GODS & HEROES

The Creation and the Olympians

TO BE FOUND

Hades & Persephone

It was a beautiful day like all the others in this land, the sun shone brightly in the sky, the hills were lush and green, and flowers blossomed from the earth. The lovely young maiden, Persephone, frolicked with her friends upon the hillside, as her mother Demeter sat near by, and her father Zeus peered down from the sky above. Laughter could be heard in between the young girls' whispered secrets, as they gathered handfuls of purple crocuses, royal blue irises and sweet-smelling hyacinths. Persephone thought to bring some to her mother, but was soon distracted by a vision of the most enchanting flower she had ever seen. It was a narcissus, the exact flower her father hoped that she would find. As she reached down to pluck it from its resting place, her feet began to tremble and the earth was split in two. Life for Persephone would never be the same again.

From this gaping crevice in the ground emerged the awe-inspiring God of the Underworld, Hades, and before Persephone could even think to utter a word, she was whisked off her feet onto the God's golden chariot. As the crack of the whip upon his majestic horses brought her to her senses, she realized she was about to taken into the black depths from which he'd come. The thought of this brought terror to her heart, yet any screams of protest were soon lost within the darkness, as they descended quickly into the Underworld below.

While Persephone's cries could not be heard above the ground, the pain in Demeter's heart quickly alerted her to the fact that something was terribly wrong. She searched high and low for her dear daughter, who had vanished from both the heavens and the earth. Consumed by depression over the loss of her child, she soon ceased to remember her worldly duties as Goddess of Grain and Growth. As she watched the plants wither and die all around her, she felt her own hopes begin to fade as well.

At the same time, deep down in the realm of the dead, Hades hoped to explain his actions to the sweet Persephone. Professing his love, he told her of the plan her father helped deploy and begged her to stay and be his wife. Yet, Persephone longed for something more, the comforts of her mother's home and a view of the lush green grass and blue sky up above.

Far above the darkness of the Underworld, her mother continued to wander the forlorn earth. Eventually she found her way to the town of Eleusis, where she rested by a flowing fountain. Stripped of all her vital energy, she appeared old and wrinkled beyond her years. Soon four young females found the aging Goddess, and agreed to take her home. Their parents were glad to offer the elderly woman lodging and a stable position caring for their little son. Wishing to reward the family for their kindness, Demeter attempted to offer the child the gift of immortality, by sticking him in the fire each night and removing him every morning before dawn. When the child's mother found him in the flames, she was horrified. Her mortal mind could not comprehend the actions of the Goddess, and she asked her to leave their home at once. This immediately brought back Demeter's fighting spirit, who surprised them by exposing her true self. The family begged the Goddess for forgive them and in return agreed to her demands: "A temple would be built in my honor, and you will teach the world my secret to immortality." Within no time, the town built a beautiful temple on the hillside, which the Goddess blessed before continuing on her journey.

Yet it didn't take long for Demeter's happiness to be replaced with rage, as she recalled the disappearance of her daughter. She flew to the home of Zeus and demanded that Persephone be found at once. She also questioned every immortal she could find and eventually uncovered Zeus' plot. In an attempt to appease Demeter's growing anger, he dispatched a messenger to retrieve their daughter from the depths.

Upon his entry to the Underworld, the messenger Hermes was amazed at what he found. Instead of finding a frail and fearful Persephone, he found a radiant and striking Queen of the Dead. She had adjusted well to her new position, saying she had even found her calling. The Goddess was now in charge of greeting the new arrivals and helping them adapt to their new life. While she wished to see her mother up above, she was torn by her desire to remain Hades' wife.

Hoping to comfort Persephone in her confusion, Hades came to his Queen's side. He gently kissed her forehead and urged her, "Do not fret, eat instead from this fruit I know you will like." As she pressed the red pomegranate seeds to her lips, she listened to his words. He told her he would miss her very much, but her duties as a daughter mattered too. So, she climbed into the chariot and bid her husband farewell, as Hermes sped them off to the middle realm of mother earth, the home of her devoted mother.

The flowers sang joyfully of her return, while her mother beamed with pride. Yet, the child that she had born and raised had changed while she was gone. She had grown into a goddess, one both beautiful and wise and the more that Demeter inquired about her experiences below, the more she came to worry that the life they knew was gone. She recalled a declaration Zeus had made from the heavens up above: in order for Persephone to return to the home and life she had known, the young goddess must be as pure as the day she left her mother's side. However, the ruby stain upon her lips spoke of the beauty's fate. Persephone had tasted of the fruit of life. It could not be erased.

