Taranova Anna

Perseus

Summary of the myth

Perseus is one of the most famous and iconic heroes of ancient Greece. Many myths have come down to us that tell of his greatest exploits, such as defeating the Gorgon Medusa and rescuing Princess Andromeda. It is noteworthy that some heroes of the myths about Perseus “transported to the sky” and became constellations.

Perseus is the son of the supreme god of ancient Greece Zeus and Danae, famous for her unearthly beauty. Danae's father, the king of the ancient city of Argos, Acrisius, received a prediction from the oracle that he would die at the hands of his grandson. Acrisius was frightened and decided to imprison his daughter deep underground in a dungeon so that no man would see her. But Zeus, seeing Danae, was struck by her unearthly beauty and instantly fell in love with her. Zeus entered Danae's prison with a golden shower, and she became the wife of the Thunderer. From this marriage a beautiful boy was born who inherited the beauty of his mother and the strength of his father. And they named him Perseus.

One day Acrisius heard children's laughter and went down to his daughter's chambers. Inhuman fear seized Acrisius when he saw the beautiful baby and learned that it was the son of Danae. Immediately, the words of the oracle surfaced in his memory that he would die at the hands of Danae’s son and ordered to make a large wooden box and imprison his daughter in it along with Perseus and throw them into the sea.

Inevitable death threatened the beautiful Danae and her son Perseus, if one day the waves had not washed the box to the shore of the island of Serif. At this time, Dictys was fishing on the shore and, throwing his nets into the sea, he pulled the box ashore. He opened the box and was amazed to see a woman and a little boy there. Dictys took them to his brother Polydectes, who was the king of Serif. So Danae and Perseus remained to live at the court of King Polydectes. Perseus grew up to be a strong and very handsome young man who stood out among the rest.

King Polydectes was famous for his hot-tempered and capricious character and he planned to forcefully marry the beautiful Danae, but she resisted because she hated him. Perseus, seeing this, stood up for his mother. And the angry Polydectes decided to get rid of Perseus at all costs. He decided to send his son Danae for the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Calling Perseus to him, he told him with mockery that if he was really the son of Zeus, then it would not be difficult for him to bring the head of Medusa. Perseus accepted the challenge and set off on a long journey full of dangers. His path lay towards the western edge of the earth, where “the goddess Night and the god of death Tanat reigned.” The terrible Gorgons lived there, at one glance at which a person instantly turned into stone.

A difficult battle awaited Perseus, but the gods of Olympus could not let the son of Zeus die, and came to his aid. The first to come to the aid of Perseus were the goddess Athena and the messenger of the gods Hermes. Hermes gave Perseus his sword. Only with this sword could the Gorgon’s scales, strong as steel, be cut. Athena gave her a copper shield, in which everything was reflected as in a mirror.

Perseus wandered for a long time until he met beautiful nymphs on his way. The nymphs presented the son of Zeus with three gifts. The first gift was the helmet of the god of the underworld Hades, wearing which one could become invisible. The second gift was sandals with wings, with the help of which one could move quickly through the air, like the wind. And the third gift was a magic bag into which you could put an object of any size. Perseus accepted such wonderful gifts and went on his way. Finally, Perseus overtook the island of Gorgon. Perseus saw three sisters sleeping on a rock; for a long time he could not understand which of them was Medusa, since only she was mortal. Then Hermes flew to the aid of Perseus and whispered in his ear where Medusa was sitting and warned him not to look at her. Perseus took out the sword and shield, which were handed to him by Hermes and Athena, and quickly flew towards Medusa. She was sleeping on a rock and did not foresee danger, only the snake hair on her head hissed menacingly. Medusa began to wake up, and in an instant her head flew off her shoulders. Perseus immediately picked up her head and put it in a magic bag. Her two sisters, Steino and Euryale, woke up from the noise. Seeing that their sister was killed, they soared into the sky to find the one who did it, but Perseus was already far away from the island of Gorgon in the helmet of Hades.

After a long journey, Perseus reached the kingdom of Kepheus, which was located on the ocean shore. He saw the beautiful Andromeda, daughter of Kepheus, chained on a rock. Perseus was struck by the beauty of the beautiful girl, and a feeling of love flared up in his heart. He went down to Andromeda and asked why she was chained to a rock. Andromeda said that she was atoning for the guilt of her mother, who had angered the sea nymphs by saying that there was no one more beautiful than her in the world. The nymphs became angry and asked the god of the seas, Poseidon, to punish Cassiopeia. Poseidon sent a sea monster to the kingdom of Kepheus, which emerged from the sea and devastated and destroyed the king’s possessions. Kefei, full of grief and despair, turned to the oracle Ammon and he said that they could atone for their guilt only by sacrificing their daughter to the monster. The people, having learned that the kingdom could be saved, forced the king to send his daughter to be torn to pieces by a sea monster. Pale as a marble statue stood Andromeda, chained to a rock and awaiting her fate.

While Andromeda was telling her story to Perseus, a monster appeared from the depths of the sea. The unfortunate Andromeda screamed in horror. Hearing his daughter’s cry, King Kepheus and Queen Cassiopeia came running to the shore. Perseus turned to them, saying that he would save Andromeda if they gave him their daughter as a wife. Andromeda's parents agreed to give her as a wife to Perseus, if only he would save her from inevitable death. Perseus flew over the rock and rushed at the monster. Perseus dealt the monster several fatal blows with his sword, and it fell into the depths of the sea. The battle was over and Andromeda was immediately freed from her shackles. Perseus took his bride to the palace of King Kepheus, where they had a wedding.

Returning to Serif with Andromeda, Perseus saw that his mother was filled with grief and, seeking protection from Polydectes, was hiding in the temple of Zeus. Perseus got angry and came to the palace of the formidable king and said that he had fulfilled his request and took out the head of the Gorgon. Polydectes did not believe it and, together with his friends, began to mock the son of Zeus. Perseus could not contain his resentment and took Medusa's head out of the bag. Polydectes and his friends looked at the head of Medusa, and instantly they turned into stone.

Perseus transferred power over Serif to Polydectes' brother Dictys, who rescued him and Danae from the depths of the sea, and he himself, with Andromeda and Danae, went to his homeland in Argos. When Acrisius learned that Perseus had returned to his kingdom, he remembered the oracle’s prediction and fled. Perseus began to rule in Argos. He returned the helmet to Hades, the sandals to Hermes, the bag to the nymphs, and he gave the shield and head of the Gorgon to Athena.

Acrisius still did not escape the terrible prediction. One day Perseus organized magnificent games in Argos, and Acrisius came to watch them. While throwing a heavy discus, Perseus threw it with such force that the disc soared to the heavens and, falling to the ground, hit Acrisius directly in the head. Perseus could no longer rule in the kingdom, where he accidentally killed his grandfather and went to Tiryns. He gave Argos to his relative Megapentus.

Images and symbols of myth

Myths about Perseus create an image of a brave young man who is able to accept and withstand any blow of fate, strong not only physically, but also spiritually. Reading the myth about the salvation of Andromeda, we understand that having become the wife of Perseus, she will henceforth be completely safe. Perseus inspires trust and respect, because it was not for nothing that King Kepheus and Queen Cassiopeia immediately gave their daughter in marriage to Perseus.

In the Middle Ages, the image of Perseus was interpreted as a symbol of victory over sin. The saved Andromeda symbolized the saved soul, and the defeated Gorgon symbolized the Devil.

The myths of Perseus contain several basic symbols that we see throughout the story. The main symbols are:

Sword. Perseus was given a sword by the messenger of the gods, Hermes, to help him kill the terrible Gorgon. Only this sword could kill the monster. The sword that Perseus received from Hermes has a fairly long history. Hermes stole this sword from Zeus himself, who received it from the earth goddess Gaia for the battle with Kronos. Gaia herself made this sword by taking a diamond from her chest and making a sickle out of it. She made the sickle to open the gates of Tartarus and free her children. In mythology, the sword symbolizes strength, power, superiority, supreme justice and courage.

Shield. Perseus received the shield from the beloved daughter of Zeus, the goddess Athena. The shield had a mirror surface, which saved Perseus from meeting the Gorgon's gaze. After Perseus returned to his homeland of Argos, he returned the shield to Athena along with the head of Medusa, which she attached to it. The meaning of the symbol of the shield with the head of Medusa is that you should not fix your gaze on vice. It is better to turn away, since vice is insidious and through it we can turn into stone. Vice is symbolized by the Gorgon jellyfish.

Usually in mythology, the images of a shield and sword symbolize the solar disk and rays.

