The myth of perseus and medusa is one of the best thrillerlike tales in greek mythology with a promising plot that gets more complicated as the story progresses, this myth has a typical hollywoodlike scenario with the main character not being born yet at the moment when his destiny was determined. Island of seraphos island of argos an encounter with hermes and athena end of the earth land of the gray women land of the happy beings nymphs land of the gorgons lybian desert ethiopia serapho s argo s 3. Perseus was the son of danae, who was the daughter of a king. Jun 18, 2009 averting his gaze, perseus, pulled medusas head from the sack and held it up for polydectes to see. Soon after perseus turned a horrible sea beast to stone to save a princess which later became his wife of 6 kids 5 boys and 1 girl. Medusa, the only mortal gorgon, was beheaded by perseus. Perseus turned the brother into stone with the gorgons head and restored. What is the main reason that polydectes asks perseus to get the gorgons head. The ancient greek myth of perseus with the head of medusa. Polydectes held perseus to his rash promise and demanded the head of the only mortal gorgon, medusa, whose gaze turned people to stone.
In classical antiquity the image of the head of medusa appeared in. In classical antiquity the image of the head of medusa appeared in the evilaverting device known as the gorgoneion. The king of seriphus named polydectes falls in love with perseus mother danae. Having a set of serpentines on his head makes him have the need to wear hats to cover up as in disguise as a human in the monster high books by lisi harrison. He returned with the head and turned polydectes to stone as the. Then perseus gave the gorgon s head to athena, who. Luca giordano perseus turning phineas and his followers to. Perseus gave his vow and atlas sent one of his nieces down to hades to recover the hat of darkness, so that perseus could draw near the gorgons without being seen. One look at medusa and the sea monster was turned to stone. I cant find any other sources that mention sthenno and euryale being able to petrify, or not. Most sources describe her as the daughter of phorcys and ceto, though the author hyginus fabulae, 151 interposes a. First, he must go to the sisters phorcides, who will tell him the way to the nymphs who guard the hat of darkness, the winged sandals, and the knapsack which can hold the gorgon s head. Musing on medusa, reflections on the gorgons head horizons. Viewing medusa, just looking at it turns us to stone.
Polydectes told perseus to bring him the head of the gorgon medusa. According to other accounts, either he or athena used the head to turn atlas into stone, transforming him into the atlas mountains that held up both heaven and earth. Perseus only laughed, and when the sea monster reared up out of the waves to devour andromeda, he held medusas head aloft so that it turned to stone. Who did perseus turn into stone with the gorgons head. As perseus flew back over africa he encountered atlas, struggling and fighting with him. First, he must go to the sisters phorcides, who will tell him the way to the nymphs who guard the hat of darkness, the winged sandals, and the knapsack which can hold the gorgons head. Turning to stone, succumbing to the act of petrification, we become petrified. Feb 15, 2020 perseus then flew to seriphos, where his mother was being forced into marriage with the king, polydectes, who was turned into stone by the head. She is a gorgon and, like her sisters, stheno and euryale, she has snakes for hair, bronze hands, wings, and tusks. Could all three gorgons turn people to stone or just. The head of the medusa by pieter pauwel rubens, from 1617.
Later perseus gave the gorgons head to athena, who placed it on her shield, and gave his other accoutrements to hermes. He looks at her reflection in his shield and then cuts off her head. As lauren mentioned, homer and many other authors mentions only a single gorgon sometimes gorgo, whose head was on athenas shield. Perseus then gave the winged sandals and the helmet to hermes, who restored them to the nymphs and to hades, and athena received the head of gorgo, which was put on the shield or breastplate of the goddess. Averting his gaze, perseus, pulled medusas head from the sack and held it up for polydectes to see.
The enduring legacy of the medusa myth in the modern world. Being a gorgon, deuce has the ability to turn anyone to stone with just his eyes. Perseus accomplished his quest with the help of hermes and athena. Then, accused by acrisius of lying about having slain medusa, perseus proves himself by showing acrisius the gorgon s head, thus fulfilling the prophecy. He throws the magic pouch over her head and then cuts it off. Perseus easily slayed the sea monster using the weapon that he carried in his kibisis. Then perseus gave the gorgons head to athena, who placed it on her shield, the aegis. Perseus slew the monster and rescued andromeda from the rock. The myth of perseus and medusa greek myths and greek. Medusa and her two triplet gorgon sisters, sthenno and euryale, are monsters from greek and roman mythology notorious for their ability to turn whoever looked upon them or directly into their faces. How does persues battle the sea monster sent by poseidon. Look at the reflection of her face and figure in the bright mirror of. Could all three gorgons turn people to stone or just medusa. Perseus used her severed head to turn atlas to stone.
