Once, the king of Argos, Acrisius, was predicted that his daughter Danae would have a son, from whose hand he was destined to die. To avoid
fulfillment of the prediction, then King Acrisius locked his daughter in a copper-stone dungeon, but Zeus fell in love with Danae, entered there in the form of a golden rain, and after that Danae's son Perseus was born.
Hearing the cry of the child, the king ordered that Danae and her baby be taken out of there, put them both in a barrel and thrown into the sea. For a long time, Danae and her child were carried by raging waves, but Zeus protected her. Finally, she was thrown ashore on the island of Serif. At this time, a fisherman named Diktis was fishing on the seashore. He noticed the barrel and pulled it ashore. Having freed Danae and her little son from the barrel, he brought them to his brother, the king of the island, Polydectes. He received them cordially, left them to live in his royal house and began to educate Perseus.
Perseus grew up and became a handsome young man. When Polydectes decided to marry Danae, Perseus prevented this marriage in every possible way. For this, the king Polydectes disliked him and decided to get rid of him. He instructed Perseus to perform a dangerous feat - to go to a distant country and cut off the head of the terrible Medusa, one of the three terrible monsters called Gorgons. There were three of them, and one of them was called Stheno, the other was Euryale, and the third was Medusa, and only this of the three was mortal. These winged serpent-haired maidens lived in the extreme West, in the region of Night and Death.
They had such a terrible look and such a terrible look that anyone who saw them turned to stone at their mere glance.
King Polydectes hoped that if the young Perseus met Medusa in that distant country, he would never return.
So the brave Perseus set off on a journey in search of these monsters and, after long wanderings, finally came to the region of Night and Death, where the father of the terrible Gorgons, named Forkis, reigned. On the way to the Gorgons, Perseus met three old women, who were called grays. They were born with gray hair, all three had a single eye and only one tooth, which they shared in turn.
These grays guarded the Gorgon sisters. And on the way to them lived good nymphs. 
Perseus came to the nymphs, and they gave him winged sandals that could easily support him in the air. They gave him, in addition, a bag and a helmet of Hades, sewn from a dog's skin, making a person invisible. The cunning Hermes handed him his sword, and Athena handed him a metal, smooth, like a mirror, shield. Armed with them, Perseus took off on his winged sandals, flew across the ocean and appeared to the Gorgon sisters. When he approached them, the terrible sisters were asleep at that time; and Perseus cut off the head of Medusa with his sharp sword and threw it into a bag given to him by the nymphs. Perseus did all this without looking at Medusa - he knew that her gaze could turn him to stone, and held a mirror-smooth shield in front of him. But as soon as Perseus cut off the head of Medusa, the winged horse Pegasus immediately arose from her body and the giant Chrysaor grew up.
The sisters of Medusa woke up at this time. But Perseus put on his invisibility helmet and in winged sandals flew back, and the terrible Gorgon sisters could not overtake him.
The wind lifted him high into the air, and when he flew over the sandy Libyan desert, drops of Medusa's blood fell to the ground and poisonous snakes grew from her blood, of which there are so many in Libya.
Mighty winds rose and began to carry Perseus through the air in different directions; but by evening he managed to reach the extreme West, and young Perseus ended up in the kingdom of the giant Atlanta. Fearing to fly at night, Perseus sank to the ground.
And the giant Atlas was a rich king of that country, and he owned many herds and huge gardens; in one of them grew a tree with golden branches, and the leaves and fruits were also all golden.
It was predicted to Atlanta that one day the son of Zeus would appear and pick golden fruits from the tree. Then Atlas surrounded his garden with a high wall and instructed the young Hesperides and the terrible dragon to guard the golden apples and not let anyone near them.
Perseus appeared to Atlanta and, calling himself the son of Zeus, began to ask him to accept him. But Atlas remembered the ancient prediction and refused Perseus shelter and wanted to drive him away. Then Perseus took out the head of Medusa from the bag and showed it to Atlanta. The giant could not resist the terrible power of Medusa and turned to stone in horror. His head became the peak of the mountain, and his shoulders and arms became its spurs, his beard and hair turned into dense forests. A pointed mountain rose, grew to enormous proportions. She reached the very sky, and it lay down with all its stars on the shoulders of Atlanta, and since then the giant has been holding this heavy burden.
So having avenged Atlanta, the next morning Perseus rose again on his winged sandals into the air, and he flew for a long time, until he finally arrived at the shores of Ethiopia, where Cepheus reigned.
Perseus saw on a deserted shore a beautiful young Andromeda, chained to a rock. She had to atone for the guilt of her mother Cassiopeia, who once, boasting of her beauty in front of the nymphs, said that she was the most beautiful of all. Angry, the nymphs complained to Poseidon and asked her to punish her. And Poseidon sent a flood to Ethiopia and a terrible sea monster that swallowed people and cattle.
The oracle predicted that Cepheus should give his daughter Andromeda to this terrible monster to be eaten; and behold, they chained her to a sea rock.
Perseus saw the beautiful Andromeda chained to a rock. She stood motionless, and the wind did not move her hair, and if there were no tears in her eyes, one could take her for a marble statue.
Perseus, amazed, looked at her, went down to her, began to ask the crying girl, what her name was, where she came from and why she was chained to a desert rock. Not immediately, but the girl finally told Perseus who she was and why she was chained to this rock.
Suddenly, the waves of the sea rustled and a monster emerged from the depths of the sea. Opening its terrible mouth, it rushed to Andromeda. The girl screamed in horror, King Cepheus and Cassiopeia ran to her cry, but they could not save their daughter and began to mourn her bitterly. Then Perseus called out to them from on high:
- I am Perseus, the son of Danae and Zeus, who cut off the head of the terrible Medusa. Promise me to give your daughter in marriage if I save her.
