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babyrdie · 5 months ago

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PERSEUS & CIA (PART 1)

Part 2 here!

This post is basically me gathering information about the myths of Perseus and, by extension, Danae, Andromeda and Medusa. I like these characters from what I've seen superficially, so this was basically just me trying to get to know them better. I actually started writing this in a doc for myself, because it would be easier for me to compare the versions, but I decided to post it in case anyone else was as curious as I was. First of all, a few details:

The sources aren’t in chronological order, but rather in order of which source I remembered to write about here first precisely because I had not initially written it with the intention of posting it.

By “alternative myth” I mean myths that actually change the situation a lot, not variants that are just details. I think most of them are rationalized versions, but there are a few others that I considered alternatives as well. One of them includes Proetus as Perseus’ father (pretty obvious why I considered it a variant), another has Athena as the motivation for Medusa’s death (only because Pseudo-Apollodorus, at least in the translation I read, writes it as if it were a different version than Polydectes’ and not a version with an extra detail), and another has Perseus fighting Dionysus (not because it’s a very late version, although it really is, but because it seems really lost in terms of chronology when compared to the more usual myth).

Since I know people are especially sensitive about Greek vs. Roman myth when it comes to the Perseus myth, let me be clear: in this post, I am talking about Greek sources, not Roman sources. I do, however, consider later Greek sources, whether from the Roman or Byzantine period, and they can certainly be influenced by Roman versions. But since they were clearly used by Greeks at some point, I genuinely don't see why I should disregard them. Furthermore, there are three Roman sources here. Fabulae and Astronomica, attributed to Hyginus, will be considered because they explicitly relate Greek myths, the author even credits the version he is talking about. The other is a book by Aelianus, and you will understand why. Other than that, there are no other Roman sources. The reason is that I don’t know enough about Rome.

I'm not a historian, classicist or anything like that. It's just a hobby. So yeah, I can be mistaken.

I'm not fluent in English, which might be obvious in a long post like this.

DANAE

Family

Danae is the daughter of Acrisius, king of Argos (this is constant) with Eurydice, daughter of Lacedaemon or Eurotas, or with Aganippe.

Danae was the daughter of Acrisius and Aganippe. [...]

Fabulae, 63. Translation by Mary Grant.

[2.2.2] And Acrisius had a daughter Danae by Eurydice, daughter of Lacedaemon [...]

Library, 2.2.2. Translation by J.G. Frazer.

[...] Acrisius, the king of the Argives, and Eurydice, the daughter of Eurotas, had a daughter named Danae. [...]

Ad Lycophronem, 838.

Pseudo-Apollodorus' version is inspired by Hesiod's version.

Apollodorus, ii. 2.1.4: Acrisius was king of Argos and Proetus of Tiryns. And Acrisius had by Eurydice the daughter of Lacedemon, Danae; and Proetus by Stheneboea "Lysippe and Iphinoe and Iphianassa'. And these fell mad, as Hesiod states, because they would not receive the rites of Dionysus.

Catalogues of Women, frag 18. Translation by H.G. Evelyn-White.

Confinement and Zeus

Well, the first mention we have of Zeus and Danae having Perseus is in the Iliad, when Hera seduces Zeus in order to give Poseidon time to intervene in the Trojan War on behalf of the Achaeans. In this scene, Zeus gives a long speech listing several of his lovers/victims in a sort of "none of these many women I've cheated on you with have ever aroused my desire as much as you have." One of those mentioned is Danae, daughter of Acrisius, and there are no more details about her.

[...] not when I loved Acrisius' daughter Danaё — marvelous ankles — and Perseus sprang to life and excelled all men alive. [...]

The Iliad, 14.383-384. Translation by Robert Fagles

Pindar mentions Perseus as the son of Danae conceived in a spontaneous shower of gold.

[..] Perseus, the son of Danae, who they say was conceived in a spontaneous shower of gold [...]

Pythian Ode 12. Translation by Diane Arnson Svarlien.

In Sophocles' Antigone, the Chorus says that the beautiful Danae was confined in a “chamber” with “brass-bound walls”, but this didn’t stop Zeus, as he impregnated her in the form of golden rain.

So too endured Danae in her beauty to change the light of the sky for brass-bound walls, and in that chamber, both burial and bridal, she was held in strict confinement. And yet was she of esteemed lineage, my daughter, and guarded a deposit of the seed of Zeus that had fallen in a golden rain.

Antigone. Translation by Sir Richard Jebb.

In Lycophron's Alexandra, Perseus is referred by Cassandra as “the eagle son of the golden Sire”, which refers to both Perseus being the son of Zeus and the fact that this pregnancy happened because of a golden rain.

[...] the eagle son of the golden Sire – a male with winged sandals [...]

Alexandra. Translation by A.W. Mair.

The scholia of this poem by Ioannis Tzetzes tells how Acrisius heard from an oracle that he would be killed by the son of Danae and therefore locked her in an iron chamber so that she would remain a virgin. Zeus, however, impregnated her in the form of golden rain.

[...] The story goes like this: Acrisius, the king of the Argives, and Eurydice, the daughter of Eurotas, had a daughter named Danae. Acrisius, her father, having made an iron chamber, locked her up so that she would remain a virgin in this way: for he had heard from an oracle that he would be killed by her offspring. Zeus, as they say, turned himself into gold and, having poured through a hole, mingled with her and she conceived Perseus in her womb. [...]

Ad Lycophronem, 838.

Hyginus says that there was a prophecy saying that Acrisius would die at the hands of his daughter's son. This caused him to confine Danae to a "stone-walled prison". Danae still gave birth to Perseus, because Zeus — here Jove, as Hyginus tells the myths to a Roman audience — impregnated her in the form of a golden rain.

[...] A prophecy about her said that the child she bore would kill Acrisius, and Acrisius, fearing this, shut her in a stone-walled prison. But Jove, changing into a shower of gold, lay with Danae, and from this embrace Perseus was born. [...]

Fabulae, 63. Translation by Mary Grant.

Diodorus Siculus says that Perseus was the son of Danae and Zeus, but he doesn't give any details. Some other sources do the same as Diodorus and Homer (that is, indicate Perseus' genealogy without giving any details), and I won't mention those here because, well, you get the idea. I'll focus on the ones that mention the golden rain.

This, then, is the story as it has been given us: Perseus was the son of Danaê, the daughter of Acrisius, and Zeus. [...]

Library of History, 4.9.1. Translation by C.H. Oldfather.

