In greek mythology, perseus is the legendary founder of mycenae and of the perseid dynasty. Perseus is a major hero from greek mythology best known for his clever decapitation of medusa, the monster who turned all who looked at her face into stone. Medusa and athena ancient greek goddesses greek mythology duration. Greek mythology heros journey of perseus storyboard. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of mythology and what it means. Join a live hosted trivia game for your favorite pub trivia experience done virtually. Edith hamilton students who enjoy reading greek and. He then sought out the ancient graeae and stealing their single eye compelled them to reveal the location of the gorgons. In ancient greek mythology, the olympians were the gods who presided over every aspect of human. Polydectes asked perseus to slay and behead the gorgon medusa and bring back her head as his gift. Atlas name is of unsure probably pre greek origin, but the ancient greeks and romans seem to have thought it had been derived from a similarsounding greek root with the meaning of very enduring. The adventures of perseus have been told, and retold, over the millennia, and even today his story regularly appears on the big screen. The arachne is a creature from greek mythology, whose name was later used for words like arachnid and arachnophobia. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Polydectes, the king of seriphus, wishes to marry danae, and plots to get rid of perseus because he may object. With the help of the gods, perseus obtained winged sandals, an invisible helm and a magical sword. The myth of perseus and medusa explained greek mythology. Thomas bulfinchs study of greek and roman mythology, was first published in 1855. Perseus is one of the greatest heroes spoken of in greek mythology, for perseus was the famed vanquisher of the gorgon medusa. He sought revenge when necessary and proved himself to be honorable and clever. Perseus 1 beheaded medusa 1, and later founded the city of mycenae, where he became king. Greek myths famous stories, myths and legends of ancient. He famously slew the dreaded gorgon medusa whose gaze could turn men to stone, an exploit he swiftly followed up with the daring rescue of the princess andromeda from a monstrous seacreature sent by poseidon to terrorize the kingdom of ethiopia. The heroic tale of perseus includes many elements of the classic greek epicsibling rivalry, a. As perseus deals with the gray women, we see the imaginative nature of greek mythology. A summary of part three, chapters iii in edith hamiltons mythology. Perseus 1 was, as a child, cast into the sea in a chest together with his mother, whom zeus had visited in the form of a stream of gold when she was held isolated. Perseus in greek mythology greek legends and myths.
The graeae are a trio of sisters in greek mythology, and indeed are one of the most famous triumvirates, alongside the likes of the gorgons, to appear in the tales of ancient greece. A dictionary of greek and roman biography and mythology. Greek myths famous stories, myths and legends of ancient greece. Greek mythologyheroesperseus wikibooks, open books for. The story of how medusa was killed by perseus is one of the most thrilling stories in greek mythology. Next to the characters name, write down who they are and what they did. Perseus would eventually force the secret from the graeae, but even then the home of the gorgons remained known only to perseus. Afterward, locked in a wooden chest, both were thrown into the sea by danae s father acrisius, who had known. Students who enjoy reading greek and roman mythology as part of their english classes have. Fearing that, he hid his daughter danae in a chamber underground. Oct 21, 2012 perseus was one of the greatest and oldest panhellenic heroes of greek mythology. By accident, they say, perseus 1 killed his grandfather, the man who had sent him and his mother into exile. If an internal link for a specific greek mythology article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended greek mythology article, if one exists. Perseus, having grown up on the island of seriphos, was now quested by king polydectes to bring forth the head of the gorgon medusa.
This was a closely guarded secret, a secret known only to the three graeae, sisters of the gorgons. Myth of atlas and perseus roman and greek gods and. One of my favorites is the medusa story, sometimes referred to as perseus and the gorgon medusa. Pdf the complete world of greek mythology download full. The graeae in greek mythology greek legends and myths. Perseus with the head of medusa by benvenuto cellini, wikimedia commons. Perseus was one of the most celebrated heroes of greek mythology. Greek text available at the perseus digital library. The perseus digital library is a partner and supporter of open greek and latin, an international collaboration committed to creating an open educational resource featuring a corpus of digital texts, deepreading tools, and opensource software. Perseus and medusa photo by nightowl on pixabay, perseus and medusa. Mythology succeeds like no totally different book in bringing to life for the trendy reader the greek, roman, and norse myths and legends that are the keystone of western custom the tales of gods and heroes which have impressed human creativity from antiquity to the. Greek myth attempts to explain the origins of the world, and details the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses.
