1. Perseus This powerpoint was found online. It is very comprehensive, and should help you with review

2. Origin  King Acrisius was told that the son of his daughter, Danae, would kill him.  He could not let this happen so he locked her in a tower to never marry or have children  However, a man with a thunderbolt appeared to her and together they gave birth to a boy, Perseus.

3. Cast Away  King Acrisius was furious when he discovered the child.  He shut Danae and Perseus up in a chest and cast them out to sea.  Somehow they got to Seriphos where Polydectes was king.

4. Polydectes’ Plot  Soon Polydectes fell in love with Danae and wanted to remove Perseus.  Perseus was tricked into offering anything Poldectes wanted as a wedding gift.  He demanded the head of Medusa, a gorgon with a gaze that turned people to stone.

5. Help from the Gods  Divine help was needed for this quest and it came from Hermes and Athena.  Athena gave Perseus her mirrored shield and Hermes gave him his sword.  He then visited the Gray Women and forced them to tell him how to get to the Gorgons. He was also given a satchel, winged sandals, and a cap to make him invisible.

6. Slaying Medusa  He used the reflection in his shield to approach Medusa and cut off her head.  The other Gorgons attacked, but Perseus used the sandals and the cap to escape.

7. Princess Andromeda  As he passed Ethiopia on his return trip, Perseus spied Andromeda chained to a rock.  Her father was sacrificing her to a sea monster to please Poseidon.  Perseus rescued her in return for their marriage.

8. Return to Seriphos  When Perseus returned to Seriphos, he used Medusa’s head to turn Polydectes to stone.  He made Polydectes’ brother, Dictys, the new king.

9. Prophecy Fulfilled and The End  At an athletic event sometime later, Perseus thrilled a crowd with his discus skill.  However, he accidentally struck and killed a man who turned out to be Acrisius.  The prophecy originally told to Acrisius had come true.

10. Works Cited  Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York: Little Brown & Company, 1940. Print.  "Perseus." Greek Mythology. 2005. Web. 21 Feb. 2010..