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{{Short description|Ancient Greek hero and founder of Mycenae}}
{{other uses|Perseus (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Greek
| name = Perseus
| image = Firenze.Loggia.Perseus02.JPG
| alt = 
| caption = ''[[Perseus with the Head of Medusa]]'' by [[Benvenuto Cellini]] (1554)
| god_of = King of [[Ancient Argos|Argos]]<br />Founder and king of [[Mycenae]]<br />Slayer of [[Medusa]] and [[Cetus (mythology)|Cetus]]
| abode = [[Serifos|Seriphus]], then [[Ancient Argos|Argos]]
| symbol = Medusa's head
| consort = [[Andromeda (mythology)|Andromeda]]
| parents = [[Zeus]] and [[Danaë]]
| siblings = [[Zeus#Offspring|Several paternal half-siblings]]
| children = [[Perses (son of Andromeda and Perseus)|Perses]], [[Heleus]], [[Alcaeus (mythology)|Alcaeus]], [[Sthenelus (son of Perseus)|Sthenelus]], [[Electryon]], [[Mestor]], [[Cynurus]], [[Gorgophone (Perseid)|Gorgophone]], [[Autochthe]]
| Roman_equivalent = 
}}
{{Contains special characters}}
{{Greek mythology sidebar}}

In [[Greek mythology]], '''Perseus''' ({{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|p|ɜː|r|.|s|i|.|ə|s|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Perseus.wav}}, {{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|p|ɜː|.|sj|uː|s}}; [[Greek language|Greek]]: Περσεύς, [[Romanization of Greek|translit.]] Perseús) is the legendary founder of the [[Perseids (mythology)|Perseid]] dynasty. He was, alongside [[Cadmus]] and [[Bellerophon]], the greatest [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] [[hero]] and slayer of monsters before the days of [[Heracles]].<ref>[[Karl Kerenyi|Kerenyi, Karl]], 1959. ''The Heroes of the Greeks'' (London: Thames and Hudson) p. 75.</ref> He beheaded the [[Gorgons|Gorgon]] [[Medusa]] for [[Polydectes]] and saved [[Andromeda (mythology)|Andromeda]] from the sea monster [[Cetus (mythology)|Cetus]]. He was a [[demigod]], being the son of [[Zeus]] and the mortal [[Danaë]],<ref name = britannica >{{cite encyclopaedia| url =https://www.britannica.com/topic/Perseus-Greek-mythology| title = Perseus| encyclopaedia = Brittanica| date = 12 January 2007| accessdate = 22 January 2025}} </ref> as well as the half-brother and great-grandfather of [[Heracles]] (as they were both children of Zeus, and Heracles's mother was Perseus' granddaughter).

==Etymology==
Because of the obscurity of the name "Perseus" and the legendary character of its bearer, most etymologists presume that it might be pre-Greek; however, the name of Perseus's native city was Greek and so were the names of his wife and relatives. There is some idea that it descended into Greek from the [[Proto-Indo-European language]]. In that regard [[Robert Graves|Graves]] proposed the only Greek derivation available: ''Perseus'' might be from the Greek verb ''pérthein'' ({{math|πέρθειν}}) "to waste, ravage, sack, destroy", some form of which is familiar in [[Epithets in Homer|Homeric epithets]].<ref name=Graves-1955>{{cite book |last=Graves |first=R. |author-link=Robert Graves |year=1955 |title=The Greek Myths |title-link=The Greek Myths |place=London, UK / Baltimore, MD |publisher=Penguin Classics |isbn=978-014310671-5 |postscript=;}} e‑pub {{ISBN|978-110158050-9}}.</ref> According to [[Carl Darling Buck|Carl Buck]], the ''-eus'' suffix is typically used to form an agent noun, in this case from the [[aorist]] stem, ''pers-''. ''Pers-eus'' therefore is a "sacker [of cities]";<ref>{{cite book |last=Buck |first=C.D. |author-link=Carl Darling Buck |year=1933 |title=Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin |place=Chicago, IL |publisher=University of Chicago Press}}</ref> that is, a soldier by occupation, a fitting name for the first [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] warrior.

