it's true\u2014but they say that [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Zeus[\/pb_glossary] turned himself into gold, and came showering down through the roof, and she caught the gold in her lap,\u2014and it was [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Zeus[\/pb_glossary] the whole time. And then her father found out about it\u2014he is a horrid, jealous old man\u2014and he was furious, and thought she had been receiving a lover; and he put her into the chest, the moment the child was born.\r\n
DORIS:<\/h6>\r\nAnd what did she do then?\r\n
THETIS:<\/h6>\r\nShe never said a word against her own sentence; she was ready to submit: but she pleaded hard for the child's life, and cried, and held him up for his grandfather to see; and there was the sweet baby, that thought no harm, smiling at the waves. I am beginning [to cry] again, at the memory of it.\r\n
DORIS:<\/h6>\r\nYou make me cry, too. And is it all over?\r\n
THETIS:<\/h6>\r\nNo; the chest has carried them safely so far; it is by Seriphus.\r\n
DORIS:<\/h6>\r\nThen why should we not save them? We can put the chest into those fishermen's nets, look; and then of course they will be hauled in, and come safely to shore.\r\n
THETIS:<\/h6>\r\nThe very thing. She shall not die; nor the child, sweet treasure!\r\n\r\n \r\n
Taken from: https:\/\/www.theoi.com\/Text\/LucianDialoguesGods2.html#12<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n
\r\n<\/a>Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, \"Nemean 10\" (trans. D. A. Svarlien, adapted by L. Zhang and P. Rogak)<\/h3>\r\n
Greek victory ode, 5th century BCE<\/h4>\r\n
Pindar's victory ode for Theaeus of Argos (ca. 444 BCE) praises the glory of Argos, mentioning Danae and her son Perseus.<\/div>\r\n[pb_glossary id=\"189\"]Graces[\/pb_glossary], sing of the city of [pb_glossary id=\"1190\"]Danaus[\/pb_glossary] and his fifty daughters on their splendid thrones, [pb_glossary id=\"185\"]Hera[\/pb_glossary]'s Argos, a home suitable for a god; it blazes with countless excellences because of its bold deeds. Long indeed is the story of Perseus and the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary] [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary], [5] and many are the cities founded in Egypt by the devising of [pb_glossary id=\"1220\"]Epaphus[\/pb_glossary]. And [pb_glossary id=\"1191\"]Hypermnestra[\/pb_glossary] did not go astray, when she kept her sword in its scabbard, the only one to make this choice. And once the golden-haired, gray-eyed goddess [ [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Athena[\/pb_glossary] ] made [pb_glossary id=\"1192\"]Diomedes[\/pb_glossary] an immortal god; and the earth in [pb_glossary id=\"4675\"]Thebes[\/pb_glossary], thunder-struck by the bolts of [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Zeus[\/pb_glossary], swallowed up the prophetic son of Oicles, [pb_glossary id=\"1196\"]Amphiaraus[\/pb_glossary], the storm-cloud of war. And Argos has long been the best city for women with beautiful hair; [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Zeus[\/pb_glossary] made this saying clear by visiting [pb_glossary id=\"1199\"]Alcmene[\/pb_glossary] and [pb_glossary id=\"1143\"]Danae[\/pb_glossary], and he united the qualities of intelligence and straightforward justice in the father of [pb_glossary id=\"1201\"]Adrastus[\/pb_glossary], and in [pb_glossary id=\"1202\"]Lynceus[\/pb_glossary].\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTaken from: http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DN.%3Apoem%3D10<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/a>Birth of Bellerophon<\/h2>\r\n
There is no significant myth about the birth of Bellerophon. He is a hero from Corinth, but his parentage varies greatly between sources. Homer's\u00a0Iliad<\/em> (see \"Adventures of Bellerophon\") states that Bellerophon is a son of [pb_glossary id=\"1205\"]Glaucus[\/pb_glossary], who was the son of [pb_glossary id=\"1213\"]Sisyphus[\/pb_glossary], while other sources say that Bellerophon's father is [pb_glossary id=\"182\"]Poseidon[\/pb_glossary].<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/a>Adventures of Perseus<\/h1>\r\n
\r\n Sections & Primary Sources<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n
\r\n\r\nThe Quest for the Gorgon's Head<\/a>\r\n- \r\n \t
- Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, \"Pythian 10,\" 29-45<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t
- Pseudo-Apollodorus,\u00a0Bibliotheca<\/em>, 2.4.1-2.4.5<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAndromeda<\/a>\r\n
- \r\n \t
- Ovid,\u00a0Metamorphoses<\/em>, 4.604-803<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t
- Conon,\u00a0Narrations, <\/em>Fragment\u00a040<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
<\/a>The Quest for the Gorgon's Head<\/h2>\r\n
Perseus is best known for his quest to retrieve the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Polydectes, the king of Seriphos, wished to marry Danae, but could not do so because of her son Perseus. In an attempt to get rid of Perseus, therefore, Polydectes sent him to retrieve the head of Medusa, hoping that Medusa would petrify him, preventing him from returning from this quest<\/p>\r\n
With the help of various divine figures, including Athena, Hermes, and the Graeae, Perseus travelled to the far reaches of the world and beheaded Medusa. Upon his return to Seriphos, Perseus used the head to turn Polydectes to stone and save Danae.<\/p>\r\nFor further discussion of Perseus and Medusa, see chapter 20<\/a>.\r\n\r\n \r\n
\r\n<\/a>Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, \"Pythian 10\" (trans. D. A. Svarlien, adapted by L. Zhang and P. Rogak)<\/h3>\r\n
Greek victory ode, 5th century BCE<\/h4>\r\nNeither by ship nor on foot could you find [30] the marvelous road to the meeting-place of the [pb_glossary id=\"1203\"]Hyperboreans[\/pb_glossary]\u2014 Once Perseus, the leader of his people, entered their homes and feasted among them, when he found them sacrificing glorious [pb_glossary id=\"1204\"]hecatombs[\/pb_glossary] of donkeys to the god [ [pb_glossary id=\"183\"]Apollo[\/pb_glossary] ]. In the festivities of those people [35] and in their praises [pb_glossary id=\"183\"]Apollo[\/pb_glossary] rejoices most, and he laughs when he sees the erect arrogance of the beasts. The [pb_glossary id=\"348\"]Muse[\/pb_glossary] is not absent from their customs; all around swirl the dances of girls, the lyre\u2019s loud chords and the cries of flutes. [40] They wreathe their hair with golden laurel branches and celebrate joyfully. No sickness or ruinous old age is mixed into that sacred race; without toil or battles they live without fear of strict [pb_glossary id=\"338\"]Nemesis[\/pb_glossary]. Breathing boldness of spirit [45] once the son of [pb_glossary id=\"1143\"]Danae[\/pb_glossary] went to that gathering of blessed men, and [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Athena[\/pb_glossary] led him there. He killed the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary], and came back bringing stony death to the islanders, the head that shimmered with hair made of serpents.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTaken from: http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DP.%3Apoem%3D10<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n
\r\n<\/a>Pseudo-Apollodorus,\u00a0Bibliotheca<\/em>, Book 2 (trans. J. G. Frazer, adapted by L. Zhang and P. Rogak)<\/h3>\r\n
Greek mythography, 2nd century BCE<\/h4>\r\n
