Lesson of literary reading "Legends and myths of Ancient Greece. Brave Perseus". Brave Perseus Summary of the story brave Perseus
There was a big problem in one city. A winged woman Medusa Gorgon flew in from somewhere. She slowly walked through the streets, and anyone who looked at her, at the same moment became a stone.
She quietly and sadly looked into the eyes of every passer-by, and he immediately turned into a petrified statue. And if a bird, flying over the earth, looked at Medusa Gorgon, the bird fell like a stone to the ground.
It was a wonderful summer day. There were many children running on the lawns, in the gardens and on the streets. They played funny games, jumped, danced, laughed and sang. But as soon as Medusa Gorgon passed by them, they turned into a cold pile of stones.
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In the same city, King Polydectes lived in a magnificent palace. He was cowardly and stupid: he was so afraid of the Gorgon Medusa that he ran away from the palace and hid with his nobles in the cellar, deep underground.
There was plenty of wine and food in the cellar; the king sat at the table and feasted with his nobles. What did he care that in the city, up there, people were dying one after another and could not escape from the cruel sorceress!
Fortunately, the brave Perseus lived in this city. Everyone loved him very much. He was never afraid of anyone.
When the terrible Gorgon Medusa passed through the city, he was not at home.
In the evening, Perseus returned home. Neighbors told him about Medusa Gorgon.
"Evil, heartless witch!" he cried. "I'm going to go and kill her."
The neighbors shook their heads sadly and said:
- There were many such daredevils who wanted to fight Medusa Gorgon. But none of them returned here: she turned them all into stones.
But I can't just sit back! After all, it will destroy all the inhabitants of our city, all my relatives and friends! Today I will avenge her for her evil deeds.
And Perseus ran through the streets, asking everyone he met where the dwelling of Medusa Gorgon was.
But no one answered him. Everyone wept over some stone.
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Perseus looked on the way to each house: is there Medusa Gorgon there.
Passing by the royal cellar, he thought: is she not there?
He ran down the stairs and saw the king in the dungeon!
King Polydectes sat at the table on the throne and merrily feasted with his nobles.
- Hey, you! he shouted to Perseus. I hope you didn't come here empty-handed! Would you like to give me some strange fish? Or juicy berries and sweet fruits?
“No,” said Perseus. “I brought nothing—no fish, no fruits, no berries. But soon I will bring you a precious gift that will delight and cheer your heart.
The king's eyes sparkled with greed.
“Dear young man,” he said in a friendly voice, “come closer to me and tell me what precious gift you are going to give me. Maybe you found a pearl or a golden crown at the bottom of the sea?
“No,” Perseus replied, “my gift is more precious than gold, more expensive than the best pearls ...
- What is it? Tell!
- Head of Medusa Gorgon! Perseus answered loudly. Yes, I will give you the head of the Gorgon Medusa! I will kill this evil witch. I will save my country from her!
The king slammed his fist on the table:
“Get away from me, you pathetic madman!” Or do you not know that thousands of my valiant warriors tried to destroy Medusa, but she turned many into stones, and the rest fled from her like from a fierce beast?
“Your warriors are as cowards as you!” Perseus replied angrily. But I'm not afraid of anyone or anything! I will not run away from Medusa Gorgon. And you will get her head from me.
Saying this, he turned and quickly walked out of the basement.
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Forgetting everything in the world, he now thought about one thing: how to find Medusa Gorgon and save his native country from her?
But in vain he wandered through the streets of the city all night until morning. Only in the morning did he meet an acquaintance who said that Medusa lives not far, under a high mountain, by a stream.
By evening, Perseus reached a high mountain, on the slope of which, among the gray stones under the trees, the Gorgon Medusa slept soundly.
Perseus drew his sword and rushed down the ledges of the mountain. But soon he stopped and thought: "After all, in order to cut off the head of a sleeping sorceress, I must look at her, and if I look at her, she will immediately turn me into stone."
He raised his copper shield - round, shiny and smooth - and began to look into it, as one looks into a mirror. This shield reflected both trees and gray stones that were on the side of the mountain. It also reflected a sleeping woman, who had not hair around her head, but black snakes.
