The Story of Perseus - Greek Mythology - See u in History

Summary

In this mythological tale, King Acrisius of Argos fears a prophecy that he will be killed by his grandson. To avert this, he imprisons his daughter Danaë, but Zeus impregnates her with Perseus. Perseus, guided by gods, defeats Medusa and saves Andromeda, eventually fulfilling the prophecy unintentionally in a discus throw. The story highlights Perseus's heroism and the fulfillment of destiny.

Takeaways

• 👑 Acrisius, king of Argos, feared the prophecy that he would be killed by his grandson and took measures to prevent it by imprisoning his daughter Danaë.
• 🌈 Zeus, in the form of golden rain, impregnated Danaë, resulting in the birth of Perseus, who was destined for greatness.
• 🛡️ To protect Perseus from his grandfather's wrath, he and his mother were placed in a chest and set adrift, eventually being rescued by Dictys, a fisherman and brother to King Pella.
• 🏹 Perseus, unaware of his royal lineage, vowed to bring the head of Medusa to King Pella as a gift, embarking on a heroic quest.
• 🗡️ With the aid of gods like Hermes and Athena, Perseus acquired divine artifacts, including winged sandals, a helmet of invisibility, and a reflective shield.
• 🐲 Medusa was once a beautiful priestess cursed by Athena, turning her into a Gorgon whose gaze could turn men to stone.
• 🔪 Using the reflective shield, Perseus was able to decapitate Medusa without looking directly at her, thus avoiding petrification.
• 🏹 Perseus saved the Ethiopian princess Andromeda from a sea monster, winning her hand in marriage and further cementing his heroic status.
• 🏰 Upon returning to his homeland, Perseus found his mother abused by King Pella and, with allies, overthrew the king to avenge her.
• 🗿 In a tragic turn of events, Perseus accidentally killed his grandfather Acrisius with a discus throw during a game, fulfilling the prophecy.
• 🏙️ Perseus founded the city of Mycenae and established a noble lineage, with descendants including the renowned hero Hercules.

Q & A

Who was Acrisius and what was his concern?

Acrisius was the king of Argos. He was concerned about not having a male heir and was worried about a prophecy that he would be killed by his grandson.

What did the Oracle of Delphi prophesy to Acrisius?

The Oracle of Delphi prophesied that Acrisius would never have a son and would be killed by his grandson.

Why did Acrisius decide to keep his daughter Danaë trapped in the palace?

Acrisius decided to keep Danaë trapped in the palace to prevent the prophecy of his death by his grandson from coming true.

How did Zeus manage to impregnate Danaë?

Zeus turned himself into golden rain to enter through the openings of the tower where Danaë was enclosed, and impregnated her.

What drastic measure did Acrisius take after Perseus was born?

Acrisius decided to lock Danaë and her baby Perseus in an urn and throw it into the sea to avoid the prophecy.

Who rescued Danaë and Perseus from the sea?

Danaë and Perseus were rescued by Dictys, a fisherman and the brother of King Pella.

What challenge did King Pella give to Perseus at the party?

King Pella challenged Perseus to bring him the head of the monstrous Medusa as a trophy.

What divine artifacts did Perseus receive to help him defeat Medusa?

Perseus received winged sandals, a helmet of invisibility, a special bag, and a divine sword made in the forges of Hephaestus.

How did Perseus manage to defeat Medusa?

Perseus used the reflection from Athena's polished shield to see Medusa without being turned to stone, dodged her attack, and beheaded her.

What incident led to the accidental death of Acrisius?

Acrisius was accidentally killed by Perseus during a discus throwing event when the discus took a curve and hit him.

What legacy did Perseus leave behind?

Perseus is known as the founder of the city of Mycenae and the ancestor of Hercules, the greatest hero of all.