Sea monster Quito (Whale). At first, the name Quito was identified with the ancient Greek goddess of the depths, who was the mother of the gorgons; later this name came to mean “sea monster.” Quito was also called “the mistress of sea monsters.” In the myth of Perseus, Quito was represented as a sea monster to whom the beautiful Andromeda was to be sacrificed. In mythology, a sea monster means evil. This is a symbol of evil raging waves, a sign of thunderstorms, floods that destroy and devastate lands, dooming people to hunger and suffering.

Medusa Gorgon. P. Frobenius wrote that “the gorgon is a symbol of the union of opposites: lion and eagle, bird and snake, beautiful and terrible, enslaving those who dare to look at it.” In ancient Greek mythology, the Gorgon was a symbol of danger and chaos, life and death. The blood of the gorgon was endowed with both destructive and life-giving properties. With the help of the blood of Medusa, taken from the left side of the body, it was possible to revive people, and with the blood taken from the right side, it was possible to kill in an instant. After the death of the Gorgon, the goddess Athena collected her blood in two vessels and gave it to Asclepius. Ascepius was worshiped as the founder of medicine.

Pegasus. When the Gorgon was killed, the giant Chrysaor and the winged horse Pegasus broke free from her. Pegasus symbolizes poetic inspiration, eloquence, and for the ancient Greeks it was considered the horse of muses and poets. Perhaps Pegasus received such an image due to the fact that he could raise him to the skies on his wings. Pegasus accompanied many heroes of ancient Greece. There are different interpretations of the myth, one of which says that after Perseus killed the Gorgon, he flew away from the island on Pegasus.

Communicative means of creating images and symbols

Myths about Perseus attracted many artists and sculptors. Tintoretto, Rembrandt, Tiepolo, Benvenuto Cellini, Canova - these are the few names of great artists and sculptors who dedicated their work to the ancient Greek hero Perseus. Inspired by the image of Perseus, they created their immortal creations. One of the most famous sculptures in Florence is the bronze Perseus holding the severed head of Medusa in his hand.

During the Renaissance, among those inspired by the image of Perseus were such artists as Titian, Veronese, Rubens, Delacroix.

Many heroes of the Perseus myth became constellations. In the sky you can see the constellation Perseus, Andromeda, her mother Cassiopeia, Pegasus, etc.

Also, features of the myth of Perseus were included in the legend of St. George the Victorious. This connection can be seen especially clearly in the Christian myth “The Miracle of the Serpent” and in the ancient Greek myth about the salvation of the beautiful Andromeda from the sea serpent. George's miracle about the serpent has an allegorical interpretation: the princess means the church, the serpent means paganism. George, by killing the dragon, saves the Christian church from the pagans. This miracle is also seen as a victory over the devil - the “ancient serpent.”

Social significance of the myth

In the myths about Perseus, features of fairy tales can be traced. For example, this is clearly observed in the myth of Andromeda. The salvation of the princess, the reward for which is not only herself, but also “half the kingdom in addition.” The myth of Perseus is not a typical myth about God, who from birth has some kind of superiority or privilege, for example, in the form of some kind of supernatural ability that gives superiority over ordinary people. Perseus does not have any supernatural abilities from birth. Although his father is Zeus himself, Perseus did not inherit any abilities from him, as is usually the case with other heroes. Perseus symbolizes a person who makes his own way to happiness and prosperity. Having sailed in a wooden box to the shore of an unfamiliar and by no means friendly kingdom, he himself later becomes a king. The myth of Perseus shows that, despite all the obstacles and difficulties that arise on your way, you should not take a step back, on the contrary, you need to face the dangers and overcome them. We see that in spite of everything, Perseus is not alone, the messengers of Olympus come to his aid and do not leave him in difficult times. This shows that there are always people who can support you, seemingly even in the most difficult moment, and sometimes these are the ones from whom you least expected it.