The further origin of ''perth-'' is more obscure. Hofmann lists the possible root as ''*bher-'', from which Latin ''ferio'', "strike".<ref>{{cite book |last=Hofmann |first=J.B. |year=1950 |title=Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Griechischen |language=de |location=Munich, DE |publisher=R. Oldenbourg }}</ref> This corresponds to [[Julius Pokorny|Pokorny's]] ''*bher-''(3), "scrape, cut". Ordinarily ''*bh-'' descends to Greek as ''ph-''. This difficulty can be overcome by presuming a [[dissimilation]] from the ''-th-'' in ''pérthein'', which the Greeks would have preferred from a putative ''*phérthein''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pokorny |first=J. |author-link=Julius Pokorny |year=2005 |orig-year=1957–1969 (1st edn.) |title=Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch |edition=5th |language=de |trans-title=Indo-Germanic etomological dictionary |place=Tübingen / Bern / Munich, DE |publisher=A. Francke |isbn=3772009476}}</ref> Graves carries the meaning still further, to the ''Perse-'' in [[Persephone]], goddess of death.<ref name=Graves-1955/> [[Michael Ventris|Ventris]] & [[John Chadwick|Chadwick]] speculate about a [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] goddess ''pe-re-*82'' ([[Linear B]]: {{lang|gmy|𐀟𐀩𐁚}}), attested on {{nobr|tablet [[Pylos|PY]] Tn 316,}} and tentatively reconstructed as ''*Preswa''.<ref>{{cite book |editor1=Ventris, M. |editor1-link=Michael Ventris |editor2=Chadwick, J. |editor2-link=John Chadwick |year=1974 |orig-year=1956 |title=Documents in Mycenaean Greek |edition=2nd |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-08558-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/documentsinmycen0000vent |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

A Greek folk etymology connected ''Perseus'' to the name of the [[Persians|Persian people]], whom they called the ''Pérsai'' (from [[Old Persian]] ''Pārsa'' "Persia, a Persian"). However, the native name of the Persians – ''Pārsa'' in [[Persian language|Persian]] – has always been pronounced with an ''-a-''. [[Herodotus]]<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Herodotus]] |title=[[Histories (Herodotus)|Histories]] |at=[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hdt.+7.61.3&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0126:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 7.61.3] }}</ref> recounts this story, devising a foreign son of Andromeda and Perseus, [[Perses (son of Perseus)|Perses]], from whom the Persians took the name. Apparently the Persians also knew that story, as [[Xerxes I|Xerxes]] tried to use it to suborn the [[Argive]]s during his invasion of Greece,<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Herodotus]] |title=[[Histories (Herodotus)|Histories]] |at=[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hdt.+7.150.2&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0126:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 7.150.2] }}</ref> but ultimately failed to do so.

== Mythology ==

===The Birth of Perseus===

King [[Acrisius]] of Argos had only one child, a daughter named [[Danaë]]. Disappointed by not having a male heir, Acrisius consulted the [[Delphi|Oracle at Delphi]], who warned him that he would one day be killed by his own grandson. To keep Danaë childless, Acrisius imprisoned her in a room atop a bronze tower in the courtyard of his palace:{{efn|"Even thus endured Danaë in her beauty to change the light of day for brass-bound walls; and in that chamber, secret as the grave, she was held close".<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Sophocles]] |title=[[Antigone (Sophocles)|Antigone]] |type=stage play}}</ref> In post-Renaissance paintings the setting is often a locked tower.}} This [[mytheme]] is also connected to [[Ares]], [[Oenopion]], [[Eurystheus]], and others. [[Zeus]] came to her in the form of a shower of gold, and fathered her child.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Trzaskoma |first1=Stephen |display-authors=etal |year=2004 |title=Anthology of Classical Myth: Primary sources in translation |publisher=Hackett |place=Indianapolis, IN |isbn=978-0-87220-721-9}}</ref> Soon after, their child, a son, was born; Perseus. "Perseus Eurymedon,{{efn|''Eurymedon'': "far-ruling"}} for his mother gave him this name as well".<ref>[[Apollonius of Rhodes]], ''[[Argonautica]]'' [https://topostext.org/work/126#4.1502 4.1514]</ref>

Fearful for his future, but unwilling to provoke the wrath of the gods and the [[Erinyes]] by killing the offspring of Zeus and his daughter, Acrisius cast the two into the sea in a wooden [[Chest (furniture)|chest]].<ref>For the familiar motif of the [[Exposed Child]] in the account of [[Moses]] especially, see {{cite journal |last=Childs |first=Brevard S. |author-link=Brevard S. Childs |year=1965 |title=The birth of Moses |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |volume=84 |issue=2 |pages=109–122 |doi=10.2307/3264132 |jstor=3264132}} or {{cite journal |last=Redford |first=Donald B. |year=1967 |title=The literary motif of the exposed child (cf. Ex. ii 1–10) |journal=Numen |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=209–228 |doi=10.2307/3269606|jstor=3269606 }} Another example of this mytheme is the Indian figure of [[Karna]].</ref> Danaë's fearful prayer, made while afloat in the darkness, has been expressed by the poet [[Simonides of Ceos]]. The mother and child were washed ashore on the island of [[Serifos|Seriphos]], where they were taken in by the fisherman [[Dictys]] ("fishing net"), who raised the boy to manhood. The brother of Dictys was [[Polydectes]] ("he who receives/welcomes many"), the king of the island.[[File:Persus-with-the-head-of-med.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Perseo trionfante'' by Antonio Canova (1801) [[Musei Vaticani]], [[Rome]]]]