Perseus approaches medusas cave, passing figures turned to stone. Perseus and andromedas wedding feast has been violently interrupted by phineas, to whom andromeda was formerly betrothed. He challenged perseus to dare a difficult task, to kill the fearsome gorgon medusa and bring back her head. Medusa and her fellow gorgons are so hideous that they turn anyone they look at into stone. Nov 29, 2018 perseus would use the head of medusa which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone, to aid him in several adventures and it played a crucial role when defeating the titan atlas.
He turned the sea monster to stone by showing it medusas head and afterward married andromeda. Perseus, who beheaded medusa, attached her head to his shield and used it to stun other monsters he had to fight. Later he rescued princess andromeda from being eaten by a sea monster, which perseus also turned to stone. And whoever dared to look into her face ended up being turned into stone. He used the gorgons head once again, and turned polydectes to stone. Jun 18, 2017 if, by some miracle, a warrior does manage to defeat a gorgon, he can claim her head not only as a trophy but as a magical weapon for future battles. Perseus, passing by, saw the princess and fell in love with her. First atlashis identity varies from a shepherd who tried to rob perseus, to a king and his army who tried to kill perseus for thinking he was trying to steal his golden apples, to the titan atlas who begged for mercy from the agony of carrying th. He beheaded the gorgon medusa for polydectes and saved andromeda from. He must use his shield to look at the reflection of the gorgon, because if he looks at her face, he will turn to stone. Athena flayed medusas skin, creating her aegis, an impenetrable armor. Medousa, guardian, protectress was a monster, a gorgon, generally described as having the face of a hideous human female with living venomous snakes in place of hair.
And when perseus was a very little boy, some wicked people put his mother and himself into a chest, and set them afloat upon the sea. As perseus and andromeda were to be married, phineus attempted to fight perseus. When perseus said, i can as easily give you the gorgons head, polydectes. The ancient greek myth of perseus with the head of medusa cram. And so it was that perseus set out one bright october morn in quest of the snakeinfested, lollingtongued, boarstusked noggin of a gorgon whose very glance had the power to turn the person glanced upon to stone. Their hair is made of living snakes, and to look at them is to turn to stone. Medusa is the one of three gorgons, and any gaze on her face would turn one to stone hamilton 200. Perseus perseus facts and information on the greek hero. The only son of zeus and danae and, thus, a halfgod by birth perseus was one of the greatest heroes in greek mythology, most renowned for beheading the only mortal gorgon, medusa, and using her severed head capable of turning onlookers into stone as a mighty weapon in his subsequent adventures. The power of medusa as a gorgon, in turning gods into stones could be possibly verified by the series of events following perseuss decapitation of medusas head.
Perseus threw a disk in the air for a game and it hit him in the head foot. Perseus is most famous for his expedition against the gorgons, during which he slew the only mortal of the three, medusa, taking with him her severed head capable of turning anyone into stone and using it as a powerful weapon. He closes his eyes when she turns around and then cuts off her head. Perseus used the head of medusa to turn polydectes into stone. Perseus takes care of polydectes by using medusas head to turn him into stone. The myth of perseus and medusa is one of the most known myths of the greek mythology. Who did perseus turn into stone with the gorgons head answers. Here, the mythological hero perseus triumphantly presents his trophy, medusas head, to the world. Atlas, weary of holding the heaven apart from the earth for all time, made perseus promise that he would show him the face of the gorgon on his return so he might be turned to stone. Perseus, in greek mythology, the slayer of the gorgon medusa and the rescuer of. He accompanied his mother back to her native argos, where he. Perseus had no horse to give, so he asked polydectes to name the gift. This is the name we give to a particular kind of fear, a fear that results in paralysis.
Her head still turned living creatures that viewed it into stone. Perseus 5 the gorgons head translation flashcards quizlet. And when perseus was a very little boy, some wicked people put his mother and himself into a chest and set them afloat upon the sea. Andromeda was betrothed to phineas, until perseus rescued her from a sea monster and it was agreed she would marry him instead. Apr 14, 2016 perseus only laughed, and when the sea monster reared up out of the waves to devour andromeda, he held medusas head aloft so that it turned to stone. He also dipped arrows in her poisonous blood, so that even a light scratch could. He turned the sea monster to stone by showing it medusas head and. Gorgon definition, any of three sister monsters commonly represented as having snakes for hair, wings, brazen claws, and eyes that turned anyone looking into them to stone. Sep, 2019 perseus used the head of medusa to turn phineus into stone. At the wedding celebrations phineas and his followers burst in to attack perseus, who unveiled the severed head of the gorgon, medusa, and turned them to stone. Another source says that perseus buried the head in the marketplace of argos. Then perseus gave the gorgons head to athena, who placed it on her shield, the. Ovids account of medusas mortality tells that she had once been a woman, vain of her beautiful hair. He was, alongside cadmus and bellerophon, the greatest greek hero and slayer of monsters before the days of heracles.