Even so, Zeus loved his daughter too much to send her back to Hades without the hope of returning to her mother's abode above. So, each spring Persephone comes back with the flowers that pave her way, to tell the story of rebirth, hope and harmony. And each fall when she leaves again for the Underworld below, her mother mourns and winter comes, while she waits for her return. Yet, for Persephone there is no remorse. She looks forward to the time she spends as Hades' Queen and wife, and to guiding those who have lost their way to the next phase of their life.

Heracles & his 12 Labors

Hercules was half-god and half-mortal; a product of yet another one of Zeus's affairs with mortal women. Alcamene. was, by all accounts, exceedingly beautiful. However, it was not her beauty alone that caught the eye of Zeus. She radiated a warmth and charm that was uncommon among Greek women of the time. She was also full of energy, ambition, and unparalleled compassion. It would have, in fact, been odd had the king of the gods not noticed her.

Hercules was the result of their brief love affair and soon became the light of his mother's life. Though, he seldom acknowledged it, Zeus also had a soft spot in his heart for the young boy who were grow up to become a savior of mankind. He gifted his son with extraordinary strength.

However, Hera, queen of the gods, was tired of Zeus's wandering eye and decided to take her wrath out on his newest son. She even tried to prevent the birth of the boy while he slumbered peacefully in his mother's womb. When that didn't work, she sent snakes to attack the baby in his crib. However, from the very beginning Hercules seemed determined to live and easily strangled the reptiles with his bare hands.

The second failure to kill Zeus's son caused Hera to become even angrier. She vowed to get her revenge against the innocent boy no matter what or how long it took. She, indeed, spent most of life trying to make certain that Hercules never experienced sustained happiness.

Her cruelest act of all was perpetrated not against the half-god himself, but against his beloved family - - his wife Megara and their two children. She accomplished this in the most heartless manner possible. She poisoned Hercules with an hallucinogenic drug that nearly drove the young man insane. During his fit of madness, Hercules killed his own wife and children.

Haunted by what he had done, the half-god beseeched the sun god Apollo to help rid him of his shame through a punishment befitting of his crime. In response, Apollo bade Hercules to serve an evil king named Eurystheus for twelve years. During that time he was assigned a series of labors to perform.

The first task assigned was to kill the Nemean Lion and bring back its skin. However, the animal had a tough skin that was unpenetrable by traditional methods. With no weapons to help, Hercules wrestled the lion, eventually choking it to death. Unfortunately, even dead, the beast was impossible to skin by traditional means. With a bit of insight offered by the goddess Athena, Hercules figured the best way to tackle the hide was with its own claws.

Hercules's second task was to slay the Hydra, a cross between a serpent and a dragon that breathed fire and emitted poisonous dung. The warrior quickly realized that killing the Hydra wasn't going to be easy. With each head that he cut off, two grew in its place. After fighting the serpent unsuccessfully for hours, it occurred to him to use his torch to burn the area after cutting off a head. The trick worked and the Greek hero was able to complete his second labor.

The third task assigned didn't involve the death of another animal. However, it did involve the capture of the goddess Artemis's sacred animal - the Hind. The animal was believed to be the swiftest animal on earth, so fast in fact that no hunter's arrow could catch it. Hercules chased the Hind for a full year without success. Just as he was about to give up, he captured the beast when it stopped to drink by laming it so that it could no longer run away.

The next labor involved the capture of a boar. With guidance from the centaurs, Hercules easily completed the task. However, in the process he killed one of the centaurs and made himself their lifelong enemy.

For his fifth task, Hercules was tasked with cleaning the Augean stables. To accomplish this labor, Hercules rerouted two rivers to wash out the stables.

Hercules's sixth task was to kill the Stymphalian Birds; man-eaters with claws of brass and metallic feathers that they used like sharp arrows to kill their victims. To kill the birds Hercules used cymbals to scare thebirds into flight so that he could bring them down with arrows.

The seventh labor assigned was to capture the Minotaur, which had been running amok on the island of Crete. Hercules strangled the animal with sheer brute strength.

The next labor involved stealing the Mares of Diomedes, wild man-eating animals that were bound to Diomedes by leather reigns. Killing Diomedes in his sleep, Hercules was able to free the mares. To calm them, he fed Diomedes's body to them. He then bound their mouths shut and harnessed them, taking back to the king.

Labor nine involved obtaining the girdle of Hippolyta. The queen of the Amazons put up very little fight and eventually gave the girdle to Hercules willingly. Her actions, however, angered her followers who hated all men. They, therefore, put their own queen to death for her perceived betrayal.