In the following passage, Pseudo-Apollodorus gives a summary of the birth and adventures of Perseus. The author of this text was originally thought to be Apollodorus of Athens. Over time, however, this attribution became widely considered to be false. Thus, \u201cPseudo-\u201d (meaning \u2018lie\u2019, \u2018fake\u2019) precedes the name Apollodorus.<\/div>\r\n[2.4.1] When [pb_glossary id=\"1141\"]Acrisius[\/pb_glossary] inquired of the oracle how he should get male children, the god said that his daughter would give birth to a son who would kill him. Fearing that, [pb_glossary id=\"1141\"]Acrisius[\/pb_glossary] built a brass chamber under ground and there guarded [pb_glossary id=\"1143\"]Danae[\/pb_glossary]. However, she was seduced, as some say, by [pb_glossary id=\"1216\"]Proetus[\/pb_glossary], and that was what caused\u00a0 the argument between them; but some say that [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Zeus[\/pb_glossary] had intercourse with her in the shape of a stream of gold which poured through the roof into [pb_glossary id=\"1143\"]Danae[\/pb_glossary]'s lap. When [pb_glossary id=\"1141\"]Acrisius[\/pb_glossary] afterwards learned that she had got a child, Perseus, he would not believe that she had been seduced by [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Zeus[\/pb_glossary], and putting his daughter with the child in a chest, he cast it into the sea. The chest was washed ashore on Seriphus, and [pb_glossary id=\"1145\"]Dictys[\/pb_glossary] took up the boy and reared him.\r\n\r\n[2.4.2] [pb_glossary id=\"1147\"]Polydectes[\/pb_glossary], brother of [pb_glossary id=\"1145\"]Dictys[\/pb_glossary], was then king of Seriphus and fell in love with [pb_glossary id=\"1143\"]Danae[\/pb_glossary], but could not make her his wife, because Perseus was grown to man's estate. So he called together his friends, including Perseus, under the pretext of collecting contributions towards a wedding gift for [pb_glossary id=\"3192\"]Hippodamia[\/pb_glossary], daughter of [pb_glossary id=\"3195\"]Oenomaus[\/pb_glossary]. Now Perseus declared that he would not hesitate to get even the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary]'s head [as a gift]. [pb_glossary id=\"1147\"]Polydectes[\/pb_glossary] required the others to gift them horses and, not getting horses from Perseus, he ordered him to bring the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary]'s head. So under the guidance of [pb_glossary id=\"210\"]Hermes[\/pb_glossary] and [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Athena[\/pb_glossary] he [Perseus] made his way to the daughters of [pb_glossary id=\"1149\"]Phorcus[\/pb_glossary], that is to say, [the [pb_glossary id=\"1151\"]Graeae[\/pb_glossary] ] Enyo, Pephredo, and Dino; for [pb_glossary id=\"1149\"]Phorcus[\/pb_glossary] had them by [pb_glossary id=\"1150\"]Ceto[\/pb_glossary], and they were sisters of the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgons[\/pb_glossary], and old women from their birth. The three had but one eye and one tooth, and these they passed to each other in turn. Perseus got possession of the eye and the tooth, and when they asked for them back, he said he would give them up if they would show him the way to the [pb_glossary id=\"217\"]nymphs[\/pb_glossary]. Now these [pb_glossary id=\"217\"]nymphs[\/pb_glossary] had winged sandals and the [pb_glossary id=\"1153\"]kibisis[\/pb_glossary], which they say was a wallet. [But Pindar and Hesiod in The Shield<\/em> say of Perseus: -- \u201cBut all his back had on the head of a dread monster, <The [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary],> and round him ran the [pb_glossary id=\"1153\"]kibisis[\/pb_glossary]].\u201d\r\n\r\nThe [pb_glossary id=\"1153\"]kibisis[\/pb_glossary] is so called because dress and food are deposited in it. They also had the cap <of [pb_glossary id=\"211\"]Hades[\/pb_glossary]>. When the [pb_glossary id=\"1151\"]Phorcides[\/pb_glossary] had shown him the way, he gave them back the tooth and the eye, and coming to the nymphs, he got what he wanted. So he slung the wallet ([pb_glossary id=\"1153\"]kibisis[\/pb_glossary]) about him, fitted the sandals to his ankles, and put the cap on his head. Wearing it, he saw whom he pleased, but was not seen by others. And having received also from [pb_glossary id=\"210\"]Hermes[\/pb_glossary] a sickle made of strong metal, he flew to the ocean and caught the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgons[\/pb_glossary] asleep. They were Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa. Now [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary] alone was mortal; for that reason Perseus was sent to fetch her head. But the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgons[\/pb_glossary] had heads covered with the scales of dragons, and great tusks like a swine's, and brassy hands, and golden wings, by which they flew; and they turned to stone those who beheld them. So Perseus stood over them as they slept, and while [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Athena[\/pb_glossary] guided his hand and he looked with averted gaze on a brass shield, in which he beheld the image of the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary] [ [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary] ], he beheaded her. When her head was cut off, there sprang from the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary] the winged horse [pb_glossary id=\"1157\"]Pegasus[\/pb_glossary] and [pb_glossary id=\"1158\"]Chrysaor[\/pb_glossary], the father of [pb_glossary id=\"1162\"]Geryon[\/pb_glossary]; these she had by [pb_glossary id=\"182\"]Poseidon[\/pb_glossary].\r\n\r\n[2.4.3] So Perseus put the head of [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary] in the wallet ([pb_glossary id=\"1153\"]kibisis[\/pb_glossary]) and went back again; but the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgons[\/pb_glossary] woke up from their slumber and pursued Perseus: but they could not see him on account of the cap, for he was hidden by it.\r\n\r\nArriving in Ethiopia, of which [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary] was king, he found the king's daughter [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary] set out to be the prey of a sea monster. For [pb_glossary id=\"1166\"]Cassiopeia[\/pb_glossary], the wife of [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary], competed with the [pb_glossary id=\"329\"]Nereids[\/pb_glossary] in beauty and boasted to be better than them all; hence the [pb_glossary id=\"329\"]Nereids[\/pb_glossary] were angry, and [pb_glossary id=\"182\"]Poseidon[\/pb_glossary], sharing their wrath, sent a flood and a monster to invade the land. But because Ammon[footnote]Referring to an oracle of the god Ammon. Ammon (or Zeus Ammon) is the hellenized form of the Egyptian god Amun (see chapter 5, \"Zeus: Art and Symbolism\").[\/footnote] predicted deliverance from the calamity if [pb_glossary id=\"1166\"]Cassiopeia[\/pb_glossary]'s daughter [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary] were exposed as a prey to the monster, [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary] was compelled by the Ethiopians to do it, and he bound his daughter to a rock. When Perseus beheld her, he loved her and promised [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary] that he would kill the monster, if he would give him the rescued damsel to be his wife. These terms having been sworn to, Perseus fought and killed the monster and released [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary]. However, Phineus, who was a brother of [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary], and to whom [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary] had been first betrothed, plotted against him; but Perseus discovered the plot, and by showing the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary] turned him and his fellow conspirators at once into stone. And having come to Seriphus he found that his mother and [pb_glossary id=\"1145\"]Dictys[\/pb_glossary] had taken refuge at the altars on account of the violence of [pb_glossary id=\"1147\"]Polydectes[\/pb_glossary]; so he entered the palace, where [pb_glossary id=\"1147\"]Polydectes[\/pb_glossary] had gathered his friends, and with averted face he showed the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary]'s head; and all who beheld it were turned to stone, each in the pose which he happened to have struck. Having appointed [pb_glossary id=\"1145\"]Dictys[\/pb_glossary] king of Seriphus, he gave back the sandals and the wallet ([pb_glossary id=\"1153\"]kibisis[\/pb_glossary]) and the cap to [pb_glossary id=\"210\"]Hermes[\/pb_glossary], but the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary]'s head he gave to [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Athena[\/pb_glossary]. [pb_glossary id=\"210\"]Hermes[\/pb_glossary] restored the aforesaid things to the [pb_glossary id=\"217\"]nymphs[\/pb_glossary] and [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Athena[\/pb_glossary] inserted the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary]'s head in the middle of her shield. But it is alleged by some that [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary] was beheaded for [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Athena[\/pb_glossary]'s sake; and they say that the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary] was in the habit of comparing herself with the goddess even in beauty.\r\n\r\n[2.4.4] Perseus hurried with [pb_glossary id=\"1143\"]Danae[\/pb_glossary] and [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary] to Argos hoping to see [pb_glossary id=\"1141\"]Acrisius[\/pb_glossary]. But he [ [pb_glossary id=\"1141\"]Acrisius[\/pb_glossary] ], learning of this and dreading the oracle, abandoned Argos and departed to the Pelasgian land. Now Teutamides, king of Larissa, was holding athletic games in honour of his dead father, and Perseus came to compete. He engaged in the pentathlon, but in throwing the discus he struck [pb_glossary id=\"1141\"]Acrisius[\/pb_glossary] on the foot and killed him instantly. Perceiving that the oracle was fulfilled, he [Perseus] buried [pb_glossary id=\"1141\"]Acrisius[\/pb_glossary] outside the city, and being ashamed to return to Argos to claim the inheritance of the one who had died by his hand, he went to Megapenthes, son of Proetus, at Tiryns and made an exchange with him, surrendering Argos into his hands. So Megapenthes reigned over the [pb_glossary id=\"2276\"]Argives[\/pb_glossary], and Perseus reigned over Tiryns, after fortifying also Midea and Mycenae.\r\n\r\n[2.4.5] And he had sons by [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary]: before he came to Greece he had Perses, whom he left behind with [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary] (and from him it is said that the kings of Persia are descended); and in Mycenae he had Alcaeus and Sthenelus and Heleus and Mestor and Electryon, and a daughter Gorgophone, whom Perieres married.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTaken from: https:\/\/www.theoi.com\/Text\/Apollodorus2.html<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/a>Andromeda<\/h2>\r\n