A dramatised version of a classic greek myth told by anthony horowitz. Perseus then flew to seriphos, where his mother was being forced into marriage with the king, polydectes, who was turned into stone by the head. Hereupon perseus went to argos, accompanied by cyclopes, skilled in building, 14 by danae, and andromeda. The story of perseus and medusa is told to teach various life lessons. In greek mythology, medusa also called gorgo, was one of the three monstrous gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Perseus with the head of medusa the metropolitan museum. He averts his eyes, because all those who look on medusa immediately turn to stone. Medusa is the monstrous lady whose head perseus chops off. Perseus would use the head of medusa which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone, to aid him in several adventures and it played a crucial role when defeating the titan atlas. Perseus and andromeda returned to see king polydectes and set his mother free. Perseus desired to marry andromeda, who had been promised to marry phineus. He went first to the gorgons sisters, the graeae, who had only one eye and one tooth which they shared among themselves.
By killing medousa, perseus would prove his braveness, as fits to the son of zeus. How does perseus avoid being turned into stone by medusa. Who did perseus turn to stone when he showed him the head. The metropolitan museum of art, new york, fletcher fund, 1967 67. Luca giordano perseus turning phineas and his followers to stone.
The head of medusa also brought about another casualty. Perseus perseus facts and information on the greek hero perseus. Perseus flew past the titan atlas, who stood holding the sky aloft, and. The two surviving gorgons give pursuit, but aided by his magic gifts, perseus escapes to other adventures that include rescuing the ethiopian princess andromeda from a sea monster and using the head of the dead medusa to turn his enemies to stone. After all, even a single glance from the snakehaired monster was sufficient to turn a man into a stone. Perseus flew past the titan atlas, who stood holding the sky aloft, and transformed him into stone when he tried to attack him. Heavily outnumbered, perseus has unveiled the severed head of the gorgon medusa, who he had recently slain. Perseus last battle is with king polydectes, who has be trying to force danae to marry him. Medusa was beheaded by the hero perseus, who thereafter used her head, which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone, as a weapon until he gave it to the goddess athena to place on her shield. The gorgons head perseus journey linkedin slideshare. Clearly, then, perseus had his work cut out for him. Chapter 4, refused hospitality to perseus, who turned him into stone, now the. In greek mythology, perseus is the legendary founder of mycenae and of the perseid dynasty. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone.
To get rid of perseus, polydectes sent him on a quest to bring back the head of the gorgon medusa, a snakehaired maiden who turned all who saw her into stone. His attackers have had no time to react, and giordano has vividly portrayed their flesh turning from pink to stone grey. Perseus was warned of this fact by hermes, and armed him appropriately. One of the most terrifying figures found in greek mythology is medusa, the most famous of three sisters who were known as the gorgons medusa first appears in the writings of hesiod, specifically theogony, which tells the tale of three sisters, stheno, euryale, and medusa, who were the children of phorcys and ceto and said to live beyond famed oceanus at the worlds edge hard by night. Pallas athena appeared then and took back the sword and shield, the hat of darkness and the winged sandals, telling perseus that he had done well and that andromeda was his reward.
Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. How does perseus cut off medusas head without being turned to stone. Perseus used the head of medusa to turn phineus into stone. Gorgon medousa was a terrible monster with snakes in her head and she could turn into stone everyone that looked her face. Later, the hero perseus would be tasked with capturing medusas head, which he would accomplish with athenas aid. Look at the reflection of her face and figure in the bright mirror of your shield. It shows the severed head of the mythological monster. Instead he should use the shield as a mirror and look in that to cut off medusas head. Pegasus and chrysaor sprang out of medusas body when perseus beheaded her. Perseus turned the brother into stone with the gorgon s head and restored acrisius to the throne.
The myth of perseus and medusa greek myths and greek mythology. There is only one difference between medusa, and her sisters. The gorgons are three sisters too terrifying to behold. Athena told perseus not to look at medusa or her ugliness would turn him to stone.