Cepheus and Cassiopeia agreed to this and promised to give him not only their daughter, but their entire kingdom in addition.
At this time, a monster swam up, cutting through the waves, like a ship, closer and closer, and now it is almost already at the very rock. Then the young Perseus rose high into the air, holding his brilliant shield in his hand. The monster saw the reflection of Perseus in the water and rushed at him in a rage. Like an eagle that pounces on a snake, so Perseus flew at the monster and plunged his sharp sword deep into it. The wounded monster flew high into the air, then rushed down to Perseus, like a wild boar pursued by dogs. But the young man in his winged sandals dodged the monster and began to strike him blow after blow with his sword, and then black blood gushed out of the monster's mouth. During the battle, the wings of Perseus got wet, with difficulty he flew to the shore and, noticing a rock rising from the sea, escaped on it. Holding on to a stone with his left hand, he inflicted several more wounds on the monster with his right, and the monster, bleeding, sank to the bottom of the sea. 
The young man rushed to Andromeda and freed her from the chains.
Overjoyed, Cepheus and Cassiopeia joyfully greeted the young hero and took the bride and groom to their home. Soon a wedding feast was arranged, and Eros and Hymen were at their wedding with torches in their hands, they played flutes and lyres, sang merry songs; wedding guests listened to the story of the exploits of the hero Perseus.
But suddenly a crowd appeared in the house of Cepheus, led by the brother of the king Phineus, who had previously wooed Andromeda, but left her during the trouble.
And Phineus demanded that Andromeda be given to him. He raised his spear at Perseus, but Cepheus shielded him. Then the enraged Phineas threw the spear at the young man with all his might, but did not hit. Perseus grabbed the same spear, and if Phineus had not hidden behind the altar, it would have pierced his chest, but the spear hit one of Phineus' soldiers, who fell dead to the ground. And then a bloody battle began at a merry feast. Like a lion, Perseus fought against numerous enemies; the young hero was surrounded by a large crowd of enemies led by Phineus. Leaning against a high column, he fought back with difficulty from the warriors attacking him, but at last he saw that he could not defeat his superior enemies. Then he took out the head of Medusa from the bag, and one by one, at the sight of her, the enemies turned to stone. Now the last warrior is standing, like a stone statue with a spear raised in his hand.
In horror, Phineus saw that his soldiers had turned to stone. He recognized them in stone statues, began to call them and, not believing his eyes, touched each of them - but at hand he had only a cold stone.
In horror, Phineus stretched out his hands to Perseus and asked him to have mercy. Laughing, Perseus answered him: “My spear will not touch you, but I will set you up as a stone monument in my father-in-law’s house.” And he raised the head of the terrible Medusa over Phineus. Phineus looked at her and immediately turned into a stone statue, expressing cowardice and humiliation.
Perseus married the beautiful Andromeda and went with his young wife to the island of Serif, where he saved his mother by turning King Polydectes to stone, who forced her to marry, and gave Perseus power over the island to his friend Dictis.
Perseus returned the winged sandals to Hermes, and the invisibility helmet to Hades; Pallas Athena received the head of Medusa as a gift and attached it to her shield.
Then Perseus went with his young wife Andromeda and mother to Argos, and then to the city of Larissa, where he took part in games and competitions. The grandfather of Perseus, who moved to the country of the Pelasgians, was also present at these games. Here the oracle's prophecy was finally fulfilled.
Throwing the disk, Perseus accidentally hit his grandfather with it and inflicted a mortal wound on him.
In deep sorrow, Perseus found out who this old man was, and buried him with great honors. Then he gave power over Argos to his relative Megapent, and he himself began to rule Tiryns.
For many years Perseus lived happily with Andromeda, and she bore him beautiful sons.
Myths and legends of ancient Greece. Illustrations.
They are very entertaining and interesting. The most powerful civilization at one time described the interaction of the gods of Olympus and ordinary people. Legends about various heroes played an important role in the myths of the ancient Greeks. One of these famous characters is Perseus (Greece). He is credited with defeating the deadly monster Medusa Gorgon. The ancient Greek legend about Perseus will be briefly told in the article.
Birth of a hero
In the old days, the sayings of the oracles were of great importance to the ancient Greeks. The ruler of Argos, Acrisius, tried to avoid the predicted fate by imprisoning his own daughter Danae, who was famous for her unearthly beauty. According to the prediction, the king was to die at the hands of his grandson. However, the measures taken by Acrisius did not become a difficult obstacle for the great Zeus, who penetrated into the hard-to-reach place where Danae was kept, under the guise of golden rain. The son born of the god of thunder was named Perseus. The news of the birth of Perseus greatly frightened the king of Argos. He ordered to put Danae and the baby in a box, after which they were beaten up and thrown into the sea.
Serif
The myths of Ancient Greece about Perseus tell that the little future hero had a hard time with his mother. After long wanderings across the boundless expanses of the sea, thanks to the noisy waves, the boarded-up box finally landed on the shore of the island of Serif. At that time, the fisherman Diktis threw his fishing nets into the water. It was he who became the savior of Danae and Perseus. After opening the box, the angler's surprise knew no bounds, because he obviously did not expect to see a beautiful woman and a pretty baby. Subsequently, Dictis decided to show them to his brother Polydectes, who ruled Serif.
Danae and Polydect
The king of the island, Polydect, welcomed Danae and her son cordially. He left them to live in his luxurious palace. Thus, the childhood and youth of Perseus passed under the guardianship of King Polydectes on Serif.