On his way back to Seriphos after defeating [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary], Perseus passed through the region of ancient Ethiopia. There, he encountered the princess [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary], who had been chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea serpent. According to Ovid's account in Latin, [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary]'s mother, [pb_glossary id=\"1166\"]Cassiopeia[\/pb_glossary], had boasted that she was more beautiful than the [pb_glossary id=\"329\"]Nereids[\/pb_glossary], and [pb_glossary id=\"182\"]Poseidon[\/pb_glossary] had sent the sea serpent (called Cetus) to punish the kingdom. [pb_glossary id=\"1166\"]Cassiopeia[\/pb_glossary] and her husband [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary] then offered their daughter to the serpent to appease it. Perseus rescued [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary] and brought her back to Seriphos as his wife.<\/p>\r\nThis myth has some parallels with the story of [pb_glossary id=\"1591\"]Heracles[\/pb_glossary]' rescue of Hesione (see chapter 17<\/a>).\r\n\r\n \r\n
\r\n<\/a>Ovid,\u00a0Metamorphoses,\u00a0<\/em>Book 4 (trans. A. S. Kline, adapted by P. Rogak)<\/h3>\r\n
Latin narrative poem, 1st century CE<\/h4>\r\n
[content warning for the following source: sexual assault (753-803)]<\/h5>\r\n
Ovid recounts how, after a brief encounter with the Titan Atlas, Perseus arrives in Ethiopia and encounters Andromeda. After rescuing and marrying her, Perseus remains some time in Ethiopia and tells of his quest.<\/div>\r\n[604-662] \u201cNevertheless, even in their altered form,[footnote]This passage comes immediately after Ovid's account of how Cadmus and Harmonia, the founders of Thebes, were transformed into snakes (\"their altered form\")[\/footnote] their grandson [pb_glossary id=\"370\"]Bacchus[\/pb_glossary], whom conquered India worshipped and to whose newly created temples the [pb_glossary id=\"2276\"]Achaeans[\/pb_glossary] thronged, gave them great consolation. Only [pb_glossary id=\"1141\"]Acrisius[\/pb_glossary], son of Abas, born from the same roots (through Belus brother of [pb_glossary id=\"1727\"]Agenor[\/pb_glossary]), was an exception, who closed Argos within its walls, took up weapons against the god [ [pb_glossary id=\"370\"]Bacchus[\/pb_glossary] ], and did not consider him a child of [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Jupiter[\/pb_glossary]. And he did not consider Perseus, as a child of [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Jupiter[\/pb_glossary] whom [pb_glossary id=\"1143\"]Danae[\/pb_glossary] conceived of a shower of gold, to be his grandson. Though later (such is the power of truth) [pb_glossary id=\"1141\"]Acrisius[\/pb_glossary] repented for having angered the god, and for not acknowledging his grandson. One [ [pb_glossary id=\"370\"]Bacchus[\/pb_glossary] ] had taken his place in the heavens, but the other [Perseus] was travelling through the gentle air, on beating wings, bringing back an amazing, monstrous prize. As the victor [Perseus] flew above the Libyan sands, bloody drops fell from the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"] Gorgon[\/pb_glossary]\u2019s head. The earth caught them and gave them life, as species of snakes, and so that country is infested with deadly serpents.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe was driven away from there by conflicting winds, carried this way and that, through vast spaces, like a rain cloud. He flew over the whole world, looking down through the air from a great height at remote countries. Three times he saw the frozen constellations of the Bears [Ursa Major and Minor], three times the Crab\u2019s [Cancer\u2019s] pincers. Often he was forced below the west, often into the east, and now as the light died, afraid to go fall sleep, he landed in the western regions of [pb_glossary id=\"773\"]Hesperus[\/pb_glossary], in the kingdom of [pb_glossary id=\"1085\"]Atlas[\/pb_glossary]. He hoped to rest there for a while, until Lucifer [the Morning Star, the planet Venus] summoned up [pb_glossary id=\"215\"]Aurora[\/pb_glossary]\u2019s fires, and [pb_glossary id=\"215\"]Aurora[\/pb_glossary] brought the chariot of dawn. Here was [pb_glossary id=\"1085\"]Atlas[\/pb_glossary], son of [pb_glossary id=\"1178\"]Iapetus[\/pb_glossary], exceeding all men in the size of his body.\r\n\r\nThe most remote land was under [pb_glossary id=\"1085\"]Atlas[\/pb_glossary]\u2019 rule, as was the ocean, into which [pb_glossary id=\"876\"]Sol[\/pb_glossary]\u2019s panting horses plunged, and where his straining axle was welcomed. He had a thousand flocks, and as many herds of cattle wandering through the grass, and no neighbouring land was richer than his. The leaves of the trees, bright with radiant gold, covered branches of gold, and fruit of gold. Perseus said to him, \u2018Friend, if high birth impresses you, [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Jupiter[\/pb_glossary] is responsible for my birth. Or if you admire great deeds, you will admire mine. I ask for hospitality and rest.\u2019\r\n\r\n\u201c[pb_glossary id=\"1085\"]Atlas[\/pb_glossary] remembered an ancient prophecy. [pb_glossary id=\"192\"]Themis[\/pb_glossary] on Parnassus had given that prophecy. \u2018[pb_glossary id=\"1085\"]Atlas[\/pb_glossary], the time will come when your tree will be stripped of its gold, and he who steals it will be called the son of [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Jupiter[\/pb_glossary].\u2019 Fearful of this, [pb_glossary id=\"1085\"]Atlas[\/pb_glossary] had enclosed his orchard with solid walls, and set a huge dragon to guard it, and kept all strangers away from his borders. To Perseus, he said, \u2018Go far away, lest the glory of the deeds, that you lie about, and [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Jupiter[\/pb_glossary] himself, fail you!\u2019 He added weight to his threats by trying to push him away with his great hands. But Perseus held his ground resolutely, and combined his resolve with calm words. Inferior in strength (who could equal [pb_glossary id=\"1085\"]Atlas[\/pb_glossary] in strength?), he said, \u2018Well now, since you show me so little kindness, accept a gift\u2019 and turning away himself, he held out [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary]\u2019s foul head, on his left hand side. [pb_glossary id=\"1085\"]Atlas[\/pb_glossary] became a mountain, as huge as he himself had been. Now his hair and beard were changed into trees, his shoulders and hands into ridges. What had been his head before was the crest on the mountain summit. His bones became stones. Then he grew to an immense height in every part (so you gods determined) and the whole sky, with its many stars, rested on him.\r\n\r\n[663-705] \u201c[pb_glossary id=\"1180\"]Aeolus[\/pb_glossary], son of Hippotas, had confined the winds in their prison under [pb_glossary id=\"1182\"]Mount Etna[\/pb_glossary], and Lucifer, who urges us to work, shone brightest of all in the depths of the eastern sky. Perseus strapped the winged sandals he had put to one side to his feet, armed himself with his curved sword, and cut through the clear air on beating pinions. Leaving innumerable nations behind, below and around him, he came in sight of the Ethiopian peoples, and the fields of [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary]. There [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Jupiter[\/pb_glossary] Ammon had unjustly ordered the innocent [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary] to pay the penalty for her mother [pb_glossary id=\"1166\"]Cassiopeia[\/pb_glossary]\u2019s words.