===A Horrifying Wedding Gift===

When Perseus was growing up on the island of [[Serifos|Seriphus]],<ref name = britannica/> Polydectes came to lust for the beautiful Danaë. Perseus believed Polydectes was less than honorable, and protected his mother from him; then Polydectes plotted to send Perseus away in disgrace. He held a large [[banquet]] where each guest was expected to bring a gift.{{efn|Such a banquet, to which each guest brings a gift, was an ''eranos''. The name of ''Polydectes'', "receiver of many", characterizes his role as intended host but is also a [[euphemism]] for the Lord of the Underworld, as in {{cite book |title=[[Homeric Hymn|Homeric Hymns]] |chapter=Hymn to Demeter |at=9, 17}} }} Polydectes requested that the guests bring [[Horse|horses]], under the pretense that he was collecting contributions for the hand of [[Hippodamia (daughter of Oenomaus)|Hippodamia]], daughter of Oinomaos. Perseus had no horse to give, so he asked Polydectes to name the gift; he would not refuse it. Polydectes held Perseus to his [[rash promise]] and demanded the snake-haired [[Medusa]]'s head.

===Overcoming Medusa===

Medusa and her two immortal older sisters, [[Stheno and Euryale]], were [[Gorgon]]s, monsters with snakes for hair, sharp [[fang]]s and [[claw]]s, [[wing]]s of [[Gold (color)|gold]], and [[Petrifaction in mythology and fiction|gazes that turned people to stone]].

Before setting out on his quest, Perseus [[Prayer|prayed]] to the gods and Zeus answered by sending two of his other children – [[Hermes]] and [[Athena]] – to bless their half-brother with the weapons needed to defeat Medusa. Hermes gave Perseus his own pair of [[Talaria|winged sandals]] to fly with and lent him his [[Harpe|harpe sword]] to slay Medusa with, and [[Hades]]'s [[Cap of invisibility|helm of darkness]] to become invisible with. Athena lent Perseus her polished shield for him to view Medusa's reflection without becoming petrified, and gave him a ''kibisis'', a knapsack to safely contain the Gorgon's head which the goddess warned could still petrify even in death. Lastly, Athena instructed Perseus to seek out the [[Graeae]], the Gorgons' sisters, for the snake-haired women's whereabouts (in other versions, it was the [[Hesperides|Hesperides nymphs]] who gave Perseus the weapons after he sought out the Graeae).

Following Athena's guidance, Perseus found the Graeae, who were three old [[Witchcraft|witches]] that shared a single eye and a single tooth. As the witches passed their eye from one to another, Perseus snatched it from them, holding it for ransom in return for the Gorgons' location. The Graeae informed Perseus that the Gorgons lived on the Island of Sarpedon. Perseus then gave the Graeae their eye back and proceeded to the island.

On the Island of Sarpedon, Perseus came across a cave where Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa lay sleeping. Using Athena's reflective shield, Perseus overcame the [[looking taboo]] by looking at her reflection on the shield to guide himself.<ref name = britannica/> He then walked into the cave backwards, safely observing and approaching the sleeping Gorgons. With Athena guiding the sword, Perseus [[Decapitation|beheaded]] Medusa. From Medusa's neck sprang her two children with [[Poseidon]]: the [[winged horse]] [[Pegasus]] ("he who sprang") and the [[Giants (Greek mythology)|giant]] [[Chrysaor]] ("sword of gold"). To avenge their sister's death, Stheno and Euryale flew after Perseus, but he escaped them by wearing Hades's invisibility helm.<ref>[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]], [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+2..4.3&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 2.4.3]</ref> From here he proceeded to visit [[Atlas (mythology)#King of Mauretania|King Atlas]] who had refused him hospitality; in revenge Perseus petrified him with Medusa's head and King Atlas became the [[Atlas Mountains|Atlas mountains]].<ref>{{cite book |first=William |last=Godwin |year=1876 |title=Lives of the Necromancers |page=39 |url=https://archive.org/details/livesnecromance04godwgoog |via=Archive.org}}</ref>

===Marriage to Andromeda===

On the way back to Seriphos, Perseus stopped in the kingdom of [[Aethiopia]]. This mythical Ethiopia was ruled by King [[Cepheus (father of Andromeda)|Cepheus]] and Queen [[Cassiopeia (mother of Andromeda)|Cassiopeia]]. Cassiopeia, having boasted that her daughter [[Andromeda (mythology)|Andromeda]] was more beautiful than the [[Nereids]], drew the vengeance of Poseidon, who sent an inundation on the land and a sea serpent, [[Cetus (mythology)|Cetus]], which destroyed man and beast. The [[Siwa Oasis|oracle of Ammon]] announced that no relief would be found until the king sacrificed his daughter, Andromeda, to the monster, and so she was fastened to a rock on the shore. Wearing the winged sandals given to him by Hermes, Perseus reached Andromeda and used the harpe to behead the monster (in other versions, Perseus used Medusa's head to petrify Cetus).<ref name = britannica/> By rescuing Andromeda, Perseus claimed her in marriage.