The tenth labor, which was originally slated to be the last, was to obtain the cows of Geryon. However, the warrior wasn't willing to give up his cattle without a fight. The two men fought endlessly until Hercules pierced Geryon's forehead with a poisoned arrow. With Geryon dead, Hercules drove the cattle back to the king.

After completing his first ten labors, Hercules believed his debt to be paid. However, Hera whispered into the ear of Eurystheus that he had been helped in two of his tasks. Consequently, the king demanded two additional labors as further punishment.

The eleventh labor was to steal the apples from the garden of Hersperides. Realizing that he couldn't obtain the golden apples on his own, Hercules tricked Atlas into letting him bear the weight of the world on his shoulder while the titan obtained the apples for him. Once he had finished his task, however, Atlas didn't want to take back his heavy weight. Once again, Hercules tricked Atlas by convincing him to take back the world long enough for Hercules to get a better grip. Of course, once the world was safely back on Atlas's able shoulders, Hercules escaped with the apples.

The final task was to capture Cerberus, the watchdog of Hades. Hercules took the direct approach, asking Hades and Persophne for permission to remove the dog from Hades. They agreed with the stipulation that he not harm the dog. Therefore, he wrestled Cerberus into submission with doing any permanent harm.

With the labors completed, Hercules was released from his guilt as Apollo promised. However, he decided to continue to do labors on half of mankind and became more popular among the Greek people than many of the gods and goddesses.

Hercules eventually married a second time, taking as his wife the lovely Deianira. To show her abiding love for her husband, the maiden wove a cloak containing what she believed to be a magical balm that would bind Hercules to her forever. However, in truth, the balm was yet another trick of Hera. It was really poison that burned the young warrior severely once he donned his wife's gift.

Unable to remove the cloak and in agonizing pain, Hercules bade his friends to build him a funeral pyre upon which he intended to die. However, as the flames burned the Greek hero alive, the gods convinced Hera that he had suffered enough. Something in his agony must have touched the goddess's heart because she sent her chariot down from Mount Olypmus to bring the warrior home to his father. There he remained until the time that the old gods faded away.

Jason & the Argonauts

Jason's father was Aeson, the King of Lolcus and mother Alcimede. Aeson stepbrother Pelias was eager for the throne of Lolcus, so in a battle, he removed Aeson from power and made himself the King. Aeson and Pelias shared a common mother, Tyro. She was the daughter of Salmoneus and sea god Poseidon. Pelias, to make sure that no one from Aeson's family could challenge him, killed his family. But Alcimede saved their baby, Jason. To save him Alcimede gave away her baby son to Chiron, who became his guardian. But Pelias was obsessed with his throne and he consulted an oracle that told him that a man wearing one sandal would be the reason for his end.

Later on as years went by, Jason grew up. Pelias had started games events as a tribute to his so-called father Poseidon. When Jason arrived in Lolcus, he lost his one sandal while crossing a river and trying to help Goddess Hera, who was in disguise of an old woman. Someone told Pelias that there was a man in Lolcus who was wearing one sandal. Jason came to Pelias and claimed his kingdom, which was rightfully his. But Pelias put a condition in front of him that would return back his kingdom, if he brought him the Golden Fleece. Pelias thought that the task was impossible and Jason would never come back.

Jason was in early twenties when he started his search for the Golden Fleece. Jason gathered a team of 50 people and started his voyage on a ship called 'Agro'. Together they were known as the 'Argonauts'. Later on as the voyage moved further the team increased to about 100 people. One of the famous heroes on this ship was Hercules. It is said the Jason's journey was one of the first longest voyages of its times.Jason's journey through the Black sea was one of its first introductions. As the Greeks traveled here they colonized the coast and ruled it for almost 3000 years.Jason's first stop was the island of Lemnos (today rests in Modern Turkey), which was based in the Aegean Sea. Women, who cursed by Goddess Aphrodite, because they had ignored her worship, inhabited the island. So she cursed them and made their body smell so disgusting that their husbands ran away. Angry with Aphrodite, they killed their husbands.

When the Argonauts reached Thrace they met Phineus of Salmydessus. Phineus was blind by choice because he wanted to live a long life (according to a prophecy by Apollo) and if he wanted to predict the sayings of Gods. Jason saved Phineus from Harpies who was sent by Helios (Sun God) to kill him. In return of his favor, Phineus told him the site of Colchis.

