The Myth of Perseus Myths are beautiful stories written to explain the unexplainable, originating from the early people of the world to the present day still just as entranced by them. The Myth of Perseus is no exception. The myth has a plethora of morals and lessons, the greatest being that of destiny and courage. The strongest moral throughout the entire myth is that we cannot escape our destiny. Acrisius of Argos was warned by the Oracle of Delphi that he would be killed by his grandson, Perseus. To stop Danae from producing a child she was locked away, depending on the version the prison may be tower sealed to the outside world or an underground prison made of brass, each however having a single small window. After Danae is locked away she becomes depressed, as her imprisonment continues Zeus, ruler of the gods, comes in through the single small window in her chamber and offers her to be his wife, she agrees and thus Perseus is born out of this act. In rage Acrisius of Argos casts Danae and Perseus to the sea where the story of Perseus continues. After Perseus slays the Gorgon Medusa and returns to stop the Kraken, Perseus takes part in a few Olympic Games. …show more content…
Perseus a mere boy who has been cast into this life. This, in my opinion, is truly the meaning behind the myth. As this was the earliest myth found it makes sense that the first myth would be to tell of great courage of man and the divine intervention that helped him. If Perseus did not have the courage to defend his mother’s honor that he would have undertaken such a quest. He fought Medusa, depending on the version she was normally asleep, yet in some she was awake. He regained the throne for his family, he who saved an Ethiopian Princess to be taken as his bride. The human bravery was the reason he was able to do what he did, even with the help of the gods he himself still needed to carry out those
The most famous story from the hero Perseus would be the quarrel with the Gorgon Medusa. Perseus the son of Zeus and Danaë, was tricked into promising to obtain the head of the only mortal Gorgon Medusa. After acquiring various items including a shield - given to him by Athena - and curved sword he beheaded the Gorgon in her sleep using the reflection of his shield to view her without becoming petrified. Perseus then returned to Seriphus and turned his trickster Polydectes along with his supporters to stone. After, he left for the funeral games where he threw a discus and it hit an elderly man named Acrisius which killed him fulfilling Perseus' prophesy. Perseus then consequently left Argos and was then credited
In the beginning of the myth, Perseus’ grandfather, King Acrisius, was told by a priestess that his daughter would have a son and that her son would kill him. So Acrisius goes out of his way to rid himself of his daughter. He locks her in a castle in hopes that she won’t come across other people and become pregnant. Once he finds out that his daughter does have a son, Perseus, he locks them
Greek mythology has been passed on and retold over generations. Literature and movies have been created to entertain as well as provide specific themes based off of myths. There are many heroes that mythology talks about and each one has lived an epic life, but there is one famous hero that has been immortalized throughout history. Hercules is the son of Zeus and a mortal named Alcmene. Zeus impregnated her while her husband was away and this is where his story began. Zeus' wife, Hera, found out about the affair and was outrageous about his careless actions. She tried to prevent Hercules' birth; however, when that didn't work she sent snakes to kill the baby. Hercules was too mighty for the snakes and strangled them before they could even hurt him. As stated in this source, "Hera remained angry. How could she get even? Hera knew that she would lose in a fight, and that she wasn't powerful enough to prevent Zeus from having his way. Hera decided to pay Zeus back for his infidelity by making the rest of Hercules' life as miserable as she could" (Crane WEB). Hercules grew up to be a great young warrior and was all around. With this god-like strength, also came an uncontrollable temper that made him react at times without thinking, but later made him realize the wrongdoings of his violence. He later then married a woman named Megara and had two beautiful children. But one day, Hera instilled a fit of rage into Hercules and made him slaughter his family with his very own hands. He was shocked by his actions and asked Apollo for assistance since he was drowning in guilt. Apollo later then gave him specific tasks to help Hercules redeem himself for the bloodshed he caused. The hero was sent to Eurystheus, and under his strict hand, he was to accomplish twelve labors over the next twelve years.