\r\n\r\n\u201cAs soon as Perseus, great-grandson of Abas, saw her fastened by her arms to the hard rock, he would have thought she was a marble statue, except that a light breeze stirred her hair, and warm tears ran from her eyes. His heart caught fire without him knowing it and he was stunned, and seized by the vision of the form he saw, he almost forgot to flicker his wings in the air. As soon as he had landed, he said \u2018O, you do not deserve these chains, but rather those that link passionate lovers together. Tell me your name, I wish to know it, and the name of your country, and why you are wearing these chains.' At first she was silent: a virgin, she did not dare to address a man, and she would have hidden her face modestly with her hands, if they had not been fastened behind her. She used her eyes instead, and they filled with welling tears. At his repeated insistence, so as not to seem to be acknowledging a fault of her own, she told him her name and the name of her country, and what confidence her mother had had in her own beauty.\r\n\r\n\u201cBefore she had finished speaking, all the waves thundered, and a monster menaced them, rising from the deep sea, and covered the wide waters with its breadth. The girl cried out: her grieving father and mother were together nearby, both wretched, but the mother more justifiably so. They bring no help with them, only weeping and lamentations to suit the moment, and cling to her chained body. Then the stranger [Perseus] speaks, \u2018There will be plenty of time left for tears, but we only have a short time to work. If I asked for this girl as Perseus, son of [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Jupiter[\/pb_glossary] and of [pb_glossary id=\"1143\"]Danae[\/pb_glossary], imprisoned in the brazen tower, whom [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Jupiter[\/pb_glossary] filled with his rich golden shower; Perseus conqueror of the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary] with snakes for hair, he who dared to fly, driven through the air, on soaring wings, then surely I should be preferred to all other suitors as a son-in-law. If the gods favour me, I will try to add further merit to these great gifts. I will make a bargain. Rescued by my courage, she must be mine.\u2019 Her parents accept the contract (who would hesitate?) and, entreating him, promise a kingdom, as well, for a dowry.\r\n\r\n[706-752] \u201cSee how the creature comes, parting the waves with its surging breast, like a fast ship with a pointed prow ploughing the water, driven by the sweat-covered muscles of her crew. It was as far from the rock as a Balearic sling can send a lead shot through the air, when suddenly the young hero, pushing his feet hard against the earth, shot up high into the clouds. When the shadow of a man appeared on the water\u2019 surface, the creature raged against the shadow it had seen. Like how [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Jupiter[\/pb_glossary]\u2019s eagle, when it sees a snake in an open field showing its livid body to the sun, grabs the snake from behind and fixes its eager talons in the scaly neck in case it twists back its cruel fangs, so the descendant of [pb_glossary id=\"1183\"]Inachus[\/pb_glossary], [Perseus], hurling himself headlong, in swift flight, through empty space, attacked the creature\u2019s back, and, as it roared, buried his sword, to the end of the curved blade, in the right side of its neck. Hurt by the deep wound, now it reared high in the air, now it dove underwater, or turned now, like a fierce wild boar when the dogs scare him, and the pack is barking around him. Perseus evades the eager jaws on swift wings, and strikes with his curved sword wherever the monster is exposed, now at the back encrusted with barnacles, now at the sides of the body, now where the tail is slenderest, ending fishlike. The beast vomits seawater mixed with purplish blood. The pinions grow heavy, soaked with spray. Not daring to trust his drenched wings any further, he sees a rock whose highest point stands above quiet water, hidden by rough seas. Resting there, and holding on to the topmost pinnacle with his left hand, he drives his sword in three or four times, repeatedly.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe shores, and the high places of the gods, fill with the clamour of applause. [pb_glossary id=\"1166\"]Cassiopeia[\/pb_glossary] and [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary] rejoice, and greet their son-in-law, acknowledging him as the pillar of their house, and their deliverer. Released from her chains, the girl comes forward, the prize and the cause of his efforts. He washes his hands after the victory in seawater drawn for him and, so that [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary]\u2019s head, covered with its snakes, is not bruised by the harsh sand, he makes the ground soft with leaves, spreads out plants from below the waves and places the head of that daughter of [pb_glossary id=\"1149\"]Phorcus[\/pb_glossary] on them. The fresh plants, still living inside, and absorbent, respond to the influence of the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary]\u2019s head, and harden at its touch, acquiring a new rigidity in branches and fronds. And the ocean nymphs try out this wonder on more plants, and are delighted that the same thing happens at its touch, and repeat it by scattering the seeds from the plants through the waves. Even now corals have the same nature, hardening at a touch of air, and what was alive, under the water, above water is turned to stone.\r\n\r\n[753-803] \u201cTo the three gods, he builds the same number of altars out of turf: to you [pb_glossary id=\"210\"]Mercury[\/pb_glossary] on the left, to you [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Minerva[\/pb_glossary], warlike virgin, on the right, and an altar of [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Jupiter[\/pb_glossary] in the centre. He sacrifices a cow to [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Minerva[\/pb_glossary], a calf to the wing-footed god, and a bull to you, greatest of the gods. Then he claims [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary], without a dowry, valuing her as the worthiest prize. [pb_glossary id=\"335\"]Hymen[\/pb_glossary] and [pb_glossary id=\"158\"]Amor[\/pb_glossary] wave the marriage torch, the fires are saturated with strong perfumes, garlands hang from the rafters, and everywhere flutes and pipes, and singing, ring out, the happy evidence of joyful hearts. The doors fold back to show the whole of the golden hall, and the noble Ethiopian princes enter to a richly prepared banquet already set out for them.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen they have attacked the feast, and their spirits are cheered by wine, the generous gift of [pb_glossary id=\"370\"]Bacchus[\/pb_glossary], Perseus asks about the country and its culture, its customs and the character of its people. At the same time as he instructed him about these, one of the guests said \u2018Perseus, I beg you to tell us by what prowess and by what arts you captured that head with snakes for hair.\u2019 The descendant of [pb_glossary id=\"1727\"]Agenor[\/pb_glossary] told how there was a cave lying below the frozen slopes of [pb_glossary id=\"1085\"]Atlas[\/pb_glossary], safely hidden in its solid mass. At the entrance to this place the sisters lived, the [pb_glossary id=\"1151\"]Graeae[\/pb_glossary], daughters of [pb_glossary id=\"1149\"]Phorcus[\/pb_glossary], similar to each other in appearance and sharing only one eye between them. He removed it [the eye], cleverly, and stealthily, cunningly substituting his own hand while they were passing it from one to another. Far from there, by hidden tracks, and through rocks bristling with shaggy trees, he reached the place where the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgons[\/pb_glossary] lived. In the fields and along the paths, here and there, he saw the shapes of men and animals changed from their natures to hard stone by [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary]\u2019s gaze. Nevertheless he had himself looked at the dread form of [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary] reflected in a circular shield of polished bronze that he carried on his left arm. And while a deep sleep held the snakes and herself, he struck her head from her neck. And the swift winged horse [pb_glossary id=\"1157\"]Pegasus[\/pb_glossary] and his brother the warrior [pb_glossary id=\"1158\"]Chrysaor[\/pb_glossary], were born from their mother\u2019s blood.