Banished from Argos right before he was born (as a consequence of an ominous prophecy), Perseus grew up over a remote island. When he came of age, he was sent to kill the Gorgon Medusa, a monster whose gaze turned all who seemed on her to stone.
Biding her time, the unborn Minerva plotted her emergence from your womb. In the end, she burst forth from Jupiter’s forehead, thoroughly grown and ready for struggle. Some accounts claimed that Vulcan, the god of metallurgy, served being a midwife of sorts by prying open Jupiter’s head with an axe and providing Minerva; the moment has actually been the topic of artistic renderings both of those historical and modern.
She was generally affiliated with Hecate, a goddess of magic—an Affiliation that presumably experienced anything to carry out with her have qualities. Medea usually had with her an arsenal of powerful potions, herbs, and drugs that authorized her to bend the earth to her will.
Perseus was assisted via the gods, who supplied him that has a mirrored shield, winged sandals, a helmet of invisibility, an adamantine sword, plus a magical satchel that would carry Medusa’s head.
Homer: Medusa will not be named during the eighth-century BCE epics the Iliad along with the Odyssey, but Every time Athena marches into struggle, she is alleged to carry The top in the Gorgon on her armor.
Cassiopeia and Cepheus agreed (although no Variation of the myth describes why they deserted their programs for sacrifice). Perseus subsequently killed Cetus and set Andromeda no cost.
Present day Students have prompt other achievable origins for that name. Some have related Pegasus for the stem *piḫašš-, which suggests “lightning” or perhaps “strength” inside the Luwian language spoken in historical Anatolia.
Phorcys from time to time attributes in modern adaptations of Greek mythology, although he isn't almost as preferred as all kinds of other legendary figures (like a number of his possess offspring). He appears to be a tentacled sea monster from the Marvel comics.
Perseus was even now armed Along with the divine weapons the gods had supplied him for his struggle with Medusa: a helmet of invisibility, more info an adamantine sword, and winged sandals.
He then made use of her severed head like a weapon all through his travels, turning his enemies to stone. Medusa’s head was lastly provided on the goddess Athena, turning into Portion of the armor she wore into fight.
Pegasus roamed much and extensive all through the cosmos. He had Particularly near ties with springs including the Hippocrene, the spring of your Muses, as well as Peirene, where he was inevitably captured and tamed by Bellerophon.
When Perseus attained the Hesperides, he was given a Particular satchel which could properly carry Medusa’s head. Another gods also aided supply Perseus for his quest: from Athena, he been given a shield with a elegant face; from his father, Zeus, he gained an unbreakable sickle; from Hades, he received a helmet that rendered him invisible; eventually, from Hermes, he received winged sandals.
The etymologies of such unique names are uncertain. Pemphredo shared her name using a kind of wasp (πεμφρηδών, pemphrēdṓn). The etymology of Enyo is totally mysterious but is seemingly connected to Enyalius, among the list of names on the war god Ares.
Depictions of the Gorgon head have been frequently thought to become “apotropaic,” which means they might thrust back evil. From the fifth century BCE, on the other hand, Medusa along with the Gorgons have been ever more depicted as gorgeous Women of all ages inside the Visible arts as in literature.[eight]
When Acrisius discovered of Perseus’ return, on the other hand, he fled town, however dreading the prophecy that experienced predicted he could be killed by his grandson.