Pseudo-Apollodorus says that Acrisius asked the oracle about when he would have sons, and instead received the prophecy that his daughter's son would kill him. Acrisius then decided to imprison Danae in a bronze tower to prevent her from getting pregnant, which didn’t work because Zeus impregnated her in the form of golden rain.

[2.4.1] When Acrisius inquired of the oracle how he should get male children, the god said that his daughter would give birth to a son who would kill him. Fearing that, Acrisius built a brazen chamber under ground and there guarded Danae.[...] but some say that Zeus had intercourse with her in the shape of a stream of gold which poured through the roof into Danae's lap. [...]

Library, 2.4.1. Translation by J.G. Frazer.

Euripides wrote a lost play entitled Danae, which dealt with this theme. I will not include translations of the fragments as it would be too long, so I’ll stick with the summary by the editors and translators Christopher Collard and Martin Cropp. But from what I read, there were lines from Acrisius commenting on having children and the difference between sons and daughers, Danae (this one is debatable) commenting on social injustices (more specifically, related to money), Hermes summarizing the situation and the Chorus, as typical, responding to the characters. The Chorus here is female.

DANAE, APPENDIX: F 1132 This extraordinary confection has a disputed bearing on the plot and reconstruction of the authentic play. The play opening (vv. 1-65) has been dated almost certainly to the 5th-6th c. A.D. on grounds of its style and versification, but there is an unresolved argument about the origin, and therefore credibility, of the hypothesis' that precedes it; this is very similar to the narrative in Lucian 78.12 telling how the Nereids rescued the chest containing Danae and the infant Perseus. W. Luppe, ZPE 87 (1991),1-7 and 95 (1993), 65-9 argues that it goes back to the "Tales from Euripides' (see General Introduction). H. Van Looy does not expressly dissent (ed. Budé VIII.2.55-8), but R. Kannicht, ZPE 90 (1992), 33-4 and TrGF 5.1030 maintains that its detail indeed derives from Lucian and cannot safely be used in reconstructing Euripides' play. DANAE Hypothesis of Danae: Acrisius a king of Argos, responding (as he would) to some oracle, shut up his daughter Danae in her maiden's quarters and kept watch on her; she was very beautiful. Zeus fell in love with her, and as he had no way of having intercourse with her, he changed himself into gold and poured through the roof into the maiden's embrace, and made her pregnant. When her time came, Danae gave birth to a child, Perseus. On learning this Acrisius put both mother and baby into a chest, and ordered it thrown into the sea. The Nereids saw this and, from pity at what had happened, put the chest into the nets of fishermen of Seriphos; and then the mother was saved together with her baby, which when it reached manhood was named Perseus. Characters of the play: Hermes, Danae, Nurse, Acrisius, Messenger, Chorus, Athena.

One new element is that during Hermes' summary, we get more details about Danae. Here it’s made explicit that not only did she have no idea that the golden rain was Zeus impregnating her, but she was also completely frightened when she learned of the pregnancy. She tried to escape safely from Argos, fearing Acrisius's reaction, but was discovered and so Acrisius, enraged, had her imprisoned to watch her. Here Danae apparently wasn’t confined when Zeus impregnated her, but was confined after she was impregnated. Judging by certain fragments, Acrisius apparently thinks that it was a mortal man who did this.

Sophocles wrote a play entitled Acrisius, sometimes considered to be the same as his other lost play entitled Danae (some plays had double names. But it is debatable whether this is the case with Danae and Acrisius, and the book I am using as a reference considers the plays separately), which seemed to deal with this subject. According to Ioanna Karamanou, the surviving fragments depict Acrisius as being quite afraid of something, most likely the prophecy of his death, and there are also fragments that point to a conflict between Danae and her father. Furthermore, Perseus is never mentioned, although there is a certain term used that may denote the idea of conception, although this could simply refer to Danae's pregnancy and does not necessarily indicate that Perseus was born. Indeed, it may even refer to Danae's hypothetical pregnancy, prophesied by the oracle. Terms associated with walls are theorized to refer to the brazen chamber (as the term used also has associations with metals) in which Danae was confined.

On the other hand, Sophocles' lost play Danae, which Karamanou believes to be a different play from the lost Acrisius, explicitly refers to Perseus in a passage that likely shows Acrisius rejecting Danae's claim that she was a victim of sexual abuse and therefore the pregnancy is not her fault. Karamanou theorizes that Acrisius was about the prophecy and the moments before Danae's actual confinement — references to the chamber in this context would be Acrisius planning —, while Danae was possibly about the confinement, the pregnancy, and the her and Perseus being thrown into the sea inside a chest.

According to the Byzantine Encyclopedia Suda, the comic poet Sannyrion is said to have written a work entitled Danae.

Athenian, comic poet. These are his plays: Laughter, Danae, Io, Coolers in the Shade; according to Athenaeus in Deipnosphistai.

Suda, sigma,93. Translation by David Whitehead.

Karamanou commented on a surviving fragment as follows: “presents someone as trying to change form, in order to sneak into somewhere [...] a reasonable assumption is that this character could be Zeus, trying to transform himself, in order to reach and seduce Danae. Fr.10 K.-A. of the same play praises the maiden's beauty” (pg 13).

She also mentioned that the classical poet Eubulus wrote a lost play also entitled Danae. A surviving fragment is a speech by Danae and is possibly a paratragic lament in lyric iambics. In academia, it’s widely theorized that Danae is referring to her rape by Zeus, which wouldn’t be unusual since Greek comedies had rape as a common theme. She also says: "In even more specific terms, these lines could be paralleled to the description of Pamphile's reaction to her rape in Menander's Epitrepontes". Therefore, Danae here would be having a common action of maidens in comedy.

And finally:

The title Chrysochoos of Diphilus' play ('one who pours in as gold', which may well connote Zeus' transformation), in conjunction with fr. 85 K.-A. presenting someone as peeping at a pretty girl from the smoke-hole (for lovers sneaking into women's chambers from the smokehole, cf. Xenarchus' Pentathlos fr. 4.11 K.-A.), could suggest that the play was a burlesque of Danae's seduction by Zeus. Comic illustrations of Zeus as secret lover, as that depicted on a phlyax-vase in the Vatican, also point in this direction.64 The theme of Danae's seduction by Zeus transformed into golden shower was a source of artistic inspiration, as emerges from fifth and fourth-century iconography (LIMC s.v. 'Danae' figg. 1-12, 24-31). In literature from the end of the fourth century onwards (starting with Menander's Samia, cf. T6 and note ad loc.), this subject became proverbial.

Euripides Danae and Dictys: Introduction, Text and Commentary, by Iaonna Karamanou, pg 14.