[[File:Perseus and andromeda amphora.jpg|thumb|right|Perseus rescuing Andromeda from Cetus, depicted on an [[amphora]] in the [[Altes Museum]], Berlin]]

Perseus married Andromeda in spite of [[Phineus (son of Belus)|Phineus]], to whom she had been previously engaged. At the wedding, a quarrel took place between the rivals, and Phineus was [[Petrifaction in mythology and fiction|petrified]] by the sight of Medusa's head.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Ov.+Met.+5&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0028:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 5.1–235]</ref> Andromeda ("queen of men") followed her husband to [[Tiryns]] in Argos, and became the ancestress of the family of the [[Perseids (mythology)|Perseidae]] who ruled at [[Tiryns]] through her son with Perseus, [[Perses (son of Perseus)|Perses]].{{efn|Perseus and Andromeda descendants (the [[Perseids (mythology)|Perseids]]) include seven sons: [[Perses (son of Andromeda and Perseus)|Perses]], [[Alcaeus (mythology)|Alcaeus]], [[Heleus]], [[Mestor]], [[Sthenelus (son of Andromeda and Perseus)|Sthenelus]], [[Electryon]], and [[Cynurus]], and one daughter, [[Gorgophone]]. Their descendants also ruled Mycenae, from [[Electryon]] to [[Eurystheus]], after whom [[Atreus]] attained the kingdom. Among the Perseids was the great hero [[Heracles]]. According to this mythology, Perseus is the ancestor of the [[Persian people|Persians]].}} After her death, she was placed by Athena among the constellations in the northern sky, near Perseus and Cassiopeia.{{efn|See article ''[[Catasterismi]]''.}} [[Sophocles]] and [[Euripides]] (and in more modern times [[Pierre Corneille]]) made the episode of Perseus and Andromeda the subject of tragedies, and its incidents were represented in many ancient works of art.

As Perseus was flying in his return above the sands of [[Libya (daughter of Epaphus)|Libya]], according to [[Apollonius of Rhodes]],<ref>Apollonius of Rhodes, ''Argonautica'' [https://topostext.org/work/126#4.1502 4.1505 ff.]</ref> the falling drops of Medusa's blood created a race of toxic serpents, one of whom was to kill the Argonaut [[Mopsus]]. Upon returning to Seriphos and discovering that his mother had to take refuge from the violent advances of Polydectes, Perseus killed him with Medusa's head, and made Dictys the new king of Seriphos.

[[File:Perseus and Andromeda MAN Napoli Inv8995.jpg|thumb|Perseus and Andromeda, 1st century AD fresco from the Casa della Saffo, [[Pompeii]]]]

===Prophecy fulfilled===
Perseus then returned his magical loans and gave Medusa's head as a [[Votive offering|votive gift]] to Athena, who set it on her [[aegis]] (which Zeus gave her) as the ''Gorgoneion''. The fulfillment of the oracle was told several ways, each incorporating the mythic theme of exile. In [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]]<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+2.16.2&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 2.16.2]</ref> he did not return to Argos, but went instead to [[Larissa]], where athletic games were being held. He had just invented the [[Quoits|quoit]] and was making a public display of them when Acrisius, who happened to be visiting, stepped into the trajectory of the quoit and was killed: thus the oracle was fulfilled. This is an unusual variant on the story of such a prophecy, as Acrisius's actions did not, in this variant, cause his death.

In the ''[[Bibliotheca (Apollodorus)|Bibliotheca]]'',<ref>Apollodorus, [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+2.4.4&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 2.4.4]</ref> the inevitable occurred by another route: Perseus did return to Argos, but when Acrisius learned of his grandson's approach, mindful of the oracle he went into voluntary exile in [[Pelasgians|Pelasgiotis]] ([[Thessaly]]). There Teutamides, king of [[Larissa]], was holding [[funeral games]] for his father. Competing in the discus throw, Perseus's throw veered-and struck Acrisius, killing him instantly. In a third tradition,<ref>Ovid, ''Metamorphoses'' [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Ov.+Met.+5.177&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0028:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 5.177]</ref> Acrisius had been driven into exile by his brother [[Proetus]]. Perseus petrified the brother with Medusa's head and restored Acrisius to the throne. Then, accused by Acrisius of lying about having slain Medusa, Perseus proves himself by showing Acrisius the Gorgon's head, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

Having killed Acrisius, Perseus, who was next in line for the throne, gave the kingdom to [[Megapenthes (son of Proetus)|Megapenthes]] ("great mourning"), son of [[Proetus]], and took over Megapenthes's kingdom of [[Tiryns]]. The story is related in Pausanias,<ref>Pausanias, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+2.16.3&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 2.16.3]</ref> who gives as motivation for the swap that Perseus was ashamed to have become king of Argos by inflicting death. In any case, early Greek literature reiterates that manslaughter, even involuntary, requires the exile of the slaughterer, expiation and ritual purification. The exchange might well have proved a creative solution to a difficult problem.