When Prometheus stole divine fire for mortals, taught them arts and crafts and gave them knowledge, life on earth became happier. Zeus, angry at Prometheus’s act, cruelly punished him and sent evil to people on earth. He ordered the glorious blacksmith god Hephaestus to mix earth and water and make from this mixture a beautiful girl who would have the strength of people, a gentle voice and a look of eyes similar to the look of immortal goddesses. The daughter of Zeus, Pallas Athena, had to weave beautiful clothes for her; the goddess of love, golden Aphrodite, was supposed to give her irresistible charm; Hermes - give her a cunning mind and resourcefulness. Immediately the gods fulfilled the command of Zeus. Hephaestus made an unusually beautiful girl from the earth. The gods revived her. Pallas Athena and the Charites dressed the girl in clothes shining like the sun and put gold necklaces on her. The Ori laid a wreath of fragrant spring flowers on her lush curls. Hermes put false and flattering speeches into her mouth. The gods called her Pandora, since she received gifts from all of them*1. Pandora was supposed to bring misfortune to people. ___________ *1 Pandora means endowed with all gifts. When this evil was ready for people, Zeus sent Hermes to take Pandora to earth to Prometheus’ brother, Epimetheus. Wise Prometheus warned his foolish brother many times and advised him not to accept gifts from the thunderer Zeus. He was afraid that these gifts would bring grief to people. But Epimetheus did not listen to the advice of his wise brother. Pandora captivated him with her beauty, and he took her as his wife. Epimetheus soon learned how much evil Pandora brought with her to people. In the house of Epimetheus there was a large vessel tightly closed with a heavy lid; no one knew what was in this vessel, and no one dared to open it, since everyone knew that this would lead to trouble. The curious Pandora secretly removed the lid from the vessel, and the disasters that were once contained in it scattered across the entire earth. Only one Hope remained at the bottom of the huge vessel. The lid of the vessel slammed shut again, and Hope did not fly out of Epimetheus’s house. The thunderer Zeus did not want this. People used to live happily, without knowing evil, hard work and destructive diseases. Now a myriad of calamities have spread among the people. Now both the earth and the sea were filled with evil. Evil and illness come to people uninvited both day and night, and they bring suffering to people. They come with silent steps, silently, since Zeus deprived them of the gift of speech - he made evil and disease mute. EAC *1 ___________ *1 The myth of Aeacus is especially interesting because it clearly expresses a remnant of totemism. The myth tells how the Myrmidon tribe came from ants. The belief that people can descend from animals is characteristic of primitive religion. Based on Ovid’s poem “Metamorphoses,” Zeus the Thunderer, having kidnapped the beautiful daughter of the river god Asopus, took her to the island of Oinopia, which has since been called by the name of Asopus’ daughter, Aegina. The son of Aegina and Zeus, Aeacus, was born on this island. When Aeacus grew up, matured and became king of the island of Aegina, no one could compare with him throughout Greece, either in love for truth or in justice. The great Olympians themselves revered Aeacus and often chose him as a judge in their disputes. After his death, Aeacus, like Minos and Rhadamanthus, became, by the will of the gods, a judge in the underworld. Only the great goddess Hera hated Aeacus. Hera sent a great disaster to the kingdom of Aeacus. The island of Aegina was shrouded in thick fog, and this fog lasted for four months. Finally the south wind dispersed it. But it was not liberation from disaster, but death that the wind brought with its breath. From the noxious fog, an innumerable number of poisonous snakes filled the ponds, springs and streams of Aegina, they poisoned everyone with their poison. A terrible pestilence began on Aegina. Every living thing on it died out. Only Eak and his sons remained unharmed. In despair, Aeacus raised his hands to the sky and exclaimed: “Oh, great aegis-power Zeus, if you really were the husband of Aegina, if you really are my father and are not ashamed of your offspring, then return my people to me or hide me too.” darkness of the grave! Zeus gave a sign to Aeacus that he had heeded his prayer. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the cloudless sky. Eak realized that his prayer had been heard. Where Aeacus prayed to Father Zeus, there stood a mighty oak tree dedicated to the Thunderer, and at its roots there was an anthill. Eak’s gaze accidentally fell on an anthill full of thousands of hardworking ants. Eak watched for a long time as the ants fussed and built their ant city, and said: “Oh, dear Father Zeus, give me as many hardworking citizens as there are ants in this anthill.” As soon as Aeacus said this, the oak, in complete calm, rustled its mighty branches. Zeus sent another sign to Aeacus. Night has come. Eak saw a wonderful dream. He saw the sacred oak of Zeus, its branches were covered with many ants. The branches of the oak tree began to sway, and ants began to rain down from them. Having fallen to the ground, the ants became larger and larger, then they rose to their feet, straightened up, their dark color and thinness disappeared, they gradually turned into people. Eak woke up, he does not believe the prophetic dream, he even complains to the gods that they do not send him help. Suddenly there was a loud noise. Eak hears footsteps and human voices, which he has not heard for a long time. “Isn’t this a dream,” he thinks. Suddenly his son Telamon runs in, rushes to his father and, joyful, says: “Come out quickly, father!” You will see a great miracle that you did not expect. Eak came out of the rest and saw alive those people whom he had seen in his dream. The people who had previously been ants proclaimed Aeacus king, and he called them Myrmidons*1. Thus Aegina was repopulated. ___________ *1 From the word myrmex - ant. DANAIDS It is mainly set out based on the tragedy of Aeschylus “Pleading for Protection.” The son of Zeus and Io, Epaphus, had a son Bel, and he had two sons - Egypt and Danaus. The entire country, which is irrigated by the fertile Nile, was owned by Egypt, from which this country received its name. Danau ruled in Libya. The gods gave Egypt fifty sons. I give fifty beautiful daughters. The Danaids captivated the sons of Egypt with their beauty, and they wanted to marry beautiful girls, but Danai and the Danaids refused them. The sons of Egypt gathered a large army and went to war against Danae. Danaus was defeated by his nephews, and he had to lose his kingdom and flee. With the help of the goddess Pallas Athena, Danai built the first fifty-oared ship and set sail on it with his daughters into the endless, ever-noisy sea. Danae's ship sailed for a long time on the sea waves and finally sailed to the island of Rhodes. Here Danaus stopped; He went ashore with his daughters, founded a sanctuary for his patron goddess Athena and made rich sacrifices to her. Danaus did not stay in Rhodes. Fearing persecution by the sons of Egypt, he sailed with his daughters further to the shores of Greece, to Argolis*1 - the homeland of his ancestor Io. Zeus himself guarded the ship during its dangerous voyage across the boundless sea. After a long journey, the ship landed on the fertile shores of Argolis. Here Danai and the Danaids hoped to find protection and salvation from their hated marriage with the sons of Egypt, ___________ *1 Region in the north-west of the Peloponnese. Under the guise of begging for protection with olive branches in their hands, the Danaids came ashore. No one was visible on the shore. Finally, a cloud of dust appeared in the distance. It was approaching quickly. Now in the cloud of dust you can see the sparkle of shields, helmets and spears. The noise of the wheels of war chariots can be heard. This is the approaching army of the king of Argolis, Pelasgus, son of Palekhton. Notified of the ship's arrival, Pelasgus came to the seashore with his army. He did not meet an enemy there, but the elder Danae and his fifty beautiful daughters. They met him with branches in their hands, praying for protection. Stretching out their hands to him, with eyes full of tears, his beautiful daughters Danae beg to help them against the proud sons of Egypt. In the name of Zeus, the mighty protector of those who pray, the Danaids of Pelasgus conjure not to hand them over. After all, they are not strangers in Argolid - this is the homeland of their ancestor Io. Pelasgus still hesitates - he is afraid of the war with the mighty rulers of Egypt. What should he do? But he is even more afraid of the wrath of Zeus if, by violating his laws, he pushes away those who pray to him in the name of the Thunderer for protection. Finally, Pelasgus advises Danaus to go to Argos himself and there put olive branches on the altar of the gods as a sign of a plea for protection. He himself decides to gather the people and ask their advice. Pelasgus promises the Danaids to make every effort to convince the citizens of Argos to protect them. Pelasgus leaves. The Danaids await the decision of the national assembly with trepidation. They know how indomitable the sons of Egypt are, how formidable they are in battle; they know what threatens them if the Egyptian ships land on the shores of Argolis. What should they, defenseless virgins, do if the inhabitants of Argos deprive them of shelter and help? Misfortune is near. The messenger of the sons of Egypt has already arrived. He threatens to take the Danae to the ship by force, he grabbed one of Danae’s daughters by the hand and orders his slaves to grab the others as well. But here King Pelasgus appears again. He takes the Danaids under his protection, and he is not afraid that the messenger of the sons of Egypt threatens him with war. Death brought Pelasgus and the inhabitants of Argolis the decision to protect Danaus and his daughters. Defeated in a bloody battle, Pelasgus was forced to flee to the very north of his vast possessions. True, Danaus was elected king of Argos, but in order to buy peace from the sons of Egypt, he still had to give them his beautiful daughters as wives. The sons of Egypt celebrated their wedding with the Danaids magnificently. They did not know what fate this marriage would bring them. The noisy wedding feast ended; the wedding hymns fell silent, the wedding torches went out; the darkness of the night enveloped Argos. Deep silence reigned in the sleepy city. Suddenly, in the silence, a heavy dying groan was heard, here is another one, another and another. The Danaids committed a terrible crime under the cover of night. With the daggers given to them by their father Danaus, they pierced their husbands as soon as sleep closed their eyes. Thus the sons of Egypt died a terrible death. Only one of them, the beautiful Lynceus, was saved. Danae's young daughter, Hypermnestra, took pity on him. She was unable to pierce her husband's chest with a dagger. She woke him up and secretly took him out of the palace. Danaus became furious when he learned that Hypermnestra had disobeyed his command. Danaus put his daughter in heavy chains and threw him into prison. The court of elders of Argos gathered to judge Hypermnestra for disobedience to her father. Danaus wanted to put his daughter to death. But the goddess of love herself, golden Aphrodite, appeared at the trial. She protected Hypermnestra and saved her from cruel execution. The compassionate, loving daughter of Danae became the wife of Lynceus. The gods blessed this marriage with numerous offspring of great heroes. Hercules himself, the immortal hero of Greece, belonged to the family of Lynceus. Zeus did not want the other Danaids to die either. At the command of Zeus, Athena and Hermes cleansed the Danaids from the filth of the shed blood. King Danai organized great games in honor of the Olympian gods. The winners of these games received Danae's daughters as wives as a reward. But the Danaids still did not escape punishment for the crime committed. They carry it after their death in the dark kingdom of Hades. The Danaids must fill a huge vessel with water that has no bottom. They carry water forever, scooping it up from an underground river and pouring it into a vessel. It seems that the vessel is already full, but water flows out of it, and again it is empty. The Danaids get to work again, again carry water and pour it into a vessel without a bottom. So their fruitless work continues endlessly. PERSEUS Perseus is one of the most popular heroes of Greece. Many myths have been preserved about him, which were not told the same way everywhere. It is interesting that the ancient Greeks transferred a number of the characters in these myths to heaven. And now we know such constellations as Perseus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia (Andromeda’s mother) and Kepheus (her father). Based on Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses" BIRTH OF PERSEUS The king of Argos Acrisius, the grandson of Lynceus, had a daughter Danae, famous for her unearthly beauty. Acrisius was predicted by the oracle that he would die at the hands of the son of Danae. To avoid such a fate, Acrisius built vast chambers deep underground from bronze and stone and imprisoned his daughter Danae there so that no one