Outlines

00:00

👑 The Curse of Acrisius and Birth of Perseus

Acrisius, the king of Argos, feared losing his throne due to a prophecy that he would be killed by his grandson. To prevent this, he imprisoned his only daughter, Danaë. However, Zeus, hearing her prayers, impregnated her in the form of golden rain. Perseus was born, and to escape Acrisius's wrath, they were cast into the sea in a chest. Rescued by Dictys, Perseus grew up unaware of his lineage. At a palace party, Perseus pledged to bring the head of Medusa to the king, setting him on a heroic quest.

05:02

🗡️ Perseus and the Quest for Medusa's Head

With the help of his divine half-siblings, Hermes and Athena, Perseus embarked on a mission to find Medusa, one of the Gorgons. He received a mirrored shield from Athena and was guided by Hermes. After stealing the eye of the Graeae and being directed to the Nymphs, he acquired winged sandals, a helmet of invisibility, and a special bag. Using the shield as a mirror, Perseus avoided Medusa's gaze, beheaded her, and collected Pegasus and the golden giant Chrysaor from her blood. He then returned home, avoiding the gaze of Medusa's head by placing it in the bag.

10:04

🏰 Perseus' Return and the Fulfillment of Prophecy

Upon his return, Perseus discovered his mother, Danaë, had suffered under King Pella Dec's rule. With allies, he confronted the king, turning his enemies to stone with Medusa's head. He spared Pella Dec, leaving him a petrified reminder of his cowardice. Perseus then crowned Dictys as the new king. Unaware of his grandfather Acrisius's fear and subsequent exile, Perseus accidentally fulfilled the prophecy by killing him with a discus throw during a game, thus founding the city of Mycenae and establishing a noble lineage, including Hercules.

Keywords

💡Acrisius

Acrisius was the king of Argos, a significant character in the video script. He is defined by his fear of a prophecy that he would be killed by his grandson, which leads to his anguish and the decision to imprison his daughter Danaë. This fear and the actions he takes in response are central to the narrative, setting off the chain of events that define the story of Perseus.

💡Oracle of Delphi

The Oracle of Delphi is an ancient Greek religious site known for its prophecies. In the script, Acrisius visits the Oracle seeking to avoid his fate, but instead receives a prophecy that deepens his despair. This concept is crucial as it sets the stage for the tragic destiny that Acrisius believes he must avoid, influencing his actions and the subsequent plot.

💡Danaë

Danaë is the daughter of Acrisius and the mother of Perseus. She is a central figure in the narrative as her imprisonment by her father to avoid the prophecy is a key event. Her relationship with Zeus, who visits her as golden rain, is how Perseus is conceived, making her a pivotal character in the lineage that leads to the fulfillment of the prophecy.

💡Zeus

Zeus is the king of the Olympian gods in Greek mythology. In the script, he plays a critical role as he falls in love with Danaë, impregnates her despite her imprisonment, and ultimately fathers Perseus. His actions are a direct defiance of Acrisius's attempts to avoid the prophecy, and his divine intervention is a key element in the unfolding of the story.

💡Perseus

Perseus is the protagonist of the script, the son of Zeus and Danaë, and the grandson of Acrisius. His birth is a direct result of the defiance of Acrisius's attempts to avoid the prophecy. Perseus's journey to defeat Medusa and his subsequent adventures are central to the narrative, illustrating the theme of heroism and the fulfillment of destiny.

💡Medusa

Medusa is one of the Gorgon sisters, a creature with snakes for hair whose gaze could turn men to stone. In the script, Perseus is tasked with bringing her head as a trophy, which becomes a significant part of his heroic quest. Medusa's defeat is a pivotal moment in the narrative, showcasing Perseus's bravery and the fulfillment of his destiny.

💡Pegasus

Pegasus is the winged horse that is born from the blood of Medusa when Perseus beheads her. The birth of Pegasus symbolizes the emergence of something positive and powerful from a dire situation. In the script, Pegasus represents a new beginning and is a symbol of the heroic achievements of Perseus.

💡Andromeda

Andromeda is the princess of Ethiopia who is saved by Perseus from a sea monster. In the script, her rescue is a heroic act that leads to a romantic union between Perseus and Andromeda, furthering the narrative of heroism and love, and solidifying Perseus's status as a hero.