This myth has also been represented in visual art, for example: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Alternative myth

Pseudo-Apollodorus mentions a rare version in which Perseus' father is Proetus, twin brother of Acrisus and therefore uncle of Danae. His seducing Danae caused the brothers to have a quarrel.

[...] However, she was seduced, as some say, by Proetus, whence arose the quarrel between them [...]

Library, 2.4.1. Translation by J.G. Frazer.

Journey

In one part of Apollonius Rhodius' poem, Arete mentions that Danae had to endure hardships at sea because of her father. She says this to her husband, Alcinous, in order to sensitize him to the cause of the Argonauts after being convinced by Medea to help them.

“[...] What woes did Danae endure on the wide sea through her sire's mad rage! [...]”

Argonautica, Book 4. Translation by R.C. Seaton.

According to Pseudo-Apollodorus, Danae gave birth to Perseus after being impregnated by Zeus in the form of a golden rain. When Acrisius found out, he didn’t believe that the father of the child was Zeus and put both daughter and grandson in a chest and threw them into the sea. The chest reached Seriphus, where Dictys found them and raised Perseus.

[2.4.1] [...] When Acrisius afterwards learned that she had got a child Perseus, he would not believe that she had been seduced by Zeus, and putting his daughter with the child in a chest, he cast it into the sea. The chest was washed ashore on Seriphus, and Dictys took up the boy and reared him.

Library, 2.4.1. Translation by J.G. Frazer.

Although Pausanias doesn’t describe the myth in detail, he does mention a temple in which Dictys and his wife, Clytemene, were honored as saviors of Perseus. It’s therefore possible to deduce that this is the typical version in which Dictys finds the chest. Furthermore, this Clytemene doesn’t seem to be a very frequent character in the other surviving sources.

[2.18.1] By the side of the road from Mycenae to Argos there is on the left hand a hero-shrine of Perseus. The neighboring folk, then, pay him honors here, but the greatest honors are paid to him in Seriphus and among the Athenians, who have a precinct sacred to Perseus and an altar of Dictys and Clymene, who are called the saviours of Perseus. [...]

Description of Greece, 2.18.1. Translation by W.H.S. Jones.

According to Tzetzes, Acrisius discovered that Danae was pregnant and waited for her to give birth. After Perseus was born, Acrisius put both his daughter and grandson in a wooden chest and threw them into the sea. The chest arrived in Seriphus, where Poseidon's demigod Polydectes reigned. His brother, Dictys, then treated Perseus as a son and took care of Danae.

[...] When her father learned of this, he waited for her to give birth and, having put her and the baby in a wooden chest, he threw them into the sea, which carried them to the island of Seriphos, one of the Cyclades, where Polydectes, the son of Poseidon and Cerebia, ruled. Polydectes had a brother named Dictys, who treated Perseus as his own son and took care of Danae. [...]

Ad Lycophronem, 838.

Strabo says that Perseus and Danae were found by Dictys.

And there is Seriphos, the scene of the mythical story of Dictys, who with his net drew to land the chest in which were enclosed Perseus and his mother Danae, who had been sunk in the sea by Acrisius the father of Danae; for Perseus was reared there [...]

Geography, 10.5.10. Translation by H. L. Jones.

This myth has also been represented in visual art, for example: 1, 2, 3.

Alternative myth

According to Hyginus, one version tells that when Acrisius found out about Perseus, he put his daughter and grandson in a chest and threw it into the sea. But they didn’t die because Zeus made sure the two arrived safely at Seriphus, where the fisherman Dictys found them. Danae married Polydectes, king of Seriphus, and he raised Perseus in the temple of Athena. The “alternative” part of this myth is precisely that Polydectes isn’t an antagonist, as is usual.

[...] Because of her sin her father shut her up in a chest with Perseus and cast it into the sea. By Jove's will it was borne to the island of Seriphos, and when the fisherman Dictys found it and broke it open, he discovered the mother and child. He took them to King Polydectes, who married Danae and brought up Perseus in the temple of Minerva. [...]

Fabulae, 63. Translation by Mary Grant.

Aeschylus wrote a satirical version entitled The Net-Draggers which dealt with the rescue of Danae and Perseus, although the play is lost. I am including it as an alternative simply because I am not sure how much the satirical tone of the play interfered with the plot. The presence of satyrs is certainly an unusual element of the Perseus myth, although typical of satires. It was originally part of a trilogy by Aeschylus which was entirely about the Perseus myth, the other two plays being The Phorcydes and Polydectes.

One of the surviving fragments appears to be of Dictys discovering the chest. There are theories that the person he’s talking to may have been a slave. It’s also theorized that Dictys had help from satyrs.

?—Can you see . . .? DICTYS. —I can see. . . . ? —What do you want me to look out for? . . . DICTYS. —In case anywhere . . . in the sea. . . . —Not a sign; so far as I can see, the sea’s a mill-pond. DICTYS. —Look now at the crannies of the cliffs by the shore. ? —All right, I’m looking. . . . Good Lord, what am I to call this! Is it a monster of the sea that meets my eyes, a grampus or a shark or a whale? Lord Poseidon and Zeus of the deep, a fine gift to send up from the sea . . .! DICTYS. —What gift of the sea does your net conceal? It’s covered with seaweed like. . . . Is it some warm-blooded creature? Or has the Old Man of the Islands sent us something in a chest? How tremendously heavy it is! the work’s not going ahead! I’ll shout and raise an alarm. HALLO THERE! Farmers and ditchers, this way, all of you! Herdsmen and shepherds, anyone in the place! Coastal folk and all you other toilers of the sea!...

The Net-Draggers, fragment 274. Translation by Hugh Lloyd-Jones.

Another fragment shows an interaction between Danae and an uncertain person, although this translator (and most translators, from what I have noticed) have gone with the possible assumption that it may have been the god Silenus. Danae is asking for divine help and trying to obtain protection. Perseus doesn’t has lines, as he’s still too young.

SILENUS. [765] . . . I call upon . . . and the gods to witness what I now proclaim to the whole company. But whatever you do, don’t rush recklessly away from us; understand at last and accept me as a most kindly protector and supporter. Why, look, the boy is greeting me with friendly words, as he would his respected grandmother. Won’t he always be the same towards me, as time goes on? DANAË [773] Rivers of Argos and gods of my fathers, and you, Zeus, who bring my ordeal to such an end! Will you give me to these beasts, so that they may outrage me with their savage onslaughts, or so that I endure in captivity the worst of tortures? Anyhow, I shall escape. Shall I then knot myself a noose, applying a desperate remedy against this torture, so that no one may put me to sea again, neither a lascivious beast nor a father? No, I am afraid to! Zeus, send me some help in this plight, I beg you! for you were guilty of the greater fault, but it is I who have paid the full penalty. I call upon you to set things right! You have heard all I have to say. CHORUS. [786] Look, the little one is smiling sweetly as he looks on his shining raddled bald pate. . . . Qualis vero amator mentularum est hic pusillus!