\r\n\r\n\u201cHe told of his long journeys, of dangers that were not imaginary ones, what seas and lands he had seen below from his high flight, and what stars he had brushed against with beating wings. He still finished speaking before they wished. Next one of the many princes asked why [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary], alone among her sisters, had snakes twining in her hair. The guest replied, \u2018Since what you ask is worth telling, hear the answer to your question. She was once most beautiful, and the jealous aspiration of many suitors. Of all her beauties none was more admired than her hair: I came across a man who recalled having seen her. They say that [pb_glossary id=\"182\"]Neptune[\/pb_glossary], lord of the seas, raped her in the temple of [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Minerva[\/pb_glossary]. [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Jupiter[\/pb_glossary]\u2019s daughter [ [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Minerva[\/pb_glossary] ] turned away, and hid her chaste eyes behind her [pb_glossary id=\"168\"]aegis[\/pb_glossary]. So that it would not go unpunished, she changed the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary]\u2019s hair to foul snakes. And now, to terrify her enemies, to numb them with fear, the goddess wears the snakes that she made as a breastplate.\u2019\u201d\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTaken from: https:\/\/www.poetryintranslation.com\/PITBR\/Latin\/Metamorph4.php#anchor_Toc64106269<\/a>\r\nTranslated by A. S. Kline \u00a9\u00a0Copyright<\/a> 2000 All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n
\r\n<\/a>Conon,\u00a0Narrations<\/em> (trans. from Greek to French by A. Gedoyn, and from French to English by P. Rogak)<\/h3>\r\n
Greek mythography, ca. 1st century CE<\/h4>\r\n
This fragment from Conon's Narrations 40 <\/em>is known from the writings of Photius of Constantinople. Conon was an Athenian mythographer, and here he gives a \u201ceuhemerizing\u201d account of the tale of Perseus and Andromeda. A \"euhemerism\" is an attempt to explain the mythological elements of the story in a more realistic way, such as by drawing on real historical events. In Conon's version, Cetus<\/em> is the name of Phoinix' ship (rather than an actual sea monster), and the Gorgon's head does not turn people to stone.<\/div>\r\nThe 40th story tells the history of [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary] quite differently from the Greeks. [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary] and [pb_glossary id=\"1465\"]Phineus[\/pb_glossary], he [Conon] says, were two brothers. [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary] ruled in the land that is now called Phoenicia but at the time was called Joppa, taking its name from Joppe the seaside city. His realm extended from our sea [the Mediterranean] up to the Arabs who live on the Red Sea. [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary] had a very beautiful daughter, named [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary], and whom both his own brother [pb_glossary id=\"1465\"]Phineus[\/pb_glossary], as well as [pb_glossary id=\"1466\"]Phoinix[\/pb_glossary], wished to marry. After weighing the options for a long time, [pb_glossary id=\"1165\"]Cepheus[\/pb_glossary] decided to give her to the latter [ [pb_glossary id=\"1466\"]Phoinix[\/pb_glossary] ]. But, because he did not want to argue with his brother, he pretended to reject [pb_glossary id=\"1466\"]Phoinix[\/pb_glossary], but at the same time allowed him to kidnap her. [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary] often went to a deserted island to make sacrifices to [pb_glossary id=\"882\"]Venus[\/pb_glossary]. [pb_glossary id=\"1466\"]Phoinix[\/pb_glossary] took this opportunity and kidnapped her, and brought her onto a ship (which was called Cetus [sea monster], either because it looked like one, or for some other reason). [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary], assuming she was being kidnapped, began to wail and scream in desperation. In this moment, by some stroke of fortune, Perseus, who was sailing on the sea, came across the ship of [pb_glossary id=\"1466\"]Phoinix[\/pb_glossary]. He heard the cries, and saw a young woman calling for help. Struck by her beauty, and moved as much by pity as by love, he decided to free her. He attacked the the ship of [pb_glossary id=\"1466\"]Phoinix[\/pb_glossary] with a rage and took it over; those who were aboard were killed without a fight, as they were frozen with shock. Perseus thus freed [pb_glossary id=\"1164\"]Andromeda[\/pb_glossary], brought her onboard his own ship, and brought her to Argos, where they lived and reigned together. From this, the Greeks constructed the myth of the sea monster that was going to eat Andromeda, and of the people turned to stone by the [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary] [pb_glossary id=\"1155\"]Medusa[\/pb_glossary]'s head.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTaken from: http:\/\/remacle.org\/bloodwolf\/erudits\/photius\/conon.htm<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/a>Adventures of Bellerophon<\/h1>\r\n
\r\n Sections & Primary Sources<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n
\r\n\r\nThe Chimera<\/a>\r\n- \r\n \t
- Homer,\u00a0Iliad,<\/em> 6.119-211<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nPegasus<\/a>\r\n
- \r\n \t
- Pindar,\u00a0Odes,\u00a0<\/em>\"Olympian 13,\" 60-95<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
<\/a>The Chimera<\/h2>\r\n
Anteia, the queen of Argos, fell in love with Bellerophon. When he did not return her affection, she accused him of assaulting her, and told her husband Proetus to kill Bellerophon. Proetus did not wish to kill Bellerophon himself, so he passed the job off to his cousin Iobates, the king of Lycia.<\/p>\r\n
Similarly to how Polydectes attempted to kill Perseus by sending him to fight Medusa (see \"Adventures of Perseus,\" above), Iobates sent Bellerophon to kill the Chimera, assuming that he would die in the attempt. Bellerophon, however, defeated the Chimera and returned to Argos. Iobates attempted a few more times to kill Bellerophon by sending him to fight other enemies (the Solymi and the Amazons), but Bellerophon defeated them all. Impressed by Bellerophon's strength, Iobates stopped trying to kill him, and granted him land in Lycia.<\/p>\r\n \r\n
\r\n<\/a>Homer,\u00a0Iliad<\/em>, Book 6 (trans. A. S. Kline, adapted by L. Zhang and P. Rogak)<\/h3>\r\n
Greek epic, ca. 8th\/7th century BCE<\/h4>\r\n
In this passage from Homer's\u00a0Iliad<\/em>, Glaucus of Lycia tells Diomedes of Argos about his parentage, and recounts the great deeds of his ancestor Bellerophon.<\/div>\r\n[119-211] \u201cThere\u2019s a town called Ephyre in a corner of Argos, the horse-pasture, and a man lived there called [pb_glossary id=\"1213\"]Sisyphus[\/pb_glossary], the craftiest of men, a son of [pb_glossary id=\"782\"]Aeolus[\/pb_glossary]. He had a son called [pb_glossary id=\"1215\"]Glaucus[\/pb_glossary], and [pb_glossary id=\"1215\"]Glaucus[\/pb_glossary] was father of the unrivaled Bellerophon, to whom the gods gave beauty and every manly grace. But [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Zeus[\/pb_glossary] made him subject to King [pb_glossary id=\"1216\"]Proetus[\/pb_glossary], who was stronger and plotted against him, and drove him from [pb_glossary id=\"2276\"]Argive[\/pb_glossary] lands. Now [pb_glossary id=\"1216\"]Proetus[\/pb_glossary]\u2019 wife, the beautiful [pb_glossary id=\"1217\"]Anteia[\/pb_glossary], longed madly for Bellerophon, and begged him to sleep with her in secret, but wise Bellerophon was a righteous man and could not be persuaded. So she wove a web of deceit, and said to King [pb_glossary id=\"1216\"]Proetus[\/pb_glossary]: \u2018Kill this Bellerophon, who tried to take me by force, or die trying.\u2019 The king was angered by her words. He would not kill Bellerophon, as his heart shrank from murder, but he sent him off to Lycia. He scratched many deadly signs on a folded tablet, gave him [Bellerophon] that fatal token, and told him to hand it to the Lycian king, his father-in-law, so as to engineer his death. Bellerophon went to Lycia escorted by unrivaled gods, and when he reached the streams of [pb_glossary id=\"1218\"]Xanthus[\/pb_glossary], the king of great Lycia, [ [pb_glossary id=\"1219\"]Iobates[\/pb_glossary] ], welcomed him with honour, entertaining him for nine days, and sacrificing nine oxen. But when rosy-fingered [pb_glossary id=\"215\"]Dawn[\/pb_glossary] lit the tenth day, his host questioned him, and asked what token he brought him from his son-in-law [pb_glossary id=\"1216\"]Proetus[\/pb_glossary].