===King of Mycenae===
[[File:Piero di Cosimo - Liberazione di Andromeda - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Perseus Freeing Andromeda]] by [[Piero di Cosimo]] ({{c.|1515}}) – [[Uffizi]]]]

The two main sources regarding the legendary life of Perseus—for the Greeks considered him an authentic historical figure—are Pausanias and the ''[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Bibliotheca]]''. Pausanias<ref>Pausanias, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+2.15.4&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 2.15.4], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+2.16.2&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 2.16.2]–[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+2.16.3&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 3] & [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+2.18.1&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 2.18.1]</ref> asserts that the Greeks believed Perseus founded Mycenae as his capital.<ref name = britannica/> He mentions the shrine to Perseus that stood on the left-hand side of the road from Mycenae to Argos, and also a sacred fountain at Mycenae called ''Persea''. Located outside the walls, this was perhaps the spring that filled the [[citadel]]'s underground [[cistern]]. He states also that [[Atreus]] stored his treasures in an underground chamber there, which is why [[Heinrich Schliemann]] named the largest [[Beehive tomb|tholos]] tomb the [[Treasury of Atreus]].

Apart from these more historical references, the only accounts of him are from folk-etymology: Perseus dropped his cap or found a mushroom (both named ''myces'') at Mycenae, or perhaps the place was named after the lady Mycene, daughter of [[Inachus]], mentioned in a now-fragmentary poem, the ''[[Megalai Ehoiai]]''.<ref>[[Hesiod]], ''[[Megalai Ehoiai]]'' fr. 246</ref> For whatever reasons, perhaps as outposts, Perseus ''fortified'' Mycenae according to Apollodorus<ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-eng1:2.4.4 |id=2.4.4 |title=''pros-teichisas'', "walling in" |website=Perseus.org}}</ref> along with [[Midea, Greece|Midea]], an action that implies that they both previously existed. It is unlikely, however, that Apollodorus knew who walled in Mycenae; he was only conjecturing. Perseus took up official residence in Mycenae with Andromeda where he had a long, successful reign as king.

===''Suda''===
According to the ''[[Suda]]'', Perseus, after he married Andromeda, founded a city and called it Amandra (Ἄμανδραν). In the city there was a [[stele]] depicting the Gorgon. The city later changed the name to Ikonion because it had the depiction (ἀπεικόνισμα) of the Gorgon. Then he fought the [[Isauria|Isaurians]] and the [[Cilicia|Cilicians]] and founded the city of [[Tarsus, Mersin|Tarsus]] because an oracle told him to found a city in the place where after the victory, the flat (ταρσός) of his foot will touch the earth while he is dismounting from his horse. Then he conquered the [[Medes]] and changed the name of the country to Persia. At Persia, he taught the [[magi]] about the Gorgon and, when a fireball fell from the sky, he took the fire and gave it to the people to guard and revere it. Later, during a war, he tried to use Medusa's head again, but because he was old and could not see well, the head did not work. Because he thought that it was useless, he turned it toward himself and he died. Later his son Merros (Μέρρος) burned the head.<ref>[[Suda|Suida]], s.v. [http://www.poesialatina.it/_ns/greek/testi/Suda/Lexicon.html mu, 406]</ref>

{{S-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{succession box
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 title=[[King of Argos]]
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 years=
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 before=[[Acrisius]]
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 after=[[Megapenthes (son of Proetus)|Megapenthes]]
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 title=King of [[Tiryns]]
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 before=[[Megapenthes (son of Proetus)|Megapenthes]]
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after= [[Electryon]]
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{{succession box
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 title=King of [[Mycenae]]
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 years=
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 before=''none''<br />(founder)
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after= [[Electryon]]
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{{S-end}}

==Descendants==
{{Main|Perseids (mythology)}}
{{Missing information|which specific person of each linked name such as [[Alexander]] is a descendant|date=October 2020}} 
Perseus and Andromeda had seven sons: [[Perses (son of Perseus)|Perses]], [[Alcaeus (mythology)|Alcaeus]], [[Heleus]], [[Mestor]], [[Sthenelus (son of Perseus)|Sthenelus]], [[Electryon]], and [[Cynurus]], and two daughters, [[Gorgophone (daughter of Perseus)|Gorgophone]] and [[Autochthe]]. Perses was left in [[Aethiopia]] and was believed to have been an ancestor of the [[Persians]]. The other descendants ruled Mycenae from [[Electryon]] to [[Eurystheus]], after whom [[Atreus]] got the kingdom. However, the Perseids included the great hero, [[Heracles]], stepson of [[Amphitryon]], son of [[Alcaeus (mythology)|Alcaeus]]. The Heraclides, or descendants of Heracles, successfully contested the rule of the Atreids.

