Brave Perseus about what. Gods and Heroes: Perseus - Myths of Ancient Greece

Title of the work: "Brave Perseus"

Number of pages: 9

Genre: myth

Main characters: Perseus, Medusa Gorgon, Polydect, Athena, Andromeda, Dragon.

Characteristics of the main characters:

Perseus- a brave, strong and courageous man.

Dexterous and quick-witted.

He saved his people from a terrible monster.

Polydect- a greedy, cowardly and naive king.

I did not believe the words of Perseus.

Got a lesson.

Andromeda- a beautiful and kind girl.

She was saved by Perseus.

Faithful and merciful.

Brief content of the myth "Brave Perseus" for the reader's diary.

A terrible monster in the guise of a beautiful woman settled near one city.

It was Medusa the Gorgon. Anyone who looked at her immediately turned into a dead stone.

The king of this city, Polydect, locked himself in the basement, so much he was afraid of Medusa the Gorgon.

Only a brave young man named Perseus was not afraid.

He went to the king and said that he would get him the head of the monster.

For a long time Perseus searched for the Gorgon's lair, but the old man told him the way.

Then Perseus decided to look into his shield so as not to turn into stone.

So he approached Medusa and cut off her head.

The fat sisters of the Gorgon chased after him, but Perseus fled.

The goddess Athena met him on the way back.

She presented him with flying sandals as a reward for the feat.

With their help, Perseus flew through the desert and noticed Andromeda chained to the coastal rock.

Perseus freed her by turning a huge sea dragon to stone with the help of Medusa's head.

Then he and Andromeda flew to the hometown of Perseus.

Polydect was still in the basement and greeted Perseus's return with derision.

But Perseus showed him the head of Medusa, and the king turned into the same lifeless stone as the others.

The inhabitants of the city offered to become the king of Perseus, but he flew away from them with his Andromeda.

Now we see these heroes in the starry sky, they have become constellations.

Plan for retelling the work:

1. Acts of Medusa the Gorgon

2. Shelter of the king

3. The search for Medusa by Perseus

4. Perseus's cunning plan

5. Victory over Medusa

6. Sisters of the slain

7. Gift of Athena

8. Rescue the girl

9. The king turned to stone

10 homeland of Andromeda

The drawing is an illustration to the "Brave Perseus" myth.

Sinkwine:

Brave, smart.

Wins, saves, frees.

Constant feats and good deeds.

The main idea:

Courage and kind heart will help to overcome any difficulties, and resourcefulness will help to cope even with Medusa the Gorgon.

What does the work teach

The Greek myth teaches us not to be afraid of enemies, no matter how terrible they are, and teaches us to always stand up for the humiliated and defenseless.

Brief review of the "Brave Perseus" myth for the reader's diary.

"Brave Perseus" is an instructive and fascinating work.

The protagonist of the myth, Perseus, is the only one who was not afraid to fight the Gorgon, and even cleverly figured out a way not to look at her.

This is a heroic myth telling about a feat, which even the gods applauded.

This myth teaches us to be brave, courageous, love our land and protect it from ill-wishers.

I especially liked the episode with the sea monster.

Perseus, with the help of the Gorgon, quickly dealt with him and saved another people.

An excerpt from the "Brave Perseus" myth that struck me the most:

Come here, braggart! Well, where is your Medusa Gorgon? It seems that it is easier to promise than to fulfill!

No, king, I fulfilled my promise: I brought you a wonderful gift - the head of Medusa the 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 deceiver!

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, look!

Proverbs to the "Brave Perseus" myth

The brave does not need a long sword.

The brave is not the one who does not know fear, but who knows and goes to meet him.

Previously unknown words and their meaning

Pallas Athena is a Greek goddess.

In Argos there lived a king who was predicted that he would be killed by his grandson.

The king had a daughter, Danae, so beautiful that word of her spread throughout Greece.

The king was afraid that Danae would give birth to a son who would kill him, and decided never to marry her off. He ordered to build an underground house of solid stone, with copper doors, with strong locks - and he locked his daughter there so that none of the men could see her.

But the Thunderer Zeus struck a stone with lightning, a golden rain fell into the dungeon where Danae was hidden, and she became his wife.

Danae had a son, she named him Perseus.

One day, Father Danae, passing over the cache, heard a child's cry. The king was surprised, unlocked the entrance to the dungeon, went down to the dwelling of Danae and saw a lovely boy in his daughter's arms.

Fear attacked the king. He began to think how he could avoid a terrible destiny. Finally, he gave orders to put Danae and her son in a large box and secretly throw them into the sea.

The wind carried the box across the sea for a long time and drove Serifu to the island. On the shore, a fisherman was fishing. He threw the net into the sea and caught a large box instead of a fish. The poor fisherman wanted to find out as soon as possible what the sea had sent him for the catch, pulled the find onto a beret, tore off the lid from the box, and a beautiful woman came out and a boy with her. Learning who they are and what happened to them, the fisherman took pity on them and took them into his house. Perseus grew by leaps and bounds, grew up a tall, slender youth, and no one in Serif could equal him in beauty, dexterity and strength.

The king of the island of Serif, Polidekt, heard about him and ordered Perseus and his mother to appear at the palace. The beauty of Danae captivated Polydect, he affectionately received the queen and her son and settled them in his palace.

Once Perseus found his mother in tears; she confessed to him that Polydect was forcing her to marry him, and asked her son for protection. Perseus ardently 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. Hit the road 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 sisters of the Gorgons, they live on the edge of the earth, in the Land of Night, all of them are terrible monsters, but Medusa is more terrible than all: instead of hair on her head, poisonous snakes, eyes burn with unbearable fire and are full of such anger 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 shield himself from Medusa's fearsome eyes.

Then, on the road, the swift-footed Hermes, the messenger of Zeus, caught up with him: he told Perseus how to go, and gave him 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 reached the Land of Night. The entrance to this country was guarded by three ancient old women - Graia. They were so old that all three had only one eye and one tooth. And yet they guarded the entrance to the Land of Night well and did not let anyone go there. In turn, they looked with one eye, passing it to each other.

Perseus quietly crept up to the Grays, waited until one of them took out an eye to pass it on to his sister, held out his hand and snatched the precious eye from the old woman. And at once the Grays became powerless blind old women. Plainly they asked Perseus to return their one 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, 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 eye on a stone, and the Graiam 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, which, when worn, could fly over the earth like a bird; the third nymph handed the boy a bag that could contract and expand at the request of the one who carried it.

Perseus hung a bag on his shoulder, shod winged sandals, put a helmet on his head - and, invisible to anyone, rose high into the sky and flew above the ground. Soon he reached the end of the earth and flew for a long time over the deserted surface of the sea, until a lonely rocky island below was blackened. Perseus began to circle over the island and saw sleeping Gorgons on the rock. They had golden wings, scaly iron bodies, and brass hands with sharp claws.

Perseus saw Medusa - she was all the closest to the sea. He sank down on the rock next to her. The snakes on Medusa's head hissed as they sensed an enemy. Medusa woke up, opened her eyes. Perseus turned away so as not to look into those terrible eyes and not turn forever into a dead stone. He raised the shield of Athena, shining like a mirror, pointed it at Medusa and, looking into it, 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 shoved the head of Medusa into his magic bag, pushed the body.

Gorgons into the sea and flew away. Hurrying into Return trip, he quickly crossed the sea and flew over the Libyan desert. Blood from Medusa's head dripped from the bag onto the ground, and each drop turned into a poisonous snake on the sand.