\r\n\r\n\u201cOn first deciphering the fatal message, he ordered Bellerophon to kill the monstrous [pb_glossary id=\"1209\"]Chimera[\/pb_glossary], born from gods and not men, that had a lion\u2019s head, goat\u2019s body and serpent\u2019s tail, and breathed out deadly blasts of scorching fire. But Bellerophon slew her, guided by the gods. Next he was sent against the notorious [pb_glossary id=\"1210\"]Solymi[\/pb_glossary], and fought, he said, the mightiest battle he ever fought. Then thirdly he slaughtered the [pb_glossary id=\"1207\"]Amazons[\/pb_glossary], women who were equal to men. The king planned a deadly ruse for his return, staging an ambush by the best of the Lycian warriors. But not one of them returned: the unmatched Bellerophon killed them all. The king then realised he was a true son of the gods, and offered him his daughter and half of his kingdom, to stay. The Lycians moreover marked out for him an estate of the first rank, with tracts of orchards and plough-land for his delight.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe lady bore to Bellerophon, that warlike man, three children: Isander, Hippolochus and Laodameia. [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Zeus[\/pb_glossary] the Counsellor slept with Laodameia and she bore godlike [pb_glossary id=\"611\"]Sarpedon[\/pb_glossary], now a bronze-clad warrior. But the time came when Bellerophon too was loathed by the gods, and wandered off alone over the Aleian plain, eating his heart away and shunning the ways of men. [pb_glossary id=\"179\"]Ares[\/pb_glossary], unwearied by war, killed his [Bellerophon's] son Isander, in a battle with the glorious [pb_glossary id=\"1210\"]Solymi[\/pb_glossary]; and Laodameia was slain in anger by [pb_glossary id=\"180\"]Artemis[\/pb_glossary] of the Golden Reins. Hippolochus remained and fathered me [ [pb_glossary id=\"1205\"]Glaucus[\/pb_glossary] ], and from him I am descended. He sent me here to [pb_glossary id=\"4673\"]Troy[\/pb_glossary] and tasked me earnestly to be the best and bravest, and not bring shame on my ancestors, the best men in Ephyre and all broad Lycia. Such is my lineage, from that blood am I sprung.\u201d\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTaken from: https:\/\/www.poetryintranslation.com\/PITBR\/Greek\/Iliad6.php#anchor_Toc239244954<\/a>\r\nTranslated by A. S. Kline \u00a9\u00a0Copyright<\/a> 2009 All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
<\/a>Pegasus<\/h2>\r\n
The second famous deed of Bellerophon was his taming of the winged horse Pegasus, the child of Medusa and Poseidon (see \"Adventures of Perseus,\" above). This deed is, however, often attributed to Perseus, who likely came to be associated with the Pegasus due to his killing of Medusa.<\/p>\r\n \r\n
\r\n<\/a>Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, \"Olympian 13\" (trans. D. A. Svarlien, adapted by L. Zhang and P. Rogak)<\/h3>\r\n
Greek victory ode, 5th century BCE<\/h4>\r\n
In his ode for Xenophon of Corinth (ca. 464 BCE), Pindar compares Xenophon to Bellerophon, and describes how Bellerophon tamed Pegasus with the help of the goddess Athena.<\/div>\r\nAnd the [pb_glossary id=\"2276\"]Danaans[\/pb_glossary] trembled before [pb_glossary id=\"1205\"]Glaucus[\/pb_glossary], when he came from Lycia; he boasted to them that in the city of Peirene lay the rule and rich estate and hall of his ancestor, Bellerophon, who once suffered greatly. When beside the spring [at Peirene], he wanted to harness [pb_glossary id=\"1157\"]Pegasus[\/pb_glossary], the son of the snake-entwined [pb_glossary id=\"956\"]Gorgon[\/pb_glossary]. [65] Then the maiden [pb_glossary id=\"888\"]Pallas[\/pb_glossary] brought to him a bridle with golden cheek-pieces. The dream suddenly became waking reality, and she spoke: \u201cAre you sleeping, king, son [descendant] of [pb_glossary id=\"782\"]Aeolus[\/pb_glossary]? Come, take this charm for the horse; and, sacrificing a white bull, show it to your ancestor, [pb_glossary id=\"182\"]Poseidon[\/pb_glossary] the Horse-Tamer.\u201d [70] The goddess of the dark [pb_glossary id=\"168\"]aegis[\/pb_glossary] seemed to say these words to him as he slept in the darkness, and he leapt straight up to his feet. He seized the marvelous thing [the bridle] that lay beside him, and gladly went to the seer of the land. [75] And he told [ [pb_glossary id=\"1206\"]Polyidus[\/pb_glossary] ] the son of Coeranus the whole story: how, at the seer's bidding, he had gone to sleep for the night on the altar of the goddess, and how the daughter herself of [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Zeus[\/pb_glossary] whose spear is the thunderbolt had given him the spirit-taming gold. The seer told him to obey the dream with all speed; [80] and, when he sacrificed a strong-footed bull to the widely powerful holder of the earth [ [pb_glossary id=\"182\"]Poseidon[\/pb_glossary] ], straightaway to dedicate an altar to [pb_glossary id=\"173\"]Athena[\/pb_glossary], goddess of horses. The power of the gods easily accomplishes things that are contrary to oaths and expectations. And so mighty Bellerophon eagerly [85] stretched the gentle charmed bridle around its jaws and caught the winged horse. Mounted on its back and armored in bronze, at once he began to play with weapons. And with [pb_glossary id=\"1157\"]Pegasus[\/pb_glossary], from the chilly bosom of the lonely air, he once attacked the [pb_glossary id=\"1207\"]Amazons[\/pb_glossary], the female army of archers, [90] and he killed the fire-breathing [pb_glossary id=\"1209\"]Chimera[\/pb_glossary], and the [pb_glossary id=\"1210\"]Solymi[\/pb_glossary]. I shall pass over his death in silence; but [pb_glossary id=\"1157\"]Pegasus[\/pb_glossary] has found his shelter in the ancient stables of [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Zeus[\/pb_glossary] in [pb_glossary id=\"628\"]Olympus[\/pb_glossary].\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTaken from: http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DO.%3Apoem%3D13<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/a>Deaths<\/h1>\r\n
\r\n Sections & Primary Sources<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n
\r\n\r\nDeath of Perseus<\/a>\r\n\r\nDeath of Bellerophon<\/a>\r\n- \r\n \t
- Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, \"Isthmian 7,\" 39-49<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
<\/a>Death of Perseus<\/h2>\r\n
Unlike many Greek heroes, Perseus has no notable myth attached to his death. Rather, it is said that he lived peacefully with his wife Andromeda for many years and fathered many children. He was also credited with the foundation of various cities, most notably Mycenae.<\/p>\r\n
For further discussion of the foundation of Mycenae, see chapter 39<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
<\/a>Death of Bellerophon<\/h2>\r\nAfter taming Pegasus, Bellerophon was said to have attempted to fly to Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. However, attempts by non-gods to reach Mount Olympus are never successful. The Giants Otus and Ephialtes, for example, piled up mountains in their own attempt to reach Olympus, but were promptly killed by Artemis and Apollo (see chapter 13<\/a>). As punishment for his hubris, Bellerophon fell from Pegasus to his death.\r\n\r\n \r\n
\r\n<\/a>Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, \"Isthmian 7\" (trans. D. A. Svarlien, adapted by L. Zhang and P. Rogak)<\/h3>\r\n
Greek victory ode, 5th century BCE<\/h4>\r\nMay the envy of the immortals not disturb [40] whatever delight I pursue from day to day as I peacefully make my way towards old age and the allotted span of my life. For we die all alike, but our fates are diverse. If a man looks to things far away, he is too short to reach the bronze-floored home of the gods; winged [pb_glossary id=\"1157\"]Pegasus[\/pb_glossary] threw his master Bellerophon, who wanted to go to the dwelling-places of heaven and be in the company of [pb_glossary id=\"172\"]Zeus[\/pb_glossary]. A thing that is sweet beyond measure is awaited by a most bitter end.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTaken from: http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DI.%3Apoem%3D7<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n<\/a>Art and Symbolism<\/h1>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1800\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"800\"]
![\"Perseus](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/06\/Attic_white_calyx_crater_Euaion_as_Perseus_440-430_BC_AM_Agrigento_120962x.jpg\")
Perseus, white-ground krater, ca. 440 BCE (Archaeological Museum, Agrigento)[\/caption]\r\nPerseus was one of the most popular heroes in Greek myth - and consequently one of the most commonly depicted heroes in Greek art. He was portrayed as a young beardless man, usually wearing Hades\u2019 cap of invisibility or Hermes\u2019 winged sandals (or both), and wielding a curved sword (harpe<\/em>). He is also often holding a magic bag (kibisis<\/em>). These items are related to his most famous heroic deed and the scene in which he was most often depicted, the slaying of the Gorgon Medusa.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3854\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1328\"]