A statement by the Athenian orator [[Isocrates]]<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Isocrates]] |title=[no title cited] |at=4.07}}{{full citation needed|date=June 2021}}</ref> helps to date Perseus approximately. He said that Heracles was four generations later than Perseus, which corresponds to the legendary succession: Perseus, [[Electryon]], [[Alcmene|Alcmena]], and [[Heracles]], who was a contemporary of [[Eurystheus]]. [[Atreus]] was one generation later, a total of five generations.
<!-- original research ---
Taking 1223 as the start of Atreus's reign and assuming an average generation of 25 years brings the date for the start of Perseus's reign to about 1373, which is approximately consistent with the archaeology.

It would have been Perseus after all who had the Cyclopean wall built ca. 1350. The Egyptian embassy of about 1380 might have been for the purpose of cementing diplomatic relations with the new dynasties in power. It is logical to assume that the first act of the Pelopids when they obtained the throne of Mycenae would be to strengthen the defenses, adding the extension to the north and the secret cistern about 1220.
-->
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="10" |<big>Descendants of Perseus and Andromeda Before the Time of Heracles to the Aftermath of the Trojan War</big>
|-
| ''Children''
|[[Perses (son of Perseus)|Perses]]
| [[Alcaeus (mythology)|Alcaeus]]
| [[Sthenelus (son of Andromeda and Perseus)|Sthenelus]]
| [[Heleus]]
| [[Mestor]]
| [[Electryon]]
| [[Cynurus]]
|[[Gorgophone (Perseid)|Gorgophone]]
| [[Autochthe]]
|-
|''Grandchildren''
|''[[Achaemenid]] [[Persians]]''
|[[Amphitryon]], [[Anaxo (daughter of Alcaeus)|Anaxo]], [[Perimede (mythology)|Perimede]]
|[[Eurystheus]], [[Alcyone]], [[Medusa (Greek myth)|Medusa]]
| –
|[[Hippothoe]]
|[[Alcmene]], [[Stratobates]], [[Anactor]], [[Gorgophonus]], [[Phylonomus]], [[Celaeneus]], [[Amphimachus of Mycenae|Amphimachus]], [[Lysinomus]], [[Archelaus (mythology)|Archelaus]], [[Chirimachus]], [[Licymnius]]
| –
|[[Aphareus of Messenia|Aphareus]], [[Leucippus of Messenia|Leucippus]], [[Tyndareus]], [[Icarius of Sparta|Icarius]]
| –
|-
|''Third Generation Descendants''
| –
|[[Melas (mythology)|Melas]], [[Argius]], [[Oeonus]], [[Iphicles]]
|[[Admete]], [[Perimedes]], [[Alexander]], [[Iphimedon]], [[Eurybius]], [[Mentor (mythology)|Mentor]]
| –
|[[Taphius]]
|[[Heracles]], [[Iphicles]], [[Oeonus]], [[Melas (mythology)|Melas]], [[Argius]],
| –
|[[Idas]], [[Lynceus of Messenia|Lynceus]], [[Pisus|Peisus]]; [[Hilaeira]]; [[Castor and Pollux]], [[Helen of Troy|Helen]], [[Clytemnestra]], [[Timandra (mythology)|Timandra]], [[Phoebe of Messenia|Phoebe]], [[Philonoe]]; [[Penelope]], [[Perileos]], [[Thoas (mythology)|Thoas]], [[Iphthime]], [[Aletes of Mycenae|Aletes]], [[Imeusimus]], [[Damasippus]]
| –
|-
|''Fourth Generation Descendants''
| –
|[[Iolaus]]
| –
| –
|[[Pterelaus (son of Taphius)|Pterelaus]]
|[[Heracles#Children|Heraclides]], [[Iolaus]]
|
|[[Mnesileos]]; [[Anogon]]; [[Cleopatra Alcyone]]; [[Iphigenia]], [[Electra]], [[Orestes]], [[Chrysothemis]], [[Laodice (Greek myth)|Laodice]],{{efn|Laodice may be the daughter of Agamemnon mentioned by Homer, who is generally equated with [[Electra]].}} [[Aletes (son of Aegisthus)|Aletes]], [[Erigone (daughter of Aegisthus)|Erigone]], [[Helen of Troy|Helen]]; [[Ladocus]]; [[Telemachus]], [[Poliporthes]], [[Acusilaus]], [[Italus]]
| –
|-
|''Fifth Generation Descendants''
| –
|[[Leipephilene]]
| –
| –
|[[Chromius]], [[Tyrannus (mythology)|Tyrannus]], [[Antiochus (mythology)|Antiochus]], [[Mestor]], [[Chersidamas]], [[Everes (mythology)|Eueres]], [[Comaetho]]
|[[Leipephilene]]
|
|[[Medon (mythology)|Medon]], [[Strophius]]; [[Tisamenus (son of Orestes)|Tisamenus]], [[Penthilus of Mycenae|Penthilus]]; [[Persepolis (mythology)|Persepolis]], [[Latinus]], [[Poliporthes]]
| –
|}