In the greek myths, atlas bore the weight of the heavens on his shoulders, a punishment given to him. The greek myth of perseus and medusa tells the story of how perseus used the gifts of the gods and his own courage to kill the monster medusa, rescue andromeda, and save his mother from an. Adapted from the myths and legends of ancient greece and rome by e. In her books, hamilton made ancient cultures accessible to a wide range of readers. Perseus was the demigod offspring of the unusual union between zeus and danae. Like most of the mythological heroes, the genealogy of perseus makes him the son of a god and a mortal. In greek mythology, perseus serves as a reminder of bravery and great strength. He is best known for having slain the gorgon medusa, which resulted. The myth of perseus and medusa is one of the best thrillerlike tales in greek mythology with a promising plot that gets more complicated as the story progresses, this myth has a typical hollywoodlike scenario with the main character not being born yet at the moment when his destiny was determined. In greek mythology, various old texts are used as references along with centuries old artifacts and drawings. Sep, 2019 the story of how medusa was killed by perseus is one of the most thrilling stories in greek mythology. Olympus in the form of a stream of gold, which poured through the roof of the chamber, and soon danae had a baby named perseus. Perseus perseus facts and information on the greek hero perseus.
The story of medusa from greek mythology guy counseling. According to the myth, arachne was a very famous and talented weaver. Medusa, in greek mythology, the most famous of the monster figures known as gorgons. As an educator and counselor, i often use tales from classic greek mythology as a way of relating common themes that speak to the human condition. He was the son of the argive princess danae who was locked away in a bronze chamber by her father akrisios acrisius who lived in fear of a prophecy that he would one day be killed by her son.
The adventures of perseus the national gallery, london. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. He received a mirrorlike shield to take on his journey. Hers is a cautionary tale about pride that we can all learn from. In ancient greek mythology, the olympians were the gods who presided over every aspect of human existence after dethroning the titans who had preceded them. This article includes a list of greek mythological figures with the same or similar names. Favorite greek myths the light which comes from the sun, while helios was the god of the sun itself. The story begins on the island of seriphus, the home of perseus and his mother, danae. The gorgons might have had a deadly reputation in greek mythology, but they only come to prominence when the path of the hero perseus crosses that of the monsters. The story of perseus begins in the greek kingdom of argos, at a. Ancient greek myths for kids andromeda, perseus, and the sea god, poseidon. He is best known as the slayer of the gorgon medusa, a fearsome monster, and as the rescuer of the ethiopian princess andromeda.
Perseus was born to the god, zeus, and mortal woman, danae, making him a demigod with great strength and intelligent ingenuity. The only son of zeus and danae and, thus, a halfgod by birth perseus was one of the greatest heroes in greek mythology, most renowned for beheading the only mortal gorgon, medusa, and using her severed head capable of turning onlookers into stone as a mighty weapon in his subsequent adventures. Several other book followed including her most famous work, mythology 1942. Learn perseus greek mythology with free interactive flashcards. She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of hair consisting of snakes. Contents 8 introduction vii map of the greek world, c. The story of perseus long ago, king acrisius of argos learned from an oracle that he would one day be killed by his grandson. He famously slew the dreaded gorgon medusa whose gaze could turn men to stone, an exploit he swiftly followed up with the daring rescue of the princess andromeda from a monstrous seacreature sent by poseidon to terrorize the kingdom of ethiopia perseus is perhaps the oldest of the greek heroes with. A new translation of an important text for greek mythology used as a source book by classicists from antiquity to robert graves, the library of greek mythology is a complete summary of early greek myth, telling the story of each of the great families of heroic. Mythology succeeds like no totally different book in bringing to life for the trendy reader the greek, roman, and norse myths and legends that are the keystone of western custom the tales of gods and heroes which have impressed human creativity from antiquity to the present. Perseus and the legends of argos oxford university press. The fame of the graeae though, comes primarily for the fact that they appear in the adventures of the legendary hero perseus. Perseus, athena and head of medusa, apulian redfigure krater c4th b. Perseus, in greek mythology, the slayer of the gorgon medusa and the rescuer of andromeda from a sea monster.