could see her. But the great thunderer Zeus fell in love with her, entered the underground chambers of Danae in the form of golden rain, and the daughter of Acrisius became the wife of Zeus. From this marriage Danae had a lovely boy. His mother named him Perseus. Little Perseus did not live long with his mother in the underground chambers. One day Acrisius heard the voice and cheerful laughter of little Perseus. He went down to his daughter to find out why children's laughter was heard in her chambers. Acrisius was surprised to see the charming little boy. How frightened he was when he learned that this was the son of Danae and Zeus. He immediately remembered the oracle's prediction. Again he had to think about how to avoid fate. Finally, Acrisius ordered to make a large wooden box, imprisoned Danae and her son Perseus in it, hammered the box and ordered it to be thrown into the sea. The box rushed for a long time on the stormy waves of the salty sea. Death threatened Danae and her son. The waves threw the box from side to side, sometimes raising it high on their crests, sometimes lowering it into the depths of the sea. Finally, the ever-noisy waves drove the box to the island of Serifu*1. At that time, the fisherman Dictis was fishing on the shore. He just threw his nets into the sea. The box got entangled in the nets, and Dictys pulled it ashore with them. He opened the box and, to his surprise, saw in it an amazingly beautiful woman and a charming little boy. Dictys took them to his brother, the king of Serif, Polydectes. ___________ *1 One of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. Perseus grew up in the palace of King Polydectes and became a strong, slender young man. Like a star, he shone among the young men of Serif with his divine beauty; no one was equal to him in beauty, strength, dexterity, or courage. PERSEUS KILLS THE GORGO MEDUSA Polydectes planned to forcibly take the beautiful Danae as his wife, but Danae hated the stern king Polydectes. Perseus stood up for his mother. Polydectes was angry and from that time on he thought only about one thing - how to destroy Perseus. In the end, the cruel Polydectes decided to send Perseus to retrieve the head of the gorgon Medusa. He called Perseus and told him: “If you are truly the son of the thunderer Zeus, then you will not refuse to perform a great feat.” Your heart will not tremble in the face of any danger. Prove to me that Zeus is your father, and bring me the head of the gorgon Medusa. Oh, I believe Zeus will help his son! Perseus looked proudly at Polydectes and calmly answered: “Okay, I’ll get you the head of Medusa.” Perseus set off on a long journey. He needed to reach the western edge of the earth, the country where the goddess Night and the god of death Tanat reigned. Terrible gorgons also lived in this country. Their entire body was covered with shiny and strong scales, like steel. No sword could cut these scales, only the curved sword of Hermes. The gorgons had huge copper hands with sharp steel claws. On their heads, instead of hair, poisonous snakes moved, hissing. The faces of the gorgons, with their fangs sharp as daggers, with lips red as blood, and with eyes burning with rage, were filled with such malice, they were so terrible that everyone turned to stone at one glance at the gorgons. On wings with sparkling golden feathers, the gorgons quickly flew through the air. Woe to the man they met! The gorgons tore him apart with their copper hands and drank his hot blood. Perseus had to perform a difficult, inhuman feat. But the gods of Olympus could not let him, the son of Zeus, die. The messenger of the gods, Hermes, and the beloved daughter of Zeus, the warrior Athena, came to his aid, as quick as a thought. Athena gave Perseus a copper shield, so shiny that everything was reflected in it, like in a mirror; Hermes gave Perseus his sharp sword, which cut the hardest steel like soft wax. The messenger of the gods showed the young hero how to find the gorgons. Long was the path of Perseus. He traveled through many countries and saw many peoples. Finally he reached the dark country where the old Grays lived. They had only one eye and one tooth on all three. They took turns using them. While one of the grays had an eye, the other two were blind, and the sighted grayya led the blind, helpless sisters. When, having taken out the eye, Graya passed it on to the next in line, all three sisters were blind. These Grays guarded the path to the Gorgons; they alone knew it. Perseus quietly crept up to them in the darkness, and, on the advice of Hermes, tore out a wonderful eye from one of the girls just at the moment when she was passing it on to her sister. The Grays screamed in horror. Now all three of them were blind. What should they do, blind and helpless? They began to beg Perseus, conjuring him with all the gods, to give them the eye. They were ready to do anything for the hero, if only he would return their treasure to them. Then Perseus demanded that they return the eye and show him the way to the Gorgons. The Grays hesitated for a long time, but in order to regain their sight, they had to show this path. So Perseus found out how to get to the island of the Gorgons, and quickly moved on. During his further journey, Perseus came to the nymphs. From them he received three gifts: a helmet of the ruler of the underworld of Hades, which made anyone who wore it invisible, sandals with wings, with the help of which he could quickly fly through the air, and a magic bag: this bag either expanded or contracted, depending on the direction. the size of what was in it. Perseus put on winged sandals, the helmet of Hades, threw a wonderful bag over his shoulder and quickly rushed through the air to the island of the Gorgons. Perseus was flying high in the sky. Below him lay the earth with green valleys, along which rivers wound like silver ribbons. The cities were visible below, the temples of the gods sparkled brightly with white marble. In the distance rose mountains covered with green forests, and their snow-covered peaks glowed like diamonds in the rays of the sun. Perseus rushes further and further like a whirlwind. He flies as high as eagles cannot fly on their mighty wings. The sea flashed in the distance like molten gold. Now Perseus is flying over the sea, and the sound of the sea waves reaches him as a barely perceptible rustle. The land is no longer visible. In all directions, as far as Perseus’s gaze could reach, a plain of waters stretched beneath him. Finally, in the blue distance of the sea, an island appeared as a black stripe. He's getting closer. This is the island of the Gorgons. Something sparkles with unbearable brilliance in the rays of the sun on this island. Perseus descended below. Like an eagle, he soars over the island and sees: three terrible gorgons sleeping on a rock. They spread out their copper arms in their sleep, their steel scales and golden wings burned with fire in the sun. The snakes on their heads move slightly in their sleep, Perseus quickly turned away from the gorgons. He is afraid to see their menacing faces - after all, one look and he will turn to stone. Perseus took the shield of Pallas Athena - as the gorgons were reflected in the mirror. Which one is Medusa? Gorgons are like two peas in a pod. Of the three gorgons, only Medusa is mortal, and only she can be killed. Perseus thought. Here the fast Hermes helped Perseus. He pointed out Medusa to Perseus and quietly whispered in his ear: “Hurry, Perseus!” Feel free to go downstairs. There, Medusa, furthest to the sea. Cut off her head. Remember, don't look at her! One look and you're dead. Hurry before the gorgons wake up! Just as an eagle falls from the sky onto its intended victim, so Perseus rushed to the sleeping Medusa. He looks into the clear shield in order to strike more accurately. The snakes on Medusa's head sensed the enemy. They rose with a menacing hiss. Medusa moved in her sleep. She has already opened her eyes. At that moment, a sharp sword flashed like lightning. With one blow, Perseus cut off Medusa's head. Her dark blood gushed onto the rock in a stream, and with the streams of blood from Medusa’s body, the winged horse Pegasus and the giant Chrysaor soared to the sky. Perseus quickly grabbed Medusa's head and hid it in a wonderful bag. Writhing in the convulsions of death, Medusa's body fell from the cliff into the sea. The sound of his fall woke up Medusa's sisters, Steino and Euryale. Flapping their mighty wings, they soared over the island and looked around with burning eyes. The gorgons rush noisily through the air, but the killer of their sister Medusa has disappeared without a trace. Not a single living soul is visible either on the island or far out to sea. And Perseus quickly rushed, invisible in the helmet of Hades, over the roaring sea. Now he is rushing over the sands of Libya. Blood leaked from Medusa's head through the bag and fell in heavy drops onto the sand. From these drops of blood the sands gave birth to poisonous snakes. Everything around was swarming with them, all living things took flight from them; snakes turned Libya into a desert. PERSEUS AND ATLAS Perseus rushes further and further from the island of the Gorgons. Like a cloud driven by a stormy wind, it rushes across the sky. Finally he reached the country where the son of the titan Iapetus, the brother of Prometheus, the giant Atlas, reigned. Thousands of herds of fine-fleeced sheep, cows and steep-horned bulls grazed in the fields of Atlas. Luxurious gardens grew in his domain, and among the gardens stood a tree with golden branches and foliage, and the apples that grew on this tree were also golden. Atlas treasured this tree like the apple of his eye; it was his greatest treasure. The goddess Themis predicted to him that the day would come when the son of Zeus would come to him and steal the golden apples from him. Atlas was afraid of this. He surrounded the garden in which the golden tree grew with a high wall, and at the entrance he placed a flame-casting dragon as guard. Atlas did not allow strangers into his possessions - he was afraid that the son of Zeus would appear among them. So Perseus flew to him in his winged sandals and addressed Atlas with these friendly words: “Oh, Atlas, accept me as a guest in your home.” I am the son of Zeus, Perseus, who killed the gorgon Medusa. Let me rest with you from my great feat. When Atlas heard that Perseus was the son of Zeus, he immediately remembered the prediction of the goddess Themis and therefore rudely answered Perseus: “Get out of here!” Your lies about your great feat and the fact that you are the son of the Thunderer will not help you. Atlas wants to kick the hero out the door. Perseus, seeing that he cannot fight the mighty giant, himself hurries to leave the house. Anger rages in the heart of Perseus; Atlas angered him by refusing him hospitality and even calling him a liar. In anger, Perseus says to the giant: “Okay, Atlas, you drive me away!” Well, then at least accept a gift from me! With these words, Perseus quickly took out the head of Medusa and, turning away, showed it to Atlas. The giant immediately turned to the mountain. His beard and hair turned into dense deciduous forests, his arms and shoulders - into high rocks, his head - into the top of a mountain that went into the very sky. Since then, Mount Atlas has supported the entire vault of heaven, with all its constellations. Perseus, when the morning star rose into the sky, rushed further. PERSEUS SAVES ANDROMEDA After a long journey, Perseus reached the kingdom of Kepheus, which lay in Ethiopia *1 on the shores of the Ocean. There, on a rock, near the seashore, he saw the beautiful Andromeda, daughter of King Kepheus, chained. She had to atone for the guilt of her mother, Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia angered the sea nymphs. Proud of her beauty, she said that she, Queen Cassiopeia, was the most beautiful of all. The nymphs became angry and begged the god of the seas, Poseidon, to punish Kepheus and Cassiopeia. Poseidon sent, at the request of the nymphs, a monster like a gigantic fish. It emerged from the depths of the sea and devastated the possessions of Kefei. The kingdom of Coffee was filled with crying and groans. He finally turned to the oracle of Zeus Ammon*2 and asked how he could get rid of this misfortune. The oracle gave the following answer: ___________ *1 Ethiopia is a country that, according to the Greeks, lay in the extreme south of the earth. The Greeks and then the Romans called Ethiopia the entire country lying in Africa south of Egypt. *2 Was located in an oasis in the Libyan Desert, west of Egypt. - Give your daughter Andromeda to be torn to pieces by the monster, and then Poseidon’s punishment will end. The people, having learned the answer of the oracle, forced the king to chain Andromeda to a rock by the sea. Pale with horror, Andromeda stood at the foot of the rock in heavy chains; She looked at the sea with inexpressible fear, expecting that a monster would appear and tear her to pieces. Tears rolled from her eyes, horror gripped her at the mere thought that she should die in the bloom of her beautiful youth, full of strength, without having experienced the joys of life. It was Perseus who saw her. He would have taken her for a marvelous statue made of white Parian marble, if the sea wind had not blown her hair and large tears had not fallen from her beautiful eyes. The young hero looks at her with delight, and a