Perseus flew for a long time, was tired and wanted to rest. I saw below green meadows with herds of sheep, cows and bulls, I saw a huge shady garden, in the middle of which there was a tree with golden leaves and fruits, and sank down to this tree. The owner of the garden, the giant Atlas, greeted Perseus unkindly. He was predicted that one day the son of Zeus would come to him and steal golden apples from his beloved tree.

Perseus did not know this prediction and said to the giant:

I am Perseus, son of Zeus and Danae. I killed the fearsome 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.

Atlant instantly petrified, turned into a stone mountain. His head became a rocky peak, his beard and hair became a dense forest at the top, his shoulders became steep cliffs, his arms and legs became rocky ledges. On top of this stone mountain, on the steep cliffs, lay the firmament with all the countless stars. Since then, Atlas has stood there at the end of the earth and holds 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 what have you chained here for?

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, the 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 sailors, drowned ships and devastated the shores of their kingdom. The people were in turmoil and demanded that Cassiopeia appease Poseidon, sacrificing her daughter Andromeda to the monster.

Andromeda was chained to a rock by the sea and left alone. Whiter than the foam of the sea, a girl stood by the cliff and gazed with fear at the sea. Here, under the water, in the depths of the sea, a huge head appeared, a scaly tail flashed. Andromeda screamed in horror. Her father and mother came running to her call and began to cry with her.

Perseus told them:

Give me Andromeda as a 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 - his entire kingdom, if he saves Andromeda.

Meanwhile, a huge fish floated to the surface of the sea and approached the shore, splitting the waves with a noise.

Perseus, on his winged sandals, rose into the air and flew towards the monster. The hero's shadow fell on the water in front of the greedy mouth of the fish. The monster threw itself on this shadow.

Then Perseus, like a bird of prey, fell from a height onto the monster and stabbed him with a sword. The wounded fish raged to rush from side to side, then diving into the depths, then emerging again. The blood stained her sea ​​water, the spray soared up high. 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 and with all his might struck the monster's head with his sword. IN last time splashed a gigantic tail, and the monstrous fish sank to the bottom.

The king and queen and all the people of Ethiopia greeted the hero with joy. The royal palace was decorated with flowers and greenery, lamps were lit everywhere, the bride was dressed up, singers and flutists gathered, filled the cups 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 clatter of swords and war cries. It was with a crowd of soldiers that Andromeda's former fiancé, 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 hit the feasting with their 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 did you not come to the seashore when the monster came to devour her? You left her when she was expecting death - why now come to claim her for yourself?

Phineus did not answer the king and threw a spear at Perseus, but missed - it pierced the edge of the bed where Perseus was sitting. Perseus grabbed the enemy spear and threw it back - in the face of Phineus. Phiney managed to bend down, a spear flew past him and wounded Fineyev's friend. This was the signal for battle. A fierce, bloody battle began. In fear, the king and queen fled away, taking Andromeda with them. Leaning back against the column, with Athena's shield in his hands, Perseus alone fought off the furious crowd. Finally, he saw that he alone could not cope with the whole army, and took out the head of Medusa from his bag.

The warrior, aiming at Perseus, only looked into the face of Medusa - and suddenly froze with an outstretched hand, instantly turned into stone. And everyone who looked at this terrible head stopped, froze, who as he was, petrified forever. So they remained stone statues in the palace of the Ethiopian king.

Perseus with the beautiful Andromeda, hurried off to the island of Serif. After all, Perseus promised Tsar Polydect to bring the head of Medusa.

Arriving on the island of Serif, Perseus learned that his mother Danae was hiding from the persecution of Polydect in the temple, not daring to leave there day or night.

Perseus went to the king's palace and found Polydectus at dinner. The king was sure that Perseus had long since died somewhere in the desert or in the ocean, and was amazed when he saw 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 it, began to laugh. His friends also laughed with him.

Perseus grabbed the head of Medusa from the bag and raised it high.

Here she is - look at her! The king looked - and turned to stone. Perseus did not want to stay on Serif, made an old fisherman the king of the island, who had once fished 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, learning that his grandson was alive and returning home, left his city and hid. Perseus became king in Argos. He returned his sharp sword to Hermes, to Athena her shield, to the good nymphs the invisibility helmet, 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 been wearing it ever since, fixing it on her golden shield.

Once there was a holiday in Argos, and many people gathered to watch the competition 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 prediction came true: the grandson killed his grandfather.

And, although it was an accidental murder, Perseus could no longer inherit the kingdom of the grandfather he had killed and, having buried the king, voluntarily left Argos.

Literature:
Smirnova V. Perseus // Heroes of Hellas, - M .: "Children's Literature", 1971 - p.76-85

Once the king of Argos, Acrisius, was predicted that his daughter Danae would have a son, by whose hand he was destined to perish. To avoid
fulfillment of the prediction, then king Acrisius locked his daughter in a copper-stone dungeon, but Zeus fell in love with Danae, penetrated 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 to take Danae and her baby out of there, to confine them both in a barrel and throw them into the sea. For a long time, the raging waves carried Danae and the child, but Zeus guarded her. Finally she was washed ashore on Serif Island. At this time, a fisherman named Dictis was fishing on seashore fish. He noticed the barrel and pulled it ashore. Having freed Danae and her young son from the barrel, he brought them to his brother, the king of the island Polydectus. He accepted them cordially, left to live in his royal house and began to educate Perseus.
Perseus grew up and became a handsome youth. When Polydectus decided to marry Danae, Perseus obstructed this marriage in every possible way. For this, Tsar Polydect disliked him and decided to get rid of him. He instructed Perseus to perform a dangerous feat - to go to a distant country and chop 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 Sfeno, the other was Euryale, and the third was Medusa, and only this of the three was mortal. These winged serpentine maidens lived in the far 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 very sight.
Tsar Polydect hoped that if young Perseus met Medusa in that distant country, he would never return.
So the brave Perseus set out on a journey in search of these monsters and after long wanderings he finally came to the area of ​​Night and Death, where the father of the terrible gorgons, named Forkis, reigned. Perseus met three old women on the way to the gorgons, who were called grays. They were born with gray hair All three had a single eye and only one tooth, which they shared alternately.