[SILENUS.] [788] . . . if I don’t rejoice in the sight of you. Damnation take Dictys, who is trying to cheat me of this prize behind my back! [To Perseus.] Come here, my dearie! [He makes chuckling noises.] Don’t be frightened! Why are you whimpering? Over here to my sons, so that you can come to my protecting arms, dear boy—I’m so kind—, and you can find pleasure in the martens and fawns and the young porcupines, and can make a third in bed with your mother and with me your father. And daddy shall give, the little one his fun. And you shall lead a healthy life, so that one day, when you’ve grown strong, you yourself—for your father’s losing his grip on his fawn-killing footwork—you yourself shall catch beasts without a spear, and shall give them to your mother for dinner, after the fashion of her husband’s family, amongst whom you’ll be earning your keep. CHORUS [821] Come now, dear fellows, let us go and hurry on the marriage, for the time is ripe for it and without words speaks for it. Why, I see that already the bride is eager to enjoy our love to the full. No wonder: she spent a long time wasting away all lonely in the ship beneath the foam. Well, now that she has before her eyes our youthful vigour, she rejoices and exults; such is the bridegroom that by the bright gleam of Aphrodite’s torches. . . .

The Net-Draggers, fragment, 275. Translation by Hugh Lloyd-Jones.

On the Theoi website, which is linked above, you can check Lloyd-Jones' translation note for more details, as the status of this play is really uncertain. I looked for a possible summary and found this one by Patrick O'Sullivan, in which he mentions the possibility of Silenos and the chorus acting as foster-parents for the baby Perseus and comments that apparently in academia this play is seen as having a more light-hearted mood (although Sullivan argues otherwise):

The story of Danae and her son Perseus on Seriphos, where they are initially rescued by Dictys only to be his molested by his brother Polydectes, appeared in Greek lyric, tragedy, and comedy. Aeschylus’ satyric handling of the story has been read as a light-hearted, romantic romp with Silenos and the chorus acting as benign foster-parents to the infant hero. But Aeschylus gives Silenos and the chorus of satyrs a more menacing identity than they generally had in other plays of this genre. Silenos can be seen as the comical counterpart of Polydectes, and appears to have the full support of his sons, something he clearly does not enjoy in other satyric dramas. The satyrs of the chorus stand in contrast to the often more sympathetic, if clownish, creatures they can be elsewhere. Diktyoulkoi contains elements typical of satyr drama, but in paradoxical ways not without moments of pathos.

Aeschylus Dictyulci: A Typically Atypical Satyr Play?, by Patrick O’Sullivan, pg 1.

MEDUSA

Family

According to Hesiod, the goddess Ceto and the ancient sea god Phorcys had three gorgon daughters named Sthenno, Euryale, and Medusa. Of the sisters, only Medusa was mortal.

And again, Ceto bare to Phorcys [...] the Gorgons who dwell beyond glorious Ocean in the frontier land towards Night where are the clear-voiced Hesperides, Sthenno, and Euryale, and Medusa who suffered a woeful fate: she was mortal, but the two were undying and grew not old. [...]

Theogony. Translation by H.G. Evelyn-White.

Medusa's genealogy as the daughter of Ceto and Phorcys is followed by most surviving sources, although Hyginus gives an apparently different mother named Gorgon.

From Phorcus and Ceto: Phorcides Pemphredo, Enyo and Persis (for this last others say Dino). From Gorgon and Ceto, Sthenno, Euryale, Medusa. [...]

Fabulae, 9. Translation by Mary Grant.

Besides the Gorgons, Medusa had other possible siblings:

According to Hesiod in Theogony, Echidna, the monstrous wife of the monstrous Thyphon, was also the daughter of Ceto and Phorcys. Pseudo-Apollodorus (Library, 2.1.2) and Pausanias (Description of Greece, 8.18.2), however, offer different genealogies. I was left with the impression that in the case of Echidna, her children are better documented than her parents. Of Medusa's sisters, Echidna is the least commonly considered a sister. He also says that Ladon, the dragon/serpent responsible for guarding the apples of the nymphs daughters of Atlas Hesperides, is their son although other sources indicate other parents.

Although many today remember the myth in which Scylla was a nymph who was transformed into a monster by the sorceress Circe (Fabulae, 199) or by the Nereid Amphitrite (Ad Lycophronem, 46), both motivated by jealousy of Glaucus/Poseidon's interest in Scylla, the older versions simply have Scylla being born a monster. Homer says that Scylla is the daughter of Krataiis, who may be identified with Ceto, and doesn’t mention any transformation. In fact, Circe says that "She is the mother of Skylla and bore this mischief for mortals", which honestly seems to imply that she was born a monster (The Odyssey, XII.125. Lattimore translation). In Book 4 of Argonautica, Apollonius Rhodius says that Scylla is the daughter of Krataiis — here explicitly identified with Hecate — and Phorcys and there is no mention of her being transformed. A fragment of Acusilaus also says that Scylla is the daughter of Hecate (fragment 27). In another version given by Hyginus, Scylla is the daughter of Echidna and Thypon, both monsters with several monstrous children (Fabulae, 151). Some scholias give other relationships for Scylla, such as Lamia as her mother — a sea monster, which strongly implies that Scylla was born a monster —, Triton or Poseidon as her fathers. Pseudo-Apollodorus claims that Scylla's mother is Krataiis, who is perhaps identified with Crete, known for giving birth to monsters, with Teneis or Phorcus/Phorcys (Library, E.7.20). Overall, the most commonly attributed father of Scylla is Phorcys, who with the exception of the nymph Thoosa only has grotesque or ugly creatures attributed as children. Even considering Poseidon as her father doesn’t negate the possibility of her being born a monster, since from his relationship with the nymph Thossa the cyclops Polyphemos was born. The most common mother is Krataiis, who maybe can be either Ceto or Hecate depending on the version. If it’s Ceto, well, she’s also known for giving birth to monsters. In Hyginus' transformation version, the name Krateiis/Crataeis is given to a male being and not a female one as is usual, this being a river god who is the father of Scylla. Scylla's particularly monstrous genealogy coupled with the evident absence of mention of transformation in older sources and the fact that such mention only occurs in later sources — Hyginus is from the Roman period, Tzetzes is Byzantine — give me the impression that Scylla, similar to Medusa, in earlier sources was born a monster and later received a tradition in which she was transformed into one. In any case, she was usually at least Medusa's half-sister on her father's side. In any case, choose the version you prefer.

