Perseus : Greek Mythology, And The Greeks

The Ancient Greeks used mythical characters not only to create stories but to also signify what traits that the people who read them should strive for. In the stories that the hero Perseus is in we can see many of these traits that were significant in the ancient Greek times. These stories were also historically momentous, inspiring many artists to depict scenes from the tales for generations to come. The narratives passed down from generations had such a major impact on the Greek culture so much so that it even affected the people.

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

Perseus an important character in Greek mythology because he shows many traits valued by Greek culture.What is exactly a hero in ancient Greek mythology and culture, and what role does fate play in myths? A hero is one extraordinary individual who represents the values greatly admired and sought after in ancient Greek society. Perseus showed the epic traits of ;family,perseverance,and couragesness. These were all very valued in ancient Greek culture. I will be; summarizing Perseus' story, how he demonstrates the values of ancient Greek society, and explaining his cultural significance and how fate plays a big role.

In the myth “Persephone”, as retold by Anne Terry White, Hades falls instantly in love with the Goddess of harvest and takes her to the underworld with him. Have is all the sudden alarmed by the heaven, fire breathing beasts that had been buried underground, so he comes up to the land. Anthradite, Goddess of love, spots Hades and commands her son, Eros, to shoot with an arrow of love, hoping it would make Hades release the beasts kindly. Hades suddenly gets shot and his heart slowly begins to soften. Suddenly, in the distance, Hades sees Persephone, goddess of harvest, gracefully working in the meadows and he instantly falls in love with her. As a result, he decides to practically kidnap he and takes her down to the underworld with him.

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter addresses the fate of Persephone is in the hands of others and is removed from freedom of choice as she is portrayed as a minor. In effect, it is symbolic of the power family holds as the actions of her mother, her father Zeus and her husband Hades determine her path. The text accustoms nickname Persephone throughout the passage as the ‘Core’, the ‘Girl’, or ‘Virgin’. These nicknames assume her role as an underage girl not responsible for her life decisions. The Hymn begins with highlighting the role of the patriarch in a family Zeus as both the head of the family and the other gods who must defer to him as he arranges Hades to take Persephone against her will. As Demeter struggles with the mourn and loss of her child she begins to abandon her reproduction responsibilities and Persephone is ordered to go to the side of your dark robed mother. However, Hades persuades Persephone to eat pomegranate seeds, representing the loss of her innocence as it spiritually bounds her to Hades. Zeus accustomed to be acknowledges as the father of justice and good government rectifies the issue with the arrangement that Persephone remains with Hades however returns to her mother and the Gods for 2 thirds of the year. The Fate of Persephone portrays the common marriage cycle that pertained in Ancient Greece whereby it held the connotation of death for the maiden and submission and adaptation into their Fathers orders.

For years, Athens and her empire thrived under Pericles; therefore it is only logical that if Athens were to return to similar power, they should follow similar teachings. There are countless reasons why this was in the people’s best interest for only pure Athenians to be citizens of Athens. Most notably, for the following: the teachings of Pericles allowed the city to come together as one and create a singular united front for the world to see and respect built from their strong sense of identity post Peloponnesian War. Additionally, it was not possible that those who were not of pure Athenian blood to have had the same level of commitment to her great empire as pure blooded Athenians did. Consequently, Athenians viewed Metics as second class

Within the myth of Perseus, the plot generally follows the structure of the archetypal hero’s journey. These aspects can be clearly identified throughout the lifetime of Perseus.

Perseus son of Zeus and Danae, grandson of king Acrisius of Argos was not wanted by the king due to the prophecy. Suddenly Baby Perseus and Danae are put into a chest and tossed to sea. With Zeus’ help, the chest is steered were a kind fisherman took them in on an island. An evil king on the island wants Danae, Perseus’ mom, to be his wife. Since Perseus was poor instead of giving gifts he gave his services to the king.

Perseus is from Greek mythology, and the Greeks put morals throughout their stories to teach the upcoming generation. The morals of these stories can still be learned from today. Although Perseus was known for slaying Medusa, he is also known for his acts of heroism and the influence of the morals taken from his story on the modern day world.

King Polydectes (island of Seriphos) sent Perseus to kill Medusa in hopes of getting him out of the way, while he pursued Perseus's mother, Danae. Some of these myths say that Perseus was armed with a scythe from Hermes (God of Transitions) and a mirror (or a shield) from Athena. Perseus could safely cut off Medusa's head without turning to stone by looking only at her reflection in the shield. From the blood that came from her neck, sprang Pegasus and Chrysaor. Other sources say that each drop of blood became a snake. Perseus is said to have given the head, which retained the power of turning into stone all who looked upon it, to Athena and she gave it to Zeus (God of the Sky/Leader of all Gods). Another source says that Perseus buried the head in the marketplace of Argos.

Danae and Perseus were rescued by a fisherman that was out at sea. The king’s brother, Dictys, rescued Perseus and his mom and took them to the island of Seriphos, where his brother, Polydectes had ruled, and freed Danae and her son.

Perseus took Andromeda and asked her parents to allow him to marry him, and they gladly gave their daughter to him (199). He went back to the island where his mother was, but he found no one. Dictys’ wife was dead and Danaë and Dictys had hid themselves away in a temple from Polydectes. He was engranged because Danaë had refused to marry him. The King had a banquet with all the men who favored him, and Perseus saw an opportunity.

Later on, Cepheus imprisons Perseus, because he will not fight with Argos against the gods. In order to punish King Cepheus for his war on the gods, Zeus disguised himself as Acrisius, seduced Danae and impregnating her. Acrisius later sets Danae and the baby Perseus adrift in their coffin. After learning that killing the Kraken would allow him to have his revenge against Hades, who he blames for his family's deaths, Perseus agrees to lead Argos's finest soldiers on a quest to find the Kraken. Hades then finds Acrisius, now called Calibos, and reveals his plan to use the Kraken to destroy Argos. Hades imbues Calibos with superhuman powers in order to kill Perseus.

One day, the King Polydetes fell in love with Danae, a woman who had a young son named Persues. Persues tried to protect her mother who did not want to marry the King but had little success. The king would let

Perseus said, “Well I forgot about the horses, I 'm sure they would prefer us to let them free and fly away in the airship. I 'll even let you count the hairy monster Jroof is riding, still that makes ten on my side.”