Emily McComiskey, Grayson Haines, Scott Price, and

Rebecca Dearaujo-Jorge

Perseus

Heroic Qualities FlawsProtectiveIntelligenceBraveStrong

GullibleCockyStubborn

1. King Acrisius has a daughter named Danae. He wants a son, so he goes to the Oracle of Delphi to see if he will ever have one. The Oracle tells him that he will not have a son and that Danae will have a son who will kill him!

2. So, the king puts Danae in an underground house and guards her so she won’t have any kids.

Events

3. Zeus has other plans. He enters Danae’s house by turning himself into golden rain. The result is Perseus, Danae’s son. Danae hides Perseus but King Acrisius finds him anyway. The king has to kill Perseus, but he doesn’t want to make Zeus angry.

4. The king puts Danae and Perseus into a chest and tosses the box into the sea.

Events

5. The chest washes up on the shore of an island. A fisherman named Dictys finds the chest and opens it up. He takes Danae and Perseus back to his home and they live there for many years.

6. Polydectes, Dictys’ brother and king of the island, falls in love with Danae. He doesn’t want Perseus and tries to get rid of him. Polydectes has a wedding party and invites Perseus. Perseus doesn’t have any gifts for Polydectes and announces that he will bring the king the head of Medusa, a Gorgon. A Gorgon is a deadly monster that lives on an island far away. If they look at a

Gorgon, they turn to stone.

Events

7. Perseus sails to Greece to learn the location of the Gorgons. All the Oracle can tell him is to go to Dodona, another island, but no one there knows where the Gorgons live. Perseus wanders for a time until he comes upon Hermes, who tells him that before he kills Medusa, he must go to the nymphs of the North and

receive what he needs. 8. Only the Gray Women can tell Perseus where to find

the nymphs. The Gray Women only had one eye for the three of them, so they have to take turns and share the eye. Hermes tells Perseus to steal the eye and give it back to the Gray Women in exchange for directions to the nymphs.

Events

9. Hermes receives a sword that can’t be broken from Hermes and a shield from Pallas Athena. Perseus can look into the shield to see the Gorgons when he attacks them.

10. Perseus goes to the Gray Women, steals their eye, and gets directions to the nymphs of the North. The area where Perseus is directed to is the land of the Hyperboreans. The Hyperboreans give Perseus winged sandals, a magic wallet that can carry anything, and a hat which makes the wearer invisible.

Events

11. Hermes guides Perseus to the island of the Gorgons. The Gorgons are all asleep when Perseus finds them. Athena tells Perseus which Gorgon is Medusa because Medusa is the only one that can be killed. Perseus flies over Medusa with his sandals and cuts off Medusa’s head with his sword. The other Gorgons wake up but they can’t see Perseus because he has the hat of invisibility on. Perseus puts Medusa’s head into the wallet and leaves the island.

Events

12. On his way home, Perseus stops in Ethiopia and meets Andromeda, a woman who was to be given to a sea serpent because her mother Cassiopeia said that she, Andromeda, was more beautiful than the daughters of Nereus(a sea god). The Ethiopians were being eaten by the serpent and the Oracle told them that the serpent would go away if Andromeda was sacrificed.

13. Perseus saves Andromeda by cutting the serpent’s head off. Perseus and Andromeda sail back to the

island where his mother was, but

Perseus can’t find his mother or Dictys.

He learns that they are hiding from Polydectes

because Danae refused to marry him.

Events

14. The King is holding a party in his palace, so Perseus enters the palace . Everyone there looks at him, and Perseus holds up Medusa’s head. Everyone there is turned into stone. Perseus finds Danae and Dictys and made Dictys the king of the island.

15. Perseus, Danae, and Andromeda go back to Acrisius’ kingdom and reunite with him. When they arrive in Argos, Acrisius can’t be found. Perseus hears about a contest held by the King of Larissa. He goes to the contest and when it is his turn to throw the discus, the discus flies into the crowd and kills Acrisius, who was there on business with the King of Larissa.

Events

16. Everyone lives happily ever after. Perseus and Andromeda have a son named Electryon, who will be the grandfather of Hercules. Perseus gives Medusa’s head to Athena, who turns it into part of her shield.

Events

Don’t try to go against fate- this happens when the grandfather tries to get rid of his daughter and newborn by casting them out to sea, but Perseus still comes back to kill him.

Treat people well- This happens when the fisherman finds Perseus and his mother and saves them and takes care of them, then later at the end becomes king of the town because of Perseus.

Don’t underestimate others- This happens when the evil king tries to trick Perseus into dying by asking him to bring Medusa’s head as a wedding present.

Pride before the fall-When Cassiopeia believes she is prettier than the gods her daughter has to be sacrificeid.

Motifs and Themes

Perseus- Hero Brave, saves the day Kills medusa.

• Danaё(mother)- damsel in distress Needs saving from a tower Gets saved from evil man

• Dictys- Wise old man Raises perseus to be humble

• Polydectes- Villain/ Trickster Tries to get Perseus killed. Tricks him to getting Medusu’s head. Which

would kill him.• The king- Villain

Major Archetypes- Characters

• Polydectes- Villan/ Trickster Tries to get Perseus killed. Tricks him to getting Medusa’s head, which he

thinks will kill Perseus.• The King- Villan

He traps Danaё so she can not have a child. Puts Danaё and Perseus in a chest in the sea.

• Andromeda- damsel in distress Perseus saves her from a serpent.

Major Archetypes- Characters

Sea- Is a mystery. They don’t know where they were going or if

they would even live.• Island- Isolation/ Get-away

The chest ends up on an island, this is where Danae and Perseus stay. New world.

An Island is where the Gorgons lived. Different from there known world

Major Archetypes- Settings

Serpent-Evil Andromeda is almost attacked by a serpent and

Perseus saves her from it.• Night/darkness- unknown, ignorance, despair

They are in the chest at night. They don’t know anything and are very sad.

• 3- unity There are three of them on the Quest.

• Supernatural Intervention- the gods intervene with the hero Hermes and Athena help Perseus on his quest to

get Medusa’s head by giving him gifts.

Major Archtypes- Symbols

Task - to get something. Perseus goes to get the head of Medusa to

honor his mother.

Major Archtypes- Situations

Perseus learned to not go against fate when he witnessed what happened to his grandfather when he tried to.

Perseus also learned to value and appreciate the Gods and respect them and they will help you greatly

Perseus also learned that being up to a task or challenge will reward him greatly.

Story Summation

One lesson is to repect the gods because when Perseus prayed to them, they helped him accomplish his goal.

Another is to not think you’re better than the Gods, this is when Perseus’ wifes (Andromeda) mother believed she was more beautiful than any goddess was then was punished by the gods who chained Andromeda to a rock and left her there, until she was rescued by Perseus.

Another is not to underestimate people like when the evil king tries to trick Perseus into dying by asking him to bring him Medusa’s head as a wedding present.

Lessons and Cultural Views

The End