powerful feeling of love for Andromeda lights up in his heart. Perseus quickly went down to her and tenderly asked her: “Oh, tell me, beautiful maiden, whose country this is, tell me your name!” Tell me, why are you chained to the rock here? Andromeda explained whose guilt she had to suffer for. The beautiful maiden does not want the hero to think that she is atoning for her own guilt. Andromeda had not yet finished her story when the depths of the sea began to gurgle, and a monster appeared among the raging waves. It raised its head high with its huge mouth open. Andromeda screamed loudly in horror. Mad with grief, Kepheus and Cassiopeia ran to the shore. They cry bitterly, hugging their daughter. There is no salvation for her! Then the son of Zeus, Perseus, spoke: “You will still have a lot of time to shed tears, there is little time just to save your daughter.” I am the son of Zeus, Perseus, who killed the gorgon Medusa entwined with snakes. Give me your daughter Andromeda as my wife, and I will save her. Kepheus and Cassiopeia happily agreed. They were ready to do anything to save their daughter. Kepheus even promised him the entire kingdom as a dowry, if only he would save Andromeda. The monster is already close. It quickly approaches the rock, cutting through the waves with its wide chest, like a ship that rushes through the waves, as if on wings, from the strokes of the oars of mighty young rowers. The monster was no further than the flight of an arrow when Perseus flew high into the air. His shadow fell into the sea, and the monster rushed with fury at the hero’s shadow. Perseus boldly rushed from above at the monster and plunged his curved sword deep into his back. Feeling a serious wound, the monster rose high in the waves; it beats in the sea, like a boar surrounded by a pack of dogs barking furiously; first it plunges deep into the water, then it floats up again. The monster madly hits the water with its fish tail, and thousands of splashes fly up to the very tops of the coastal cliffs. The sea was covered with foam. Opening its mouth, the monster rushes at Perseus, but with the speed of a seagull he takes off in his winged sandals. He delivers blow after blow. Blood and water gushed from the mouth of the monster, struck to death. The wings of Perseus's sandals are wet, they can barely hold the hero in the air. The mighty son of Danai quickly rushed to the rock that protruded from the sea, grabbed it with his left hand and plunged his sword three times into the monster’s wide chest. The terrible battle is over. Joyful screams rush from the shore. Everyone praises the mighty hero. The shackles were removed from the beautiful Andromeda, and, celebrating the victory, Perseus leads his bride to the palace of her father Kepheus. THE WEDDING OF PERSEUS Perseus made rich sacrifices to his father Zeus, Pallas Athena and Hermes. A cheerful wedding feast began in Kefei's palace. Hymen and Eros lit their fragrant torches. The entire Kefei palace is covered with greenery and flowers. The sounds of citharas and lyres are heard loudly, and wedding choirs thunder. The doors of the palace are wide open. The banquet hall burns with gold. Kepheus and Cassiopeia feast with the newlyweds, and all the people feast. Fun and joy reign all around. At the feast, Perseus talks about his exploits. Suddenly the menacing sound of weapons rang out in the banquet hall. A war cry echoed throughout the palace, like the sound of the sea when it, heaving, beats its waves driven by a stormy wind against a high rocky shore. It was the first groom of Andromeda, Phineus, who came with a large army. Entering the palace and shaking his spear, Phineas loudly exclaimed: “Woe to you, bride kidnapper!” Neither your winged sandals, nor even Zeus the Thunderer himself will save you from me! Phineus was about to throw a spear at Perseus, but King Kepheus stopped him with the words: “What are you doing?” What makes you so mad? So do you want to reward the feat of Perseus? Will this be your wedding gift? Did Perseus steal your bride from you? No, she was kidnapped from you when they led her to chain her to a rock, when she was going to her death. Why didn't you come to her aid then? Do you now want to rob the winner of his reward? Why didn’t you come for Andromeda yourself when she was chained to the rock, why didn’t you take her away from the monster? Phineus did not answer Kepheus; he angrily looked first at Kepheus, then at the beautiful son of Zeus, and suddenly, straining all his strength, he threw a spear at Perseus. A spear flew past and pierced Perseus's bed. The young hero tore it out with his mighty hand, jumped up from his bed and menacingly swung his spear. He would have struck Phineus to death, but he hid behind the altar, and the spear hit the head of the hero Ret, and he fell dead. A terrible battle began. The warrior Athena quickly came from Olympus to help her brother Perseus. She covered him with her aegis and breathed into him invincible courage. Perseus rushed into battle. Like lightning, the deadly sword with which he killed Medusa shines in his hands. One by one he strikes to death the heroes who came with Phineus. A mountain of bodies, covered in blood, piles up in front of Perseus. He grabbed with both hands a huge bronze bowl in which wine was mixed for the feast, and threw it at the head of the hero Eurythos. As if struck by thunder, the hero fell, and his soul flew off into the kingdom of shadows. Heroes fall one after another, but Phineus brought many of them with him. Perseus is a stranger in the kingdom of Kepheus, he has few comrades in battle, almost alone he has to fight many enemies. Many of Perseus's comrades had already fallen in this frantic battle. The singer, who delighted the feasters with sweet-sounding singing while playing the golden-stringed cithara, also died, struck by a spear. As he fell, the singer touched the strings of the cithara, and sadly, like a dying groan, the strings rang, but the sound of swords and the groans of the dying drowned out the ringing of the strings. Arrows fly like hail driven by the wind. Leaning against a column and covering himself with the shiny shield of Athena, Perseus fights with his enemies. And they surrounded the hero on all sides; the battle around him is becoming more and more frantic. Seeing that he was in danger of imminent death, the mighty son of Danai exclaimed loudly: “I will find help from the enemy I have slain!” You yourself forced me to seek his protection! Quickly turn away, everyone who is my friend! Perseus quickly took the head of the gorgon Medusa out of the wonderful bag and raised it high above his head. One after another, the heroes attacking Perseus turn into stone statues. Some of them turned to stone, raising their swords to pierce the enemy's chest, others - shaking sharp spears, others - covering themselves with shields. One glance at Medusa's head turned them into marble statues. The entire banquet hall was filled with marble statues. Fear seized Phineas when he saw that all his friends had turned to stone. Falling to his knees and stretching out his hands in prayer to Perseus, Phineas exclaimed: “You have won, Perseus!” Oh, quickly hide the terrible head of Medusa, I pray you, hide it. Oh, great son of Zeus, take everything, own everything, just leave me one life! Perseus answered Phineas with mockery: “Don’t be afraid, you pathetic coward!” My sword will not cut you down. I will give you a reward forever! You will forever stand here in the palace of Kepheus, so that my wife can be comforted by looking at the image of her first groom. The hero held out the head of Medusa to Phineus, and no matter how hard Phineas tried not to look at the terrible gorgon, his gaze fell on her, and instantly he turned into a marble statue. Phineus stands turned to stone, bowing like a slave before Perseus. The expression of fear and slavish supplication remained forever in the eyes of the Phineus statue. THE RETURN OF PERSEUS TO SERIPH Perseus did not remain long after this bloody battle in the kingdom of Kepheus. Taking with him the beautiful Andromeda, he returned to Serif to King Polydectes. Perseus found his mother Danae in great grief. Fleeing from Polydectes, she had to seek protection in the temple of Zeus. She did not dare to leave the temple for a single moment. The angry Perseus came to Polydectes' palace and found him and his friends having a luxurious feast. Polydectes did not expect that Perseus would return; he was sure that the hero had died in the fight against the gorgons. King Serif was surprised to see Perseus in front of him, and he calmly said to the king: “Your order has been fulfilled, I have brought you the head of Medusa.” Polydectes did not believe that Perseus had accomplished such a great feat. He began to mock the godlike hero and called him a liar. Polydectes' friends also mocked Perseus. Anger boiled in Perseus’s chest; he could not forgive the insult. With his eyes flashing menacingly, Perseus took out Medusa’s head and exclaimed: “If you don’t believe it, Polydectes, then here’s proof for you!” Polydectes looked at the gorgon’s head and instantly turned to stone. The king’s friends who feasted with him did not escape this fate. PERSEUS IN ARGOS Perseus transferred power over Serif to Polydectes's brother, Dictys, who once saved him and his mother, and he himself went to Argos with Danae and Andromeda. When Perseus's grandfather, Acrisius, learned of the arrival of his grandson, he, remembering the oracle's prediction, fled far to the north, to Larissa. Perseus began to rule in his native Argos. He returned Hades's helmet, winged sandals and a wonderful bag to the nymphs, and returned Hermes's sharp sword. He gave the head of Medusa to Pallas Athena, and she fastened it on her chest, on her sparkling shell. Perseus reigned happily in Argos. His grandfather Acrisius did not escape what his inexorable fate determined for him. One day Perseus arranged magnificent games. Many heroes gathered at them. Among the spectators was the elderly Acrisius. During a competition in throwing a heavy discus, Perseus threw a bronze disc with his mighty hand. High, right up to the clouds, a heavy disk flew up, and falling to the ground, it hit Acrisius in the head with terrible force and struck him to death. Thus the oracle’s prediction was fulfilled. Full of grief, Perseus buried Acrisius, complaining that he had become the unwitting killer of his grandfather. Perseus did not want to rule in Argos, the kingdom of Acrisius, whom he killed; he went to Tiryns*1 and reigned there for many years. Perseus gave Argos into the possession of his relative Megapent. ___________ *1 One of the oldest cities in Greece, was located in Argolis. SISYPHUS Based on the poems: “The Iliad” by Homer and “The Heroine” by Ovid Sisyphus, the son of the god Aeolus, the ruler of all winds, was the founder of the city of Corinth, which in ancient times was called Ephyra. No one in all of Greece could equal Sisyphus in cunning, cunning and resourcefulness of mind. Sisyphus, thanks to his cunning, collected innumerable riches in his home in Corinth; the fame of his treasures spread far. When the gloomy god of death Tanat came to him to bring him down to the sad kingdom of Hades, Sisyphus, sensing the approach of the god of death even earlier, insidiously deceived the god Tanat and put him in chains. Then people stopped dying on earth. Nowhere were there large, lavish funerals; They also stopped making sacrifices to the gods of the underworld. The order on earth established by Zeus was disrupted. Then the thunderer Zeus sent the mighty god of war Ares to Sisyphus. He freed Tanat from his shackles, and Tanat plucked the soul of Sisyphus and took it to the kingdom of the shadows of the dead. But even here the cunning Sisyphus managed to help himself. He told his wife not to bury his body or make sacrifices to the underground gods. The wife of Sisyphus obeyed her husband. Hades and Persephone waited a long time for the funeral victims. They're all gone! Finally, Sisyphus approached the throne of Hades and said to the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, Hades: “Oh, ruler of the souls of the dead, great Hades, equal in power to Zeus, let me go to the bright land.” I will tell my wife to make rich sacrifices to you and I will return back to the kingdom of shadows. Thus Sisyphus deceived the lord of Hades, and he released him to earth. Sisyphus did not return, of course, to the kingdom of Hades. He remained in his magnificent palace and feasted cheerfully, rejoicing that he alone of all mortals managed to return from the dark kingdom of shadows. Hades was angry, and he again sent Thanat for the soul of Sisyphus. Thanat appeared at the palace of the most cunning of mortals and found him at a luxurious feast. The god of death, hated by gods and people, extorted the soul of Sisyphus; The soul of Sisyphus has now flown away forever into the kingdom of shadows. Sisyphus bears heavy punishment in the afterlife for all the deceits, for all the deceptions that he committed on earth. He is condemned to roll a huge stone up a high, steep mountain. Sisyphus works with all his might. Sweat pours off him from the hard work. The top is getting closer; One more effort, and Sisyphus’s work will be completed; but a stone breaks out of his hands and rolls down with a noise, raising clouds of dust. Sisyphus gets to work again. So Sisyphus rolls the stone forever and can never reach its goal - the top of the mountain.