Over time, the young man became strong and slender. Perseus was noticeably different from his peers in divine beauty, strength, dexterity and courage. Not a single guy on the island could compare with him in anything.
Polydekt could not resist the unearthly beauty of Danae. That is why the king wanted to take her as his wife. However, Perseus was categorically against such a marriage, making every effort to prevent it from taking place. Because of this, Polydect disliked him and decided to get rid of the only obstacle on the way to his cherished goal. Perseus was instructed to go to a distant land to behead the Gorgon Medusa. None of the mortals have yet managed to survive when meeting with a terrible monster. Therefore, Perseus was prepared by King Polydectes a one-way mission.
Medusa Gorgon and her sisters
According to the myths of Ancient Greece, the sea deity Forky and his sister Keto had three daughters who looked like snake-haired monsters. Euryale and Stheno were immortal from birth, and only their younger sister Medusa remained vulnerable.
According to legend, Medusa Gorgon was a pretty girl with beautiful hair. Trying to find protection from the harassment of Poseidon, she hid in the temple of Athena. However, the god still managed to get into the shelter of the girl in the form of a bird and take possession of her. The angry goddess poured out her anger on Medusa, turning her into a terrible monster with snake-like hair.
Medusa Gorgon, unlike her sisters, although she was not immortal, could fascinate people with her gaze. Her amazing gift served as a deadly weapon. It was enough for some person to see the direct gaze of the Gorgon Medusa, as he instantly turned into a stone statue.
Fees Perseus
According to the myths about Perseus, the various gods of Olympus provided the hero with great help. Among his patrons, it is worth noting Athena, who was known for her hatred of Medusa Gorgon. The god Hermes, his half-brother, also played an important role in the equipment of the hero. Thus, before the journey, Perseus became the owner of very valuable artifacts.
From Athena, the hero received a metal shield. It was so smooth that it almost looked like a mirror. Hermes handed him a sharp weapon. Perseus's sword, like soft wax, cut even the hardest steel.
Journey of Perseus
The young hero needed to get to the western edge of the earth, because it was there that the Gorgons lived. Perseus had to go through many countries and see various peoples on the way to a gloomy place.
To find out the exact location of Medusa, the hero had to outwit the three Gray sisters, who shared one tooth and one eye. Perseus waited in ambush for a convenient moment, while one gray-haired old woman passed the only eye to another, and with a quick movement intercepted it. The sisters had no choice but to tell Persia the location of the Gorgons.
Before the battle with Medusa the Gorgon, Perseus visited the inhabitants of the legendary northern country of Hyperborea. They made a solemn sacrifice for the god Apollo, and also presented Perseus with a hat of Hades made from a dog skin. It allowed to make its owner completely invisible. In ancient Greek mythology, the hat was of great importance, because it was often used by the gods themselves. Also, Perseus was presented with magical sandals, with which you could quickly soar above the ground. The presented bag possessed magical abilities to change in size depending on the volume of things put inside. Putting sandals and a hat of Hades into it, Perseus went to the decisive battle.
Battle with Medusa Gorgon
Thanks to the magic sandals, Perseus managed to cross the sea and get to the island where the snake-haired monsters lived. When the hero managed to find the Gorgon, they were all asleep, fortunately for him. The mirror-polished shield served Perseus as eyes. With it, he could clearly see the sleeping sisters with steel scales and golden wings. Only the snakes on the heads of the Gorgons moved a little.
The myth of Perseus and Medusa Gorgon says that the hero's task was complicated by the fact that the deadly sisters were like two drops of water similar to each other. The slightest mistake could cost a life, because only one of them did not possess immortality. However, even here the gods of Olympus came to his aid. Fast Hermes prompted Perseus the exact location of Medusa. Using a mirror shield presented by Athena, the hero cut off the head of the Gorgon with his sharp sword with one blow.
Perseus' way home
The myths of Ancient Greece about Perseus contain information that, having thrown the head of Medusa into a magic bag, the hero hastened to get away from the sinister island as soon as possible. However, the body of his victim fell off a cliff into the sea, thus awakening the two Gorgons. Thanks to the hat of Hades, the hero managed to avoid death from winged monsters and freely leave the island.
The path home of Perseus lay through Libya. From the severed head of Medusa, drops of blood flowed to the ground, which turned into poisonous snakes. Subsequently, Libya turned into a desert country.
The next place on the way home was the shelter of Atlas, who, like the apple of his eye, guarded a tree with golden branches, leaves and apples. The goddess Themis predicted to the giant that his fruits would be stolen by the son of Zeus. Tired Perseus asked Atlas to rest. However, the giant, because of the prophecy, ordered him to get out. After that, the angry hero pulled the head of Medusa out of the bag and turned Atlas into a huge stone statue, which began to constantly support the entire firmament.
Saving Andromeda
In Ethiopia, the hero decided to take a break after a hard flight. Just then, the pretty girl Andromeda had to atone for the guilt of her stupid and arrogant mother. Queen Cassiopeia was proud of her beauty, declaring to everyone that she was the most beautiful. The nymphs begged Poseidon to punish the ruler of Ethiopia and her entire country. The sea god, as his punishment, sent a gigantic monster that rose from the depths and devastated everything on the way.
According to the oracle of Zeus, only the sacrifice of Andromeda could put an end to Poseidon's punishment. However, before the death of a beautiful and pale girl with horror, Perseus arrived in time. At the sight of Andromeda, a strong feeling of love burned in the hero's heart. Perseus invited her parents to marry their daughter, while promising to save her. Having received an approving answer, the hero entered into a stubborn confrontation with the sea monster, inflicting one blow with his sword after another. After the end of the terrible battle, all the inhabitants of Ethiopia glorified Perseus.
