In previous articles we were talking about constellations and how they could be identified. We were talking about the reasons why it is given names and among them it was said that they came from mythology and history. In this case, we are going to talk about a myth that gave rise to the name of a constellation. Is about Perseus. In this article we are going to tell you the whole story that gives rise to this name and why it was decided to put it in a constellation of stars.
Are you curious and want to know the story of Perseus and Andromeda? Keep reading and you can discover it.
Origins
This story begins with Acrisio, king of Argos. This man married Aganipe and had a daughter whom they named Danae. By not having any male children (at that time males were the ones who inherited the empires and, therefore, the need to have a male arose) Acrisius asked an oracle if he would have a child and if it would be male. To which he replied that he would never have more children. At the answer, Acrisio was saddened, since he would have no choice but to let Danae inherit the throne after his reign.
To top it off, he was not enough with the news that he would have no children, but instead the oracle told him that his grandson would murder him. How was Danae's son going to judge him in such a way that he could kill him? Surely it would be in revenge for the indifference offered to his daughter for not being a boy. Acrisio did not sit idly by and imprisoned his daughter to prevent this disaster.
The cell where she was kept had bronze bars and was guarded by wild dogs who would not let her escape. Zeus was at that time the god of gods that inhabited Olympus. To Acrisio's problem, Zeus fell in love with Danae, his daughter. Being the god of gods, no one could dispute his decisions and he managed to get her out of prison. He overlaid her with gold and made her father a son named Perseus. This is how our protagonist was born.
Perseus, the son of Zeus
Acrisio feared for his life because, not only would he not have more children, but his grandson Perseus would assassinate him according to the oracle. To prevent him from being murdered, he once again did his thing and secretly locked his daughter and grandson in a trunk and threw him into the sea. In this way, it was ensured that the currents of the raging seas and oceans would end the lives of these poor innocents.
This trunk was drifting until it reached Serifos Island, where a fisherman lived who was able to find it and rescued both of them. The king of the island where they ended up accepted them into his home and they were able to recover from the drifting journey. Quite the opposite of what Acrisio thought, mother and son prospered on that island because, Polydectes, the king of the island fell in love with Danae and when a time passed he had in mind to marry her.
Perseus mission
This king wanted to get rid of Danae's son since he had no money and could not pretend that he was going to marry a poor woman. So he announced to the people that he intended to marry a rich woman and sent everyone to bring gifts, which he would then give to his real wife. He sent Perseus on a suicide mission. The mission consisted of bring the head of a Gorgon Medusa. These jellyfish had the ability to turn anyone who looked into their eyes to stone. Therefore, it was almost a suicide mission.
On the other hand, Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, learned about the mission that had been entrusted to Perseus to bring the head of the Gorgon medusa and went to help him so that he would not perish in his life or death mission. She helped him because she was the enemy of Medusa and they would ally together to end her.
He helped her by giving her a shining shield with which she would blind Medusa and with which she could distinguish between the sisters who were immortal. Unlike them, Perseus' goal was deadly and he could cut off his head to bring as a gift. He also gave him winged sandals with which he could fly to the Land of the Hyperboreans. It is there that the Gorgons resided and were asleep. It was the perfect situation to attack. She fixed her eyes on the reflection of the shield as Athena guided her hand to cut off Medusa's head. With this, he was able to achieve what he set out to do.
Andromeda and her sacrifice
Cassiopeia and her husband Cepheus lived in Philistia. She was so proud and arrogant to the point of deciding that she and her daughter, Andromeda, they were more beautiful than the nymphs of the sea. The Nereids, daughters of Poseidon, were angry at seeing such arrogance on the part of an inferior being and chose to punish them by sending them a monster that would destroy their people. The kings, seeing how their people were being destroyed, warned the oracle and told him that the hope that the people had was to sacrifice Andromeda.
Andromeda was on a rock about to be sacrificed when Perseus, who came with Medusa's head just severed, saw the monster and showed him his head to petrify him. Thus he was able to save her and upon seeing each other, they fell directly in love.
Finally, Perseus returned to his island to marry Andromeda and he found his mother who denied marrying Polidectes. She was in hiding running from the king's men. To end it all, Perseus confronted the king and his army and turned them all to stone using the Gorgon's head. This is how they celebrated the Olympic games and in the throwing of the disc the projectile was diverted and fell among the public. To everyone's surprise, the person who had killed was Acrisio, his own grandfather. Thus the prophecy of the oracle was fulfilled.
As you can see, the history of the constellation Perseus is fascinating.