Many constellations are named after the heroes of ancient Greek myths, but nowhere else are so many characters from one legend coexistent in the sky... Perseus, Pegasus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Cetus - they are all united by one story...

The king of Argos, Acrisius, had an only daughter, Danae, whose beauty could only be compared with the immortal goddesses. But the oracle predicted that Acrisius would die at the hands of his grandson, the son of Danae. To avoid such a fate, Acrisius built a palace of stone and bronze deep underground and imprisoned his daughter in it. But Acrisius did not know that the almighty Zeus was fascinated by his daughter. He penetrated Danae, turning into golden rain. From Zeus Danae gave birth to a son, whom she gave the name Perseus.

One day, Acrisius heard the laughter of a boy playing and realized that his grandson was the son of Danae and Zeus. He remembered the oracle's prediction, but did not dare to kill the son of Zeus. Therefore, he ordered to make a large wooden box with a strong lid, put Danae and little Perseus in it and ordered the box to be thrown into the sea.

After many days, a storm washed the box ashore on the island of Serif in the Aegean Sea. There the fisherman Dictys pulled him, entangled in a net, to the shore. When Dictys opened the box, he almost fainted in surprise when he saw a woman, as beautiful as a goddess, holding a playful boy in her arms. Dictys took Danae and Perseus to his brother, the king of the island Polydectes. There Perseus grew up, turning into a stately, handsome young man. No one could compare with him in agility, strength, courage and martial art.

Enchanted by the beauty of Danae, King Polydectes decided to force her to become his wife at any cost. No matter how much Danaya feared his anger, she still refused him. Since then, Perseus often found her in tears.

Having understood the reason for his mother’s grief, Perseus went to Polydectes and demanded that he leave his mother alone. The king was angry, but did not dare to say anything to the son of Zeus Perseus. However, since then he has constantly thought about how to destroy Perseus.

One day, King Perseus called and told him: “I order you to bring the head of Medusa the Gorgon. If you are really the son of almighty Zeus, you have nothing to fear from dangers - the great thunderer will not allow his beloved son to die.” The Gorgons lived on the westernmost edge of the Earth, in the kingdom of the goddess of Night and the god of death Thanatos. These were terrible monsters. Their bodies were covered with scales that could not be cut by any sword, snakes curled on their heads instead of hair, and teeth sharp as knives protruded from their mouths. One look from them turned anyone to stone.

Polydectes's assignment was not easy, but the great Zeus did not leave his son - he sent his daughter to help him - the warlike goddess Athena and the quick-as-thought messenger of the gods Hermes. Athena handed Perseus a wonderful shield shining like a mirror, and Hermes gave him a sword that could cut any iron, and showed him the way to the land of the Gorgons.

Perseus's journey was long. The nymphs he met, having learned where he was going, gave him the helmet of the ruler of the underworld, Hades: the one who put on this helmet became invisible; winged sandals in which a person could fly through the air and a magic bag that could hold anything a person wanted to put in it.

On his winged sandals, Perseus flew over the sea. A black dot appeared ahead - this was the island of the Gorgons. He went down and looked at three sleeping gorgons on one of the rocks. Perseus rushed at the sleeping Medusa, but the snakes on her head sensed the approach of a man. The Gorgon woke up, but Perseus, looking at the reflection in his shield, cut off her head, threw it into a bag and, invisible in the helmet of Hades, flew into the air. The rest of the gorgons woke up, but could not find their sister's killer. And from the body of Medusa the winged horse Pegasus emerged.

At this time, the distant country of Ethiopia, which was located on the southern edge of the Earth, was ruled by King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia. They had an only daughter, Andromeda. She grew up surrounded by the care of her parents and grew up to be a beautiful girl - the most beautiful among all beauties. Queen Cassiopeia was proud of the beauty of her daughter and boasted everywhere that Andromeda was even more beautiful than the sea nymphs - the Nereids.

The offended Nereids complained to the ruler of the seas, Poseidon. He became angry and sent a terrible disaster to Ethiopia - every day a terrible fire-breathing monster - the Whale - appeared from the sea. Wherever it passed, everything burned and turned to ashes from the terrible heat. Desperate, King Cepheus asked the oracle how he could save the country. And the oracle answered: “The whale will stop burning your country only when you give him your only daughter Andromeda to be eaten. This is the will of the gods!”

Choking with grief, Cepheus and Cassiopeia took their daughter to the rocky shore of the sea and, chaining her to a stone, left her there.