So Perseus managed to see Medusa Gorgon with the help of a wonderful shield, never looking at her.
Medusa slept on the ground, next to her ugly sisters, who looked like big fat pigs. Her wings sparkled like a rainbow, she had such a beautiful, sad, thoughtful young face that Perseus felt sorry for killing her.
But then he saw that black poisonous snakes were moving on Medusa’s head, he remembered how many innocent people and children this evil beauty killed, how many kind, happy, cheerful she turned into dead stones.
And even more than before, he wanted to deal with her.
Looking at the mirror shield, which reflected Medusa, Perseus ran up to her and immediately cut off her terrible head with one blow of the sword. The head flew off and rolled towards the stream. But Perseus did not even look at her now, because even now she could turn him into stone. He took a bag made of goat fur, threw the head of Medusa into it and quickly ran through the mountains.
The Medusa sisters have awakened. Seeing that Medusa was killed, they flew into the air with screams and, like birds of prey, began to circle over the trees. So they noticed Perseus and flew after him.
"Give us our sister's head!" they shouted. "Give us our sister's head!"
Perseus ran through the mountains without looking back, and more than once it seemed to him that the terrible gorgons were overtaking him. Now they will plunge their sharp copper claws into his body!
But for a long time they could not fly, as they were fat and very heavy. Little by little they began to fall behind, but they still shouted after him:
"Give us our sister's head!"
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Perseus fled without looking back. He ran through the desert, and the blood from the head of Medusa dripped onto the hot sand, and each drop turned into a snake.
The snakes writhed and crawled after Perseus, trying to sting him. But he rushed like the wind, not afraid of anything, and he had joy in his heart. Killed, killed Medusa Gorgon! She won't be evil anymore.
On the way, he met a kind sorceress named Pallas Athena, who said to him:
- Glory to the hero! For the fact that you were not afraid of Medusa and saved your people from her, accept these sandals from me as a gift. These sandals are magical. You see, they have wings attached to them. Put them on your feet soon and you will fly like a bird.
Saying this, the sorceress disappeared.
As soon as Perseus put on sandals, the wings fluttered on them, and he, like a falcon, flew over the desert.
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Soon he flew out to the blue sea and quickly rushed over it. And suddenly I saw a big rock.
The rock stood on the shore, all illuminated by the sun, and a girl was chained to it with an iron chain, who sobbed bitterly.
Perseus flew up to her and shouted:
“Tell me, beautiful girl, what cruel people chained you to this rock?” I will go and cut them down with my sharp sword!
— Go away, go away! she screamed. - Soon a dragon will emerge from the sea, a terrible sea monster. He will swallow both you and me! Every day he swims up here, climbs the mountain, prowls through our city and devours people there. He swallows indiscriminately both old and small. To escape from him, the inhabitants of the city chained me to this rock: the dragon will see me and immediately swallow me, and all the people in our city will remain alive.
I'm not afraid of the sea monster! shouted the fearless Perseus. “Today I destroyed another monster, which is much more terrible!”
But the girl felt sorry for Perseus.
“Leave me,” she said, “go away!” I don't want to be swallowed by a monster.
No, I won't leave you! I will stay and kill this evil dragon that swallows defenseless people.
And he struck hard with his sharp sword on the chain with which the girl was chained.
- You are free! - he said.
She laughed, rejoiced, and tenderly thanked her deliverer. But suddenly she turned around and shouted:
- The monster is close! It floats here! What to do? What to do? He has such sharp teeth. It will tear apart, swallow both you and me! Go away, go away! I don't want you to die because of me.
The dragon was getting closer. He rushed through the waves like a ship. Seeing the girl, he greedily opened his wide toothy mouth and rushed to the shore to swallow his victim. But Perseus fearlessly stood in front of him and, pulling out the head of the Gorgon Medusa from the goat fur, showed it to the ferocious monster.
The monster looked at the magic head and immediately petrified forever - turned into a huge black coastal cliff.
The girl was saved. Perseus rushed to her, took her in his arms and ran with her to the top of the mountain, to the city that was threatened by the monster.