Perseus' wedding
On the eve of the wedding ceremony, the hero made rich sacrifices to his patrons from Olympus. A chic feast took place in the royal palace, which was entwined with greenery and flowers, in honor of the newlyweds. Together with the rulers of Ethiopia, the whole people also feasted. During the feast, Perseus told the guests about his exploits. However, the wedding feast was spoiled after the appearance of the first suitor of Andromeda with a large army. Phineus in the palace began to accuse the hero of stealing his bride, after which a desperate battle began. Perseus bravely fought with superior enemy forces, but he was able to win only with the help of the head of Medusa. Thus, the statue of Phineus with an expression of fear and a slavish prayer in his eyes remained forever in the palace.
Return to Serif and revenge on Polydectes
After a bloody battle, Perseus did not linger for a long time in Ethiopia. Together with his beautiful wife, he hastened to return to his native island. Perseus's mother at that time was in despair, because she had to constantly hide in the temple of Zeus from Polydectes. The enraged Perseus decided to get even with the king of Serif in full. Entering the palace, Perseus found him at a sumptuous feast. Polydekt's surprise knew no bounds, because the king could not even doubt the Gorgon's victory. The hero announced to those present that he had brought the head of Medusa. The ruler of Serif did not believe Perseus and began to accuse him of lying. When the cup of patience of the hero was overflowing due to the bullying of Polydectes and his friends, he took his head out of the bag and showed everyone irrefutable proof. After that, the king and all those who were feasting instantly turned into stone statues.
A fulfilled prediction
Danae, along with Perseus, wanted to meet with Acrisius, who continued to rule Argos. However, he, fearing the prediction of the oracle, did not let his daughter and grandson into his house. Many years later, at the Olympic Games, Perseus launched the disc by chance towards the audience. A heavy projectile instantly killed Acrisius, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of the oracle.
The myth of Perseus in cinema
The famous feat of the famous hero was successfully transferred to the cinema. In 1981, the feature adventure film Clash of the Titans was filmed in the USA. The film was directed by Desmond Davis. And although the American film was somewhat different from the ancient Greek myths, the adaptation of the feat of Perseus was a huge success. The sea monster in Clash of the Titans was called the Kraken, which was borrowed from Norse mythology. If in the myth snakes appeared from the blood of Medusa, then in the film - scorpions. In any case, the audience really liked the film, and the special effects, as for 1981, were just on top.
In 2010, the American film industry decided to update the film adaptation of the myth of the exploit of Perseus. The 1981 remake of the film was also titled Clash of the Titans. Louis Leterrier was directed and starred Sam Worthington. In addition to the traditional version, the film was also shown in 3D. While the 1981 film adaptation cost $15 million, the remake's budget was $125 million. The 2010 film was an overall success, grossing $493 million at the box office.
The creators of the remake also made changes to the ancient Greek myths. The god Hades was presented in the film as a negative character who hated people and opposed himself to Zeus. However, Perseus managed, thanks to the head of Medusa, to cope with the Kraken and send Hades back to the underworld. Instead of ruling Argos or moving to Olympus, the brave hero wanted to enjoy an ordinary human life.
Thus, thanks to the myth of Perseus, one can learn about the legendary feat of the greatest hero of Ancient Greece. American film adaptations will allow everyone to plunge into the exciting atmosphere of adventure and battles with various monsters.
BRAVE PERSEUS
ancient greek myth
There was a big problem in one city. A winged woman Medusa Gorgon flew in from somewhere. She slowly walked through the streets, and anyone who looked at her, at the same moment became a stone.
Instead of hair, Medusa Gorgon had long black snakes. They were moving and hissing all the time.
She quietly and sadly looked into the eyes of every passer-by, and he immediately turned into a petrified statue. And if a bird, flying over the earth, looked at Medusa Gorgon, the bird fell like a stone to the ground.
It was a wonderful summer day. On the lawns, in the gardens and on the streets many children were running. They played funny games, jumped, danced, laughed and sang. But as soon as Medusa Gorgon passed by them, they turned into a cold pile of stones.
* * *
In the same city, King Polydectes lived in a magnificent palace. He was cowardly and stupid: he was so afraid of the Gorgon Medusa that he ran away from the palace and hid with his nobles in the cellar, deep underground.
“Here I can not be afraid of Medusa Gorgo-na,” he said with a laugh. She can't find me here!
There was plenty of wine and food in the cellar; the king sat at the table and feasted with his nobles. What did he care that in the city, up there, people were dying one after another and could not escape from the cruel sorceress!
Fortunately, the brave Perseus lived in this city. Everyone loved him very much. He was never afraid of anyone.
When the terrible Gorgon Medusa passed through the city, he was not at home. In the evening, Perseus returned home. Neighbors told him about Medusa Gorgon.
- Wicked, heartless sorceress! he cried. “I will go and kill her.”
The neighbors shook their heads sadly and said:
- There were many such daredevils who wanted to fight Medusa Gorgon. But none of them returned here: she turned them all into stones.
But I can't just sit back! After all, it will destroy all the inhabitants of our city, all my relatives and friends! Today I will avenge her for her evil deeds.
And Perseus ran through the streets, asking everyone he met where the dwelling of Medusa Gorgon was.
But no one answered him. Everyone wept over some stone.
Perseus looked on the way to each house: is there Medusa Gorgon there.
Passing by the royal cellar, he thought: is she not there? He ran down the stairs - and saw the king in the dungeon!