To reach Colchis, one had to travel through the cliffs of Symplegades. But the cliffs trampled anyone and anything that traveled between them. So Phineus suggested that Jason release a dove between the cliffs. If the dove is able to reach pass the cliffs so will he. As told Jason did so and the dove passed the cliffs. Jason also traveled through the cliffs of Symplegades safely.

Finally Jason and his 'Argonauts' reached Colchis. Jason meets up with the King Aietes and asks him to return the Golden Fleece. But Aietes says yes only on the condition that he presents some extraordinary tasks. Medea the daughter of Aietes helps Jason in completing the tasks, on the condition that he marries her. But Aietes has other plans. He decides to kill Jason and the Argonauts and not return the Golden Fleece. But he makes the mistake of confiding his plans with his daughter Medea. Medea helps Jason recover the Golden Fleece and they along with the Argonauts flee Colchis.

Zeus as a punishment for Medea for killing her own brother sent storms in the sea and drove it off course. But after purification by Circle nymph, they could continue their journey. The Agro could surpass the Sirens with the help of Orpheus who played his lyre and made more beautiful music than the Sirens. The Sirens used to lure the sailors by creating enchanting and soulful music. As they came to the island of Crete they encountered Talos. Talos started flinging stones at Agro. But Medea knew that Talos had only one blood vessel, closed shut by a bronzenail. Medea cast a spell on Talos, which agave her the chance to removed the nail, which left to Talos to bleed to death.

When Jason and Medea returned to Lolcus, they found that Pelias had killed Jason's father and his mother had died due to mourning. Medea used her witchcraft and murdered Pelias by influencing him. She promised him that he would become younger with her help but instead kills him. When Jason became disloyal to Medea and married another woman she killed their offspring's in anger. Jason death occurred due to a sad incident whereupon he was sleeping under the hull of the ship of Agro, when it fell and killed him. This is thought because he broke his promise to Medea and was the method of punishment from the gods.

The Illiad

This is a very condensed version of the Illiad. Since the Illiad is a epic poem which is large enough to fill a book, it cannot fit within this web page in its entirety.

On a diplomatic mission from Troy to Sparta, Helen and Paris fell in love with each other. At that time, Menelaus (husband of Helen and King of Sparta), had left for Crete to attend his uncle’s funeral. Paris and Helen eloped and set sail to Troy. When Menelaus returned, he discovered this and was very angry. He asked his brother Agamemnon to help him get Helen back from Troy. Agamemnon then sent several emissaries to the Achaean kings and princes to help retrieve Helen. There Achaean kings and princes were the past suitors of Helen, and upon Helen’s marriage to Menelaus had taken the oath to come to Menelaus’ aid in case any harm befell Helen.

Several of these kings and princes tried tricks to avoid the ensuing war. Odysseus tried to portray that he was mad. Achilles’ mother, Thetis, disguised him as a woman so that he could not go for the war. But eventually, they were discovered, and they all gathered together. All the suitors gathered at Aulis and made a sacrifice to Apollo. At the end of the sacrifice, a snake slithered out from the altar and then went to a sparrow’s nest and ate the mother and her eight babies and then was turned to stone. From this, they deduced that Troy would fall in the 10th year of war. The Achaeans left for war in ships and accidentally landed in Mysia which was ruled by King Telephus, who was the son of Heracles. They ended up fighting a war. Afterwards, the ships were caught up and scattered by a storm.

Finally, eight years after they had set sail, the ships finally gathered again at Aulis. At that time, they sought the help from the Oracles again. Calchas, a prophet, said that the goddess Artemis was angry with Agamemnon. Calchas said that the only way that he could please Artemis was by sacrificing his most beautiful daughter to her. When Agamemnon refused, the others threatened to make Palamedes the commander of these forces, rather than him. So, in the end, Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to Artemis, and then set sail for Troy, again.Calchas had also prophesized that the first Achaean to land on Troy would be the first one to die. Therefore everyone hesitated to land on Troy when they reached the shores. Eventually, Protesilaus of the Phylaceans landed first and Achilles was the second to set foot on the shores of Troy. Protesilaus and Achilles killed several Trojans upon landing, but then Protesilaus was killed by Hector, the son of Priam, the King of Troy and the brother of Paris.

The war went on for 9 more years, but very few details were written down about this period of the fighting.

