Perseus

1
Perseus

• This powerpoint was found online. It is very
  comprehensive, and should help you with review

2
Origin

• King Acrisius was told that the son of his
  daughter, Danae, would kill him.
• He could not let this happen so he locked her in
  a tower to never marry or have children
• However, a man with a thunderbolt appeared to her
  and together they gave birth to a boy, Perseus.

3
Cast Away

• King Acrisius was furious when he discovered the
  child.
• He shut Danae and Perseus up in a chest and cast
  them out to sea.
• Somehow they got to Seriphos where Polydectes was
  king.

4
Polydectes Plot

• Soon Polydectes fell in love with Danae and
  wanted to remove Perseus.
• Perseus was tricked into offering anything
  Poldectes wanted as a wedding gift.
• He demanded the head of Medusa, a gorgon with a
  gaze that turned people to stone.

5
Help from the Gods

• Divine help was needed for this quest and it came
  from Hermes and Athena.
• Athena gave Perseus her mirrored shield and
  Hermes gave him his sword.
• He then visited the Gray Women and forced them to
  tell him how to get to the Gorgons. He was also
  given a satchel, winged sandals, and a cap to
  make him invisible.

6
Slaying Medusa

• He used the reflection in his shield to approach
  Medusa and cut off her head.
• The other Gorgons attacked, but Perseus used the
  sandals and the cap to escape.

7
Princess Andromeda

• As he passed Ethiopia on his return trip, Perseus
  spied Andromeda chained to a rock.
• Her father was sacrificing her to a sea monster
  to please Poseidon.
• Perseus rescued her in return for their marriage.

8
Return to Seriphos

• When Perseus returned to Seriphos, he used
  Medusas head to turn Polydectes to stone.
• He made Polydectes brother, Dictys, the new
  king.

9
Prophecy Fulfilled and The End

• At an athletic event sometime later, Perseus
  thrilled a crowd with his discus skill.
• However, he accidentally struck and killed a man
  who turned out to be Acrisius.
• The prophecy originally told to Acrisius had come
  true.

10
Works Cited

• Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York Little
  Brown Company, 1940. Print.
• "Perseus." Greek Mythology. 2005. Web. 21 Feb.
  2010. lthttp//www.greekmythology.com/Myth s/Heroe
  s/Perseus/perseus.htmlgt.