Everyone in the city was glad and happy. People hugged and kissed Perseus and shouted to him in delight:
Long live the great hero who saved our country from destruction!
The girl had a beautiful name: Andromeda. Soon she became the wife of Perseus, he gave her one of his wonderful sandals, and both of them flew to the city in which the cowardly Polydectes reigned.
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It turned out that King Polydekt was still hiding in his dungeon and feasting with his nobles.
“Here is your reward for the fact that you, miserable cowards, hid from formidable danger and left your people to perish, while you yourself feasted from morning to morning.
But no one answered him, because both the king and the nobles became a heap of stones.
The inhabitants of this city were very happy when they learned that Polydect was no longer in the world.
Let Perseus reign over us! they shouted. “He is so brave and kind.
But Perseus did not want to be king. He threw the head of the Gorgon Medusa into the abyss of the sea and went to a distant land with his sweet wife Andromeda.
... Leave the house on a clear night and look at the sky strewn with bright stars. You will see the young Perseus constellation. Perseus has the head of Medusa in his hand, but do not be afraid to look at her: she can no longer turn you into stone. Next to Perseus you will see his beautiful wife Andromeda. Her hands are raised up, as if they were chained to a rock. For thousands of years, people have been looking at these constellations and remembering the glorious hero Perseus, who saved them from the Gorgon Medusa and the cruel sea monster.
They are very entertaining and interesting. The most powerful civilization at one time described the interaction of the gods of Olympus and ordinary people. Legends about various heroes played an important role in the myths of the ancient Greeks. One of these famous characters is Perseus (Greece). He is credited with defeating the deadly monster Medusa Gorgon. The ancient Greek legend about Perseus will be briefly told in the article.
Birth of a hero
In the old days, the sayings of the oracles were of great importance to the ancient Greeks. The ruler of Argos, Acrisius, tried to avoid the predicted fate by imprisoning his own daughter Danae, who was famous for her unearthly beauty. According to the prediction, the king was to die at the hands of his grandson. However, the measures taken by Acrisius did not become a difficult obstacle for the great Zeus, who penetrated into the hard-to-reach place where Danae was kept, under the guise of golden rain. The son born of the god of thunder was named Perseus. The news of the birth of Perseus greatly frightened the king of Argos. He ordered to put Danae and the baby in a box, after which they were beaten up and thrown into the sea.
Serif
The myths of Ancient Greece about Perseus tell that the little future hero had a hard time with his mother. After long wanderings across the boundless expanses of the sea, thanks to the noisy waves, the boarded-up box finally landed on the shore of the island of Serif. At that time, the fisherman Diktis threw his fishing nets into the water. It was he who became the savior of Danae and Perseus. After opening the box, the angler's surprise knew no bounds, because he obviously did not expect to see a beautiful woman and a pretty baby. Subsequently, Dictis decided to show them to his brother Polydectes, who ruled Serif.
Danae and Polydect
The king of the island, Polydect, welcomed Danae and her son cordially. He left them to live in his luxurious palace. Thus, the childhood and youth of Perseus passed under the guardianship of King Polydectes on Serif.
Over time, the young man became strong and slender. Perseus was noticeably different from his peers in divine beauty, strength, dexterity and courage. Not a single guy on the island could compare with him in anything.
Polydekt could not resist the unearthly beauty of Danae. That is why the king wanted to take her as his wife. However, Perseus was categorically against such a marriage, making every effort to prevent it from taking place. Because of this, Polydect disliked him and decided to get rid of the only obstacle on the way to his cherished goal. Perseus was instructed to go to a distant land to behead the Gorgon Medusa. None of the mortals have yet managed to survive when meeting with a terrible monster. Therefore, Perseus was prepared by King Polydectes a one-way mission.
Medusa Gorgon and her sisters
According to the myths of Ancient Greece, the sea deity Forky and his sister Keto had three daughters who looked like snake-haired monsters. Euryale and Stheno were immortal from birth, and only their younger sister Medusa remained vulnerable.
