Star Myths of the Greeks and Romans by Theony Condos

Author:Theony Condos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser Conari

Perseus

The Constellations 22

It is said that this constellation was placed among the stars because of Perseus's fame. Zeus came to Danae in the form of golden rain and fathered Perseus by her. When Perseus was sent against the Gorgons by Polydectes, Hermes gave him his own helmet and sandals, with which he was able to fly. Hephaestus is said to have given Perseus a diamond wallet. Aeschylus the tragedian says in his Phorcides that the Gorgons were guarded by the Graeae. These had one eye among them and shared it by turns. Perseus waited until the moment of the exchange, then snatched the eye away and threw it into Lake Tritonis. Next, he attacked the Gorgons while they slept and beheaded Medusa. Thereafter, Athena wore the head of Medusa on her breast, and she granted to Perseus a place among the stars, where he is visible holding the Gorgon's head.

The figure has one star on the head [τ]; one bright star on each shoulder [γ, θ]; one bright star at the edge of the right hand [χ ?]; one star on the elbow [η]; one at the edge of the left hand [Galactic Clusters 884, 869], in which hand he appears to be holding the Gorgon's head, on which there is one star [β]; one on the body [ι?]; one bright star on the right hip [α]; one bright star on the right thigh [48?]; one star on the knee [λ?]; one on the leg [μ.]; one faint star on the foot [ζ]; one star on the left thigh [ν]; one on the knee [ε]; two on the leg [ο, ξ]; three in the hair of the Gorgon [ω?, ρ?, π?]. The total is nineteen. The head has eight stars [β, ω, ρ, π, 16, ?, ? , ?]. The wallet has five stars but appears to have none; to some it seems visible as a nebula.

Poetic Astronomy 2.12

Perseus was placed among the stars because of his courage and because he was conceived in an unusual manner. He was sent by Polydectes, the son of Magnes, against the Gorgons. But Mercury, who loved him greatly, gave him winged sandals, a cap, and, in particular, a helmet which rendered him invisible to his opponents. The Greeks said the helmet belonged to Hades [“the invisible one”]; Perseus did not utilize the helmet of Orcus, as some claim in ignorance; no educated person could find this interpretation acceptable.

Perseus was said to have received from Vulcan a knife made of adamant, with which hekilledthe Gorgon Medusa—a deed no one has described. As the tragedian Aeschylus says in his Phorcides, the Graeae were guardians of the Gorgons; we wrote about this in the first book of the Genealogies. These reportedly had one eye among them, each of them using it in turn as they carried out their vigil. At the moment one of them was handing the eye over, Perseus snatched it and threw in into Lake Tritonis. Thus with the guards rendered blind, Perseus easily slew the Gorgon as she slept.

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