In conclusion the ancient greek myths and fables still inspire and teach lessons to people today by showing us some consequences the fables and myths had. Some bad consequences were like in “The Miser” and “The Hen and The Golden Eggs” when they lost their chance to have something good but did not because they did not make the right choice. Some good choices that happened is in Perseus because in that story he was thinking and used his resources wisely and in the end he had accomplished his mission. So to wrap it up the lesson is to appreciate and cherish things
Innocence, desire, and obsession are all facets in the story of Persephone and Hades. The arranged abduction broke a divine mother’s heart enough to affect the course of life on Earth forever. Persephone, or commonly called Kore meaning “the maiden,” was sought after by Hades, ruler of the underworld (Persephone 1). Hades enlisted Zeus’s help to abduct his daughter with Demeter, Persephone. Those events would become known as The Abduction of Persephone. This myth would become one of the most iconic and widely known in Greek history because it would explain one of earth’s most important cycles, reinforce the idea that the gods and goddesses have control of the earth, and fostered an agrarian cult’s religious rites.
When comparing Perseus to other heroes, the first person who usually comes to mind is Percy Jackson. Percy Jackson’s story has some similar points as the story of Perseus, but most of them are changed to be a little more kid friendly. I will be talking about the kinds of monsters that were battled in each of the stories, the Hero Archetypes, and themes. I will start with one of the most important things in any hero story, the monsters.
Perseus was the son of Danae and Zeus. Danae 's father was King Acrisius of Argos. And years before Perseus ' birth, he was foretold a prophecy which stated his death would come at the hands of Danae 's first born son.(4) So he locked her into a solid bronze tower, Zeus came to visit her in the form of a golden shower. After she realized, she was pregnant. She was able to hide the pregnancy from her father until the birth of Perseus.(4) Fearing the gods, Acrisius did not want to kill them because of the chance of him being cursed.(2) So he locked them into a chest, sent them into the sea.(3) "Either by luck or the will of Zeus,"(2) they landed ashore at the island of Seriphos.(4) Where a humble, old fisherman named Dictys found them.(4) Dictys took Danae and Perseus in as one of his own.(2) Many years later, the king of Seriphos, King Polydectes, or Dictys ' brother,(2) fell in love with Danae.(4) She was not in love with him although, and said no when Polydectes asked for her hand in marriage. Any advances towards her were stopped by Perseus.(4) To try to relieve himself from the embarrassment of Perseus, he told Perseus to go and
In the ancient Greek story of Perseus, a selfish King, known as King Acrisius, fathers his first born- a stunningly beautiful daughter named Danae. However, Acrisius is unpleased and begs the gods for a son. Apollo, angered by his ungratefulness, tells him not only that Acrisius will never have a son, but also that the son of his daughter will kill him. The only way to fully prevent this prophecy would be to kill his daughter, but Acrisius fears what the gods would do to him. Instead, he locks her away so that she would remain barren. To Acrisius’ dismay, Danae is visited by Zeus, who impregnates her. They give birth to a son, whom she names Perseus. Furious, Acrisius locks them in a chest and casts them out into the sea, in hopes that they
Perseus was the son of Danae and Zeus. Danae 's father was King Acrisius of Argos. And years before Perseus ' birth, he was foretold a prophecy which stated his death would come at the hands of Danae 's first born son.(4) So he locked her into a solid bronze tower, Zeus came to visit her in the form of a golden shower. After she realized, she was pregnant. She was able to hide the pregnancy from her father until the birth of Perseus.(4) Fearing the gods, Acrisius did not want to kill them because of the chance of him being cursed.(2) So he locked them into a chest, sent them into the sea.(3) "Either by luck or the will of Zeus,"(2) they landed ashore at the island of Seriphos.(4) Where a humble, old fisherman named Dictys found them.(4) Dictys took Danae and Perseus in as one of his own.(2) Many years later, the king of Seriphos, King Polydectes, or Dictys ' brother,(2) fell in love with Danae.(4) She was not in love with him although, and said no when Polydectes asked for her hand in marriage. Any advances towards her were stopped by Perseus.(4) To try to relieve himself from the embarrassment of Perseus, he told Perseus to go and
For example, Perseus, is a hero in Greek mythology who is courageous, selfless, and willing to sacrifice. He displays all three of these qualities while going on a journey to cut off Gorgon Medusa’s head. Although Medusa’s look could turn a person into stone, Perseus went on the mission so that he could retrieve Medusa’s head as a wedding gift for Polydectes. Since Perseus’ mother declined Polydectes’ proposal for marriage, Polydectes made Perseus’ mother his handmaiden, once Perseus left on the journey. Although this was a very dangerous mission, Perseus did not hesitate to take on the challenge considering it would be for the sake of his mother.