The gorgon sisters were guarded by these graves. Good nymphs lived on the way to them.
Perseus came to the nymphs, and they gave him winged sandals that could easily support him in the air. They also presented him with a bag and a helmet of Hades, made of dog skin, making a person invisible. The cunning Hermes handed him his sword, and Athena gave him a metal shield, smooth as a mirror. Armed with them, Perseus took off on his winged sandals, flew across the ocean and came to the gorgon sisters. When he approached them, the terrible sisters were sleeping at that time; and Perseus cut off the head of Medusa with his sharp sword and threw it into the bag presented to him by the nymphs. Perseus did all this without looking at Medusa - he knew that her gaze could turn him to stone, and he held a mirror-smooth shield in front of him. But as soon as Perseus had time to cut off Medusa's head, the winged horse Pegasus immediately emerged from her body and the giant Chrysaor grew up.
At this time the sisters of Medusa woke up. But Perseus put on his invisibility helmet and flew back in winged sandals, and his terrible gorgon sisters could not catch up.
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, which are found in Libya so much, grew out of her blood.
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 found himself 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 the 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 Zeus's son, began to ask him to accept him. But Atlas remembered the ancient prediction and refused to shelter Perseus and wanted to drive him out. Then Perseus took the head of Medusa from the bag and showed it to Atlanta. The giant could not resist the terrible power of Medusa and petrified with horror. His head became the top of a 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 with all its stars on the shoulders of Atlanta, and from that time on, the giant has been holding this heavy burden.
So after taking revenge on Atlant, 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 Kefei reigned.
Perseus saw the beautiful young Andromeda on the deserted shore, 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 devoured people and livestock.
The oracle predicted that Kefey should give his daughter Andromeda to this terrible monster to be devoured; and now she was chained to the sea rock.
Perseus saw the beautiful Andromeda chained to a rock. She stood motionless, and the wind did not stir her hair, and if there were no tears in her eyes, one could take her for a marble statue.
The astonished Perseus looked at her, went down to her, began to ask the crying girl what her name was, where she was from and why she was chained to a desert rock. Not immediately, but finally the girl told Perseus who she was and why she was chained to this rock.
Suddenly the sea waves rustled and a monster swam out of the depths of the sea. Opening its terrible mouth, it rushed to Andromeda. The girl screamed in horror, King Kefey and Cassiopeia came running to her cry, but they could not save their daughter and began to mourn her bitterly. Then Perseus shouted to them from above:
- I am Perseus, the son of Danae and Zeus, who cut off the head of the terrible Medusa. Promise me to give your daughter to wife if I save her.
Kefey and Cassiopeia agreed to this and promised to give him not only their daughter, but also their entire kingdom to boot.
At this time, the monster swam, cutting the waves like a ship, closer and closer, and now it is almost at the very rock. Then young Perseus rose high into the air, holding his shiny shield in his hand. The monster saw the reflection of Perseus in the water and in a rage rushed at him. Like an eagle that pounces on a snake, so Perseus swooped down on the monster and thrust 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 with a sword blow after blow, and then black blood gushed from the monster's mouth. During the battle, Perseus's wings got wet, with difficulty he flew to the coast and, noticing a rock rising from the sea, escaped on it. Holding on to the 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 her chains.
Delighted, Kefey 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, played flutes and lyres, sang merry songs; the wedding guests listened to the story of the exploits of the hero Perseus.
But suddenly a crowd came to Kefei's house, led by the king's brother Phineus, who had previously wooed Andromeda, but left her during the trouble.
And here Phineus demanded to give him Andromeda. He raised his spear to Perseus, but Kefey obscured him. Then the enraged Phiney threw a 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's warriors, 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 tall column, he struggled to fight off the attacking warriors, but at last he saw that he could not defeat the overwhelming 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. Already the last warrior stands like a stone statue with a spear raised in his hand.

In horror, Phineus saw that his soldiers were petrified. He recognized them in the stone statues, began to call them and, not believing his eyes, touched each of them - but he had only a cold stone at hand.
In horror, Phineus held out his hands to Perseus and asked to spare him. Laughing, Perseus answered him: "You will not be touched by my spear, but I will set you up as a stone monument in the house of my father-in-law." 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 Polydectus into stone, who forced her to marry, and Perseus gave power over the island to his friend Dictis.
Perseus returned the winged sandals to Hermes, and the invisible 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 his 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 land of the Pelasgians, was also present at these games. Here the oracle's prediction finally came true.
Throwing the disc, Perseus accidentally hit his grandfather with it and inflicted a mortal wound on him.
In deep sorrow, Perseus recognized 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.

- END -

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 the Gorgon. The ancient Greek legend about Perseus will be briefly told in the article.

The birth of a hero

In ancient times, the sayings of the oracles were of great importance for 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 hand of his grandson. However, the measures taken on the part of Acrisius did not become a difficult obstacle for the great Zeus, who penetrated the hard-to-reach place where Danae was kept under the guise of a 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 firmly nailed up and thrown into the sea.

Serif

Myths Ancient Greece about Perseus they say that it was not easy for the little future hero together with his mother. After long wanderings across the endless sea, the boarded-up box, thanks to the noisy waves, nevertheless landed on the coast of Serif Island. At that time, the fisherman Dictis was throwing 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 clearly did not expect to see beautiful woman and a lovely baby. Subsequently, Dictis decided to show them to his brother Polydect, who ruled over Serif.

Danae and Polydect

The king of the island, Polydect, received Danae and her son cordially. He left them to live in his luxurious palace. Thus, the childhood and youth of Perseus passed under the tutelage of King Polydectus 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. No guy on the island could match him in anything.

Polydect 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 travel to a distant country to behead Medusa the Gorgon. None of the mortals have ever managed to survive when meeting a terrible monster. Therefore, King Polydect had a one-way mission for Perseus.

Medusa Gorgon and her sisters

According to the myths of Ancient Greece, the sea deity Forkia and his sister Keto had three daughters who looked like serpentine monsters. Euryale and Sfeno were immortal from birth, and only their younger sister Medusa remained vulnerable.

According to legend, Medusa the 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, God still managed to penetrate the girl's shelter in the form of a bird and take possession of her. The enraged goddess unleashed her grudge against Medusa, transforming her into a hideous monster with snake-like hair.

Medusa Gorgon, unlike her sisters, although she was not immortal, but 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 Medusa the Gorgon, as he instantly turned into a stone statue.

Fees of Perseus

According to the myths about Perseus, 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 the Gorgon. The god Hermes, his half-brother, also played an important role in equipping the hero. Thus, before the journey, Perseus became the owner of very valuable artifacts.

The hero received a metal shield from Athena. It was so smooth that it was practically no different from a mirror. Hermes handed him a sharp weapon. The sword of Perseus, like soft wax, chopped even the hardest steel.

Perseus's journey

The young hero needed to get to the western end of the earth, because it was there that the Gorgons lived. Many countries had to pass Perseus 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 her only eye to another, and with a quick movement intercepted it. The sisters had no choice but to tell Persia the whereabouts of the Gorgons.

Before the battle with Medusa the Gorgon, Perseus visited the inhabitants of the legendary northern country Hyperborea. They made a solemn sacrifice for the god Apollo, and also presented Perseus with the hat of Hades, made of a dog's skin. She allowed her to be made completely invisible. In ancient Greek mythology, the cap had great importance, because it was often used by the gods themselves. Also, Perseus was presented with magic sandals, with the help of which it was possible to quickly float above the ground. The donated bag possessed magical abilities to change in size depending on the volume of things put inside. Putting in her sandals and Hades' hat, 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 serpentine monsters lived. When the hero managed to find the Gorgons, they all slept, to his happiness. The mirror-polished shield served Perseus as eyes. With his help, he was able to clearly make out 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 the Gorgon says that the hero's task was complicated by the fact that the deadly sisters were like two drops of water alike. The slightest mistake could cost life, because only one of them did not possess immortality. However, even here the gods of Olympus came to his aid. Quick Hermes told Perseus the exact location of Medusa. Using the mirror shield presented by Athena, the hero cut off the Gorgon's head with his sharp sword with one blow.

Perseus's path home

The myths of Ancient Greece about Perseus contain information that, having thrown the head of Medusa into a magic bag, the hero hurried to get away from the ominous island as soon as possible. However, the body of his victim fell from a cliff into the sea, thereby awakening the two Gorgons. Thanks to the cap of Hades, the hero managed to escape death from winged monsters and leave the island without hindrance.

The way 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, was guarded by 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 a prophecy, ordered him to get out. After that, the angry hero pulled out the head of Medusa from the bag and turned Atlas into a huge stone statue, which began to constantly support the entire firmament.

