Summary, from the companion site to Classical Mythology.

Commentary, from the companion site to Classical Mythology.

• Argos, Corinth, and Thebes are connected in legend
• Argos also has contacts with the Eastern Mediterranean, the Levant and Egypt
• It is often difficult to distinguish between the separate cities
• "Argos" is used to cover both the city of Argos and the Argolid
• Argos was a great enter for the worship of Hera; the Heraeum was the hill where he sanctuary stood, and was the religious center for the entire area.

• See his lineage, p. 408.
• Abas has twins, who quarrelled, Proetus, king of Tiryns, and Acrisius, king of Argos.
• Acrisius, because of an oracle predicting his death from his daughter's son, shut his daughter Danaë up, either in an underground chamber or a tower, but she was visited by Zeus in the form of a golden shower
• Danaë gave birth to Perseus and hid him for 4 years
• Acrisius, who did not believe Zeus was the father of Perseus, placed mother and son in a chest and put them out to sea.
• The chest floated to the island of Seriphos, where mother and son were rescued by a fisherman, Dictys.
• Polydectes, brother of Dictys and king of Seriphos, loved Danaë, but she refused him
• There are various versions relating why Perseus undertook the tasks he did, but one claims that at a banquet where each guest was asked to bring a horse, Perseus said he could just as easily bring the Gorgon's head.
• Hermes and Athena aided Perseus. Hermes belongs more to the Peloponnese than does Athena, so he may have been the only original helper; however, the Gorgon's head is on Athena's shield, she may have very early associations with the hero. Graeae
  • From the Graeae, or old women who shared one eye and one tooth among the three of them, Perseus, having stolen their eye, learned where he could find the nymphs with the magic objects to help him.
  • The nymphs gave Perseus the cap of invisibility, winged sandals, and a wallet or kibisis. Hermes gave him a scimitar.
  Gorgons
  • Perseus flew to the home of the Gorgons, somewhere on the edge of the world, usually situated in N. Africa.
  • The only mortal Gorgon was Medusa.
  • Perseus was able to avoid being killed by her by looking at her reflection in his shield. He decapitated her and put her head in the wallet.
  • As she was beheaded, Chrysaor and Pegasus sprang from her body, fathered by Poseidon. Pegasus is important in the Bellerophon story.
  Andromeda
  • Andromeda was the daughter of Casseiopeia and Cepheus.
  • Cassiopeia had boasted that she was more beautiful than the Nereids
  • As punishment, Poseidon flooded the kingdom and sent a sea monster
  • An oracle of Zeus Ammon told Cepheus that Andromeda, chained to a rock, would appease the monster
  • When Perseus arrived, he said he would kill the monster in return for the hand of Andromeda, who had been betrothed to her uncle, Phineus
  • Wearing his cap and sandals, Perseus killed the monster with his scimitar and claimed his bride. (This should remind you of other contests for a bride)
  • Perseus married Andromeda, but according to Ovid, the wedding feast was interrupted by Phineus and full scale war broke out. The battle was bloody, but Perseus eventually ended the fighting by showing the Gorgon's head and turning his enemies to stone.
  Return to Argos
  • After the birth of their son Perses, Perseus and Andromeda returned to Argos. Having followed Acrisius to Thessaly, Perseus in a contest hit Acrisius with a discus (by accident) and killed him, thus fulfilling the prophecy.
  • Because he had killed his grandfather, Perseus did not rule Argos, but exchanged the kingdom with the king of Tiryns. Perseus then founded Mycenae. His children became kings of Mycenae, and Heracles was descended from him.
  • Perseus also killed Polydectes on Seriphos, who had harassed his mother, and made Dictys king. He retrieved his mother and took her to Argos.
  • Perseus returned the magic objects and gave Medusa's head to Athena.
  Miscellaneous tales associated with Perseus
  • As he flew over the Libyan desert, the blood that dropped from Medusa's head created poisonous snakes
  • Perseus used the Gorgon's head to turn Atlas to stone after the Titan refused to show him any hospitality
  • Coral was created from exposed seaweed on which Perseus placed the Gorgon's head
  There is much magic and many folktale elements in the legends of Perseus. His quest may be compared with those of Heracles and Jason.

• The family tree on p. 411 shows the lineage of the river god Inachus, who, through his daughter Io, beloved of Zeus but transformed into a cow by Hera, became the ancestor of the dynasties of Crete, Thebes, and Mycenae.
• Io, through her association with moon goddesses, with Isis, and with Phoenician Astarte, was originally perceived of as a divine bieng.
• The Danaids. Danaus had 50 daughters who were engaged to the 50 sons of his brother Aegyptus. When the two brothers quarrelled, Danaus left Egypt, sailed to Argos and became king. When the 50 sons pursued the 50 daughters, Danaus gave the daughters in marriage but convinced them to kill their husbands. All but one, Hypermnestra, obeyed. She spared her husband Lyncieus. The other Danaids suffer in Hades by having to fill or carry water in sieves. Hypermnestra and Lynceus are the parents of Abas, father of Acrisius, father of Danaë, mother of Perseus.
• We have already discussed Tydeus, father of Diomedes, who became the last great mythical king of Argos.