According to Homer in The Odyssey, the nymph Thoosa was the daughter of Phorcys. The mother wasn’t mentioned, but this makes her at least Medusa's half-sister. She’s also the only one never to have been considered monstrous or grotesque, although she did give birth to one: the cyclops Polyphemus, son of the god Poseidon.

Finally, the sisters most associated with the Gorgons: the Graiai/Graeae, also called Phorcides/Phorkydes. They were often daughters of Phorcys (as the name "Phorcides" itself indicates) and, in the sources where their mother was mentioned, the mother was Ceto. They were usually old women who shared one tooth and one eye between the three. Hesiod in the Theogony, however, speaks of only two rather than three. Aeschylus describes them as resembling swans, although it’s uncertain whether this is literal or just figurative (Prometheus Bound). Hesiod describes them in a way that suggests a beautiful appearance and some visual representations depict them as young women, but they were more commonly blind, toothless old women. They also have a role in the myth of Perseus. Their names also seem to indicate this, as the collective name Graiai seems to relate to old age while the proper names usually given to the sisters probably denote frightening characteristics.

Medusa was generally depicted as having a monstrous appearance, including in the earliest source of her, the Theogony from Archaic Greece. However, there is evidence that in Classical Greece there was a version of the myth in which Medusa didn’t have a hideous appearance. Pindar, for example, describes her as “beautiful Medusa” in Diane Arnson Svarlien’s translation, and I've seen a translation in which it was "fair-cheeked Medusa" and this description also denotes feminine beauty (Pythian Ode, 12.1). Furthermore, some visual representations from Ancient Greece show a woman who isn’t a grotesque monster (examples: 1, 2, 3, 4. There is also a ceramic one in The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, although it’s unfortunately rare to find on sites like Theoi and Wikimedia Commons). In terms of written source, Pindar is believed to be from 518 BC-438 BC and the probably oldest visual representation — it’s number 1 of those I linked — is attributed to Polygnotus, who must have been a painter from the mid-5th century BC. Therefore, contrary to popular belief, Medusa as a non-hideous woman is NOT an invention of Ovid, much less a Roman invention. It’s a Greek invention, documented from the classical period!

Reason for the mission

According to Pseudo-Apollodorus, Dictys' brother was Polydectes, king of Seriphus. He was interested in Danae, but couldn't do anything with her because Perseus, now grown up, wouldn't allow it. Irritated, Polydectes wanted to get rid of Perseus. To this end, he called Perseus and other men to a meeting and said that he wanted to collect contributions for a wedding gift for Hippodamia, daughter of Oenomaus (in case you're wondering...yeah, that's Hippodamia who married Pelops, ancestor of the Atreides). Polydectes demanded that Perseus bring the head of the Gorgon, thus wishing that he would die in the task.

Polydectes, brother of Dictys, was then king of Seriphus and fell in love with Danae, but could not get access to her, because Perseus was grown to man's estate. So he called together his friends, including Perseus, under the pretext of collecting contributions towards a wedding gift for Hippodamia, daughter of Oenomaus. Now Perseus having declared that he would not stick even at the Gorgon's head, Polydectes required the others to furnish horses, and not getting horses from Perseus ordered him to bring the Gorgon's head. [...]

Library, 2.4.2. Translation by J.G. Frazer.

Tzetzes simply gives the same version as Pseudo-Apollodorus. He emphasizes Polydectes' motivation in forcing himself on Danae and not wanting Perseus’ interference.

Polydectes forced himself on Danae, but unable to have her because of Perseus, who was now approaching manhood, he pretended that he needed a dowry for his marriage to Hippodameia, the daughter of Oenomaus, and asked each of his friends for something different. He sent Perseus to behead the Gorgon Medusa and bring her head back to him as a gift for Hippodameia. He did this hoping that Perseus would be killed by the Gorgons, so that he could have Danae without any trouble.

Ad Lycophronem, 838.

Alternative myth

It’s a continuation of the version in which Polydectes is married to Danae. Acrisius goes to Seriphus because he is aware that Perseus is there, but Polydectes doesn’t allow Acrisius to kill Perseus. A storm traps Acrisius in Seriphus, and while he is there Polydectes dies. Funeral games are held in Polydectes' honor, and Perseus accidentally kills Acrisius, fulfilling the prophecy. There is no mention of Perseus going on a mission..

[...] When Acrisius discovered they were staying at Polydectes' court, he started out to get them, but at his arrival Polydectes interceded for them, and Perseus swore an oath to his grandfather that he would never kill him. When Acrisius was detained there by a storm, Polydectes died, and at his funeral games the wind blew a discus from Perseus' hand at Acrisius' head which killed him. Thus what he did not do of his own will was accomplished by the gods. When Polydectes was buried, Perseus set out for Argos and took possession of his grandfather's kingdom.

Fabulae, 63. Translation by Mary Grant.

In an alternative version given by Pseudo-Apollodorus, Medusa was killed by Perseus for the sake of Athena, who had been offended by Medusa's presumption in thinking she equaled her in beauty. The way Pseudo-Apollodorus wrote it made me think it was a different version of Polydectes as the motivator of the mission.

[2.4.4] [...] But it is alleged by some that Medusa was beheaded for Athena's sake; and they say that the Gorgon was fain to match herself with the goddess even in beauty.

Library, 2.4.4. Translation by J.G. Frazer.

Ioannis Tzetzes also commented on the version in which Athena was offended by Medusa comparing herself to her in beauty.

[...] But this is nonsense; Polydectes was three generations before Hippodameia. The truth is more mythical, but I have spoken more allegorically at the beginning (17 6). Perseus knew that Polydectes was forcing himself on Danae. Medusa, a woman from Pisidia, rivaled Athena in beauty, so Athena sent Perseus against her, showing him a painting of the Gorgon around the city of Samos, called Deicterion, from the fact that these things were shown to him.[...]

Ad Lycophronem, 838.

Mission

Graiai, Nymphs and Hyperboreans

Aeschylus wrote a play called The Daughters of Phorcys/The Phorcides which told of Perseus's interaction with the Graiai. The play is lost, but has been mentioned by other authors. Hyginus, for example, says that Aeschylus wrote of the Graiai as the guardians of the gorgons.