Salvation of Andromeda

In Ethiopia, the hero decided to take a break after a difficult flight. Just then, the lovely girl Andromeda had to redeem her stupid and arrogant mother. Queen Cassiopeia was proud of her beauty, declaring to everyone that she was the most beautiful. The nymphs asked Poseidon to punish the ruler of Ethiopia and her entire country. The sea god sent a gigantic monster as his punishment, which rose from the depths and devastated everything along 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, the hero felt a strong feeling of love in his heart. Perseus invited her parents to marry their daughter, promising to save her. Having received an approving answer, the hero entered into a stubborn confrontation with the sea monster, striking him one blow with a sword after another. After the end of the terrible battle, all the inhabitants of Ethiopia glorified Perseus.

Perseus's wedding

On the eve of the wedding ceremony, the hero made rich sacrifices to his patrons from Olympus. A luxurious feast took place in 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 ruined after the appearance of Andromeda's first groom 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 the superior forces of the enemy, but he could win only with the help of the head of Medusa. Thus, the statue of Phineus with an expression of fear and slavish supplication in his eyes remained forever in the palace.

Return to Serif and Vengeance to Polydect

Perseus did not stay in Ethiopia for a long time after the bloody battle. Together with his beautiful wife, he hastened to return to his native island. Perseus's mother at this time was in despair, because she had to constantly hide in the temple of Zeus from Polydect. The angry Perseus decided to get even with the king of Serif in full. Entering the palace, Perseus found him at a sumptuous feast. There was no limit to Polydect's surprise, because the king could not even doubt the victory of the Gorgons. The hero told 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 hero's cup of patience was overflowing because of the bullying of Polydect and his friends, he took his head out of the bag and showed everyone an irrefutable proof. After that, the king and all the feasting instantly turned into stone statues.

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 accidentally to the audience. A heavy projectile instantly struck Acrisius to death, thereby fulfilling the oracle's prophecy.

The myth of Perseus in cinema

The famous hero's feat was successfully transferred to the cinema. In 1981, the American adventure film Clash of the Titans was shot. The film was directed by Desmond Davis. And although the American film was somewhat different from the ancient Greek myths, the film adaptation of the feat of Perseus was a tremendous success. The sea monster in "Clash of the Titans" was called the Kraken, which was borrowed from Scandinavian 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 at their best.

In 2010, the American film industry decided to update the film adaptation of the myth of the feat of Perseus. A remake of the 1981 film was also called Clash of the Titans. It was directed by Louis Leterrier and starred by Sam Worthington. In addition to the traditional version, the film was also shown in 3D. If $ 15 million was spent on the 1981 film adaptation, then the remake budget was $ 125 million. The 2010 film was overall successful, grossing $ 493 million.

The creators of the remake also made changes to the ancient Greek myths. 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 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.