King Polydectes sat at the table on the throne and merrily feasted with his nobles.
- Hey, you! he shouted to Perseus. I hope you didn't come here empty-handed! Would you like to give me some strange fish? Or juicy berries and sweet fruits?
"No," said Perseus. -I did not bring anything - no fish, no fruits, no berries. But soon I will bring you a precious gift that will delight and cheer your heart.
The king's eyes sparkled with greed.
“Dear young man,” he said in a friendly voice, “come closer to me and tell me what precious gift you are going to bring me. Maybe you found a pearl or a golden crown at the bottom of the sea?
- No, - Perseus answered, - my gift is more expensive than gold, more expensive than the best pearls.
- What is it? Tell!
- Head of Medusa Gorgon! I will kill this evil witch. I will save my country from her!
The king slammed his fist on the table:
“Get away from me, you pathetic madman!” Or do you not know that thousands of my valiant warriors tried to destroy Medusa, but she turned many into stones, and the rest fled from her like from a fierce beast?
- Your warriors are the same cowards as you! Perseus replied angrily. But I'm not afraid of anyone or anything! I will not run away from Medusa Gorgon. And you will get her head from me!
Saying this, he turned and quickly walked out of the basement. Forgetting about everything in the world, he now thought about one thing: how to find Medusa Gorgon and save his native country from her. But in vain he wandered through the streets of the city all night until morning. Only in the morning did he meet a familiar fisherman who said that Medusa lives nearby, under a high mountain, by a stream.
By evening, Perseus reached a high mountain,
on the slope of which, among the gray stones under the trees, the Gorgon Medusa slept soundly. Perseus drew his sword and rushed down the ledge of the mountains, but soon stopped and thought:
"Because to cut off the head of a sleeping sorceress, I must look at her, and if I look at her, she will immediately turn me to stone."
He raised his copper shield - round, shiny and smooth - and began to look into it, as one looks into a mirror. This shield reflected both trees and gray stones that were on the side of the mountain. It also reflected a sleeping woman, who had not hair around her head, but black snakes.
So Perseus managed to see Medusa Gorgon with the help of a wonderful shield, never looking at her.
Medusa slept on the ground next to her ugly sisters, who looked like big fat pigs. Her wings sparkled like a rainbow, she had such a beautiful, sad, thoughtful young face that Perseus felt sorry for killing her.
But then he saw that black poisonous snakes were moving on the head of Medusa, he remembered how many innocent people and children this evil beauty killed, how many kind, happy, cheerful she turned into dead stones.
And even more than before, he wanted to deal with her.
Looking at the mirror shield, which reflects
lass. Medusa, Perseus ran up to her and immediately cut off her terrible head with one blow of the sword. The head flew off and rolled towards the stream. But Perseus did not even look at her now, because even now she could turn him into stone. He took a bag made of goat fur, threw the head of Medusa into it and quickly ran through the mountains.
The Medusa sisters have awakened. Seeing that Medusa was killed, they flew into the air with screams and, like birds of prey, began to circle over the trees. So they noticed Perseus and flew after him.
“Give us our sister's head!” they shouted. “Give us our sister's head!”
Perseus ran through the mountains without looking back, and more than once it seemed to him that the terrible Gorgons overtook
yut him. Now they will plunge their sharp copper claws into him!
But for a long time they could not fly, as they were fat and very heavy. Little by little they began to fall behind, but they still shouted after him:
- Give us the head of our sister!
Perseus fled without looking back. He ran through the desert, and the blood from the head of Medusa dripped onto the hot sand, and each drop turned into a snake.
The snakes writhed and crawled after Perseus, trying to sting him. But he rushed like the wind, not afraid of anything, and he had joy in his heart. Killed, killed Medusa Gorgon! She won't be evil anymore.
On the way, he met a kind sorceress named Pallas Athena, who said to him:
- Glory to the hero! For the fact that you were not afraid of Medusa and saved your city from her, accept these sandals as a gift. They are magical. You see, they have wings attached to them. Put them on your feet soon and you will fly like a bird.
Saying this, the sorceress disappeared. As soon as Perseus put on sandals, the wings fluttered on them, and he, like a falcon, flew over the desert.
Soon he flew out to the blue sea and quickly rushed over it. And suddenly I saw a big rock. The rock stood on the shore, all illuminated by the sun, and a girl was chained to it with an iron chain, who sobbed bitterly. Perseus flew up to her and shouted:
- Tell me, beautiful girl, what cruel people chained you to this rock? I will go and cut them down with my sharp sword!
- Go away, go away! she screamed. - Soon a dragon will emerge from the sea, a terrible sea monster. He will swallow both you and me! Every day he swims up here, climbs the mountain, prowls through our city and devours people there. He swallows indiscriminately both old and small. To escape from him, the inhabitants of the city chained me to this rock: the dragon will see me and immediately swallow me, and all the people in our city will remain alive.
- I'm not afraid of the sea monster! shouted the fearless Perseus. - Today I destroyed another monster, which is much more terrible!
But the girl felt sorry for Perseus.
- Leave me alone! - she said. I don't want to be swallowed by a monster.
No, I won't leave you! I will stay and kill
this evil dragon swallowing defenseless people
dey! - And he hit hard with his sharp sword
by the chain with which the girl was chained.
You are free! - he said.
She laughed, rejoiced, and tenderly thanked her deliverer. But suddenly she turned around and shouted:
- The monster is close! It floats here! What to do? What to do? He has such sharp teeth. It will tear apart, swallow both you and me. Go away, go away! I don't want you to die because of me.
