Myths of Ancient Greece had a huge impact on the formation of European literature, and for scientists, these works of collective folk art to this day are a source of knowledge of the evolution of human psychology. In addition, they are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for artists, poets and musicians. In particular, many Renaissance painters painted canvases on the theme of myth, in which Perseus kills the gorgon Medusa.
Myths: the beginning of the beginnings
According to the myths of ancient Greece, at first only Skotos existed in the Universe, who personified Mhlou. Then chaos arose from it. Together, they gave birth to Night, Darkness and Love (Nikto, Erebus and Eros).
These main gods became the parents of the Earth and Heaven (Gaia and Uranus), as well as deities representing the elements, hecatonheir, titans and titanides. The latter included Rhea and Kronos, from whom the Olympic gods descended. The latter became the protagonists of ancient Greek myths and gave extensive offspring, including demigods and demigoddesses, in which the divine nature was combined with human nature.
Olympus
The ancient Greeks believed that their main deities live on the highest mountain of the country, the top of which is always shrouded in clouds. The real Olympus is located in the north-east of modern Greece, and in ancient times, the border with Macedonia passed along the ridge of this mountain range. There lived:
- the supreme god Zeus - the lord of heaven, lightning and thunder - and his wife Hera, who patronizes marriage and family love;
- lord of the kingdom of the dead Hades;
- goddess of agriculture and fertility Demeter;
- lord of the sea Poseidon;
- Goddess of the hearth Hestia.
Then the god-father Zeus gave birth to 4 sons and 3 daughters, who replenished a host of Olympic gods. They became Athena, Ares, Persephone, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes, Apollon, Artemis and Dionysus.
Demigods
The Olympians, and extremely rarely the Olympic women, did not hesitate to enter into a love affair with mortals. It was from such love that the demigods Achilles, Hercules, Jason, Hector, Pelop, Theseus, Orpheus, Bellerophon, Odysseus, Foreone, Aeneas and Perseus came from. The latter became the one who killed the gorgon Medusa and freed the beautiful Andromeda. All the demigods were heroes with supernatural powers, which they often used to help other people. Moreover, unlike their fathers, they were mortal.
From whom Perseus came - the hero who killed the Medusa-gorgon
Remember how in the tale of Tsar Saltan the queen and baby are put in a tarry barrel and thrown into the abyss of water? So Pushkin borrowed this story from the myth of the hero Perseus. It was believed that the father of the young man was Zeus himself, who penetrated the tower to the daughter of King Argos, Acrisius Danae in the form of a golden rain. Grandfather Perseus was once predicted to die at the hands of his grandson, so he, without hesitation, got rid of the princess and her newborn son, placing them in a box and throwing them into the sea at the mercy of Poseidon.
Jellyfish gorgon
This monster virgin, turning all living things into stone, was one of the three gorgons - the daughters of the sea deities Forkya and Keto. She was distinguished by extraordinary beauty, so Poseidon fell in love with her. He chose the temple of Athens for comfort , thereby desecrating the sanctuary. The anger of the vengeful goddess knew no bounds, and she turned Medusa into a monster. The unfortunate virgin hated the whole world and moved to a lonely island, where she was waiting for travelers, whom she turned into stone statues. Her sisters followed her and themselves turned into terrible monsters. However, they did not possess her terrible power.
Fight with the Gorgon
According to myth, Perseus was brought up in the house of Dictis. His brother fell in love with the hero’s mother, Danae, and decided to get rid of her son. He sent the young man behind the head of the Gorgon Medusa, but Athena began to patronize Perseus, and Hermes and Hades gave him winged sandals, a sickle and an invisible helmet.
On the advice of celestials, the young man first visited the three Gray sisters, who had one eye for three. Perseus stole it and returned it only after they showed him the way to the Gorgon island. Arriving at the dwelling of Medusa, the young man entered the fray, during which he did not look at her, but at the reflection in the mirror shield. He managed to chop off the head of the monster with an adamantine sickle, and on the advice of Athena he hid it in his bag. The sisters of Medusa wanted to take revenge on the hero, but he used an invisibility cap, thanks to which he could escape from the island unnoticed.
After that, everyone in Hellas found out who killed the gorgon Medusa. Perseus became famous as a hero, and Athena finally quenched her revenge. She informed the demigod that he had powerful weapons in his hands, since the severed head could come to life and make all living things petrified, which she looked at. However, the goddess warned that it would be possible to use the power of Medusa only once, since then it would be petrified.
Andromeda
In those days, the city of Joppa (Ethiopia) was ruled by King Kefey and his wife, Queen Cassiopeia. They had a daughter, Andromeda, overshadowing the beauty of the Niridian maids. Motivated by envy, they turned to Poseidon for help, and he sent a cruel monster to the city, and also ordered the oracle to announce that Yoppa would be saved only if Andromeda was sacrificed to the sea monster. The god of the seas could not assume that the one who killed the gorgon Medusa would come to the aid of the unfortunate virgin. However, everything did not turn out the way the Nerids conceived.
Whom Perseus killed with the head of the Gorgon Medusa
On the way to Serif Island, the hero found himself in the vicinity of Yoppa. Walking along the coast, he saw the beautiful Andromeda tied to a cliff. The girl was there, as the townspeople forced the king to give his child a monster. They hoped that by tearing Andromeda to pieces, the monster would return to the depths of the sea and would no longer disturb the inhabitants of Yoppa. They did not suspect that the one who killed the gorgon Medusa would be nearby.
Perseus fell in love with Andromeda at first sight and promised to save her if she marries him. The girl promised, and the hero struck the monster with the gaze of Medusa. Thus, Perseus lost the ability to rule the whole world, holding mortals in fear of the power of the gorgon. But he won the love of Andromeda.
Further fate
The one who got the head of the Gorgon Medusa and killed the sea monster was a demigod, and therefore mortal. Having completed his feat, he went to Serif and found out that his mother was persecuted. This aroused his anger, and he dealt with King Polydect and his entourage. Then the hero built the city of Mycenae, where he reigned with Andromeda, who bore him a daughter and six sons.
Once Perseus, along with Danae, decided to visit his grandfather. Acrisius remembered the prediction and refused to accept his daughter and grandson. A few more years passed and one day the hero was invited to throw a disc. He did not refuse, but the unexpected happened and a shell killed one of the assembled spectators. As it turned out, it was Acrisius, who could not deceive fate.
At the end of his life, Perseus fought for a long time with the king of Argos Pret and defeated him in a fierce battle. When the son of the murdered ruler, Megapenf grew up, he persuaded the hero to exchange kingdoms with him, and then killed him during a duel. Thus ended his life Perseus - the son of Zeus, whom the Hellenes glorified as the founder of one of the most powerful and richest policies of the Ancient World.
Now you know which hero killed the Medusa-Gorgon, and are also familiar with the main characters of ancient Greek myths.