When Prometheus stole the divine fire for mortals, taught them arts and crafts and gave them knowledge, life on earth became happier. Zeus, enraged by the act of Prometheus, severely punished him, and sent evil to the people. He commanded the glorious blacksmith god Hephaestus to mix earth and water and make from this mixture a beautiful girl who would have the strength of people, a gentle voice and eyes like those of immortal goddesses. The daughter of Zeus, Pallas Athena, had to weave beautiful clothes for her; the goddess of love, the golden Aphrodite, had to give her an irresistible charm; Hermes - give her a cunning mind and resourcefulness. Immediately, the gods fulfilled the command of Zeus. Hephaestus made an unusually beautiful girl out of the earth. The gods revived her. Pallas Athena with the charites clothed the girl in clothes that shine like the sun and put gold necklaces on her. The ores laid a wreath of fragrant spring flowers on her lush curls. Hermes put false and flattering speeches into her mouth. The gods called her Pandora, since she received gifts from all of them * 1. Pandora had to bring misfortune to people. ___________ * 1 Pandora means - endowed with all gifts. When this evil for people was ready, Zeus sent Hermes to take Pandora to earth to Prometheus's brother, Epimeteus. Wise Prometheus many times warned his unreasonable brother and advised him not to accept gifts from the thunderer Zeus. He was afraid that these gifts would bring grief to people. But Epimetheus did not listen to the advice of his wise brother. Pandora captivated him with her beauty, and he took her as his wife. Soon Epimetheus learned how much evil Pandora had brought with her to people. In the house of Epimetheus there was a large vessel, tightly closed with a heavy lid; no one knew what was in this vessel, and no one dared to open it, since everyone knew that it threatened with trouble. Curious Pandora secretly removed the lid from the vessel, and the calamities that were once contained in it scattered throughout the earth. Only Nadezhda remained at the bottom of the huge vessel. The lid of the vessel slammed shut again, and Nadezhda did not fly out of Epimetheus's house. The thunderer Zeus did not want this. People used to live happily, not knowing evil, hard work and destructive diseases. Now a myriad of calamities have spread among the people. Now both the land and the sea were filled with evil. Uninvited, day and night, evil and disease come to people, and they bring suffering to people. With inaudible steps, they silently come, since Zeus deprived them of the speechlessness - he created evil and diseases dumb. EAC * 1 ___________ * 1 The myth of Eak is especially interesting in that it clearly expresses a vestige of totemism. The myth tells how the Myrmidonian tribe came from ants. The belief that humans can be descended from animals is inherent in primitive religion. Based on Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses" Zeus the Thunderer, having kidnapped the beautiful daughter of the river god Asop, took her to the island of Oinopia, which has since been named after Asop's daughter, Aegina. The son of Aegina and Zeus, Eak, was born on this island. When Eak grew up, matured and became the king of the island of Aegina, no one could equal him throughout Greece either in love of truth or justice. The great Olympians themselves honored Eak and often elected him as a judge in their disputes. After death, Eak, like Minos and Radamant, became, by the will of the gods, a judge in the underworld. Only the great goddess Hera hated Eak. Hera sent a great calamity to the kingdom of Eak. A thick fog enveloped the island of Aegina, and this fog lasted for four months. Finally the south wind dispersed it. But not liberation from calamity, but death was brought by the wind with its breath. From the pernicious fog, an innumerable number of poisonous snakes filled the ponds, springs and streams of Aegina, they poisoned everyone with their poison. A terrible pestilence began on Aegina. All living things died out on it. Only Eak and his sons remained unharmed. In despair, Eak raised his hands to the sky and exclaimed: - Oh, great aegis Zeus, if you really were the spouse of Aegina, if you really are my father and are not ashamed of your offspring, then return my people to me, or hide me in in the gloom of the grave! Zeus gave a sign to Eak that he heeded his plea. Lightning flashed, and a thunderclap rolled across the cloudless sky. Eak understood that his prayer had been heard. Where Eak prayed to his father Zeus, there was a mighty oak dedicated to the Thunderer, and at its roots there was an anthill. Accidentally Eak's eyes fell on the anthill, full of thousands of hard-working ants. Eak watched for a long time as the ants fussed and built their ant city, and said: - Oh, gracious father Zeus, give me as many hardworking citizens as there are ants in this anthill. As soon as Eak uttered this, the oak rustled with its mighty branches in complete calm. Another sign was sent by Zeus to Eak. Night has come. Eak had a wonderful dream. He saw the sacred oak of Zeus, its branches were covered with many ants. The branches of the oak fluttered, and ants rained down from them. Falling to the ground, the ants became larger and larger, so they got to their feet, straightened up, their dark color and thinness disappeared, they gradually turned into people. Eak woke up, he does not believe the prophetic dream, he even complains about the gods that they do not send him help. Suddenly there was a loud noise. Eak hears footsteps, human voices, which he has not heard for a long time. "Isn't this a dream," he thinks. Suddenly his son Telamon runs in, rushes to his father and, joyful, says: - Get out soon, father! You will see a great miracle that you did not expect. Eak came out of peace and saw alive those people whom he saw in his dream. The people who were earlier ants proclaimed Aacus king, and he called them the Myrmidons * 1. So Aegina was settled again. ___________ * 1 From the word myrmex - ant. DANAIDS Basically, it is based on the tragedy of Aeschylus "Those who pray for protection". The son of Zeus and Io, Epaph, had a son Bel, and he had two sons - Egypt and Danai. The entire country irrigated by the blessed Nile was ruled by Egypt, from which this country received its name. Danai ruled in Libya. The gods gave Egypt fifty sons. I give fifty beautiful daughters. They captivated the Danaids of the sons of Egypt with their beauty, and they wanted to marry beautiful girls, but Danai and the Danaids refused them. The sons of Egypt gathered a large army and went to war against Danae. Danai was defeated by his nephews, and he had to lose his kingdom and flee. With the help of the goddess Pallas Athena, Danai built the first fifty-oar ship and set off on it with his daughters into the endless, ever-rustling sea. Danae's ship sailed for a long time on the waves and finally sailed to the island of Rhodes. Here Danai stopped; he went ashore with his daughters, founded a sanctuary for his patroness, the goddess Athena, and made rich sacrifices to her. Danai did not stay in Rhodes. Fearing the persecution of the sons of Egypt, he sailed with his daughters further, to the coast of Greece, to Argolis * 1 - the homeland of his progenitor Io. Zeus himself guarded the ship during a dangerous voyage on the boundless sea. After long way the ship docked at the fertile shores of Argolis. Here Danai and the Danaids hoped to find protection and salvation from the marriage they hated with the sons of Egypt, ___________ * 1 Region in the north-west of the Peloponnese. Under the guise of begging for protection with olive branches in their hands, the Danaids went ashore. There was no one to be seen on the shore. Finally, a cloud of dust appeared in the distance. It was approaching quickly. Already in the cloud of dust one can see the glittering of shields, helmets and spears. The noise of the wheels of war chariots is heard. This is the approach of the army of the king of Argolis, Pelasgus, the son of Palekhton. Announced of the arrival of the ship, Pelasgus came to the seashore with his army. He did not meet the enemy there, but the old man Danae and his fifty beautiful daughters. With branches in hand, they greeted him, begging for protection. Stretching out their hands to him, with eyes full of tears, his beautiful daughters Danae pray to help them against the proud sons of Egypt. In the name of Zeus, the mighty protector of those who pray, they conjure the Danaids of Pelasga not to give them up. After all, they are not strangers in Argolis - this is the homeland of their progenitor Io. Pelasgus is still hesitant - he is afraid of the war with the mighty rulers of Egypt. What should he do? But he is even more afraid of the wrath of Zeus, if, having violated his laws, he repels those who pray in his name of the Thunderer for protection. Finally, Pelasgus advises Danai to go to Argos himself and there put olive branches on the altar of the gods as a sign of a prayer for protection. He himself decides to gather the people and ask their advice. Pelasgus promises the Danaids to make every effort to convince the citizens of Argos to protect them. Exit Pelasgus. The Danaids await with trepidation the decisions of the national assembly. They know how indomitable the sons of Egypt are, how formidable they are in battle; they know what threatens them if the ships of the Egyptians dock on the coast of Argolis. What should they, defenseless maidens, do if the inhabitants of Argos deprive them of shelter and help? Unhappiness is near. The messenger of the sons of Egypt has already arrived. He threatens to take the Danaids to the ship by force, he grabbed one of Dana's daughters by the hand and orders his slaves to seize the others. But here again King Pelasgus appears. He takes the Danaids under his protection, he is not afraid of the fact that the messenger of the sons of Egypt threatens him with war. The death brought Pelasgus and the inhabitants of Argolis the decision to protect Danai and his daughters. Defeated