Facts about Perseus
- 16
Dictys, a fisherman on Serifos, discovered Danaë and infant Perseus floating in their wooden chest and raised the boy as his own son before the king's schemes unfolded.
- 15
Gorgons in Greek mythology numbered three sisters, with only Medusa being mortal and therefore vulnerable to Perseus's attack.
- 14
Perseus established the city of Mycenae in Greece after his adventures, which became one of the most powerful Bronze Age civilizations lasting roughly from 1600 to 1100 BCE.
- 13
Athena gifted Perseus a adamantine sickle-sword called harpe, forged by the Cyclopes, which was the only weapon capable of penetrating Medusa's invulnerable serpentine body.
- 12
Medusa's blood, collected in two vials by Athena after Perseus beheaded her, possessed opposing powers: one vial held poison that killed instantly, while the other granted the ability to restore the dead to life.
- 11
Polydectes, the king of Serifos, sent Perseus on his dangerous quest to retrieve Medusa's head as a scheme to win Danaë's affection while her son was away.
- 10
Two serpents miraculously protected infant Perseus in his wooden chest as he and his mother Danaë drifted across the sea toward the island of Serifos.
- 09
Serifos, a small Greek island, served as Perseus's childhood home after his mother Danaë washed ashore in a wooden chest cast into the sea by Acrisius.
- 08
Atlas, the Titan who held up the sky, was transformed into stone by Perseus when shown Medusa's head during his journey home from Libya.
- 07
Danaë, Perseus's mother, was imprisoned in a bronze tower by her father Acrisius to prevent the prophecy of her son killing him, yet Zeus penetrated the tower as golden rain to father Perseus.
- 06
Acrisius, Perseus's grandfather, was killed by a discus thrown by his grandson during athletic games at the court of King Larissa, fulfilling an ancient prophecy.
- 05
In classical mythology, Perseus married Andromeda and their son Perses became the legendary founder of the Persian people and empire.
- 04
Chrysaor, a golden-winged giant born from Medusa's severed neck, fathered the monster Geryon in classical Greek mythology.
- 03
According to Ovid's Metamorphoses, Perseus rescued Andromeda from a sea monster by transforming the creature's body to stone using Medusa's severed head as a weapon.
- 02
Winged sandals called talaria, gifted by Hermes, enabled Perseus to fly while pursuing the Gorgon across the Mediterranean toward the distant land of Libya.
- 01
The ancient Greek hero Perseus killed the Gorgon Medusa by using her own reflection in his polished bronze shield to avoid her deadly gaze.