💡Prophecy

The prophecy is a central theme in the script, foretelling that Acrisius would be killed by his grandson, which is ultimately fulfilled by Perseus. The concept of prophecy drives the actions of characters, shapes the narrative, and is a key element in the story's climax and resolution.

💡Mycenae

Mycenae is the city that Perseus is said to have founded, according to the script. It represents the legacy and the lasting impact of Perseus's heroic deeds. The founding of Mycenae is a testament to Perseus's importance in Greek mythology and the enduring influence of his story.

Highlights

Acrisius, the king of Argos, learns from the Oracle of Delphi that he will never have a son and will be killed by his grandson.

To prevent the prophecy, Acrisius locks his daughter Danae in a tower, but Zeus visits her in the form of golden rain, impregnating her with Perseus.

Acrisius, furious upon learning of Perseus's birth, locks Danae and Perseus in an urn and throws them into the sea.

Zeus requests Poseidon to guide the urn safely to the island of Seraphis, where Danae and Perseus are rescued by Dictys, a fisherman.

Perseus grows up strong and brave under Dictys' care, eventually accepting the challenge to bring back the head of Medusa.

With the help of Hermes and Athena, Perseus is given divine tools to assist him in his quest to defeat Medusa.

Perseus cleverly uses Athena's reflective shield to view Medusa indirectly, allowing him to behead her without turning to stone.

From Medusa's blood, the winged horse Pegasus and the golden giant Chrysaor are born.

Perseus uses Medusa's head to turn the Titan Atlas into a mountain after being refused hospitality.

In Ethiopia, Perseus rescues Princess Andromeda from being sacrificed to a sea monster and is rewarded with her hand in marriage.

Upon returning to Seraphis, Perseus discovers his mother has been abused by King Polydectes, leading him to seek vengeance.

Perseus petrifies Polydectes and his court using Medusa's head, and crowns Dictys as the new king.

Perseus returns the divine artifacts to the gods, and Medusa's head is placed on Athena's shield.

During a discus competition, Perseus accidentally kills his grandfather, Acrisius, fulfilling the prophecy he tried to avoid.

Perseus founds the city of Mycenae and becomes the ancestor of many notable Greek heroes, including Hercules.