in a bloody battle, Pelasgus was forced to flee to the very north of his vast domains. True, Danae was elected king of Argos, but in order to buy peace from the sons of Egypt, he still had to give them his beautiful daughters as wives. The sons of Egypt splendidly celebrated their wedding with the Danaids. They did not know what fate this marriage brings them. The noisy wedding feast was over; wedding hymns fell silent, marriage torches went out; the darkness of the night enveloped Argos. A deep silence reigned in the city enveloped in sleep. Suddenly, in the silence, there was a dying, heavy groan, here's another, another and another. A terrible atrocity was committed under the cover of night by the Danaids. With the daggers given to them by their father Dan, they pierced their husbands, as soon as sleep closed their eyes. Thus, the sons of Egypt perished a terrible death. Only one of them was saved, the beautiful Linkey. Danae's young daughter, Hypernestra, took pity on him. She was unable to pierce her husband's chest with a dagger. She woke him up and secretly led him out of the palace. Danai came to a violent anger when he learned that Hypermnestra had disobeyed his command. Danai put his daughter in heavy chains and threw her into prison. The court of the elders of Argos gathered to judge Hypernestra for disobeying her father. Danai wanted to put his daughter to death. But the goddess of love herself, the golden Aphrodite, came to the court. She defended Hypernestra and saved her from a cruel execution. Compassionate, loving daughter Danae became Linke's wife. The gods blessed this marriage with numerous offspring of great heroes. Hercules himself, immortal hero Greece, belonged to the Linkea family. Zeus did not want the death of other Danaids either. At the behest of Zeus, Athena and Hermes cleansed the Danaids from the filth of the shed blood. King Danai staged great games in honor of the Olympian gods. The winners in these games received the wives of the daughters of Danae as a reward. But the Danaids still did not escape punishment for their atrocity. They carry her after their death in the dark kingdom of Hades. The Danaids must fill a huge vessel that has no bottom with water. They always carry water, scooping it up in an underground river, and pour it into a vessel. Here, it seems, the vessel is already full, but water flows out of it, and again it is empty. Again the Danaids are set to work, again they carry water and pour it into a vessel without a bottom. And so their fruitless work lasts endlessly. PERSEUS Perseus is one of the most popular heroes in Greece. Many myths have survived about him, which were not told the same everywhere. It is interesting that the ancient Greeks transferred a number of persons acting in these myths to heaven. And now we know such constellations as Perseus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia (Andromeda's mother) and Kefey (her father). Based on Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses" THE BIRTH OF PERSEUS The king of Argos Acrisius, the grandson of Linkeus, had a daughter, Danai, famous for her unearthly beauty. Acrisius was predicted by the oracle that he would die at the hands of the son of Danae. To avoid such a fate, Acrisius built vast chambers deep underground of bronze and stone, and there he imprisoned his daughter Danae so that no one would see her. But the great thunderer Zeus fell in love with her, entered the underground chambers of Danae in the form of a golden rain, and the daughter of Acrisius became the wife of Zeus. From this marriage, a lovely boy was born to Danaya. His mother named him Perseus. Little Perseus did not live long with his mother in the underground chambers. Once Acrisius heard the voice and cheerful laughter of little Perseus. He went down to his daughter to find out why children laugh in her chambers. Acrisius was surprised to see a lovely little boy. How frightened he was when he learned that this was the son of Danae and Zeus. Immediately he remembered the prediction of the oracle. Again he had to think about how to avoid fate. Finally, Acrisius ordered to make a large wooden box, put Danae and her son Perseus in it, filled the box and ordered them to be thrown into the sea. For a long time the box rushed along the stormy waves of the salty sea. Danae and her son were threatened with death. The waves threw the box from side to side, then lifted it high on their crests, then lowered it into the depths of the sea. Finally, the eternally noisy waves drove the box to the island of Serifu * 1. At that time, the fisherman Dictis was fishing on the shore. He just threw a net into the sea. The box got entangled in the nets, and together with them Dictis pulled it ashore. He opened the drawer and, to his surprise, saw in it a strikingly beautiful woman and a lovely little boy. Dictis took them to his brother, the king of Serif, Polydect. ___________ * 1 One of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. He grew up at the palace of King Polydectus Perseus and became a strong, slender youth. Like a star, he shone among the youths of Serif with his divine beauty; no one was equal to him either in beauty, or strength, or dexterity, or courage. PERSEUS KILLS GORGON MEDUSA Polydectus planned to forcibly marry the beautiful Danae, but Danae hated the harsh Tsar Polydectus. Perseus stood up for his mother. Polydect was angry and from that time he thought of only one thing - how to destroy Perseus for him. In the end, the cruel Polydectus decided to send Perseus to fetch the head of the gorgon Medusa. He called Perseus and said to him: - If you are really the son of the Thunderer Zeus, then you will not refuse to perform a great feat. Your heart will not flinch before any danger. Prove to me that Zeus is your father, and bring me the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Oh, I believe Zeus will help his son! Perseus looked proudly at Polydect and calmly replied: - Okay, I'll get you the head of Medusa. Perseus set off on a long journey. He needed to reach the western end of the earth, the country where the goddess of Night and the god of death, Thanat, reigned. Terrible gorgons also lived in this country. Their whole body was covered with scales, shiny and strong as steel. No sword could cut through these scales, only the curved sword of Hermes. The gorgons had huge brass hands with sharp steel claws. On their heads, instead of hair, poisonous snakes were moving, hissing. The faces of the gorgons, with their sharp fangs like daggers, with lips as red as blood, and their eyes burning with rage, were filled with such anger, were so terrible that everyone turned to stone from one glance at the gorgon. On wings with sparkling golden feathers, the gorgons quickly flew through the air. Woe to the person they met! The Gorgons tore him apart with their brass hands and drank his hot blood. A difficult, inhuman feat was to be accomplished by Perseus. But the gods of Olympus could not let him die, the son of Zeus. To his aid came a quick, like thought, messenger of the gods Hermes and the beloved daughter of Zeus, the warrior Athena. Athena gave Perseus a copper shield, so shiny that everything was reflected in it, as in a mirror; Hermes gave Perseus his sharp sword, which cut, like soft wax, the hardest steel. The messenger of the gods showed the young hero how to find the gorgons. Long was the path of Perseus. He passed many countries, saw many peoples. Finally he reached the gloomy country where the old grays lived. They had only one eye and one tooth on all three. They took turns using them. While the eye was at one of the grays, the other two were blind, and the seeing graya led the blind, helpless sisters. When, taking out an eye, the graya passed it next in turn, all three sisters were blind. These grayas guarded the path to the gorgons, only they alone knew it. Perseus quietly crept up to them in the darkness, and on the advice of Hermes, tore out a wonderful eye from one of the edges just at the moment when she passed it to her sister. The grays screamed in horror. Now all three of them were blind. What are they blind and helpless to do? They began to pray to Perseus, conjuring him with all the gods, to give them an eye. They were ready to do everything for the hero, if only he returned their treasure to them. Then Perseus demanded from them for the return of the eye to show him the way to the gorgons. The grays hesitated for a long time, but it was necessary for them to regain their sight, to show this path. So Perseus learned how to get him to the island of the Gorgons, and quickly went on. During the further journey, Perseus came to the nymphs. From them he received three gifts: the helmet of the ruler of the underworld Hades, which made everyone who wore it invisible, sandals with wings, with which one could quickly rush through the air, and a magic bag: this bag alternately expanded, then contracted, looking across the magnitude of what lay in it. Perseus put on winged sandals, the helmet of Hades, threw a wonderful bag over his shoulder and quickly rushed through the air to the island of the Gorgons. Perseus rushed high in the sky. Beneath it was a land with green valleys, along which rivers flowed like silver ribbons. The cities could be seen below, in them the temples of the gods sparkled brightly with white marble. In the distance, mountains covered with green forests rose, and, like diamonds, their summits, covered with snow, burned in the rays of the sun. Perseus rushes in a whirlwind farther and farther. He flies as high as eagles do not fly on their mighty wings. The sea gleamed in the distance like molten gold. Now Perseus is flying over the sea, and the sound of the sea waves with a barely perceptible rustle reaches him. The land is no longer visible. In all directions, wherever the gaze of Perseus is enough, the plain of waters stretches beneath him. Finally, in the blue distance of the sea, an island appeared like a black stripe. He is getting closer. This is the island of Gorgon. Something with an unbearable brilliance