As the sun rose, the sea boiled and a monstrous whale appeared. He saw Andromeda and rushed towards the girl... But then Perseus, who was returning from the country of the Gorgons, rushed from the sky in his winged sandals. He pierced the monster with his sword, but Keith only became even more furious. Then Perseus took the severed head of the Gorgon Medusa from the bag and pointed it at Keith. Instantly, Keith turned into a huge rocky island in the middle of a stormy sea.

Perseus freed Andromeda and escorted her parents to the palace. Tears of joy flowed from the eyes of Cepheus and Cassiopeia when they saw their daughter alive. Admired by the feat of Perseus, they gave Andromeda to him as his wife.

Perseus stayed briefly in the kingdom of Cepheus. Together with Andromeda, he headed to the island of Serif to see his mother Danae. There he found her in terrible despair. To escape the harassment of Polydectes, she was forced to hide in the temple of Zeus and could not leave there.

The angry Perseus went to the palace of Polydectes. The king did not believe his eyes when he saw the young man, because he was sure that he had died long ago, but when Perseus said that he had fulfilled the command and killed Medusa, Polydectes laughed in his face: “Don’t you consider me a child who would believe such lies?!" - he asked. Then Perseus took Medusa's head out of the bag. He himself turned away so as not to meet her gaze, and said to Polydectes: “Since you don’t believe my words, look with your own eyes!” Polydectes looked at Medusa and instantly turned into stone.

Perseus handed over the island of Serif to Dictys, who had once saved him and his mother, and went to Argos. Acrisius, remembering the oracle's prediction that he was destined to die at the hands of his grandson, fled. So Perseus began to rule Argos.

Perseus was a smart and kind ruler. The people of Argos were happy, holidays and sports competitions were often held. The already elderly Acrisius secretly arrived at one of these competitions, famous throughout Greece, and happily admired the competitions of the young people. Perseus also took part in the games. He threw a heavy disk, which flew beyond the clouds and from there fell on Acrisius’s head with terrible force. Thus the oracle's prophecy was fulfilled.

Cassiopeia

This small-sized constellation is non-setting at our latitudes, but it is best to observe it in late autumn, when it is near the zenith. Cassiopeia is located in the midst of the stars of the Milky Way and is very rich in interesting objects. Here you will not see galaxies; their light is absorbed by dust clouds, of which there are many in the plane of the Milky Way.

Constellation Cassiopeia. (hover your mouse over an item to see its photo)

Numerous open star clusters in this constellation are mostly quite inconspicuous and clearly visible only through a telescope; two of them are included in the Messier catalog - M103, located slightly east of δ Cassiopeia and M52 in the western part of the constellation, along the continuation of the line from α to β Cassiopeia. However, much more beautiful, in my opinion, is the rather star-poor NGC457, which can be found a little south of the continuation of the line from ε to δ Cassiopeia. Two bright stars and chains of faint ones form a very beautiful figure, reminiscent of a little man with disproportionately large hands. This cluster is informally called "Alien" or "Owl". Be sure to point your telescope at this cluster... and smile - aliens exist!

There are several fairly large, but dim diffuse nebulae in Cassiopeia - one of them, NGC281 ("Pacman" - after the name of a computer game character, of course, the name is unofficial) forms a regular triangle with the stars α and η Cassiopeia. A very beautiful and unusual small nebula NGC7635 "Bubble" is located next to M52. Unfortunately, all of them are visible only in photographs.

But even with the simplest telescope you can admire the very beautiful double star η - a red satellite is visible next to the yellow main star of 3.5 m. The distance between them is about 11".

Perseus

Even in ancient times, astronomers noticed the strange behavior of the star β Perseus - it regularly changes its brightness, as if winking. It is probably no coincidence that the Arabs called this star Algol - “Devil”, and on ancient star maps it corresponds to the ominous eye of the severed head of Medusa the Gorgon. In fact, this amazing star is the first representative of eclipsing variable stars. Two stars, located so close that they cannot be separated even in the most powerful telescopes, rotate around a common center of mass, covering each other from the earthly observer. During such eclipses, which repeat every 68.8 hours, the star's brightness decreases from 2.1 m to 3.4 m

Constellation Perseus. (hover your mouse over an item to see its photo)

Like other constellations lying in the Milky Way band, Perseus is rich in open clusters. The most interesting and beautiful of them is the double cluster hχ Perseus (NGC884, NGC869), located 1/3 of the distance from η Perseus to δ Cassiopeia. These are very numerous clusters - each containing more than 300 stars - perhaps a record for open clusters. It is best to view hχ Perseus through a small telescope at minimum magnification, so that both of them are within the field of view - this is a truly unforgettable view!

Another fairly bright open cluster M34 is located in the western part of the constellation - it can be found near the middle of the line connecting Algol or κ Perseus with γ Andromeda.

Just north of ξ Perseus there is a fairly large gas nebula NGC1499 "Caliphonia", one of the favorite objects of astrophotography lovers.

Perseus is also home to one of the most difficult objects to observe in the Messier catalog - the planetary nebula M76 "Little Dumbbell".

Cepheus

There are not many interesting objects in Cepheus that are accessible to small amateur instruments. Perhaps the main attraction of the constellation is the variable star δ Cephei. Stars of this type (Cepheids) have a very stable period of brightness change; for δ Cephei it is 5.366 days. Moreover, a relationship has been established between the Cepheid period and its luminosity, which makes it quite easy to determine the distances to them. Therefore, Cepheids are often called “beacons of the universe.”

Constellation Cepheus. (hover your mouse over an item to see its photo)

Another very interesting and beautiful star is μ Cephei, the “Garnet Star”. This star has the deepest red color of any star visible to the naked eye. It is a relatively cool supergiant with a diameter 1,500 times the diameter of the Sun.

In the northern part of the constellation, the open cluster NGC188 is located - quite inconspicuous in appearance, but it is not famous for its appearance - it is one of the oldest open clusters in our Galaxy, its age is about 5 billion years.

Andromeda

The main attraction of this constellation, of course, is the famous “Andromeda Nebula” (M31) - the brightest and largest galaxy in our sky (not counting the Magellanic clouds - the dwarf satellites of our Galaxy), easily visible to the naked eye. During visual observations in any telescopes, its central part and its two satellites - M32 and M110 - are easily visible, and in a dark, transparent sky you can catch the dust lanes of the spiral arms of this galaxy. Photos show that the Andromeda galaxy is much larger than can be seen from visual observations - even in amateur photographs it measures about 3°. The Andromeda Galaxy is very similar to our star system - it has approximately the same size and structure as the Milky Way, M31 has several satellite galaxies. This is one of the most studied galaxies. In 1923, Edwin Hubble discovered the first Cepheid in M31 and determined its distance. Today this distance is estimated at 2.8 million sv. years.

Another remarkable star system is located in the eastern part of the constellation - the spiral galaxy NGC891 is located approximately midway between M34 and γ Andromeda. It is visible edge-on and through a telescope it looks like an extended and thin light stripe; the dark layer of dust in the plane of the galaxy is also very clearly visible in the photo.

Point your telescope at γ Andromedae - it is a very beautiful double star. The 2.3 m and 5.1 m stars that make up this pair look yellow and greenish, the distance between them is about 10 "

In the Andromeda constellation there is also a beautiful planetary nebula called the Blue Snowball (NGC7662). It is very small in size, its angular diameter is only about 20", but due to its fairly high brightness it is easily observed in amateur telescopes.

Triangle

This small and inconspicuous constellation is located southeast of Andromeda. Perhaps its only attraction is the M33 galaxy. It is the second brightest galaxy after the Andromeda Nebula, but its surface brightness is much lower and dark skies are desirable for observations.

M33 is approximately 3 million light years away from us. It is the third largest in the Local Group of Galaxies after the Milky Way and Andromeda.

The heavens gave the king of Argos Acrisius a daughter of unearthly beauty, Danae, but he always wanted the heavens to send him sons. The oracle told the king that not only would Acrisius never father a son, but also that the boy his daughter would give birth to would be the one who would kill him. The only option to try to stop this prophecy would have been to kill Danae's daughter, but the king was afraid of the retribution of the gods. After much deliberation, he imprisons Danae in a tower and assigns fierce dogs to guard her so that no one can enter her prison.

However, he did not expect that Zeus, inspired by love for the beauty, would come to her, turning into raindrops. Soon after this, Danae became a mother. The son was named Perseus. Blinded by fear, the father ordered to lock Perseus and Danae in a chest, and throw them into the ocean - so they will be doomed to eternal wanderings around the world, carried away by the waves. Fortunately (or thanks to Zeus), the chest safely reached a small island - Serif, where it was caught by a fisherman named Dictys, who was the brother of the king of those places.