According to legend, Medusa Gorgon was a pretty girl with beautiful hair. Trying to find protection from the harassment of Poseidon, she hid in the temple of Athena. However, the god still managed to get into the shelter of the girl in the form of a bird and take possession of her. The angry goddess poured out her anger on Medusa, turning her into a terrible monster with snake-like hair.
Medusa Gorgon, unlike her sisters, although she was not immortal, could fascinate people with her gaze. Her amazing gift served as a deadly weapon. It was enough for some person to see the direct gaze of the Gorgon Medusa, as he instantly turned into a stone statue.
Fees Perseus
According to the myths about Perseus, the various gods of Olympus provided the hero with great help. Among his patrons, it is worth noting Athena, who was known for her hatred of Medusa Gorgon. The god Hermes, his half-brother, also played an important role in the equipment of the hero. Thus, before the journey, Perseus became the owner of very valuable artifacts.
From Athena, the hero received a metal shield. It was so smooth that it almost looked like a mirror. Hermes handed him a sharp weapon. Perseus's sword, like soft wax, cut even the hardest steel.
Journey of Perseus
The young hero needed to get to the western edge of the earth, because it was there that the Gorgons lived. Perseus had to go through many countries and see various peoples on the way to a gloomy place.
To find out the exact location of Medusa, the hero had to outwit the three Gray sisters, who shared one tooth and one eye. Perseus waited in ambush for a convenient moment, while one gray-haired old woman passed the only eye to another, and with a quick movement intercepted it. The sisters had no choice but to tell Persia the location of the Gorgons.
Before the battle with Medusa the Gorgon, Perseus visited the inhabitants of the legendary northern country of Hyperborea. They made a solemn sacrifice for the god Apollo, and also presented Perseus with a hat of Hades made from a dog skin. It allowed to make its owner completely invisible. In ancient Greek mythology, the hat was of great importance, because it was often used by the gods themselves. Also, Perseus was presented with magical sandals, with which you could quickly soar above the ground. The presented bag possessed magical abilities to change in size depending on the volume of things put inside. Putting sandals and a hat of Hades into it, Perseus went to the decisive battle.
Battle with Medusa Gorgon
Thanks to the magic sandals, Perseus managed to cross the sea and get to the island where the snake-haired monsters lived. When the hero managed to find the Gorgon, they were all asleep, fortunately for him. The mirror-polished shield served Perseus as eyes. With it, he could clearly see the sleeping sisters with steel scales and golden wings. Only the snakes on the heads of the Gorgons moved a little.
The myth of Perseus and Medusa Gorgon says that the hero's task was complicated by the fact that the deadly sisters were like two drops of water similar to each other. The slightest mistake could cost a life, because only one of them did not possess immortality. However, even here the gods of Olympus came to his aid. Fast Hermes prompted Perseus the exact location of Medusa. Using a mirror shield presented by Athena, the hero cut off the head of the Gorgon with his sharp sword with one blow.
Perseus' way home
The myths of Ancient Greece about Perseus contain information that, having thrown the head of Medusa into a magic bag, the hero hastened to get away from the sinister island as soon as possible. However, the body of his victim fell off a cliff into the sea, thus awakening the two Gorgons. Thanks to the hat of Hades, the hero managed to avoid death from winged monsters and freely leave the island.
The path home of Perseus lay through Libya. From the severed head of Medusa, drops of blood flowed to the ground, which turned into poisonous snakes. Subsequently, Libya turned into a desert country.
The next place on the way home was the shelter of Atlas, who, like the apple of his eye, guarded a tree with golden branches, leaves and apples. The goddess Themis predicted to the giant that his fruits would be stolen by the son of Zeus. Tired Perseus asked Atlas to rest. However, the giant, because of the prophecy, ordered him to get out. After that, the angry hero pulled out the head of Medusa from the bag and turned Atlas into a huge stone statue, which began to constantly support the entire heavenly vault.
Saving Andromeda
In Ethiopia, the hero decided to take a break after a hard flight. Just then, the pretty girl Andromeda had to atone for the guilt of her stupid and arrogant mother. Queen Cassiopeia was proud of her beauty, declaring to everyone that she was the most beautiful. The nymphs begged Poseidon to punish the ruler of Ethiopia and her entire country. The sea god, as his punishment, sent a gigantic monster that rose from the depths and devastated everything on the way.