-I will stay here, - said Perseus. - I will save both you and your city from the evil dragon. Promise me that if I destroy him, you will be my wife and will go with me to my country.
The dragon was getting closer. He rushed through the waves like a ship. Seeing the girl, he greedily opened his wide toothy mouth and rushed to the shore to swallow his victim. But the fearless Perseus rose into the air and, pulling the head of the Gorgon Medusa out of the goat fur, showed it to the ferocious monster.
The monster looked at the magic head and immediately petrified forever - turned into a huge black coastal cliff.
The girl was saved. Perseus rushed to her, took her in his arms and ran with her to the top of the mountain, to the city that was threatened by the monster.
Everyone in the city was glad and happy. People hugged and kissed Perseus and shouted to him in delight:
- Long live the great hero who saved our country from destruction!
The girl had a beautiful name: Andromeda. Soon she became the wife of Perseus, he gave her one of his wonderful sandals - and both of them flew to the city in which the cowardly Polydect reigned.
It turned out that Tsar Polydekt was still hiding in his dungeon and feasting with his nobles.
As soon as the king saw Perseus, he laughed
and shouted: - Come here, you braggart! Well, where is your Medusa Gorgon? Apparently, it is easier to promise than to fulfill!
- No, king, I fulfilled my promise: I brought you a wonderful gift - the head of Medusa Gorgon! But you'd better not look at her.
- No no! - shouted the king. - Show me! I do not
believe you. You are a braggart and a liar! - Her head is here in this gray bag. - You are lying. I don't believe you, - said the king. - There you have the most ordinary pumpkin. - Well! If you don't believe me, look! - Perseus shouted with a laugh, took out the head of the Gorgon Medusa from the bag and, closing his eyes so as not to look at her, showed it to the king and nobles.
They wanted to get up and run away, but they could not and remained where they were.
- Here is your reward for the fact that you, miserable cowards, hid from formidable danger and left your people to perish, while you yourself feasted from morning to morning.
But no one answered him, because both the king and the nobles became a heap of stones.
The inhabitants of this city were very happy when they learned that Polydect was no longer in the world.
- May Perseus reign over us! they shouted. “He is so brave and kind.
But Perseus did not want to be king. He threw the head of the Gorgon Medusa into the abyss of the sea and went to a distant land with his sweet wife Andromeda.
Come out of the house on a clear night and look | a sky littered with bright stars. You see. constellation young Perseus. Perseus has the head of Medusa in his hand, but do not be afraid to look at her: she can no longer turn you into stone. Next to Perseus you will see his beautiful wife Andro-meda. Her hands are raised up, as if they are chained to the rock. For thousands of years, people have been looking at these constellations and remembering the glorious hero Perseus, who saved everyone from the Gorgon Medusa and from the cruel sea monster.
About the filmstrip fairy tale
Fairy tale Brave Perseus
Watch the children's filmstrip about the brave and resourceful Perseus. Read the illustrated ancient Greek tale in Russian about how Princess Andromeda was saved and the terrible Gorgon Medusa was destroyed.
One city was ruled by a cowardly and stupid king Polydectes. When the townspeople turned into stones from the witching eyes of a winged woman, he hid in the basement of the palace. He was indifferent to the fate of people. Upon learning of what had happened, the brave Perseus immediately went in search of an evil sorceress. Until the morning he wandered the streets and asked questions, but no one saw the Gorgon. And only with the onset of the day, the young man learned that she and her sisters lived on the banks of a stream near a high mountain.
Perseus found Medusa sleeping. Her beautiful face radiated sadness, but the poisonous snakes on her head reminded the brave young man of the innocently ruined citizens. Looking into the mirror surface of the shield, he cut off her head without hesitation and put it in a bag. Even now, eyes could turn to stone anyone who looked at her. Perseus ran with all his strength, and the Gorgon sisters rushed after him. Drops of blood falling from the bag onto the ground turned into snakes and caught up to sting the young man. Pallas Athena unexpectedly came to the rescue. She gave the hero magical sandals, putting on which he flew like a bird.
Flying up to the sea, Perseus saw a rock to which a girl was chained. She was given as a sacrifice to a sea monster in order to save the city from destruction. A huge dragon swam up to the rock. Before he had time to open his mouth, Perseus showed him the head of Medusa. Her eyes sparkled, and the monster instantly petrified, remaining forever standing like a rock in the sea. Justice prevailed, and Perseus with the rescued girl returned to the city. The people rejoiced at the liberation from the witch's spell, and praised the brave hero. Only the king mockingly met Perseus. He did not believe in his promise to destroy the sorceress, nor in the victory over her.
Then the young man took out the head of Medusa Gorgon from the bag. The king with the nobles, looking at her, remained standing in place like stone statues. There was no stupid and cowardly ruler, but no one regretted it. The inhabitants of the city asked Perseus to reign over them, but he refused. With his wife Andromeda, he went far from these places, to another country.
They say that if you look at the clear starry sky, you can see Andromeda and Perseus holding the head of Medusa. Mythology says that it was the goddess Athena who raised them to heaven after death and turned them into constellations.
There was a king in Argos who was told that he would be killed by his grandson.
The king had a daughter, Danae, so beautiful that the rumor about her was all over Greece.
The king was afraid that Danae would give birth to a son who would kill him, and decided never to marry her. He ordered to build an underground house of hard stone, with copper doors, with strong locks - and locked his daughter there so that none of the men could see her.
But the Thunderer Zeus pierced the stone with lightning, poured golden rain into the dungeon where Danae was hidden, and she became his wife.
Danae had a son, she named him Perseus.