Transcripts

Acrisius was the king of the powerful

city of Argos

however he lived in anguish for not

having a male heir appointed in order to

cease his anguish he decided to visit

the Oracle of Delphi but the prophecy he

was told only increased his despair you

will never have a son and no matter

where you hide your destiny is to be

killed by your grandson the King only

had one daughter called danaiah

to protect himself from the prophecy he

decided that the princess had to spend

her whole life trapped in the palace

zeus the lord of the olympus hearing the

young girl's prayers fell in love and

decided to visit her the god turned

himself into golden rain and this way

managed to get inside through the

openings of the tower where the princess

was enclosed the golden rain fell andhe

Naas lap and zeus impregnated her time

went by and the child was born

his name was Perseus knowing about his

grandsons birth the King Acrisius was

furious he suspected that his brother

protis was the one who impregnated his

daughter in order to claim his throne in

the future the King took a drastic

measure to punish her daughter's

betrayal he decided to lock the princess

and her baby in an urn and throw both

into the sea gods can't punish me for

killing my daughter and my grandson as I

did not kill them if their destiny is to

die in the ocean I will not do anything

that to happen however this was not the

destiny conceived by the gods at the

request of Zeus Poseidon guided the urn

to sarah ffice where Perseus and her

mother were rescued by Dictys a Fisher

and the brother of the king Pella decked

the humble fisherman hosted the mother

and raised Perseus as if he was his son

Perseus grew and became a handsome

strong and brave man one day there was a

party in the palace Dictys and his

protege as were invited for the

festivities

the king was enchanted by denial but

realized that she was always protected

by his jealous son the moment came when

the king was offered with several gifts

the invitees brought him horses and

jewels as presents the turn of Perseus

came right after who was merely a Fisher

like his adopted father and had nothing

particularly valuable to offer I'm not

rich so I don't have horses nor jewels

to offer you but I'd give you the head

of the monstrous Medusa if that pleases

you the king realising the opportunity

to definitely separate Perseus from his

mother says if what you're saying is

true go after the pesky creature and do

not come back here until you bring the

monsters head as a trophy being the son

of Zeus

Perseus always knew that inside of him

lied a great power and that his fate was

to achieve great things the hero did not

hesitate and achieve the challenge

proposed so Perseus fearlessly took off

to meet his destiny

perseus was given a mission to find the

dreadful Gorgon Medusa and bring her

head as a trophy

however the creatures whereabouts were

unknown all he knew is that several

brave heroes had gone after the creature

and ended up disappearing

Perseus had the help of his

half-brothers the gods Hermes and Athena

the goddess of wisdom offered him her

shield as protection and only the gree

knew the hideout of the nymphs who had

the artifacts needed to accomplish this

mission

Hermes worked as his guide given that as

the messenger of gods he was aware of

all the routes that led to any

destination the young men arrived at the

cave of greed who were the prime mortal

deities and relatives of Medusa there

were three old ladies however they only

had one eye to share between them so

only one of them could see at any given

time

Perseus furtively approached the gree

and managed to steal the eye of the

creatures desperate and blind they tried

to get him without success the heroes

said he would give them the eye only if

they pointed the right way to reach the

guardian nymph of the artifact and the

Medusa's hideout without any other

option they agreed and told him the

whereabouts of both Perseus gave them

the eye and departed to meet the nymph

who appeared to be expecting him right

from the start she gave the hero wing at

sandals quite similar to the ones of

Hermes the helmet of Hades which gave to

anyone who wore at the power of

invisibility and one special bag where

he would have to keep the head of the

Medusa through the nymph Perseus found

that the Medusa was not always a

dreadful creature was serpent like hair

she once was a beautiful priestess who

was cursed for having offended the

goddess Athena due to the curse those

who looked her in the eyes would become

a stone statue now the hero was heading

towards the Medusa's lair Hermes told

him that he would not be able to follow

the hero instead he would give him a

divine sword made in the forges of

Hephaestus whilst arriving at the

creatures cave the hero perceived that

to other Gorgons were guarding the entry

these were area

and steno the sisters of medusa wearing

the helmet of hades

Perseus managed to enter the hideout of

Medusa without being spotted by her

sisters when entering the spot Perseus

is confronted with countless statues of

men who were victims of the creature the

hero was cautious and feared being

caught by surprise having then to face

Medusa

Perseus wants the shadow of a creature

carrying an arch she shot an arrow

against the hero who protected himself

behind a pillar inspired by the goddess

Athena he was able to surpass the fear

and focus himself on a way to defeat the

creature the hero realized that the

shield he was offered was so polished

that it almost resembled a mirror using

the reflection of the shield

Perseus saw Medusa getting closer to

strike him she lost an attack but

Perseus dodged it and counter attacked