sparkles in the rays of the sun on this island. Perseus descended below. Like an eagle, he soars over the island and sees: three terrible gorgons are sleeping on the rock. In a dream, they spread their brass hands, their steel scales and golden wings burn like fire in the sun. The snakes on their heads move a little in a dream, Perseus quickly turned away from the gorgons. He is afraid to see their menacing faces - after all, one look, and he will turn to stone. Perseus took the shield of Athena-Pallas - as in a mirror reflected in him gogons. Which one is Medusa? Gorgons are like two drops of water. Of the three gorgons, only Medusa is mortal, only she can be killed. Perseus thought. Here the quick Hermes helped Perseus. He pointed Medusa to Perseus and quietly whispered in his ear: - Hurry, Perseus! Go down boldly. Vaughn, extreme to the sea Medusa. Chop off her head. Remember, don't look at her! One look and you are lost. Hurry before the gorgons wake up! As an eagle falls from the sky on the intended victim, so Perseus rushed to the sleeping Medusa. He looks into a clear shield in order to strike more accurately. The snakes on Medusa's head sensed an enemy. With a menacing hiss they rose. Medusa stirred in her sleep. She had already opened her eyes. At that moment, like lightning, a sharp sword flashed. With one blow, Perseus chopped off Medusa's head. Her dark blood poured into the rock in a stream, and with streams of blood from Medusa's body the winged horse Pegasus and the giant Chrysaor soared to the sky. Perseus quickly grabbed the head of Medusa and hid it in a wonderful bag. Writhing in the convulsions of death, Medusa's body fell off a cliff into the sea. From the noise of his fall, the sisters of Medusa, Steino and Euryale woke up. Flapping mighty wings, they soared over the island and gaze around with fiery eyes. Gorgons noisily rush through the air, but the murderer of their sister Medusa disappeared without a trace. Not a single living soul can be seen either on the island or far out in the sea. And Perseus quickly rushed, invisible in the helmet of Hades, over the rustling sea. Now he rushes over the sands of Libya. Blood seeped through the bag from Medusa's head and fell in heavy drops onto the sand. From these drops of blood, the sands of poisonous snakes were spawned. Everything around was teeming with them, all living things were fleeing from them; the serpents turned Libya into a desert. PERSEUS AND ATLAS Perseus rushes further and further from the island of the Gorgons. Like a cloud driven by a stormy wind, it rushes across the sky. Finally he reached the country where the son of the titan Iapetus, the brother of Prometheus, the giant Atlas, reigned. Thousands of herds of fine-wooled sheep, cows and steep-horned bulls grazed in the fields of the Atlas. Luxurious orchards grew in his domain, and among the orchards there was a tree with golden branches and foliage, and the apples that grew on this tree were also golden. Atlas kept, like the apple of his eye, this tree, it was his greatest treasure. The goddess Themis predicted to him that the day would come when the son of Zeus would come to him and stole the golden apples from him. Atlas was afraid of this. He surrounded the garden in which the golden tree grew, with a high wall, and at the entrance he set the dragon casting down the flame as a guard. Atlas did not allow foreigners into his possessions - he was afraid that the son of Zeus would appear among them. Perseus flew to him in his winged sandals and turned to Atlas with such friendly words: - Oh, Atlas, accept me as a guest in your house. I am the son of Zeus, Perseus, who killed the gorgon Medusa. Give me a rest from my great feat. When Atlas heard that Perseus was the son of Zeus, he immediately remembered the prediction of the goddess Themis and therefore rudely answered Perseus: - Get out of here! Your lie about a great feat and that you are the son of a thunderer will not help you. Atlas wants to kick the hero out the door. Perseus, seeing that he cannot fight the mighty giant, hurries out of the house himself. Anger rages in the heart of Perseus; Atlas angered him by denying him hospitality and calling him a liar. In anger, Perseus says to the giant: - Well, Atlas, you drive me away! Well, then accept at least a present from me! With these words, Perseus quickly took out the head of Medusa and, turning away, showed it to Atlas. At once the giant turned into a mountain. His beard and hair turned into dense deciduous forests, his arms and shoulders - into high rocks, his head - into the top of a mountain that went into the sky. Since then, Mount Atlas has supported the entire firmament, with all its constellations. Perseus, when she ascended to heaven morning Star , carried on. PERSEUS SAVES ANDROMEDA After a long journey, Perseus reached the kingdom of Kefei, which lay in Ethiopia * 1 on the shores of the Ocean. There, on a rock, at the very shore of the sea, he saw the chained beautiful Andromeda, the daughter of King Kefei. She had to redeem her mother, Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia angered the sea nymphs. Proud of her beauty, she said that she was the most beautiful, Queen Cassiopeia. The nymphs got angry and begged the god of the seas Poseidon to punish Kefei and Cassiopeia. Poseidon sent, at the request of the nymphs, a monster like a gigantic fish. It emerged from the depths of the sea and devastated the possessions of Kefei. The kingdom of Coffee was filled with crying and groans. He finally turned to the oracle of Zeus Ammon * 2 and asked how to get rid of this misfortune. The oracle gave the following answer: ___________ * 1 Ethiopia is a country that, according to the Greeks, lay in the extreme south of the earth. Ethiopia, the Greeks, and then the Romans, called the entire country lying in Africa to the south of Egypt. * 2 Located in the oasis of the Libyan Desert, west of Egypt. - Give your daughter Andromeda to be torn apart by a monster, and then Poseidon's punishment will end. The people, having learned the answer of the oracle, forced the king to chain Andromeda to a rock by the sea. Pale with horror, stood at the foot of the cliff in the heavy shackles of Andromeda; with inexpressible fear she looked at the sea, expecting that a monster was about to appear and tear her to pieces. Tears rolled from her eyes, horror gripped her at the mere thought that she should perish in the color of beautiful youth, full of strength, not having tasted the joys of life. It was her that Perseus saw. He would have taken her for a marvelous statue of white Parian marble if the sea wind had not fluttered her hair and large tears had not fallen from her beautiful eyes. The young hero looks at her with delight, and a powerful feeling of love for Andromeda lights up in his heart. Perseus quickly went down to her and gently asked her: - Oh, tell me, beautiful maiden, whose country is this, tell me your name! Tell me, why are you chained to a rock here? Andromeda told whose fault she had to suffer. The beautiful maiden does not want the hero to think that she is atoning for her own guilt. Andromeda had not yet finished her story, when the deep sea gurgled, and a monster appeared among the raging waves. It raised its head high with a huge gaping mouth. Andromeda screamed loudly in horror. Distraught with grief, Kefey and Cassiopeia ran to the shore. They cry bitterly, hugging their daughter. There is no escape for her! Then the son of Zeus, Perseus, spoke: - You will still have a lot of time to shed tears, little time just to save your daughter. I am the son of Zeus, Perseus, who killed the gorgon Medusa entwined with snakes. Give me your daughter Andromeda as my wife, and I will save her. Kefey and Cassiopeia happily agreed. They were ready to do everything to save their daughter. Kefei even promised him the whole kingdom as a dowry, if only he would save Andromeda. The monster is already close. It quickly approaches the rock, cutting through the waves with its broad chest, like a ship that rushes along the waves, as if on wings, from the flapping of the oars of mighty young rowers. Not further than the flight of the arrow was a monster when Perseus flew high into the air. His shadow fell into the sea, and the monster rushed with fury at the hero's shadow. Perseus boldly rushed from a height to the monster and thrust a curved sword deep into his back. Sensing a grievous wound, the monster rose high in the waves; it beats in the sea like a wild boar surrounded by a pack of dogs with frantic barking; it plunges deep into the water, then floats again. The monster frenziedly strikes the water with its fish tail, and thousands of splashes fly up to the very tops of the coastal cliffs. The sea was covered with foam. Opening its jaws, the monster rushes at Perseus, but with the speed of a seagull he takes off in his winged sandals. Blow after blow he strikes. Blood and water gushed from the jaws of the monster, struck to death. The wings of Perseus's sandals are wet, they barely hold the hero in the air. The mighty son of Danae quickly rushed to the rock that protruded from the sea, grabbed it with his left hand and plunged his sword into the broad chest of the monster three times. A terrible fight is over. Shouts of joy come from the shore. Everyone praises the mighty hero. The eyes were removed from the beautiful Andromeda, and, triumphant, Perseus leads his bride to the palace of her father Kefei. THE WEDDING OF PERSEUS Rich sacrifices were brought by Perseus to his father Zeus, Athena-Pallas and Hermes. A merry wedding feast began at Kefei's palace. Hymenaeus and Eros lit their fragrant torches. The entire Kefei palace is covered with greenery and flowers. The sounds of kifar and lyre are loud, and wedding choirs are thundering. The doors of the palace are wide open. The banquet hall burns with gold. Kefey and Cassiopeia are feasting with the newlyweds, and the whole nation is also feasting. Fun and joy reigns around. At the feast, Perseus talks about his exploits. Suddenly a terrible clang of weapons rang out in the