Achilles was amongst the most aggressive of the Achaeans and he raided, looted and conquered several of the outer territories of Troy. The war lingered on and on, without stopping. Plots within plots and politics ruled the scene. The soldiers were tired at the end of the nine years and wanted to go back home and were on the verge of mutiny. It was only because of the army of Achilles, were they forced to stay back.However, towards the end of the almost mutiny, Agamemnon took Briseis, the concubine of Achilles. Achilles therefore refused to participate in the war.

The Achaeans were relatively successful even after Achilles withdrew from the war. There was a fight between Menalaus and Paris, which ended with Aphrodite snatching the almost defeated Paris from the battlefield. Diomedes, an Achaean hero, won repute amongst his people by killing Pandaros, a Trojan hero, nearly wounding Aeneas and also for wounding the gods Aphrodite and Ares. But then the Trojans were enraged enough to drive the Achaeans back to their camp. The next day, the Trojans entered the Achaean camp and were about the burn down the Achaean ships.The Achaeans then began to request Achilles to return back into the fight. Finally, Patroclus, a relative of Achilles, went into the war wearing Achilles’ clothes and armor. He was killed by Hector who thought he was killing Achilles.

Enraged by the death of Patroclus, Achilles joined the war again. Due to this Agamemnon returned Briseis back to Achilles, untouched. Back into the fray, Achilles managed to kill several Trojans. A duel raged between Hector and Achilles, which ended with Achilles killing Hector and dragging Hector’s body from his chariot. He refused to give the body back to the Trojans for the funeral. Later, King Priam came to Achilles and requested to have his son’s body back. Later on, as the war raged on, Achilles ended up killing several of Troy’s allies including Penthesilea, the Amazon Queen, and Memnon, the King of Ethiopia. After that, Achilles entered Troy. It was at that point that Paris shot a poisoned arrow, which was guided by Apollo, into the heel of Achilles. This was the only part of his body which was vulnerable, and Achilles died on the spot.

The war was now in its tenth year. A prophecy was made that the fall of Troy would not take place without the bow and arrow of Heracles which was now with Philoctetes. Odysseus and Diomedes found Philoctetes in Lemnos and got him Troy. He then shot Paris and killed him.

Finally to totally destroy Troy, a plan was conceived by Odysseus. A giant, hollow, wooden horse was built by Epeius under the guidance of Athena. The horse was an animal sacred to the Trojans. On that horse were inscribed the words: ‘The Greeks dedicate this offering as thanks to Athena for their return back home’. The horse was filled with troops which were led by Odysseus. The rest of the army burned their camp and set sail for Tenedos.The Trojans rejoiced, thinking that the armies had finally left. They dragged the horse back into the city and began to debate what to do with it. Some of them wanted to burn it down, while others wanted to keep the horse and dedicate it to Athena.Cassandra, who had been given the gift of prophecy by Apollo was also cursed by him that no one would believe her. She warned the Trojans not to keep the horse. But, of course, no one believed her. Meanwhile, the Trojans celebrated their victory.

At midnight, when the full moon rose, the troops came out of the horse and began to attack the Trojans. Most of them were drunk or sleeping. The Achaeans massacred them. Disorganized, leaderless and disoriented, the Trojans began to fight back. But to no avail. Eventually no men were left behind in Troy and the Greeks took all the women who remained, for themselves.The Greeks then proceeded to burn down the city of Troy. Cassandra was given to Agamemnon and Neoptolemus got Andromache, the wife of Hector. Odysseus got Hecuba, the wife of Priam. The Achaeans killed Hector’s infant son Astyanax by throwing him from the walls of Troy. They sacrificed Priam’s daughter Polyxena to the grave of Achilles.

After the war, the kings of the greek army left for home. But Nestor was the only king to arrive home unharmed and safely. He left Troy without looting, and acted to the gods' favor throughout the war.

The Odyssey

This is a very condensed version of The Odyssey. Since The Odyssey is long enough to fill several books, this version has been simplified and shortened.

Perseus & Medusa

There were two twin brothers Proteus and Acrisius who took turns ruling a kingdom until Proteus lay with Acrisius's sister after which Proteus fled. Proteus married Anteia. There was a war and they divided the kingdom: Acrisius got Argos, Proteus got Tiryns. Seven giant cyclops fortified Tiryns with massive walls. Acrisius married Aganippe and had no sons, but one daughter Danae. She was beautiful above all the women of Argos. Acrisius asked an oracle how to have a son. The priestess told him he would never have a son, and that his grandson would someday kill him. The only escape would be to kill his daughter himself. That he couldn't do, so Acrisius locked up Danae in a dungeon with brazen doors. Zeus came upon her in a shower of golden rain which fell in her lap, and she bore a son named Perseus.