![\"Perseus,](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/08\/peseus-athena-hermes-boston-museum-of-fine-arts.png\")
Perseus, Athena, and Hermes with the head of Medusa, tracing from red-figure krater from ca. 400 BCE (accessed via the Boston Museum of Fine Arts<\/a>)[\/caption]\r\nPerseus is generally shown either diverting his gaze while he kills the monster, or running away after the fact to avoid the wrath of the other two Gorgons. He can be accompanied by Athena or Hermes, the two gods who gave him the necessary magical equipment.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1349\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"273\"]
![\"Perseus,](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/04\/DP-14887-002-scaled.jpg\")
Perseus beheading Medusa, red-figure pelike, ca. 450 BCE (Metropolitan Museum, New York)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1879\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"351\"]![\"Athena,](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/06\/edit.jpg\")
Athena and Perseus, red-figure hydria, ca. 470 BCE (Antikensammlung Berlin)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1345\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1599\"]![\"Perseus,](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/04\/Cratera_con_escena_de_Teseo_disponiendose_a_decapitar_a_Medusa._Pintor_de_Villa_Giulia_-_M.A.N-scaled-e1619544654840.jpg\")
Perseus beheading Medusa, red-figure krater, ca. 450 BCE (Museo Archaeologico Nazionale, Naples)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1348\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"2560\"]![\"The](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/04\/DP-12737-001-scaled.jpg\")
Death of Medusa, black-figure white-ground lekythos, ca. 500 BCE (Metropolitan Museum, New York)[\/caption]\r\nThe second popular myth of Perseus represented in art was the rescue of princess Andromeda from a sea monster discussed above in 'Andromeda.' The hero is generally facing or killing the monster. He is wearing his typical attire (cap, sandals, sword); sometimes he is even riding Pegasus, freshly born from Medusa\u2019s blood.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1801\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"905\"]
![\"Bottom](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/06\/Loutrophoros_Andromeda-MArTA-e1623370477450.jpg\")
Perseus and Andromeda, red-figure loutrophoros, ca. 340 BCE (National Archaeological Museum, Taranto)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1806\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"763\"]![\"Perseus,](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/06\/763px-Perseus_and_andromeda_amphora.jpg\")
Perseus and Andromeda, black-figure amphora (Altes Museum, Berlin)[\/caption]\r\nThe second hero, Bellerophon, is usually represented as a young beardless man. He is sometimes depicted wearing a Phrygian or Thessalian hat, and is almost always shown riding the winged horse Pegasus while slaying the Chimera.<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1775\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"332\"]
![\"Bellerophon,](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/06\/1024px-NAMA_Epinetron_Bellerophon.jpg\")
Bellerophon and the Chimera, red-figure epinetron, ca. 425 BCE (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1777\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"305\"]![\"Bellerophon](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/06\/Produz._cicladica_piatto_con_chimera_e_bellerofonte_su_pegaso_650_ac_ca._da_artemision_di_thasos_grecia_m._archeol._di_Thasos.jpg\")
Bellerophon and the Chimera, black-figure tondo, ca. 650 BCE (Palazzo Massimo, Rome)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1780\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"316\"]![\"Bellerophon](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/06\/Box_bezel_ring_Getty_Museum_88.AM_.104_1-scaled-e1623370559231.jpg\")
Bellerophon and the Chimera, gold ring, 4th century BCE (J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1779\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"323\"]![\"Bellerophon](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/06\/1024px-Bellerophon_Chimaera_BM_D205.jpg\")
Bellerophon and the Chimera, terracotta flask, 3rd century BCE (British Museum, London)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1776\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1920\"]![\"The](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/06\/Bellerophon_Khimaira_Louvre_A478.jpg\")
Bellerophon and the Chimera, black-figure kylix, ca. 550 BCE (Louvre Museum, Paris)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\nMedia Attributions and Footnotes<\/h1>","rendered":"
![\"Bellerophon,](\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greekromanmyth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1141\/2021\/06\/Pittore_di_baltimora_apulia_piatto_con_chimera_e_bellerofonte_su_pegaso_350-300_ac_ca._depositi_M._Naz._romano.jpg\")
Bellerophon and the Chimera, red-figure tondo, 4th century BCE (Palazzo Massimo, Rome)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n<\/a>Births<\/h1>\n
Both Perseus and Bellerophon were monster-slaying Greek heroes. However, their individual stories became conflated by the end of the Classical period, a development that continued into the Renaissance and beyond. Since Perseus was the earlier, more culturally popular hero, Bellerophon’s deeds are most commonly attributed to Perseus.<\/p>\n
\n\n Sections & Primary Sources<\/p>\n<\/header>\n
\nBirth of Perseus<\/a><\/p>\n
- \n
- Lucian,\u00a0Dialogues of Sea Gods<\/em>, “Doris and Thetis”<\/a><\/li>\n
- Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, “Nemean 10,” 1-15<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Birth of Bellerophon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/a>Birth of Perseus<\/h2>\n
[content warning: sexual violence, abduction]<\/p>\n
The hero Perseus was the son of Zeus and and Danae, a mortal woman and the only child of King Acrisius of Argos. Acrisius asked the oracle of Delphi whether he would ever have a son. The oracle told him that he would not have a son, but that his daughter would, and he would be killed by his own grandson. To prevent the oracular prophecy from coming true, Acrisius locked his daughter up in a chamber with only a small opening at the top to let in some light and air. In this way he hoped to keep her from ever having sex and giving birth to a child.<\/p>\n
However, Zeus saw Danae locked in the chamber and lusted after her. He changed himself into a shower of gold and rained down into the chamber, impregnating Danae. When Danae gave birth to a boy, Perseus, Acrisius put her and her son into a wooden chest and set them out to sea, counting on them to drown.<\/p>\n
The chest washed ashore on the island of Seriphos, where is was found by a fisherman, Dictys, the brother of the king of the island, Polydectes. Dictys gave Danae a home and raised Perseus.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Lucian, Dialogues of Sea Gods,\u00a0<\/em>“Doris and Thetis” (trans. H. W. & F. G. Fowler, adapted by P. Rogak)<\/h3>\n
Greek satire, 2nd century CE<\/h4>\n
In the second century CE, the Greek satirical writer Lucian of Samosata envisioned a conversation between the sea nymphs Doris and Thetis (mother of Achilles) about Danae and Perseus shut up in the chest. According to Lucian’s account, it is Doris and Thetis who take action to rescue the mother and baby from drowning.<\/div>\nDORIS:<\/h6>\n
Crying, dear?<\/p>\n
THETIS:<\/h6>\n
Oh, Doris<\/a>, I have just seen a lovely girl thrown into a chest by her father, and her little baby with her; and he gave the chest to some sailors, and told them, as soon as they were far enough from the shore, to drop it into the water; he meant them to be drowned, poor things.<\/p>\n
DORIS:<\/h6>\n
Oh, sister, but why? What was it all about? Did you hear?<\/p>\n
THETIS:<\/h6>\n
Her father, Acrisius<\/a>, wanted to keep her from marrying. And, as she was so pretty, he shut her up in an iron room. And\u2014I don’t know whether it’s true\u2014but they say that Zeus<\/a> turned himself into gold, and came showering down through the roof, and she caught the gold in her lap,\u2014and it was Zeus<\/a> the whole time. And then her father found out about it\u2014he is a horrid, jealous old man\u2014and he was furious, and thought she had been receiving a lover; and he put her into the chest, the moment the child was born.<\/p>\n
DORIS:<\/h6>\n
And what did she do then?<\/p>\n
THETIS:<\/h6>\n
