Perseus: A Greek Mythological Hero
Perseus is one of the oldest mythological heroes in Greek who existed several generations before Hercules. In the Greek mythology, Perseus is a hero, born in an ordinary world. According to the tale, he managed to slay the Gorgon Medusa and rescue Andromeda from a sea monster. He was the son of the Zeus and Danae, Zeus was believed to be a god while Danae was said to be a mortal making Perseus assumed to be a semi-god (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). Danae was the princess of Argos, daughter of Acrisius, the ruler of Argos. Acrisius had been prophesied that he would die at the hands of his grandson, so in an attempt to prevent this, he locked up his only daughter Danae and denied her the permission to marry. However, that did not stop Zeus from reaching her, according to the tale, he came in the form of a golden shower and carried her way (Arthur and Joad). After several years, the two were blessed with a son, an event that made Acrisius more paranoid. Desperate to keep her kingdom, Acrisius locked baby Perseus and his mother in a box and cast them into the sea.
Perseus' Journey Begins
Opposite to the expectations of many, Danae and her son experienced calm seas, and they eventually came to shores of Seriphos. The Greek legends argued that Perseus ensured their survival by communicating to the God of the Sea, Poseidon, who calmed all the sea waves. (Greek God and Goddesses). On the shore, they met a fisherman by the name Diktys, who helped raise Perseus. Danae and his son settled in Seriphos until Perseus was a fully grown man. He became very popular especially among his peers due to his physical strength and courage. Danae, on the other hand, became romantically involved with Diktys brother, King Polydectes. However, Perseus was against the affair, so, King Polydectes started plotting a way to get rid of Perseus. King Polydectes organized a fake wedding, and in that wedding, Perseus was overheard boasting of his ability to kill Medusa, the mortal Gorgon. The boastful statement gave the king an opportunity to get rid of him. The king presented Perseus with a challenge to shoot Medusa or else he would take possession of Danae. The event did not only test Perseus pride and courage, but it also marked a stage in his journey known as the call to adventure.
Perseus Meets His Mentor
Unlike most mythical tales, the step, refusal of the call is not applicable in the Perseus tale, and this is because he accepted the king's challenge wholly heartedly in spite of the fact that all odds were against him (Bronzite). Medusa was one of the three Gorgon sisters who were feared for their ability to turn men to rock with just a look. Moreover, their hair, which was made of poisonous snakes. Out of the three Gorgon sisters, only Medusa was mortal. However, no man at the time knew how to kill her. After Perseus wonder for days without knowing where to start, Athena and Hermes visited him, an event that marked a crucial step in his journey known as meeting the mentor. The two gave him a shield made of brass and instructed him to look for the Graiai since they had all the answers he was looking for at the moment (Campell 63). The Graiai were three sisters, brought together by fate, they shared one tooth and one eye (Sutherland). Perseus meeting with the Graiai is usually referred as the crossing of the threshold since it marked his genesis in the mythological world. To get leverage on the three sisters, Perseus stole their eye and promised to return it if only they gave him the information on how to kill Medusa and where to find the Hades' cap. The Hades' cap was magical, and also made a person invisible when he wore it. He also demanded that they give him winged sandals that would enable him to fly and a kibisis that he was to use to carry the Medusa's head.
Perseus Confronts Medusa
Medusa lived at the end of the world in a place called the land of Hyperborean. The ocean surrounded the place, but thanks to Perseus winged sandals, he was able to fly to the exact location, a phenomenon known as the approach. He silently sneaked into the three sisters' house and beheaded Medusa using a sickle, which marked a step in his journey known as the reward, seizing the sword. However, in the process of killing Medusa, there was a confrontation which alerted Medusa's sisters, Euryale and Sthenno. They immediately attacked Perseus and almost subdued him. Luckily, the God Athena came to his aid and helped him escape with Medusa's head (Arthur and Joad). According to the myth, the event was so significant since it not only marked the end of Medusa, but it also signified the birth of Pegasus and Chrysaor. Chrysaor and Pegasus were two winged horses that were believed to have emerged from Medusa's neck.
The Return of Perseus
Just like the refusal of the call, the ordeal, death and rebirth step is not fully applicable in Perseus's tale since there is no spiritual, emotional or physical rebirth in the myth. However, there is a number of deaths in the tale, for instance, the death of Acrisius, Polydectes, and Medusa. Having killed Medusa, Perseus was triumphant and was so eager to share his victory news with his mother, however, on his way back to Seriphos, he met a stunning girl by the name Andromeda, who was the daughter of Cepheus, the king of Ethiopia. Perseus and Andromeda's encounter marked an important step in Perseus's journey known as the road back. Andromeda's mother, Cassiopeia tended to brag of how beautiful her daughter was, where she compared her with Nereids. Nereids were female spirits which resided in the sea. Her action angered Poseidon, the God of the sea, who sent the flood to Ethiopia. After the flood had done massive destruction, Poseidon sent a sea monster which terrorized the whole of Ethiopia. The king's advisors advised him that the only way to stop the havoc was to offer her daughter as a sacrifice to the God of the Sea. Out of options, Cepheus delivered her daughter to the sea monster. She was chained to the shores and left alone. At that point, is when Perseus saw her and immediately fell in love with her. Perseus volunteered to slay the sea monster and in correspondence, get Andromeda's hand in marriage. Lucky for Perseus, he had Medusa's head in his kibisis which he showed the beast, and it immediately turned to stone (Greek God and Goddesses).