When Acrisius discovered Perseus, Danae told him that Zeus was his father. He did not believe her, but he was afraid to kill them for fear of the gods, so he locked them in a wooden ark and launched them into the sea. They were washed up on a island named Seriphos among many islands. A kind fisherman named Dictys ("net") found the chest, opened it and found them still alive. He and his kind wife had no children and took them home and cared for both of them for many years, until Perseus was grown.

Dictys' brother, Polydectes, was the local king, who fell in love with the still very beautiful Danae. Perseus, now grown, was a formidable defender of his mother against Polydectes. So Polydectes sought a plan to get rid of Perseus. He pretended to be in love with Hipposdameia, daughter of Pelops, and called his subjects together to announce their marriage. He asked each to give him gift of a horse, and all did so, except Perseus, who had no horse. Perseus announced that declared he would bring back a better gift than anyone else. This is what Polydectes wanted, so he asked Perseus to bring back the head of Medusa as a gift.

The Medusa was one of the three Gorgon sisters. They were monsters who lived on an island, who were known far and wide because of their deadly power. They had tusks like boars, protruding tongue, thick dragon scales, hands of brass, wings of gold, and a face so ugly that all who looked at it were turned to stone. Medusa was distinguishable from the others because she had snakes for hair. Medusa had been beautiful in her youth, especially her hair, but had lain with Poseidon in the temple of Athene. For punishment, Athene had cursed Medusa to look as she does. She was the daughter of Phorcys who had offended Athene by leading the Libyans of Lake Tritonis in battle.

Perseus left on a ship, without telling his mother where he was going, and sailed to Greece to find out where the Gorgons lived. The priestess at Delphi told him to seek the land where they eat only acorns. He went to Dodona, the land of talking oak trees which declare Zeus's will and where the Selli lived who made bread of acorns. They did not know where the Gorgons lived, but told him he was under the protection of the gods.

As he continued, he met a man carrying a wand of gold with wings at one end, wearing a winged hat and winged sandals. It was Hermes, messenger of the gods. Hermes told him he must be properly equipped to fight Medusa, and what he needed was in the possession of the Nymphs of the North (Stygian Nymphs). Their locations was known only to the Gray Women, [who were the sisters of the Gorgons]. These women dwelt in a land where all was dim and shrouded in twilight. No ray of sun looked ever on that country, nor the moon by night. They were very old and withered, and had only one eye [and one tooth] between the three of them. It was their custom to take turns with it: when one was done using it, she would remove it from her forehead and hand it to another.

All this Hermes told Perseus, and then unfolded his plan. [Because the Gray women were the sisters of the Gorgons, he would have to trick them.] He must keep hidden until he saw one of them remove the eye from her forehead. Then he must rush foreward and take the eye and refuse to return it until they told him how to find the Nymphs of the North.

Hermes then presented him with a sword made of diamond (adamant) made by Hephaestus, which could not be broken by Medusa's scales. Athena then appeared and gave him her breastplate of polished bronze which he carried on his left arm, and the sword in his right. She told him to look at Medusa only in its reflection, to avoid being turned to stone.

Hermes then guided Perseus on a long journey across the ocean to the foot of Mount Atlas where the Gray sisters acted as lookouts. He found the Gray Women sitting in their thrones, in the dim light looking like gray swans. They had the form of swans, but human heads, and under their wings they had arms and hands. Perseus executed the plan exactly. When he snatched the eye [and the tooth] it was a moment before the three realized they had lost it, for each thought the other had it. But Perseus told them he had it, and they [reluctantly] told him the location of the Nymphs of the North. Then he gave them back the eye. [He kept the eye and tooth to keep them from warning their Gorgon sisters of his approach.]

He and Hermes then left for the Land of Hyperboria, the land beyond the North Wind. It is said of that land, "Neither by ship nor yet by land shall one find the wonderous road to the gathering place of the Hyperboreans." But Perseus had Hermes with him, so the road lay open. He found a host of happy people who are always banqueting and joyous. They showed him great kindness and welcomed him to their feast, and the maidens dancing to flute and lyre paused to get him the gifts he sought. These were a) winged sandals enabling him to fly, b) a magic silver pouch that would adjust itself to the size of whatever it held, and c) a cap or helmet of darkness from Hades which made the wearer invisible. Hermes knew where the Gorgons lived, so the two flew back across the Ocean and over the sea to the Terrible Sisters' Island.