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Museo Nazionale Napoli - Perseus and Andromeda.jpg|alt=|Perseus freeing Andromeda after killing Cetus, 1st century AD fresco from the Casa Dei Dioscuri, [[Pompeii]]
File:The House of the Prince of Naples Plate 140 Triclinium North Wall Perseus and Andromeda MH.jpg|alt=|Perseus and Andromeda, 50 AD, fresco from the Casa del Principe di Napoli, Pompeii
File:Julius Troschel Perseus und Andromeda 1840-50.jpg|alt=|Julius Troschel: ''Perseus und Andromeda'', c. 1845, [[Neue Pinakothek]], [[Munich]]
File:Edward Burne-Jones - Perseus.jpeg|alt=|''The Doom Fulfilled'', 1888, [[Southampton City Art Gallery]], part of a series of paintings revolving around Perseus, created by the [[Pre-Raphaelite]] artist [[Edward Burne-Jones]]
File:If looks could kill.jpg|alt=|[[Edward Burne-Jones]]: ''The Baleful Head'', 1885, [[Staatsgalerie Stuttgart]]. <small>This part of the series plays with the theme of the reflected gaze, as Perseus has Andromeda look at the Gorgon's head, but only as reflected in the well.</small>
File:Piero di Cosimo - Liberazione di Andromeda - Google Art Project.jpg|alt=|[[Perseus Freeing Andromeda]] by [[Piero di Cosimo]] ({{c.|1515}}) – [[Uffizi]]
File:Perseo in Villa San Marco Stabiae.jpg|alt=|Perseus and the head of Medusa in a Roman fresco at [[Stabiae]]
</gallery>

==On Pegasus==
The replacement of [[Bellerophon]] as the tamer and rider of [[Pegasus]] by the more familiar [[culture hero]] Perseus was not simply an error of painters and poets of the [[Renaissance]]. The transition was a development of Classical times which became the standard image during the Middle Ages and has been adopted by the European poets of the Renaissance and later: [[Giovanni Boccaccio]]'s ''Genealogia deorum gentilium libri'' (10.27) identifies Pegasus as the steed of Perseus, and [[Pierre Corneille]] places Perseus upon Pegasus in ''Andromède''.<ref>{{cite journal |first=George Burke |last=Johnston |title=[[Ben Jonson|Jonson's]] 'Perseus upon Pegasus' |journal=The Review of English Studies |series=New Series |volume=6 |issue=21 |year=1955 |pages=65–67 |doi=10.1093/res/VI.21.65 |jstor=510816 }}</ref> Various [[Pegasus in popular culture|modern representations of Pegasus]] depict the winged horse with Perseus, including the fantasy film ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]'' and its [[Clash of the Titans (2010 film)|2010 remake]].

==Argive genealogy in Greek mythology==
{{Argive genealogy in Greek mythology}}

== Perseus constellation ==
Perseus has a [[Perseus (constellation)|constellation named after him]]. The legend says that because he was so brave fighting Cetus for someone else he was given a place in the stars forever. It is located in the east in the winter at about the Latitude 10-N. It is not far from the stars [[Betelgeuse]] and [[Sirius]]; his wife's constellation [[Andromeda (constellation)|Andromeda]] is also nearby. It is southward from Cassiopeia, and to the left of Taurus. His constellation contains the most famous variable star Algol and some deep sky objects such as Messier 34, the Double Cluster, the California Nebula, and the Little Dumbbell Nebula (Messier 76). There are eight named stars in the constellation [[Algol]], Atik, Berehinya, Menkib, Miram, Mirfak, Misam, and Muspelheim. It was cataloged in the 2nd century by the Greek astronomer [[Ptolemy]] and is known for the famous Perseid Meteor Shower. There is in fact a whole [[Constellation family|family]] of constellations based on the myth of Perseus, which includes Andromeda, [[Cassiopeia (constellation)|Cassiopeia]], [[Cepheus (constellation)|Cepheus]], and [[Cetus]]. There is also a molecular cloud in the constellation that is 600 [[Light-year|light years]] from the [[Solar System]]. There is also a cluster of galaxies called the Perseus cluster. There is one galaxy in the cluster named Caldwell 24 which is a powerful source for radio and X-ray waves. It has a visual magnitude of 12.6 and is 237 million light years away from the [[Milky Way]] galaxy.<ref>"Perseus Constellation," 2022, n.p.</ref><ref>"Perseus Mythology," 2022, n.p.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Eurybarus]] and [[Alcyoneus (son of Diomos)|Alcyoneus]]
* [[Menestratus (Thespiae)|Menestratus]] and [[Cleostratus (mythology)|Cleostratus]]
* [[Lugh]]
* [[Jean-Baptiste Lully|Lully]]
* [[Jacques Ibert|Ibert]] (1921)
* [[Chimera (mythology)|Chimera]]
* [[Aethiopia]]
* ''[[The Story of Perseus and the Gorgon's Head]]'', a short novel published in 1898