[...] But as Aeschylus, the writer of tragedies, says in his Phorcides, the Graeae were guardians of the Gorgons. [...]

Astronomica, 2.12.2. Translation by Mary Grant.

A short fragment was preserved because of Athenaeus of Naucratis, who said that Aeschylus in The Phorcides wrote Perseus entering the cave of the gorgons like a wild boar.

And Aeschylus, in his Phorcides, comparing Perseus to a wild boar, says— He rush'd into the cave like a wild boar (ἀσχέδωρος ὥς).

The Deipnosophists, 9.65. Translation by Henry G. Bohn.

In Lycophron's Alexandra, there is what appears to be a reference to Perseus stealing the Graiai in order to get help in his quest to kill Medusa. They, in this context, are called guides, so it seems that Lycophron also considered the Graiai to be indicating the way. There are three of them here, although their names aren’t given.

[...] he that stole the lamp of his three wandering guides.

Alexandra. Translation by A.W. Mair.

Tzetzes says that Perseus went to the Graiai, here named as two (Pephredo and Enyo), and stole their one eye and one tooth. He didn’t return the tooth and eye until he was told the way by the nymphs — these are the Hesperides —, and this the Graiai showed him. From the nymphs Perseus acquired the following equipment: winged sandals, a bag or box, the helmet of Hades, an adamant sickle from Hermes, and a mirror from Athena. After this he flew to where the Gorgons lived.

He first went to the Phorcides, Pephredo and Enyo, who were old from birth and sisters of the Gorgons, and took from them their one eye and one tooth, which they only had in turn, and did not give them back until they guided him to the nymphs. Taking the winged sandals of the nymphs, a bag or box, the helmet of Hades, an adamant sickle from Hermes, and a mirror from Athena, he flew to the Gorgons, who were by the Ocean around Tartessos, the city of Iberia.

Ad Lycophronem, 838.

Pausanias, while describing scenes depicted on a wall in a temple, tells of the nymphs giving the cap and winged sandals to Perseus, who was on his way to kill Medusa in Libya.

[3.17.3] [...] There are also represented nymphs bestowing upon Perseus, who is starting on his enterprise against Medusa in Libya, a cap and the shoes by which he was to be carried through the air. [...]

Description of Greece, 3.17.3. Translation by W.H.S. Jones.

Pseudo-Apollodorus says that Hermes and Athena guided Perseus to the Graiai, here named as three (Enyo, Pephredo, Dino). Knowing that the one eye and one tooth they shared were important to them, Perseus stole them both and stated that he would only return them if they told him the way to the nymphs, which they did. He then returned the eye and the tooth to them. From the nymphs, Perseus acquired winged sandals, the cap of Hades and a kibisis, which was a kind of wallet. From Hermes, he received an adamantine sickle. Once equipped, Perseus flew to where the Gorgons slept.

[2.4.2] [...] So under the guidance of Hermes and Athena he made his way to the daughters of Phorcus, to wit, Enyo, Pephredo, and Dino; for Phorcus had them by Ceto, and they were sisters of the Gorgons, and old women from their birth. The three had but one eye and one tooth, and these they passed to each other in turn. Perseus got possession of the eye and the tooth, and when they asked them back, he said he would give them up if they would show him the way to the nymphs. Now these nymphs had winged sandals and the kibisis, which they say was a wallet. [But Pindar and Hesiod in The Shield say of Perseus: -- “But all his back had on the head of a dread monster, <The Gorgon,> and round him ran the kibisis.” The kibisis is so called because dress and food are deposited in it.] They had also the cap <of Hades>. When the Phorcides had shown him the way, he gave them back the tooth and the eye, and coming to the nymphs got what he wanted. So he slung the wallet (kibisis) about him, fitted the sandals to his ankles, and put the cap on his head. Wearing it, he saw whom he pleased, but was not seen by others. And having received also from Hermes an adamantine sickle he flew to the ocean and caught the Gorgons asleep [...]

Library, 2.4.2. Translation by J.G. Frazer.

These nymphs were named as the Hesperides by Hesiod in the Theogony.

[...] the Gorgons who dwell beyond glorious Ocean in the frontier land towards Night where are the clear-voiced Hesperides [...]

Theogony. Translation by H.G. Evelyn-White.

Pindar says that Perseus, guided by Athena, visited the Hyperboreans and received hospitality from them. This was after getting Graiai's advice and getting the items from Hesperides.

Neither by ship nor on foot could you find the marvellous road to the meeting-place of the Hyperboreans — Once Perseus, the leader of his people, entered their homes and feasted among them, when he found them sacrificing glorious hecatombs of donkeys to the god. In the festivities of those people and in their praises Apollo rejoices most, and he laughs when he sees the erect arrogance of the beasts. The Muse is not absent from their customs; all around swirl the dances of girls, the lyre's loud chords and the cries of flutes. They wreathe their hair with golden laurel branches and revel joyfully. No sickness or ruinous old age is mixed into that sacred race; without toil or battles they live without fear of strict Nemesis. Breathing boldness of spirit once the son of Danae went to that gathering of blessed men, and Athena led him there. He killed the Gorgon, and came back bringing stony death to the islanders, the head that shimmered with hair made of serpents. To me nothing that the gods accomplish ever appears unbelievable, however miraculous. Hold the oar!

Pythian Ode 10. Translation by Diane Arnson Svarlien.

This myth has also been represented in visual art, for example: 1.

Death of Medusa

Pindar says that Athena was inspired by hearing the screams of the Gorgons when Perseus killed Medusa.

[...] Pallas Athena discovered when she wove into music the dire dirge of the reckless Gorgons which Perseus heard pouring in slow anguish from beneath the horrible snakey hair of the maidens, when he did away with the third sister [...] Yes, he brought darkness on the monstrous race of Phorcus [...] he stripped off the head of beautiful Medusa, Perseus, the son of Danae, who they say was conceived in a spontaneous shower of gold. But when the virgin goddess had released that beloved man from those labors, she created the many-voiced song of flutes so that she could imitate with musical instruments the shrill cry that reached her ears from the fast-moving jaws of Euryale. The goddess discovered it [...]

Pythian Ode 12. Translation by

In Euripides' play Electra, the Chorus at one point sings about Achilles. During this, they describe Achilles' equipment and talk about the myth of Perseus depicted on Achilles' shield, particularly focusing on the death of Medusa with the help of Hermes.