The liberated prisoners were settled in the chambers of King Serif Polydectes. Soon Dictys' brother, King Polydectes

Falls in love with Danae. She resolutely refuses to become his wife. Perseus, having grown up and matured, therefore, supporting all the decisions of his mother, in every possible way prevents the marriage, and becomes an insurmountable obstacle for the king in getting what he wants. Then Polydectes decides to get rid of the devoted son of Denmark. The king announces his intention to marry another beauty - the daughter of the hero Pelops - Hippodamia.

In connection with such a positive outcome of the debate, calmed down and inspired by the absence of the threat of enslavement of the spirit of his mother, Perseus said that he was even ready to bring the head of Medusa the Gorgon as a gift to the king on the occasion of such a significant event. She was one mortal and the most terrifying of the three sisters.

Polydectes, in order to get rid of Perseus, who was the only obstacle before the king in achieving his goal, convinced the young man to kill Medusa - an invincible monster with moving snakes instead of hair and fangs sharp as daggers. This feat seemed impossible to Polydectes, because it had such a terrifying appearance that anyone who even glanced at the snake instantly turned into stone from numbness.

Hermes and Athena gave Perseus advice and a sword capable of piercing the scales of Medusa. They said to Perseus fought with Medusa, looking only at her reflection in the specially polished mirror shield that they handed him. He also had to be equipped with winged sandals, the headdress of the ruler of the kingdom of the dead - Hades, allowing him to be invisible, and a special bag to store the severed head of Medusa the Gorgon.

Only the Stygian nymphs were able to provide such magical equipment. The location of the nymphs is a mystery, and Perseus had to find it out from three sisters - gloomy swan-like faces who personified old age. The three of them possess only one eye and one tooth, and alternate in their use.

Perseus finds the sisters and steals their tooth and eyeball, promising them in exchange for information about the location of the nymphs.

Perseus finds and kills Medusa, and, being invisible, flies back to his mother. When the country of Ethiopia opened up before him, he saw a beautiful young girl, Andromeda, chained to a rock because she had been given as a gift to a sea monster. Perseus was fascinated by her beauty. She was doomed to torment because her stupid mother uttered phrases that the queen would outshine any goddess with her beauty.

The latter wanted revenge for such arrogant statements. Natural disasters were sent to the land ruled by her father, which can only be stopped by the death of her daughter. Perseus, Using a sword and hiding under an invisibility cap, he kills the monstrous snake and goes home with Andromeda.

When he returns to the island, he discovers that Danae and Dictys are hiding from the king, who has decided to take advantage of their absence. Perseus, and forcefully become his mother's husband. At this time, the king arranged a reception for his entire entourage. Perseus, Arriving at the king's feast, he pulled out the head of Medusa from the bag, the look of which turned all the men into stone statues. Perseus found Danae in the temple and made Dictys the ruler of those places.

Somewhat later Danae and Perseus returned to Argos in search of the king. They hoped that he had thawed out towards them. But when they reached Argos, they realized that, having learned about their upcoming visit, he fled away from his native land. One day, Perseus competed in athletic competitions in discus throwing. During one of his throws, his disc rushed far away from the target towards a spectator in the crowd, killing him on the spot. This spectator turned out to be Acrisius. Thus the prophecy of Apollo was fulfilled.

The king of Argos, Acrisius, had only one child - the daughter of Danae. The oracle predicted to Acrisius that his own grandson would kill him. Hearing this prophecy, Acrisius imprisoned Danae in a copper tower, guarded by fierce dogs, so that no man could approach her. But the god Zeus, who loved Danae, overcame all the obstacles. He came down to her in the form of golden rain, and Danae gave birth to a son from the king of the gods - Perseus.

Danae. Painting by Rembrandt, 1636-1643

Acrisius, having learned about this, did not believe in the paternity of Zeus. Since the birth of Perseus, according to the oracle, threatened him with mortal danger, Acrisius put Danae and her son in a wooden box and threw him into the sea. Near the island of Serif, the box was caught in the net by the fisherman Dictys, who took the rescued Danae and Perseus to his brother, the king of Serif, Polydectes. Perseus grew up in his house.

Years later, Polydectes decided to forcibly make Danae his wife. The matured Perseus opposed this. Then Polydectes, for the sake of appearance, announced that he would woo Hippodamia, the daughter of the hero Pelops, and asked all his associates to bring him gifts that he could give to his bride. Perseus, delighted that the king would no longer harass his mother, promised to get Polydectes any gift - “if necessary, then the head of the Gorgon Medusa.”

Sinister female monsters, the Gorgons, lived at the edge of the world. Of the three Gorgon sisters, only Medusa was mortal - and the most terrible. Instead of hair, snakes moved on her head, and there were fangs sharp as daggers in her mouth. The sight of Medusa was so disgusting that anyone who glanced at her turned to stone in horror. Hearing Perseus’s rash promise, Polydectes rejoiced at the opportunity to get rid of the inconvenient young man and demanded that his word be fulfilled.

Head of Medusa. Painting by Rubens, c. 1617-1618

From the dead body of the Gorgon, the winged horse Pegasus and the warrior Chrysaor with a golden sword, whom Medusa conceived from the god Poseidon in one of the temples of Athena, soared upward. Having put the severed head into his bag, Perseus, wearing winged sandals, rushed through the air. Medusa's sisters, the gorgons Stheno and Euryale, rushed after the killer. But Hades's hat made Perseus invisible, and he escaped safely.

Jellyfish. Painter Caravaggio, 1595-1596

At sunset, Perseus flew to the palace of the titan Atlas, brother of Prometheus, who lived on the western edge of the earth. The rich Atlas owned thousands of herds of cattle, but his most valuable asset was a tree with golden apples. The goddess Themis predicted to Atlas that the son of Zeus would once steal these apples from him. This prophecy concerned one of the future labors of Hercules. But when Perseus, who flew to Atlas, also called himself the son of Zeus, the Titan suspected him of being the thief whose appearance Themis had predicted. Atlas refused Perseus hospitality and rudely demanded that he go home. As punishment for this, the hero showed the titan the head of the Gorgon, and he turned into Mount Atlas, which has since risen in the middle of the Libyan desert, supporting the sky with its peaks.

Perseus flew further east, across the Libyan Desert. A few drops of the blood of the Gorgon Medusa fell down and gave birth to poisonous snakes, which have since abounded in the Libyan sands. Having made a stop in the Egyptian Khemmis, Perseus reached Ethiopia, where he saw a naked girl chained to a rock on the seashore. Love for her arose in Perseus's soul. The girl was Andromeda, the daughter of the Ethiopian king Kepheus (Cepheus) and his wife Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia once boasted that she and her daughter were more beautiful than the Nereid water goddesses. They complained about this insult to the sea god Poseidon. Poseidon sent a flood and a terrible sea monster to the kingdom of Kepheus. The oracle told Kepheus that the only way to escape from these troubles was by sacrificing the sea monster Andromeda. The royal daughter was chained to a rock, and the Ethiopians, gathered on the shore, waited for the monster to swallow Andromeda.

Descending from the air to Kepheus and Cassiopeia standing by the sea, Perseus took an oath from them to marry Andromeda to him in exchange for her salvation. Soaring up again, Perseus put on Hades's cap, grabbed the sickle given to him by Hermes and, rushing at the monster approaching across the sea, killed him.

Perseus and Andromeda. Artist G. Vasari, 1570-1572

Kepheus and Cassiopeia held a feast in the palace in honor of the wedding of Perseus and Andromeda, but in their hearts they did not want this marriage, for their daughter had previously been promised to Kepheus’ brother, Phineus. During the feast, Phineus and his armed companions burst into the palace, demanding that the wedding be stopped and Andromeda given to him. Phineas was secretly supported by Cassiopeia, who wanted Perseus dead.

A bloody battle between Perseus and the people of Phineus began. Perseus killed many opponents in it. But since there were still many enemies left, the hero took the head of the Gorgon out of the wonderful bag and showed it to the Ethiopians who attacked him. Two hundred people, led by Phineas himself, turned into stone from this.

The god Poseidon placed the image of Kepheus and Cassiopeia among the stars. Cassiopeia, as punishment for the betrayal of Perseus, was placed in heaven in a market basket, which, due to the rotation of the starry vault, at certain times of the year turned over along with the queen sitting with her.

Andromeda and Perseus were later also ascended to heaven, but for now they left Ethiopia and arrived on the island of Serif. There the hero learned that his mother Danae had taken refuge from the violence of the treacherous king Polydectes in the temple. Perseus went to the palace where Polydectes was feasting and announced that he had brought the promised gift to the king. Pulling out the head of the Gorgon Medusa, he turned Polydectes and all his sycophants to stone. These stones are still shown on Serif, standing in a circle.