The Gorgons were all three asleep when Perseus found them. In the mirror he could see them clearly: they had great wings, bodies covered with golden scales, and hair a mass of twisted snakes. Athene now appeared beside him and told him which one was the Medusa. The other two, Stheno and Euryale, were immortal. Perseus looked at them in the shield, and Athena guided his hand as he cut off her head. To his surprise the winged horse Pegasus and the warrior Chrysaor grasping a golden curved sword sprang full grown from her dead body. Perseus was unaware that these had been begotten on Medusa by Poseidon in the temple of Athene. He decided not to antagonize them and dropped her head into the pouch. The other two sisters were awakened by their new nephew, but could not find him because of his cap of invisibility. He escaped southward and Hermes left him.

Strong winds blew him across the sky like a raincloud, so he stopped to rest near the palace of the Titan Atlas, who refused him hospitality. As a punishment, Perseus showed the Gorgon's head to Atlas and turned him into a range of mountains that now bear his name. The next day he flew across the Libyan desert and some drops of the Medusa's blood fell on the sand and bred a swarm of poisonous snakes, one of which later killed Mopsus the Argonaut. [He dropped the eye and tooth into Lake Tritonis.]

As he rounded the coast of Philistia (Palestine) he caught sight of Andromeda, who was chained to a cliff on the seashore. She was the daughter of Cepheus, the Ethiopian King of Joppa (Tel-Aviv, nearest port to Jerusalem), and his wife Casseiopeia. Casseiopeia had boasted that both she and her daughter were more beautiful that the Nereids, some very beautiful sea nymphs. They complained to Poseidon who sent a flood and a sea monster to devastate the coast near Joppa (the Gaza Strip). When Cepheus consulted the Oracle of Ammon he was told that his only hope of deliverance was to sacrifice his daughter Andromeda to the sea monster. His subjects chained her to a cliff, wearing certain jewels, and left her to be devoured.

As Perseus flew over, he at first almost mistook her for a marble statue. Only the wind ruffling her hair and the warm tears on her cheeks showed that she was human. Perseus instantly fell in love with Andromeda. As Perseus flew to her and asked her why she was chained there. Shy Andromeda, totally different from her vainglorious mother, at first did not answer. Finally, she told Perseus her story, but broke off with a scream as she saw the monster approaching.

Perseus saw Cepheus and Cassiopeia watching anxiously nearby and quickly went to consult with them. They agreed that if he rescued her, she should be his wife and Cepheus offered him his kingdom as a dowry. They also agreed to let Perseus take her back to his home at Seriphos. He took to the air, grasped his sword, and diving murderously from above, beheaded the approaching monster, which was deceived by his shadow on the sea. He had drawn the Medusa's head from the pouch in case the monster had looked up. The headless body of the monster dropped back into the water. He laid Medusa's head face down on some seaweed, which turned instantly to coral. He then cleansed his hand of blood and made three altars, on which he sacrificed a calf, a cow, and a bull to Hermes, Athene, and Zeus respectively.

On Andromeda's insistence, the wedding took place immediately, even though Cassiopeia insisted that the pledge of her hand had been forced on them by the circumstances, and that Agenor (Phineas), King Belus's twin brother, had already been betrothed to her. The wedding feast was rudely interrupted when Agenor entered at the head of an armed party, claiming Andromeda for himself. "Perseus must die!" Cassiopeia cried fiercely.

In the ensuing fight, Perseus struck down many of his opponents, but, being greatly outnumbered, was forced to snatch the Gorgon's head from the coral and turned two hundred of them to stone.

Poseidon set the images of Cephus and Cassiopeia among the stars. The latter, as a punishment for her treachery, is tied in a market basket which is sometimes turned upside-down. But Athene afterwards honored Andromeda image in a more favorable place because she had insisted on marrying Perseus.

A year later Perseus took Andromeda with him back to Seriphos. She had born Perseus a son, Perses, who was left with Cepheus to be heir to the throne of Joppa. When they arrived, they found that the wife of Dictys was long since dead, and the Dictys himself and his mother Danae had had to flee from Polydectes, who was furious at Danae refusal to marry him. They had taken refuge in the temple. Perseus learned that Polydectes was holding a banquet in the palace with all the men who favored him. Perseus went straight to the hall, with the breastplate of Athena on his chest and the silver pouch at his side. He announced to Polydectes that he had brought the promised love-gift. They poured scorn on his claim to have brought back the head of the Medusa, whereupon Perseus showed it to the king and everyone there and they all turned to stone. This circle of bolders is still shown at Seriphos. He then gave the head to Athene who bore it always upon the aegis, Zeus's shield, which she carried for him. Hermes returned the sandals, pouch, and helmet to the guardianship of the Stygian nymphs.