One day Father Danai, passing over the hiding place, heard a child's cry. The king was surprised, unlocked the entrance to the dungeon, went down to Danai's dwelling and saw a lovely boy in his daughter's arms.
Fear fell upon the king. He began to think how he could escape the terrible destiny. Finally, he ordered that Danae and her son be put in a large box and secretly thrown into the sea.
The wind carried the box over the sea for a long time and drove it to the island of Serif. A fisherman was fishing on the shore. He threw his net into the sea and caught a big box instead of a fish. The poor fisherman wanted to find out as soon as possible what kind of catch the sea had sent him, pulled out the find on his beret, tore off the lid from the box, and from there came out a beauty and a boy with her. After learning who they were and what had happened to them, the fisherman took pity on them and took them into his house. Perseus grew by leaps and bounds, grew up as a tall, slender young man, and no one in Serif could equal him in beauty, dexterity and strength.
The king of the island of Serif Polydectes heard about him and ordered Perseus and his mother to come to the palace. The beauty of Danae captivated Polidekt, he affectionately accepted the queen and her son and settled in his palace.
Once Perseus found his mother in tears; she confessed to him that Polydectes was forcing her to marry him, and asked her son for protection. Perseus passionately stood up for his mother.
Then Polydect decided to get rid of Perseus, called him and said:
You have already grown and matured and become so strong that you can now repay me for giving shelter to you and your mother. Set out on your journey and bring me the head of Medusa.
Perseus said goodbye to his mother and went around the world to look for Medusa, about whom he knew nothing until then.
In a dream, the goddess of wisdom, Athena, appeared to him and revealed to him that Medusa is one of the three Gorgon sisters, they live on the edge of the earth, in the Land of Night, they are all terrible monsters, but Medusa is the worst of all: instead of hair on her head, poisonous snakes, eyes burn with unbearable fire and are full of such malice that anyone who looks into them will immediately turn to stone. Athena gave Perseus her shield, smooth and shiny like a mirror, so that he could protect himself from the terrible eyes of Medusa.
Then, on the road, swift-footed Hermes, the messenger of Zeus, caught up with him: he told Perseus how to go, and presented his sword, so sharp that they could cut like wax, iron and stone.
Perseus walked for a long time in the direction where the Sun leaves, finally he reached the Land of Night. The entrance to this country was guarded by three ancient old women - Grays. They were so old that all three of them had only one eye and one tooth. And yet they guarded the entrance to the Land of Night well and did not let anyone in. They took turns looking with one eye, passing it to each other.
Perseus slowly crept up to the Grays, waited until one of them pulled out an eye to pass it on to his sister, reached out his hand and snatched the precious eye from the old woman. And immediately the Grays became powerless blind old women. They plaintively asked Perseus to return their only eye to them.
Let me into the Land of Night, tell me how to find Medusa, and I will give you your eye, - Perseus answered the old women.
But the old Grays did not want to let Perseus in, they did not want to tell him where to find Medusa, because the Gorgons were their own sisters. Then Perseus threatened the old women that he would break their eyes on a stone, and the Grays had to show him the way.
On the way he met three good nymphs. One gave Perseus the helmet of Hades, the ruler of the underworld, - whoever put on this helmet became invisible; the other gave Perseus winged sandals, wearing which one could fly over the earth like a bird; the third nymph handed the young man a bag that could shrink and expand at the will of the one who wore it.
Perseus hung a bag on his shoulder, put on winged sandals, put a helmet on his head - and, not visible to anyone, rose high into the sky and flew over the earth. Soon he reached the ends of the earth and flew for a long time over the desert surface of the sea until a lonely rocky island blackened below. Perseus began to circle over the island and saw sleeping Gorgons on a rock. They had golden wings, scaly iron bodies, and copper hands with sharp claws.
Perseus saw Medusa - she was the closest to the sea. He sank down onto the rock next to her. The snakes on Medusa's head hissed as they sensed the enemy. Medusa woke up, opened her eyes. Perseus turned away so as not to look into those terrible eyes and turn into a dead stone forever. He raised Athena's shield, shining like a mirror, pointed it at Medusa and, looking at him, took out the sword of Hermes and immediately cut off her head.
Then two other Gorgons woke up, spread their wings and began to rush over the island, looking for the enemy. But Perseus was invisible. He quickly put Medusa's head into his magic bag, pushed the body.
Gorgons in the sea and flew away. Hurrying on his way back, he quickly crossed the sea and flew over the Libyan desert. Blood from the head of Medusa dripped from the bag onto the ground, and each drop turned into a poisonous snake on the sand.
Perseus flew for a long time, he was tired and wanted to rest. I saw green meadows below with herds of sheep, cows and bulls, I saw a huge shady garden, in the middle of which stood a tree with golden leaves and fruits, and descended to this tree. The owner of the garden, the giant Atlas, met Perseus unkindly. It was predicted to him that one day the son of Zeus would come to him and steal the golden apples from his favorite tree.
Perseus did not know this prediction and said to the giant:
I am Perseus, son of Zeus and Danae. I killed the formidable Medusa. Let me rest in your garden.
Hearing that the son of Zeus was in front of him, Atlas became furious.
Kidnapper! Do you want to steal my golden apples? he shouted and began to drive Perseus out of the garden.
The offended Perseus grabbed the head of Medusa from the bag and showed it to the giant.
Atlas instantly petrified, turned into a stone mountain. His head became a rocky peak, his beard and hair became a dense forest on the peak, his shoulders became steep cliffs, his arms and legs became rocky ledges. On the top of this stone mountain, on steep cliffs, lay the vault of heaven with all the countless stars. Since then, Atlas has been standing there on the edge of the earth and holding the sky on his shoulders.