I heard, from someone who had arrived at the harbor of Nauplia from Ilium, that on the circle of your famous shield, O son of Thetis, were wrought these signs, a terror to the Phrygians: on the surrounding base of the shield's rim, Perseus the throat-cutter, over the sea with winged sandals, was holding the Gorgon's body, with Hermes, Zeus' messenger, the rustic son of Maia.

Electra. Translation by E. P. Coleridge.

In Lycophron's poem Alexandra, Cassandra mentions Perseus when she speaks of a man with the winged sandals of Hermes, which again indicates the god's assistance in the mission. In addition, Medusa is described as having been beheaded by Perseus, although here she’s called a "stony-eyed weasel". The first part is in relation to the power of petrification, the second in reference to the belief that weasels gave birth through their necks.

[...] the eagle son of the golden Sire – a male with winged sandals who destroyed his liver. By the harvester’s blade shall be slain the hateful whale dismembered: the harvester who delivered of her pains in birth of horse and man the stony-eyed weasel [...]

Alexandra. Translation by A.W. Mair.

Tzetzes describes the gorgons' monstrous appearance and also says that Perseus had to look into a reflection.

[...] They had dragon-like heads, large pig teeth, bronze hands, and wings with which they flew. So, flying to them and finding them asleep, he beheaded Medusa while looking in the mirror, not at her; for he would have turned to stone if he had seen her. Her sisters let out a great lament from their many snake-like heads, sending out a hissing sound, from which Athena, according to Pindar, found the so-called polycephalic law of the aulos (Pind. P XII 14. 34). Perseus then placed the head in the wallet and carried it on his back as he journeyed. [...]

Ad Lycophronem, 838.

According to Pseudo-Apollodorus, the reason Medusa was chosen was because she was the only mortal among the Gorgons. Having arrived where they lived, Perseus found them sleeping. However, even sleeping it was difficult to kill them because, as monsters, they weren’t weak. And because of the power of petrification, Athena guided Perseus to kill Medusa by looking at the reflection of the bronze shield, so he would be able to see her without being petrified.

[2.4.2] [...] And having received also from Hermes an adamantine sickle he flew to the ocean and caught the Gorgons asleep. They were Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa. Now Medusa alone was mortal; for that reason Perseus was sent to fetch her head. But the Gorgons had heads twined about with the scales of dragons, and great tusks like swine's, and brazen hands, and golden wings, by which they flew; and they turned to stone such as beheld them. So Perseus stood over them as they slept, and while Athena guided his hand and he looked with averted gaze on a brazen shield, in which he beheld the image of the Gorgon, he beheaded her. [...]

Library, 2.4.2. Translation by J.G. Frazer.

Again, a description on a piece of equipment. But it isn’t the shield of Heracles and it isn’t the shield of Achilles, but the quiver of Philoctetes.

[...] There Perseus slew Medusa gorgon-eyed by the stars' baths and utmost bounds of earth and fountains of deep-flowing Ocean, where Night in the far west meets the setting sun. [...]

Posthomerica, Book 10. Translation by A.S. Way.

This myth has also been represented in visual art, for example: 1, 2, 3, 4,

Alternative myth

Diodorus Siculus tells a rationalized version in which there was a people of warrior women called the Gorgons and led by Medusa. Attempts to defeat them were unsuccessful until Perseus subdued them.

Now there have been in Libya a number of races of women who were warlike and greatly admired for their manly vigour; for instance, tradition tells us of the race of the Gorgons, against whom, as the account is given, Perseus made war, a race distinguished for its valour; for the fact that it was the son of Zeus, the mightiest Greek of his day, who accomplished the campaign against these women, and that this was his greatest Labour may be taken by any man as proof of both the pre-eminence and the power of the women we have mentioned. Furthermore, the manly prowess of those of whom we are now about to write presupposes an amazing pre-eminence when compared with the nature of the women of our day. [...] And since the natives were often being warred upon by the Gorgons, as they were named, a folk which resided upon their borders, and in general had that people lying in wait to injure them, Myrina, they say, was asked by the Atlantians to invade the land of the afore-mentioned Gorgons. But when the Gorgons drew up their forces to resist them a mighty battle took place in which the Amazons, gaining the upper hand, slew great numbers of their opponents and took no fewer than three thousand prisoners; and since the rest had fled for refuge into a certain wooded region, Myrina undertook to set fire to the timber, being eager to destroy the race utterly, but when she found that she was unable to succeed in her attempt she retired to the borders of her country. Now as the Amazons, they go on to say, relaxed their watch during the night because of their success, the captive women, falling upon them and drawing the swords of those who thought they were conquerors, slew many of them; in the end, however, the multitude poured in about them from every side and the prisoners fighting bravely were butchered one and all. Myrina accorded a funeral to her fallen comrades on three pyres and raised up three great heaps of earth as tombs, which are called to this day "Amazon Mounds." But the Gorgons, grown strong again in later days, were subdued a second time by Perseus, the son of Zeus, when Medusa was queen over them; and in the end both they and the race of the Amazons were entirely destroyed by Heracles, when he visited the regions to the west and set up his pillars in Libya, since he felt that it would ill accord with his resolve to be the benefactor of the whole race of mankind if he should suffer any nations to be under the rule of women. The story is also told that the marsh disappeared from sight in the course of an earthquake, when those parts of it which lay towards the ocean were torn asunder.

Library of History, 3.52 and 54.2-55.1. Translation by C.H. Oldfather.

Pausanias tells a rationalized version of the myth in which the beautiful Medusa reigned over the people living around Lake Tritonis and led the Libyans into battle. Perseus' army was an enemy of hers, and one night while she was encamped, Perseus murdered her while she slept and showed her head to the Greeks.

[2.21.5] Not far from the building in the market-place of Argos is a mound of earth, in which they say lies the head of the Gorgon Medusa. I omit the miraculous, but give the rational parts of the story about her. After the death of her father, Phorcus, she reigned over those living around Lake Tritonis, going out hunting and leading the Libyans to battle. On one such occasion, when she was encamped with an army over against the forces of Perseus, who was followed by picked troops from the Peloponnesus, she was assassinated by night. Perseus, admiring her beauty even in death, cut off her head and carried it to show the Greeks.

Description of Greece, 2.21.5. Translation by W.H.S Jones.

In a relatively different version of this alternative myth, which Pausanias credits to Procles, in Lybia there were wild men and women. One of these women, apparently Medusa, came to Lake Tritonis and harried the neighbours until, with the help of Athena, Perseus killed her.