When the islanders knew they were free from the tyrant, it was easy for him to find Danae and Dictys. He made Dictys king of the island, but he and his mother decided to go back with Andromeda to Argos to try to be reconciled with Acrisius after the many years since he had put him and Danae in the wooden chest. They were accompanied by a party of cyclopses. When Acrisius heard Perseus was coming, he fled to Larissa in Thessaly to avoid the fulfillment of the oracle. When they reached Argos, Perseus found that Acrisius was gone, and where he was no one could say. Perseus had been invited to the althletic funeral games that the King Teutamides of Larissa was holding to honor his dead father. He went to participate, and when he threw the discus, it was carried out of its path by the wind and fell among the spectators. It struck the foot of Acrisius and killed him, fulfilling the prophecy. Greatly grieved, Perseus buried his grandfather in the temple of Athene, and ashamed to reign in Argos, he went to Tiryns where Proteus had been succeeded by Megapenthes and arranged to exchange kingdoms with him.

Perseus fortified Midea, founded Mycenae, so named because when he was thirsty a mushroom (mycos) sprang up, giving him a stream of water. The cyclopses built walls around both cities.

Perseus and Andromeda lived happily ever after. They had five more sons: Alcaeus, Sthenelus, Heleius, Mestor, and Electryon, and a daughter Gorgophone ("slaying of the Gorgon"). Their son Electryon was the grandfather of Hercules.

Theseus & The Minotaur

Theseus' mother was Aethra, daughter of King Pittheus of Troezen. His father was either King Aegeus or Poseidon, the god of the Sea. King Aegeus was unable to have children from his first two wives. He consulted the Oracle at Delphi for an answer to his problem. Aegeus did not understanding the oracle’s answer which was in the form of a riddle. Aegeus went to the wise King Pittheus to find the understanding. Pittheus understood the riddle but did not reveal it to Aegeus. Instead, he got Aegeus drunk and took him to his daughter Aethra to lay with. That same night, unknown to Aegeus or Pittheus, Poseidon also shared the bed of Aethra.

Theseus grew up to be a strong and witty young man. When he was old enough, he attempted to move the stone under which his father had buried the sword. He was unable to move it, so he built a pulley system to lift the rock. With the pulley system, Theseus was able to retrieve the sword and sandals. He set out for Athens overland. He was advised to take the much safer boat route but refused. Instead, he traveled through the dangerous Isthmus of Corinth. On his journey, he encountered many evil men who preyed on travelers. He defeated them all, making them suffer the same fate they would bestow on their victims. By the time he reached Athens, he was famous for his deeds.

King Aegeus did not yet recognize Theseus as his son, and he was worried that this popular young man might try to steal his throne. To prevent this, he sent Theseus on a mission to kill the Marathonia Bull and bring it back to Athens. Theseus caught the bull and returned it to the king. The king’s wife Medea, who was a sorceresses, recognized Theseus and suggested poisoning the young hero. King Aegeus recognized the sword Theseus was wearing just before the poisoned wine was given to his son. Medea and her son were banished from the kingdom for their part in the plot kill Theseus.

Several years earlier, Crete attacked Athens. To ward off the attack, the Athenians had agreed to pay a yearly tribute of seven boys and girls to feed a Minotaur. The Minotaur was a monster with a head of a bull and body of a man. Theseus offered to be one of the men to be given to the minotaur. When Theseus arrived in Crete, Ariadne, the daughter of the king fell in love with him at first sight. She gave him a sword and spool of string he could use to find his way back out of the labyrinth which the Minotaur lived. Theseus went into the maze and found the Minotaur sleeping near the center. He killed the monster and escaped with the others from Athens.

Theseus, along with his fellow Athenians and Ariadne, escaped to their ship and headed back to Athens. On their way, they stopped at the island of Dia. Some stories suggest that Theseus abandoned Ariadne on this island. Others say the god Dionysus stole her away. In any case, Theseus headed back to Athens without her. Theseus had also forgotten a promise he had made to his father. The ship carrying the fourteen Athenians always flew a black flag. Theseus had promised his father to change the flag to white on the voyage home if he had survived. Aegeus, seeing the black flag threw himself into the sea, believing that his son had died on his mission. The sea was named the Aegean in his honor.

Due to his father’s death, Theseus now became the king of Athens. He was credited with moving the government to a democratic style of governing.