by beheading her Medusa died and from

the creatures blood the winged horse

Pegasus and the golden giant cry CR was

born without looking at the head of

Medusa

Perseus put it inside the special bag

that the nymph had offered him using the

winged sandals

Perseus victoriously headed back home

perseus defeated the dreaded Medusa and

was heading back home carrying the

Gorgons head as a trophy after

travelling for a long time the hero was

tired and finding a nice region he

rested for a while the place was the

Garden of asperities land of the

powerful Titan Atlas where he received

the punishment to hold up the sky for

the eternity

Perseus demanded to be welcomed with

hospitality

I'm Perseus the son of Zeus and

accountable for the fall of the ominous

Medusa

what should a fool do you think I am a

mere mortal would never manage to defeat

the powerful Gorgon get out of my

domains right now

Perseus felt furious for having his feet

ignored so he removed the head of Medusa

from the back and showed it to Atlas the

powerful Titan looking at Medusa's eyes

was petrified the giant Atlas became a

giant Mountain whilst its peaks were

still holding the sky nearby in the

kingdom of Ethiopia the arrogant and

vain Queen Cassiopeia bragged about the

beauty of her daughter Andromeda the

Nerys were beautiful aquatic nymphs

known for their indisputable beauty

these felt often by the queen and

demanded from poseidon a punishment to

the city the god determined that

Andromeda would have to deliver as a

sacrifice the sea creatures Seto

otherwise the city would be destroyed to

spare the kingdom he fused the king of

Ethiopia decided to sacrifice his own

daughter Andromeda was chained to the

rock near by the sea and left to her own

destiny

Perseus who was heading back home

crossed paths was such a beautiful woman

chained to the rock and immediately fell

in love but from the sea emerged a

horrible creature that appeared to claim

his sacrifice the monster advanced

towards Andromeda Perseus did not step

back and decided to confront the

creature using the wing and sandals

Perseus kept diving into the sea

investing with his divine sword against

the creature due to the spurts of blood

and water the wings of the sandals were

flooded

preventing the hero from flying on the

rocks the struggle continued Perseus

managed to dodge the monsters attacks

and readied himself to strike a fatal

blow his technique was perfect

the creature was slain the city and the

princess were saved as a reward

Perseus received from the king of

Ethiopia the hand of the beautiful

princess Andromeda after the marriage

Perseus and his new wife set sailed to

the island of Serapis to finish his

mission

perseus had managed to defeat the Gorgon

Medusa and saved princess Andromeda from

a terrible sea monster

now Perseus was heading back home to

deliver the Medusa's head to the king

Pella decks and reaped the praises of

his great victory however when he

arrived at Sura fist his welcome was not

as warm as he had thought it would be

denying Perseus his mother had been

forced to live in the court of the king

Pella decks and their the poor woman was

subjected to several sorts of abuse from

the king however with the help of Dictys

the king's brother and the adopted

father of Perseus

Danae escaped from the palace and found

refuge in the temple of Athena since it

was a sacred spot Perseus mother was

safe from the Kings abuse the news that

Perseus had now returned to home reached

the king who summoned all of his gars to

defend the palace Perseus was furious

and felt disrespected with the way the

King had treated his mother due to his

new reputation as a hero it was not hard

to gather some allies to face Pail

attacked Perseus and his allies marched

towards the palace the bloodbath was

unavoidable the king's army was ahead

since it had more soldiers when Perseus

defeat appeared to be imminent the hero

shouted those who are my friends close

your eyes now Perseus removed the

Medusa's head that he had brought with

him and petrified all of his enemies the

coward King Pella DEC's was hiding after

finding him kneeling down behind the

throne Perseus said I will let you live

in this palace however you will forever

keep the coward and pathetic image that

I am now seeing Perseus petrified the

king and crown dick teased his adopted

father as the new king gloriously

accomplishing his mission

Perseus returned to the gods the divine

artifacts which had been helpful in his

victory he fixated the Medusa's head in

the shield of Athena the reputation of

Perseus spread across Greece and rumours

that the great hero would come back to

argos and have his revenge against the

grandfather who threw him into the sea

along with his mother when he was a baby

started to grow

fearing the materialization of the

prophecy which said that he would be

killed by his grandson the King Acrisius

left the kingdom and ran away to an

unknown location

however Perseus did not plan to have his

revenge against his grandfather since he

was a hero of great reputation Perseus

was consistently invited to partake in

festivities and celebratory games to

honor the gods in one of this games he

participated in the discus throwing

event by fate the heroes throw described

a curve and hit a nobleman who was

watching the games this old man was a

Krissi Asst his grandfather who died

with the impact Perseus even without

wanting to fulfilled the prophecy

unveiled by the Oracle of Delphi the

great hero Perseus left his mark on the

history of Greece as the founder of the

glorious city of Mycenae and gave birth

to a noble lineage Hercules the greatest

hero of all is among the descendants

[Music]