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}
{{Commons category|Perseus}}

==Bibliography==
* [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]], ''The Library'' with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0022 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.] [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0021 Greek text available from the same website].
*[[Apollonius of Rhodes|Apollonius Rhodius]], ''Argonautica'' translated by Robert Cooper Seaton (1853–1915), R. C. Loeb Classical Library Volume 001. London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1912. [https://topostext.org/work/126 Online version at the Topos Text Project.]
*Apollonius Rhodius, ''Argonautica''. George W. Mooney. London. Longmans, Green. 1912. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0227 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library].
*[[Herodotus]], ''The Histories'' with an English translation by A.D. Godley. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1920. {{ISBN|0-674-99133-8}}. [https://topostext.org/work/22 Online version at the Topos Text Project.] [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0125 Greek text available at Perseus Digital Library].
*[[Hesiod]], ''Theogony'' from ''The Homeric Hymns and Homerica'' with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA.,Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130%3Acard%3D1 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.] [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0129 Greek text available from the same website].
*[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''Description of Greece'' with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. {{ISBN|0-674-99328-4}}. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0160 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library]
*Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio.'' ''3 vols''. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0159 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library].
*[[Ovid|Publius Ovidius Naso]], ''Metamorphoses'' translated by Brookes More (1859–1942). Boston, Cornhill Publishing Co. 1922. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0028 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.]
*Publius Ovidius Naso, ''Metamorphoses.'' Hugo Magnus. Gotha (Germany). Friedr. Andr. Perthes. 1892. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0029 Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library].
*[[Suda|Suida]], ''Suda Encyclopedia'' translated by Ross Scaife, David Whitehead, William Hutton, Catharine Roth, Jennifer Benedict, Gregory Hays, Malcolm Heath Sean M. Redmond, Nicholas Fincher, Patrick Rourke, Elizabeth Vandiver, Raphael Finkel, Frederick Williams, Carl Widstrand, Robert Dyer, Joseph L. Rife, Oliver Phillips and many others. [https://topostext.org/work/240 Online version at the Topos Text Project.]
*Cartwright, Mark. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Perseus/ "Perseus"]. World History Encyclopedia, World History Encyclopedia, 8 Mar. 2022.
*NSF, NOIRLab. [https://www.globeatnight.org/mythology/perseus "Perseus Mythology"]. ''Globe at Night'', 2019,  {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617062033/https://www.globeatnight.org/mythology/perseus |date=2022-06-17 }}. 
*Ogden, Daniel. [https://www.routledge.com/Perseus/Ogden/p/book/9780415427258 "Perseus"]. ''Routledge & CRC Press'', 2008. 
*Parada, Carlos, and Maicar Förlag. [http://www.maicar.com/GML/Perseus1.html "Perseus". Perseus 1 – Greek Mythology Link], 1997. 
*[https://www.globeatnight.org/mythology/perseus "Perseus Mythology"]. Globe at Night, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617062033/https://www.globeatnight.org/mythology/perseus |date=2022-06-17 }}

==External links==
* [https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-000128 The Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (images of Perseus)]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Perseus| ]]
[[Category:Abantiades (mythology)]]
[[Category:Andromeda (mythology)]]
[[Category:Mythological Argives]]
[[Category:Children of Zeus]]
[[Category:Deeds of Athena]]
[[Category:Deeds of Hermes]]
[[Category:Deeds of Zeus]]
[[Category:Dragonslayers]]
[[Category:Greek mythological heroes]]
[[Category:Kings of Argos]]
[[Category:Kings of Mycenae]]
[[Category:Kings of Tiryns]]
[[Category:Progenitors in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Mythological city founders]]
[[Category:Mythological swordfighters]]
[[Category:Pegasus]]
[[Category:Serifos]]