[2.21.6] But Procles, the son of Eucrates, a Carthaginian, thought a different account more plausible than the preceding. It is as follows. Among the incredible monsters to be found in the Libyan desert are wild men and wild women. Procles affirmed that he had seen a man from them who had been brought to Rome. So he guessed that a woman wandered from them, reached Lake Tritonis, and harried the neighbours until Perseus killed her; Athena was supposed to have helped him in this exploit, because the people who live around Lake Tritonis are sacred to her.

Description of Greece, 2.21.6. Translation by W.H.S Jones.

In the Suda, a Byzantine encyclopedia, Perseus wanted to dominate the Medes and had mystical knowledge. Following what he learned, he once encountered a hideous and ugly woman named Medusa, whom he decapitated and used her head as a kind of protective amulet. The name Gorgon was given by Perseus himself in this version. Furthermore, this Pekos is another name for Zeus; Perseus's paternity hasn’t changed.

She [who was] also called Gorgon. Perseus, the son of Danae and Pekos, having learned all the mystic apparitions and wanting to establish for himself his own kingdom, despised that of the Medes. And going through a great expanse of land he saw a virgin maiden, hideous and ugly, and turning aside [to speak] to her, he asked "what is your name?" And she said, "Medusa." And cutting off her head he despatched her as he had been taught, and he hung it up, amazing and destroying all who saw it. The head he called Gorgon, because of its sheer force. [...]

Suda, mu,406. Translation by Jennifer Benedict.

Post-Medusa’s death

In the Theogony, Hesiod said that Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon, with whom she had sex in a flower field. When Perseus cut off her head, her sons Chrysaor and the famous Pegasus came out.

[...] With her lay the Dark-haired One in a soft meadow amid spring flowers. And when Perseus cut off her head, there sprang forth great Chrysaor and the horse Pegasus who is so called because he was born near the springs (pegae) of Ocean; and that other, because he held a golden blade (aor) in his hands.

Theogony. Translation by H.G. Evelyn-White.

In the Shield of Heracles, there is a moment where Hesiod talks about the myth of Perseus. Perseus is said to have been wearing the following accoutrements: a shield forged by Hephaestus, the winged sandals of Hermes, and the cap of Hades. The scene described depicted Perseus, now with the head of Medusa, fleeing from the Gorgon's angry sisters.

There, too, was the son of rich-haired Danae, the horseman Perseus: his feet did not touch the shield and yet were not far from it — very marvellous to remark, since he was not supported anywhere; for so did the famous Lame One fashion him of gold with his hands. On his feet he had winged sandals, and his black-sheathed sword was slung across his shoulders by a cross-belt of bronze. He was flying swift as thought. The head of a dreadful monster, the Gorgon, covered the broad of his back, and a bag of silver — a marvel to see— contained it: and from the bag bright tassels of gold hung down. Upon the head of the hero lay the dread cap of Hades which had the awful gloom of night. Perseus himself, the son of Danae, was at full stretch, like one who hurries and shudders with horror. And after him rushed the Gorgons, unapproachable and unspeakable, longing to seize him: as they trod upon the pale adamant, the shield rang sharp and clear with a loud clanging. Two serpents hung down at their girdles with heads curved forward: their tongues were flickering, and their teeth gnashing with fury, and their eyes glaring fiercely. And upon the awful heads of the Gorgons great Fear was quaking.

Shield of Heracles, 216-316. Translation by H.G. Evelyn-White.

Lycophron in Alexandra describes the birth of Chyrsaor and Pegasus after Perseus beheads Medusa.

[...] who delivered of her pains in birth of horse and man the stony-eyed weasel whose children sprang from her neck. [...]

Alexandra. Translation by A.W. Mair.

Hyginus says that with Poseidon Medusa had Chrysaor and Pegasus, although he doesn’t say how they were born. I imagine it’s presumably the same way as in the other sources, that is, after Perseus beheaded Medusa.

CHILDREN OF TYPHON AND ECHIDNA: [...] From Medusa, daughter of Gorgon, and Neptune, were born Chrysaor and horse Pegasus [...]

Fabulae, 151. Translation by Mary Grant.

Pausanias, who was describing an art, also mentions that Perseus was pursued by Medusa's sisters after killing her, and he emphasizes that the gorgons had wings.

[5.18.5] [...] The sisters of Medusa, with wings, are chasing Perseus, who is flying. Only Perseus has his name inscribed on him.

Description of Greece, 5.18.5. Translation by W.H.S. Jones.

Pseudo-Apollodorus says that as soon as Medusa was beheaded, Chrysaor and Pegasus, Medusa's sons with the god Poseidon, emerged from her neck. Perseus put the head in a bag and prepared to leave, but the immortal gorgon sisters awoke in a rage and chased him. However, Perseus managed to escape because he wore the cap of Hades, which allowed the wearer to become invisible.

[2.4.2] [...] When her head was cut off, there sprang from the Gorgon the winged horse Pegasus and Chrysaor, the father of Geryon; these she had by Poseidon. [2.4.3] So Perseus put the head of Medusa in the wallet (kibisis) and went back again; but the Gorgons started up from their slumber and pursued Perseus: but they could not see him on account of the cap, for he was hidden by it. [...]

Library, 2.4.2-3. Translation by J.G. Frazer.

Apollonius says that, while Perseus flew over Libya with the head of Medusa, the blood of the Gorgon gave rise to poisonous serpents.

[...] But into whatever of all living beings that life-giving earth sustains that serpent once injects his black venom, his path to Hades becomes not so much as a cubit's length, not even if Paeeon, if it is right for me to say this openly, should tend him, when its teeth have only grazed the skin. For when over Libya flew godlike Perseus Eurymedon for by that name his mother called him -- bearing to the king the Gorgon's head newly severed, all the drops of dark blood that fell to the earth, produced a brood of those serpents. [...]

Argonautica, Book 4. Translation by R.C. Seaton.

Tzetzes mentions that a poet named Polyidos wrote that there was a Lybian shepherd named Atlas who, rather than allowing Perseus to pass, asked him who he was. This caused Perseus to petrify him, upset at not being immediately granted passage. This poet Polyidos is believed to be possibly from 398 BC.

Polyidos, the dithyrambic poet, says that this Atlas was a Libyan shepherd, not a mathematician, and was turned to stone by Perseus showing him the Gorgon because he would not let him pass, but asked him who he was. This Atlas was also the father of Hesperus according to the rest (Diod. l.l., EM 348 7), not according to Polyidos.

Ad Lycophronem, 879.

This myth has also been represented in visual art, for example: 1, 2, 3, 4.

#Perseus #Acrisius #Danae #Polydectes #Dictys #Medusa #Gorgons #Birdiethings #Birdie.txt #Tw: rape

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