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Article: Perseus
- Article from:
- Myths and Legends of the World
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Macmillan Reference, USA. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Perseus
In Greek mythology, Perseus was the heroic slayer of the
Gorgon
Medusa
*
. His mother was Dana
ë
, daughter of King Acrisius of Argos. Before Perseus's birth, an
oracle
predicted that Dana
ë
would bear a child who would one day kill his grandfather. Terrified by this
prophecy,
Acrisius imprisoned his daughter in a tower. However, Dana
ë
received a visit in the tower from Zeus
*
, who had taken the form of a shower of gold, and she became pregnant.
After Dana
ë
gave birth to Perseus, Acrisius had his daughter and her child locked in a box, which he threw into the sea. The box came ashore on the island of Seriphos and was found by Dictys, a fisherman. Dictys ...