Greek mythology has spawned many great tales and characters that have been passed from culture to culture all throughout history. One example (and arguably the best) of a story being influential to Greek culture would be the one of Perseus. The character of Perseus is an example of strength and knowledge that people would, and sometimes still look up to.
Story Acts 1: Zeus, interrupting a festival for Princess Andromeda, brings judgment on King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia, for the defilement of his alter. Zeus, declares that the princess be chained to a cliff or Argos, flooded. Perseus witnessing the events of the Temple, agrees to venture on the quest to save Argos and It’s Princess, Andromeda. After accepting the king offer, he readies his horse, therefore meeting Andromeda, whom offer Athena shield, before setting out.
She was chained there because her foolish mother had thought herself more beautiful than any goddess, so as punishment the gods told her to chain her daughter to a rock, where she would be eaten by a serpent. Perseus kills the serpent and takes Andromeda home” (Mariano Marcial). He slew the beast and brought her with him back to Greece as his bride. He exposed himself to dangerous situations and continued out strong and hopeful. Perseus didn’t give up until his quest was accomplished. As an illustration ”This famous tale underscores the inescapable nature of fate and prophecies in the course of telling a hero's story. Although Acrisius took drastic action to change destiny, short of killing his own daughter he can do nothing to prevent his fate. Perseus is too strong to be kept down and on an island, so it is fitting that his fate is to go on adventures and quests and to be helped by gods. He fits the heroic model of an honorable man overcoming all obstacles to reunite his family and do justice.” (Mariano Web). Perseus the great hero known to be so heroic and charming. Perseus learned that his mother Danae was hiding from the king in a religious site. In this case “ King Polydectes had begun pursuing her, which forced her to retreat to the temple for refuge. Perseus crashed a banquet of the king. When Perseus told his tale and how he had cut off Medusa’s
Many people think that myths are just plain old stories but, that is not the case. There are many life lessons you can find in myths like Icarus and Daedalus, Phaethon, and Arachne.
What is Myth before we begin our long discussion about the changes and how it reflect our society, one should first know the meaning of it? Myth is something that may be true or not true. It is hard to explain at one go, we have many historians in the world who always try to break the myth and tell the world that those are not just myth they are reality and they effect to our social system in many ways. There are always hidden messages in each and every myth that we have known till now in our life. According to Claude Levie Strauss “Mythical stories follow templates, but they are certainly not stable or concert. Myth is connected with the rituals and some believe that in the ancient times rituals were the main aspect by which a person can like himself with the divine god, it was like a path way to a different dimension. According to historian’s myth are considered as stories or event which happened in the past, some believe that these myth also have strong symbolic meaning in many culture, or they have changed with the passage of time. I want to talk about the Myth and the social message that was there in Hercules story because it fascinates me lot, as he was considered to be the strongest man alive at that time according to myths. I want to discuss who the myth of Hercules is changed according to the modern world in the movie Hercules 2014. I want to talk about the difference in the story and how differently son is Zeus is represented. What I know is that Hercules was