He flew over Ethiopia and suddenly on a rock above the sea he saw a girl of such beauty that at first he took her for a wonderful statue. But, going down below, he realized that she was alive, only her hands were chained to the rock. Approaching her, he asked:
Who are you and why are you chained here?
The girl said that she was the daughter of the Ethiopian king - Andromeda and was doomed to be eaten by a sea monster. Her mother, Queen Cassiopeia, once boasted that she was more beautiful than all sea nymphs - for this, the god of the seas, Poseidon, sent a monstrous fish to their land, which devoured fishermen in the sea, and swimmers, and shipbuilders, drowned ships and devastated the shores of their kingdom. The people were dismayed and demanded that Cassiopeia propitiate Poseidon by sacrificing her daughter Andromeda to the monster.
Andromeda was chained to a rock by the sea and left alone. Whiter than sea foam stood a girl by the rock and looked fearfully at the sea. Here, under water, in the depths of the sea, a huge head appeared, a scaly tail flashed. Andromeda screamed in horror. Her father and mother ran to her call and began to cry with her.
Perseus told them:
Give me Andromeda as my wife, and I will save her.
The king and queen promised Perseus to give him their daughter as a wife, and as a dowry to her - their entire kingdom, if he saves Andromeda.
Meanwhile, a huge fish floated to the surface of the sea and approached the shore, cutting through the waves with noise.
Perseus, on his winged sandals, rose into the air and flew towards the monster. The shadow of the hero lay on the water in front of the greedy mouth of the fish. The monster rushed at that shadow.
Then Perseus, like a bird of prey, fell from a height on a monster and struck him with a sword. The wounded fish furiously began to rush from side to side, then diving deep into, then surfacing again. Her blood colored the sea water, the spray flew high up. The wings on Perseus's sandals got wet, and he could no longer stay in the air. But at that moment he saw a stone sticking out of the water, stood on it with his foot and with all his might hit the monster's head with his sword. The gigantic tail splashed for the last time, and the monstrous fish sank to the bottom.
The king and queen and all the people of Ethiopia joyfully greeted the hero. The royal palace was decorated with flowers and greenery, lamps were lit everywhere, the bride was dressed up, singers and flute players gathered, filled the bowls with wine, and the wedding feast began.
At the feast, Perseus told Andromeda and her parents about his wanderings. Suddenly there was a noise at the entrance to the palace, the sound of swords and warlike cries. It was with a crowd of warriors that the former fiance of Andromeda, Phineus, burst into the palace. In his hands he held a spear and aimed directly at the heart of Perseus.
Watch out kidnapper!
And the warriors were already ready to strike the feasters with spears.
Andromeda's father tried to stop Phineus:
Not the kidnapper Perseus, but the savior! He saved Andromeda from the monster. If you loved her, why didn't you come to the seashore when the monster came to devour her? You left her when she was waiting for death - why now come to claim it for yourself?
Phineas did not answer the king and threw a spear at Perseus, but missed - it stuck into the edge of the bed where Perseus was sitting. Perseus grabbed the enemy's spear and threw it back - in the face of Phineus. Finey managed to bend down, the spear flew past him and wounded Finey's friend. This was the signal for battle. A fierce, bloody fight ensued. The king and queen fled in fear, taking Andromeda with them. Lean your back against the column, with the shield of Athena in your hands, Perseus fought off the furious crowd alone. Finally, he saw that he alone could not cope with the whole army, and took out the head of Medusa from the bag.
The warrior, aiming at Perseus, only looked into the face of Medusa - and suddenly froze with outstretched hand, instantly turning into stone. And everyone who looked at this terrible head stopped, froze, whoever was, petrified forever. So they remained stone statues in the palace of the Ethiopian king.
Perseus with the beautiful Andromeda hurried on their way - to the island of Serif. After all, Perseus promised King Polydectes to bring the head of Medusa.
Arriving on the island of Serif, Perseus learned that his mother Danae was hiding from the persecution of Polydectes in the temple, not daring to leave from there day or night.
Perseus went to the king's palace and found Polydectes at dinner. The king was sure that Perseus had long died somewhere in the desert or in the ocean, and was amazed to see the hero in front of him.
Perseus said to the king:
I fulfilled your wish - I brought you the head of Medusa.
The king did not believe, began to laugh. His friends laughed with him.
Perseus grabbed the head of Medusa from the bag and held it high.
Here she is - look at her! The king looked - and turned into stone. Perseus did not want to stay on Serif, he made the king of the island an old fisherman who had once caught a box with Danae and him from the sea, and went with his wife and mother to his homeland in Argos.
The king of Argos, having learned that his grandson was alive and returning home, left his city and disappeared. Perseus became king in Argos. He returned to Hermes his sharp sword, to Athena her shield, to the good nymphs a helmet of invisibility, winged sandals and a bag in which he hid his terrible prey. He brought the head of Medusa as a gift to Athena, and the goddess has since worn it, having strengthened it on her golden shield.
One day there was a festival in Argos, and a multitude of people gathered to watch the contest of heroes. Secretly came to the stadium and the old king of Argos.
During the competition, Perseus threw a heavy bronze disc with such force that it flew over the stadium and, falling down, hit the head of the old king and killed him on the spot. So the prophecy was fulfilled: the grandson killed his grandfather.
And, although it was an accidental murder, Perseus could no longer inherit the kingdom of his grandfather, and, having buried the king, voluntarily left Argos.
Literature:
Smirnova V. Perseus // Heroes of Hellas, - M .: "Children's Literature", 1971 - c.76-85
