English-10

“The Gorgons Head”

Acrisius, King of Argos, came from Delphi with a heavy heart, for he had received a dreadful oracle.

“No son shall be born to you. But you shall have a grandson, and by his hand you shall die.” The
priestess told him.

Now the King had only one daughter, who was yet a maiden, so he thought :”I will evade my fate. I will
shut Danae up away from the sight of men in a house of bronze all sunk underground .”and he carried
out his cruel plan.

But Acrisius forgot to take the gods into account. Part of the roof was pen to the sky. And, as lovely
Danae was looking up the clouds, Zeus beheld her maiden. Changing himself into a shower of gold, he
stormed into her chamber.

When afterwads a son was born to Danae, she hid him from her fathers sight. Nevertheless the King
discovered the baby and was filed with fear. He dared not to kill Perseus lest the god will avenge the
murder. Instea he had a great chest built, and placed Danae and her boy in it and set them adrift upon
the sea.

All day all night the chest tossed upon the waves. Danae lulled her child and he slept. But when dawn
came, a great wave washed them loose on the tiny island of Seraphos.

Dictys a fisherman saw the chest on the shore and open it. Looking at the pitiful Danae and her son,his
heart was moved. He took them both to his wife, for Dictys was childless, and there, in the fisherfolks
humble home Perseus grew up.

Danae had become a beautiful maiden and Perseus had grown to a fine tall youth. King Polydectes,
Dictys brother, fell in love with Danae, but the king did not like Perseus because Danae doted on him, so
he looked for a way to get rid of him.

“The time has come, Perseus, for you to win glory for yourself in some bold adventure.” Polydectes said.

Young Perseus thought what could the adventure be?

The willy Polydectes said :”I think cutting of the Medusa’ head would bring you the greatest glory.”

All unsuspecting, Perseus set off to find Medusa not knowing how Perilous the adventure was. For
Medusa was one of the three gorgons and Medusa was the only one of the three that could be slain.

From place to place Perseus went on his quest. Then one day he beheaded a young man of great beauty,
wearing winged sandals, winged cap, and carrying in his hand a wand around which two golden
serpents twined. Perseus knew this was Hermes and was overjoyed when Hermes said:

“Perseus I approve the high adventure you have in mind. But you must be properly equipped for
[Link] the winged sandals, the magic wallet, an d the helmet of invisibility; but I will take you to the
Gray Women. You can find out from them.
 “Will they indeed tell me? Perseus asked.

“Not willingly but ou can make them do it. They have one eye shared among the three. Snach it from
them as they pass it from one another and none can [Link] do not give it back til they tell you what
you want to know.”

With that, Hermes gave Perseus a curved sword.

“You will need it, for the Medusa’s scale as hard as metal.”

Perseus took the shield when a brightness in the sky appeared and saw Goddess Athena descending
towards them.

“Of what use will be your sword, my brother” she said to Hermes, “when none may look the gorgons
and live? The sight of them as you well know, turns men into stone. Take my bright shield, Perseus. Look
into it instead of the monster, you will see the Medusa reflected as in the mirror.”

Perseus journeyed further than any man has ever travelled, at last at the end of the Earth. There sat the
Gray women passing her one eye as Hermes said. Perseus crept up towards them and snatched the eye
from them.

The Gray Women howled and threatened, but without the eye there was nothing they could do. In the
end they grudgingly told Perseus the way to the Nymphs of the North.

Perseus travelled to the Nymphs of the North and got the priceless things he needed.

Fully equipped now Perseus sped through the air to the island of the gorgons. Scattered along the fields
and roads were sights of men and beasts that were turned into stone. And from above he beheld the
monsters themselves sleeping.

Not knowing who was Medusa, he heard Athena’s voice

“Descend, Perseus and strike! The gorgon nearest to the shore is Medusa.”

Perseus swept down gazing into his shield, swung his sword and thrust his prize, all writhing and hissing
into his magic wallet.

The gorgons woke up and roared with fury as they set on a pursuit on Perseus, but they could not
outstrip the winged sandals.

Over the lands and people, the hero flew. Perseus lost his way as Hermes left him. Below was the Lybian
desert that stretched endlessly. Then he saw a sight in which his heart was filled with joy and wonders.

Perseus saw a beautiful maiden chained to a cliff by the sea, had it not been for a slight breeze that
stirred her hair and tears flowed from her eyes Perseus would have mistaken her to a statue.

“Lovely maiden you should not wear such chains, instead those which bond the hearts of lovers. I pray,
you, tell me your name and why you’re bound like this” Perseus stammered out.

The girl did not reply but when he urged her again and again, she told him all the story.
“I am Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus. King of the Ethiopians. The beautiful Cassiopeia is my mother. It
is the beauty that made the gods jealous that chained me here. Woe, woe the day my mother vaunted
herself fairer than the daughters of Nereus! The sea god has sent a serpent to pray upon our people,
and my death alone can appease her anger. So says the oracle” She stated.

When Andromeda shrieked due to the roars of the gorgons, her father and mother came running and
clung to their daughter.

“Enough of tears, I am Perseus and I will make a contract with you that Andromeda shall be mine if I
save her from the serpent.”

Andromeda’s parents agreed to Perseus.

The monster was coming and Perseus shot up to the air and swooped like an eagle and buried his sword
up to the hilt in the beast’s right shoulder. The creature plunged into the sea and turned around and
around like a fierce boar.

Avoiding the snapping jaws, Perseus dealt blows whenever he had the chance. The sandals became
heavy due to the monsters blood, he dared not to trust himself to them longer and braced himself to a
rock where waves where breaking, he then drove his sword four times into the monster’s side.

The creature sank to it’s death and saw Andromeda with her parents as they shouted with joy.” I will
take the maiden without dowry.” Perseus said. At that very day their wedding was celebrated, while the
banquet was at it’s height, Andromeda’s uncle, Phineas appeared with a javelin in hand.

“ Behold I’m here” he cried “I have come to avenge the theft of my promise bride.”

Andromeda’s father tried convincing Phineas, however he did not say a word but threw his javelin at the
hero, the spear was stuck in Perseus couch. Perseus then picked up the spear and hurdled it back at
Phineas, had he not taken shelter he would have perished as it was, one of his followers received the full
blow on his forehead.

A war is happening hideously, Perseus struck down man after another. But atlast the valor cannot
withstand the number against them. “If I have fiends here, let them hide their faces!” he shouted

Perseus then withdrew the Medusa’s head out of the magic wallet. 200 men became a stone statue
before Phineas yielded, crying.

“What I can give you, most cowardly Phineas, I will!” Perseus replied “ you shall be a lasting monument
here in the palace of my father-in-law.”

When at the year’s end, Perseus sailed home with Andromeda, Polydectes hatred was no way lessened
and refused to believed that he actually slain the Medusa. It was more than Perseus could handle.

“ I shall prove to you what I say is true, hide your eyes , all of you who are my friends!” he cried. And he
showed the gorgons head to Polydectes. It was the last time Perseus used Medusa’s head and gave it to
Athene who kept the head ever after.

With the death of Polydectes, Danae yearned to go home and reconcile with her [Link] they sailed to
Greece.
But it happened when they came to Argos, King Acrisius was away from home. Games were being held
at Larissa, having to hear this, Perseus decided to take part. There the oracle from Delphi was strangely
fulfilled, for when Perseus took turn to throw a discus, he threw it severed to one side and laned with
the spectators which killed an old man. This old man happens to be King Acrisius who had gone to such
lengths to avoid the fate ordained by the gods.