Perseus's Triumph and Return
Perseus was thrilled by his victory, however, to his surprise, Phineus, King Cepheus's brother, claimed Andromeda's hand in marriage where he argued that she had been promised to him for years. Perseus was disappointed to the extent that he used Medusa's head on Phineus. Immediately after marrying Andromeda, Perseus continued his journey to Seriphos. Upon his arrival, which marked the resurrection stage of his journey, he discovered that King Polydectes had violated their agreement and that Dictys and Danae had sought refuge in the temple (Daly and Contejean). Perseus was very furious, and he confronted Polydectes. After a heated argument, Perseus showed the king the head of Medusa, and he turned to stone making him the third victim. Following King Polydectes's death, Diktys became the king, and Perseus presented Medusa's head to God Athena as a gift.
The Return to Argos
Perseus, Andromeda, and Danae eventually returned to Argos, a step in Perseus's journey known as the return with the elixir. However, they did not meet Danae's father, King Acrisius. At the time, King Acrisius was in Larissa, Greece and since Perseus was in need of reconciliation, he packed his belonging and went to search for him. Upon arrival, he found out that funeral games were going on which he decided to participate. As he was competing in the discus throwing event, the discus went off the track and killed his grandfather Acrisius. The game saw the fulfilling of the prophecy (Daly and Contejean). The accident negatively affected Perseus since he had no intention of killing his grandfather.
Perseus's Legacy
After the prophesized death came to pass, Perseus was ashamed of claiming the Argos kingdom. He instead decided to trade the Argos kingdom for Tiryns kingdom which was his uncles', Megapenthes kingdom (Greek God and Goddesses). From there, he formed a great empire with Mycenae as its capital which he ruled together with Andromeda. It is important to note that the Greek legends do vary when it comes to this part of his story. The myth says that Perseus died of old age and since he had served the Gods diligently, he was placed in the skies together with Cassiopeia and Andromeda where they lived forever.
The Themes in Perseus's Journey
The Greek mythical tale is based around adventure tales, high stakes, drama and original characters, for instance, Medusa who is portrayed as so terrible that by one look, she would turn a person into a rock. In the case of Perseus, he is an example of an actual Greek hero, who is willing to risk his life to save that of his family and exact revenge to those who wrong him. The mythical tale also depicts the imaginative nature of the Greek mythology, for instance, under crossing the threshold step where Gray sisters share one tooth and one eye. Also, the story illustrates the benefits of honorable behavior. For instance, the Gods seem to be pleased with Dictys hospitality, and they reward him by making him king after the death of King Polydectes. Lastly, the tale exemplifies the inescapable nature of prophecies and fate. For instance, despite all the drastic measures that Acrisius took in an attempt to overturn the prophecy, Perseus still killed him, even though it was by accident.
Works Cited
Arthur, King, and Tom Joad. "A Hero’s Journey: Perseus." Advanced English @ EAWR, 16 Sept. 2012, eawrap.wordpress.com/2012/09/16/a-heros-journey-perseus/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2018.
Bronzite, Dan. "The Hero's Journey - Mythic Structure of Joseph Campbell's Monomyth." Learn Screenwriting, 2018, www.movieoutline.com/articles/the-hero-journey-mythic-structure-of-joseph-campbell-monomyth.html. Accessed 10 Apr. 2018.
Campbell, Joseph. The hero with a thousand faces. Vol. 17. New World Library, 2008.
Daly, Elise, and Nayla Contejean. "Joseph Campell's "The Hero's Journey": Perseus." Prezi.com, 2 June 2016, prezi.com/fgazrh8sywlz/joseph-campells-the-heros-journey-perseus/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2018.
Greek God and Goddesses. "Perseus Perseus • Facts and Information on the Greek Hero Perseus." Greek Gods " Goddesses, 11 Feb. 2017, greekgodsandgoddesses.net/heroes/perseus/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2018.
Sutherland, A. "Graeae: Three Sisters Of Fate Who Shared One Eye And Tooth In Greek Mythology." Ancient Pages, 11 June 2017, www.ancientpages.com/2016/06/08/graeae-three-sisters-fate-shared-one-eye-tooth-greek-mythology/.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Perseus | Greek Mythology." Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Feb. 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/Perseus-Greek-mythology. Accessed 10 Apr. 2018.