She never said a word against her own sentence; she was ready to submit: but she pleaded hard for the child’s life, and cried, and held him up for his grandfather to see; and there was the sweet baby, that thought no harm, smiling at the waves. I am beginning [to cry] again, at the memory of it.<\/p>\n
DORIS:<\/h6>\n
You make me cry, too. And is it all over?<\/p>\n
THETIS:<\/h6>\n
No; the chest has carried them safely so far; it is by Seriphus.<\/p>\n
DORIS:<\/h6>\n
Then why should we not save them? We can put the chest into those fishermen’s nets, look; and then of course they will be hauled in, and come safely to shore.<\/p>\n
THETIS:<\/h6>\n
The very thing. She shall not die; nor the child, sweet treasure!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Taken from: https:\/\/www.theoi.com\/Text\/LucianDialoguesGods2.html#12<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, “Nemean 10” (trans. D. A. Svarlien, adapted by L. Zhang and P. Rogak)<\/h3>\n
Greek victory ode, 5th century BCE<\/h4>\n
Pindar’s victory ode for Theaeus of Argos (ca. 444 BCE) praises the glory of Argos, mentioning Danae and her son Perseus.<\/div>\nGraces<\/a>, sing of the city of Danaus<\/a> and his fifty daughters on their splendid thrones, Hera<\/a>‘s Argos, a home suitable for a god; it blazes with countless excellences because of its bold deeds. Long indeed is the story of Perseus and the Gorgon<\/a> Medusa<\/a>, [5] and many are the cities founded in Egypt by the devising of Epaphus<\/a>. And Hypermnestra<\/a> did not go astray, when she kept her sword in its scabbard, the only one to make this choice. And once the golden-haired, gray-eyed goddess [ Athena<\/a> ] made Diomedes<\/a> an immortal god; and the earth in Thebes<\/a>, thunder-struck by the bolts of Zeus<\/a>, swallowed up the prophetic son of Oicles, Amphiaraus<\/a>, the storm-cloud of war. And Argos has long been the best city for women with beautiful hair; Zeus<\/a> made this saying clear by visiting Alcmene<\/a> and Danae<\/a>, and he united the qualities of intelligence and straightforward justice in the father of Adrastus<\/a>, and in Lynceus<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Taken from: http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DN.%3Apoem%3D10<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/a>Birth of Bellerophon<\/h2>\n
There is no significant myth about the birth of Bellerophon. He is a hero from Corinth, but his parentage varies greatly between sources. Homer’s\u00a0Iliad<\/em> (see “Adventures of Bellerophon”) states that Bellerophon is a son of Glaucus<\/a>, who was the son of Sisyphus<\/a>, while other sources say that Bellerophon’s father is Poseidon<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Adventures of Perseus<\/h1>\n
\n\n Sections & Primary Sources<\/p>\n<\/header>\n
\nThe Quest for the Gorgon’s Head<\/a><\/p>\n
- \n
- Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, “Pythian 10,” 29-45<\/a><\/li>\n
- Pseudo-Apollodorus,\u00a0Bibliotheca<\/em>, 2.4.1-2.4.5<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Andromeda<\/a><\/p>\n
- \n
- Ovid,\u00a0Metamorphoses<\/em>, 4.604-803<\/a><\/li>\n
- Conon,\u00a0Narrations, <\/em>Fragment\u00a040<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/a>The Quest for the Gorgon’s Head<\/h2>\n
Perseus is best known for his quest to retrieve the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Polydectes, the king of Seriphos, wished to marry Danae, but could not do so because of her son Perseus. In an attempt to get rid of Perseus, therefore, Polydectes sent him to retrieve the head of Medusa, hoping that Medusa would petrify him, preventing him from returning from this quest<\/p>\n
With the help of various divine figures, including Athena, Hermes, and the Graeae, Perseus travelled to the far reaches of the world and beheaded Medusa. Upon his return to Seriphos, Perseus used the head to turn Polydectes to stone and save Danae.<\/p>\n
For further discussion of Perseus and Medusa, see chapter 20<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, “Pythian 10” (trans. D. A. Svarlien, adapted by L. Zhang and P. Rogak)<\/h3>\n
Greek victory ode, 5th century BCE<\/h4>\n
Neither by ship nor on foot could you find [30] the marvelous road to the meeting-place of the Hyperboreans<\/a>\u2014 Once Perseus, the leader of his people, entered their homes and feasted among them, when he found them sacrificing glorious hecatombs<\/a> of donkeys to the god [ Apollo<\/a> ]. In the festivities of those people [35] and in their praises Apollo<\/a> rejoices most, and he laughs when he sees the erect arrogance of the beasts. The Muse<\/a> is not absent from their customs; all around swirl the dances of girls, the lyre\u2019s loud chords and the cries of flutes. [40] They wreathe their hair with golden laurel branches and celebrate joyfully. No sickness or ruinous old age is mixed into that sacred race; without toil or battles they live without fear of strict Nemesis<\/a>. Breathing boldness of spirit [45] once the son of Danae<\/a> went to that gathering of blessed men, and Athena<\/a> led him there. He killed the Gorgon<\/a>, and came back bringing stony death to the islanders, the head that shimmered with hair made of serpents.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Taken from: http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DP.%3Apoem%3D10<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Pseudo-Apollodorus,\u00a0Bibliotheca<\/em>, Book 2 (trans. J. G. Frazer, adapted by L. Zhang and P. Rogak)<\/h3>\n
Greek mythography, 2nd century BCE<\/h4>\n
In the following passage, Pseudo-Apollodorus gives a summary of the birth and adventures of Perseus. The author of this text was originally thought to be Apollodorus of Athens. Over time, however, this attribution became widely considered to be false. Thus, \u201cPseudo-\u201d (meaning \u2018lie\u2019, \u2018fake\u2019) precedes the name Apollodorus.<\/div>\n[2.4.1] When Acrisius<\/a> inquired of the oracle how he should get male children, the god said that his daughter would give birth to a son who would kill him. Fearing that, Acrisius<\/a> built a brass chamber under ground and there guarded Danae<\/a>. However, she was seduced, as some say, by Proetus<\/a>, and that was what caused\u00a0 the argument between them; but some say that Zeus<\/a> had intercourse with her in the shape of a stream of gold which poured through the roof into Danae<\/a>‘s lap. When Acrisius<\/a> afterwards learned that she had got a child, Perseus, he would not believe that she had been seduced by Zeus<\/a>, and putting his daughter with the child in a chest, he cast it into the sea. The chest was washed ashore on Seriphus, and Dictys<\/a> took up the boy and reared him.<\/p>\n
[2.4.2] Polydectes<\/a>, brother of Dictys<\/a>, was then king of Seriphus and fell in love with Danae<\/a>, but could not make her his wife, because Perseus was grown to man’s estate. So he called together his friends, including Perseus, under the pretext of collecting contributions towards a wedding gift for Hippodamia<\/a>, daughter of Oenomaus<\/a>. Now Perseus declared that he would not hesitate to get even the Gorgon<\/a>‘s head [as a gift]. Polydectes<\/a> required the others to gift them horses and, not getting horses from Perseus, he ordered him to bring the Gorgon<\/a>‘s head. So under the guidance of Hermes<\/a> and Athena<\/a> he [Perseus] made his way to the daughters of Phorcus<\/a>, that is to say, [the Graeae<\/a> ] Enyo, Pephredo, and Dino; for Phorcus<\/a> had them by Ceto<\/a>, and they were sisters of the Gorgons<\/a>, and old women from their birth. The three had but one eye and one tooth, and these they passed to each other in turn. Perseus got possession of the eye and the tooth, and when they asked for them back, he said he would give them up if they would show him the way to the nymphs<\/a>. Now these nymphs<\/a> had winged sandals and the kibisis<\/a>, which they say was a wallet. [But Pindar and Hesiod in
- Conon,\u00a0Narrations, <\/em>Fragment\u00a040<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
- Pseudo-Apollodorus,\u00a0Bibliotheca<\/em>, 2.4.1-2.4.5<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, “Nemean 10,” 1-15<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Lucian,\u00a0Dialogues of Sea Gods<\/em>, “Doris and Thetis”<\/a><\/li>\n
- Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, \"Isthmian 7,\" 39-49<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
- Pindar,\u00a0Odes,\u00a0<\/em>\"Olympian 13,\" 60-95<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
- Conon,\u00a0Narrations, <\/em>Fragment\u00a040<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
- Pseudo-Apollodorus,\u00a0Bibliotheca<\/em>, 2.4.1-2.4.5<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAndromeda<\/a>\r\n
- Pindar,\u00a0Odes<\/em>, \"Nemean 10,\" 1-15<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nBirth of Bellerophon<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n