banquet hall. A war cry echoed through the palace, like the sound of the sea, when it surging and beating with its waves driven by a stormy wind against the high rocky coast. It was Andromeda's first fiancé, Phiney, who came with a large army. Entering the palace and shaking his spear, Phiney exclaimed loudly: - Woe to you, bride kidnapper! Neither your winged sandals, nor even Zeus the Thunderer himself will save you from me! Phineus was about to throw a spear at Perseus, but Tsar Kefey stopped him with the words: - What are you doing? What makes you so crazy? So you want to reward the feat of Perseus? Will this be your wedding present? Did Perseus kidnap your bride from you? No, she was kidnapped from you when they took her to a rock, when she was on her way to death. Why didn't you come to her aid then? Do you want to take away his award from the winner now? Why did you not come for Andromeda yourself, when she was chained to a rock, why then did you not take her away from the monster? Phiney did not answer Kefey, he angrily looked at Kefei, then at the beautiful son of Zeus, and, suddenly, straining all his strength, threw a spear at Perseus. A spear flew past and stabbed into the bed of Perseus. The young hero pulled it out with a mighty hand, jumped up from his bed and threateningly brandished his spear. He would have struck Phineus to death, but he hid behind the altar, and the spear hit the head of the hero Reth, and he fell dead. A terrible battle began to boil. The warrior Athena was quickly brought from Olympus to the aid of her brother Perseus. She covered him with her umbrella and breathed invincible courage into him. Perseus rushed into battle. Like lightning, the deadly sword with which he killed Medusa gleams in his hands. One after another, he strikes the death of the heroes who have come with Phineus. A mountain of bodies covered in blood piles up in front of Perseus. He grabbed with both hands a huge bronze bowl, in which wine was mixed for a feast, and threw it at the head of the hero Eurytos. As if struck by thunder, the hero fell, and his soul flew off into the kingdom of the shadows. Heroes fall one after another, but Phiney brought many of them with him. Perseus is a stranger in the kingdom of Kefei, he has few comrades in the battle, almost alone he has to fight many enemies. Many of Perseus's companions have already fallen in this fierce battle. Killed, struck by a spear, and the singer, who sweet-sounding singing delighted the feasting, playing the golden-stringed cithara. Falling, the singer touched the strings of the cithara, and the strings rang sadly, like a dying groan, but the clatter of swords and the groans of the dying drowned out the ringing of the strings. Arrows fly like hail, driven by the wind. Leaning against the pillar and hiding behind the shining shield of Athena, Perseus fights against the enemies. And they surrounded the hero from all sides; the battle around him is getting fiercer. Seeing that he was threatened with imminent death, he exclaimed loudly mighty son Danae: - I will find help from the enemy I have fought! You yourself forced me to seek his protection! Quickly turn away all who are my friend! Perseus quickly took out the head of the gorgon Medusa from the wonderful bag and raised it high above his head. One by one, the heroes attacking Perseus turn into stone statues. Some of them turned to stone, swinging a sword to pierce the chest of the enemy, others - shaking sharp spears, others - covered with shields. One glance at Medusa's head turned them into marble statues. The entire banquet hall was filled with marble statues. Fear gripped Phineas when he saw that all his friends had turned to stone. Falling to his knees and stretching out his hands in supplication to Perseus, Phineus exclaimed: - You won, Perseus! Oh, hide the awful head of Medusa as soon as possible, I pray you - hide it. ABOUT, great son Zeus, take everything, own everything, only leave one life to me! Perseus answered Phineus with a sneer: - Do not be afraid, miserable coward! My sword will not slay you. I will give you a reward for eternity! You will forever be standing here in Kefei's palace, so that my wife will be comforted by looking at the image of her first groom. The hero extended the head of Medusa to Phineus, and no matter how hard Phineus tried not to look at the terrible gorgon, his gaze fell on her, and instantly he turned into a marble statue. Phineus, turned to stone, stands, bowing like a slave before Perseus. The expression of fear and slavish entreaty has been preserved forever in the eyes of the article-Phineus. RETURN OF PERSEUS TO SERIF Perseus did not stay long after this bloody battle in the kingdom of Kefei. Taking with him the beautiful Andromeda, he returned to Serif to the king Polydect. Perseus found his mother Danae in great grief. Fleeing from Polydect, she had to seek protection in the temple of Zeus. She did not dare to leave the temple for a single moment. The enraged Perseus came to Polydect's palace and found him with friends at a sumptuous feast. Polydect did not expect Perseus to return, he was sure that the hero died in the fight against the Gorgons. King Serif was surprised when he saw Perseus before him, and he calmly said to the king: - Your order is fulfilled, I brought you the head of Medusa. Polydect did not believe that Perseus had accomplished such a great feat. He began to mock the godlike hero and called him a liar. Mocked Perseus and friends of Polydect. Anger boiled in the chest of Perseus, he could not ask for an insult. Menacingly flashing his eyes, Perseus took out the head of Medusa and exclaimed: - If you don’t believe, Polydect, then here’s proof for you! Polydect glanced at the gorgon's head and instantly turned to stone. The king's friends who feasted with him did not escape this fate. PERSEUS IN ARGOS Perseus handed over power over Serif to Polydect's brother, Dictis, who once saved him with his mother, and himself with Danae and Andromeda went to Argos. When Perseus's grandfather, Acrisius, learned about the arrival of his grandson, remembering the prediction of the oracle, he fled far north to Larissa. Perseus began to rule in his native Argos. He returned the helmet of Hades, winged sandals and a wonderful bag to the nymphs, and returned to Hermes his sharp sword. He gave the head of Medusa to Pallas Athena, and she fixed it on her chest, on her sparkling shell. Perseus ruled happily in Argos. His grandfather Acrisius did not escape what was determined to him by inexorable fate. Once Perseus arranged magnificent games. Many heroes gathered at them. The elderly Akrisiy was also among the spectators. During the competition in throwing a heavy disc, Perseus threw a bronze disc with his mighty hand. High, to the very clouds, a heavy disk flew up, and falling to the ground, hit with terrible force in the head of Acrisius and struck him to death. This is how the oracle's prediction came true. Full of grief, Perseus buried Acrisius, lamenting that he had become an unwitting murderer of his grandfather. Perseus did not want to rule in Argos, the kingdom of Acrisius killed by him; he went to Tiryns * 1 and reigned there for many years. Perseus gave Argos to his relative Megapenta. ___________ * 1 One of the oldest cities in Greece, located in Argolis. SIZIF Set out from the poems: "Iliad" by Homer and "Heroine" Ovidia Sisyphus, the son of the god of all the winds Aeolus, was the founder of the city of Corinth, which in ancient times was called Ether. No one in all of Greece could equal Sisyphus in deceit, cunning and resourcefulness of mind. Sisyphus, through his cunning, amassed innumerable riches in his Corinth; the fame of his treasures spread far. When the god of death, the gloomy Thanat, came to him in order to bring him down to the sad kingdom of Hades, Sisyphus, feeling the approach of the god of death even earlier, cunningly deceived the god Thanat and fettered him in chains. Then people stopped dying on earth. There were no large, lavish funerals anywhere; stopped making sacrifices to the gods of the underworld. The order established by Zeus was violated on earth. Then the thunderer Zeus sent the mighty god of war Ares to Sisyphus. He freed Thanat from the shackles, and Thanat plucked out the soul of Sisyphus and took her to the kingdom of the shadows of the dead. But here, too, the cunning Sisyphus managed to help himself. He told his wife not to bury his body and not offer sacrifice to the subterranean gods. Sisif's wife obeyed her husband. Hades and Persephone waited a long time for the burial victims. All of them are not! Finally, Sisyphus approached the throne of Hades and said to the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, Hades: - Oh, the ruler of the souls of the dead, great Hades, equal in power to Zeus, release me to the bright land. I will tell my wife to bring you rich sacrifices and return back to the kingdom of shadows. So Sisyphus deceived the lord of Hades, and he let him go to earth. Sisyphus did not return, of course, to the kingdom of Hades. He remained in his magnificent palace and feasted merrily, rejoicing that one of all mortals was able to return from the dark kingdom of shadows. Hades got angry, he again sent Thanat for the soul of Sisyphus. Thanat appeared in the palace of the most cunning of mortals and found him at a sumptuous feast. Pluck the soul of Sisyphus, the god of death, hateful to gods and people; forever flew away now the soul of Sisyphus in the kingdom of shadows. Sisyphus bears a heavy punishment in the afterlife for all the deceit, for all the deceptions that he committed on earth. He is condemned to roll a huge stone onto a high, steep mountain. Straining all his strength, Sisyphus works. Sweat streams from him from hard work. The top is getting closer; another effort, and the work of Sisyphus will be finished; but a stone breaks out of his hands and rolls down noisily, raising clouds of dust. Sisyphus is taken to work again. This is how Sisyphus rolls the stone forever and can never reach the goal - the top of the mountain.