Edith hamilton students who enjoy reading greek and roman. Myth of perseus roman and greek gods and goddesses. Perseus achilles aphrodite apollo persephone pandora athena ares artemis demeter hermes hecate daedalus iris nike icarus hades please choose a greek god or goddess from the list for your project. Choose from 500 different sets of perseus greek mythology flashcards on quizlet. Despite being aided by the gods, including athena, hermes and hephaestus, perseus first had to find out where the gorgons were to be found. King polydectes commanded he fetch the head of medusa. Perseus is also said to be an ancestor of hercules and the asian race of the persians. Because the gorgons could turn anybody to stone by looking in their eyes, perseus cleverly looked in the shield, so that medusa couldnt look directly into his eyes. He was, alongside cadmus and bellerophon, the greatest greek hero and slayer of monsters before the days of heracles. Perseus was the son of zeus and danae, the daughter of acrisius of argos. A wellpresented resource that introduces 5 wellknown greek fables. Check out this fun free greek mythology word search, free for use at home or in school this is a printable greek mythology word search pdf file, just click on the image to open the pdf, you can save it or print it.
When he heard that perseus was half god, and his father was the mighty zeus, the king of all the gods. Image courtesy of gordon johnson via pixabay james calvert inm307 information resources and documentation assignment the greek myths key stage 2 resources. For example, in one version of the story of perseus, the oracles prophecy was fulfilled when perseus showed medusas head to acrisius to prove that he had actually slain her. The greek myth of perseus and medusa tells the story of how perseus used the gifts of the gods and his own courage to kill the monster medusa, rescue andromeda, and save his mother from an unwelcome marriage. The gorgons in greek mythology greek legends and myths. Apparently the persians knew the story as xerxes tried to use it to bribe the argives during his invasion of greece, but ultimately failed to do so. Jul 15, 2019 perseus is a major hero from greek mythology best known for his clever decapitation of medusa, the monster who turned all who looked at her face into stone.
Acrisius, scared that perseus will grow up to kill him, throws perseus and danae. He would become one of the great heroes in greek mythology because of his ability to behead the monster, medusa. As you read this myth, look for examples of perseuss bravery. The short mythical story of perseus is one of the famous legends that feature in the mythology of ancient civilizations. The story of perseus and medusa does not exist outside of the specific. Greek heroes on including achilles, actaeon, aeneas, atlanta, bellerophon, dioscuri, heracles, jason, meleager, odysseus, peleus, perseus etc. Perseus perseus facts and information on the greek hero. You will need to research the following facts about your godess to complete your project.
We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. He beheaded the gorgon medusa for polydectes and saved andromeda from the sea monster cetus. As an infant he was cast into the sea in a chest with his mother by acrisius, to whom it had been prophesied that he would be killed by his grandson. Greek mythologyheroesperseus wikibooks, open books for an. Perseus, one of the most famous of the legendary heroes of ancient times, was the son of zeus and danae, daughter of acrisius, king of argos. Discover the myths about the ancient gods, goddesses, demigods and heroes and the terrifying monsters and creatures they encountered on their perilous journeys and quests. He consistently overcame obstacles of all sizes and defended his loved ones. These famously include the slaying of the sea monster cetus which led to the rescuing of. Th e rays of sunlight, which might sometimes be seen across a dark cloud, were apollos golden arrows. Perseus, one of the most famous of the legendary heroes of ancient times, was the. Greek mythology is told through a large collection of written texts, and in greek representational arts, such as vasepaintings and sculpture. The story of atlas and perseus is featured in the book entitled the age of fable, or stories of gods and heroes by thomas bulfinch. If an internal link for a specific greek mythology article referred you to this page, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended greek mythology article, if. In 1930 she published her first book, the greek way.
Greek,507,448 words italian 178 words latin 10,525,338 words old english 1 word other 3,479 words. Theres very little to fear about the story of arachne, however. Moreover, when perseus actually defeats them, the story underscores the recurring theme of human ingenuity. Perseus, the maiden medusa, and the imagery of abduction.
Materials copies of medusa picture the story of perseus handout markers, pens, or pencils aluminum foil blank paper cardboard or posterboard scissors permanent markers tape or glue mirror preparation 1. Perseus, probably using medusas head, turned him into the stony atlas mountains. The greek forces try to cut off the trojans supply routes and. Perseus is one of the greatest heroes of greek mythology.
Perseus was one of the greatest and oldest panhellenic heroes of greek mythology. Play sporcle s virtual live trivia to have fun, connect with people, and get your trivia on. These distinct characters, sharing one eye, all shades of gray, last in the readers mind and expand the universe which the mythology depicts. King polydectes tricks perseus into promising to bring back the head of medusa, one of the dreaded gorgons.
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