According to the oracle of Zeus, only the sacrifice of Andromeda could put an end to Poseidon's punishment. However, before the death of a beautiful and pale girl with horror, Perseus arrived in time. At the sight of Andromeda, a strong feeling of love burned in the hero's heart. Perseus invited her parents to marry their daughter, while promising to save her. Having received an approving answer, the hero entered into a stubborn confrontation with the sea monster, inflicting one blow with his sword after another. After the end of the terrible battle, all the inhabitants of Ethiopia glorified Perseus.
Perseus' wedding
On the eve of the wedding ceremony, the hero made rich sacrifices to his patrons from Olympus. A chic feast took place in the royal palace, which was entwined with greenery and flowers, in honor of the newlyweds. Together with the rulers of Ethiopia, the whole people also feasted. During the feast, Perseus told the guests about his exploits. However, the wedding feast was spoiled after the appearance of the first suitor of Andromeda with a large army. Phineus in the palace began to accuse the hero of stealing his bride, after which a desperate battle began. Perseus bravely fought with superior enemy forces, but he was able to win only with the help of the head of Medusa. Thus, the statue of Phineus with an expression of fear and a slavish prayer in his eyes remained forever in the palace.
Return to Serif and revenge on Polydectes
After a bloody battle, Perseus did not linger for a long time in Ethiopia. Together with his beautiful wife, he hastened to return to his native island. Perseus's mother at that time was in despair, because she had to constantly hide in the temple of Zeus from Polydectes. The enraged Perseus decided to get even with the king of Serif in full. Entering the palace, Perseus found him at a sumptuous feast. Polydekt's surprise knew no bounds, because the king could not even doubt the Gorgon's victory. The hero announced to those present that he had brought the head of Medusa. The ruler of Serif did not believe Perseus and began to accuse him of lying. When the cup of patience of the hero was overflowing due to the bullying of Polydectes and his friends, he took his head out of the bag and showed everyone irrefutable proof. After that, the king and all those who were feasting instantly turned into stone statues.
A fulfilled prediction
Danae, along with Perseus, wanted to meet with Acrisius, who continued to rule Argos. However, he, fearing the prediction of the oracle, did not let his daughter and grandson into his house. Many years later, at the Olympic Games, Perseus launched the disc by chance towards the audience. A heavy projectile instantly killed Acrisius, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of the oracle.
The myth of Perseus in cinema
The famous feat of the famous hero was successfully transferred to the cinema. In 1981, the feature adventure film Clash of the Titans was filmed in the USA. The film was directed by Desmond Davis. And although the American film was somewhat different from the ancient Greek myths, the adaptation of the feat of Perseus was a huge success. The sea monster in Clash of the Titans was called the Kraken, which was borrowed from Norse mythology. If in the myth snakes appeared from the blood of Medusa, then in the film - scorpions. In any case, the audience really liked the film, and the special effects, as for 1981, were just on top.
In 2010, the American film industry decided to update the film adaptation of the myth of the exploit of Perseus. The 1981 remake of the film was also titled Clash of the Titans. Louis Leterrier was directed and starred Sam Worthington. In addition to the traditional version, the film was also shown in 3D. While the 1981 film adaptation cost $15 million, the remake's budget was $125 million. The 2010 film was an overall success, grossing $493 million at the box office.
The creators of the remake also made changes to the ancient Greek myths. The god Hades was presented in the film as a negative character who hated people and opposed himself to Zeus. However, Perseus managed, thanks to the head of Medusa, to cope with the Kraken and send Hades back to the underworld. Instead of ruling Argos or moving to Olympus, the brave hero wanted to enjoy an ordinary human life.
Thus, thanks to the myth of Perseus, one can learn about the legendary feat of the greatest hero of Ancient Greece. American film adaptations will allow everyone to plunge into the exciting atmosphere of adventure and battles with various monsters.
About the filmstrip fairy tale
Fairy tale Brave Perseus
Watch the children's filmstrip about the brave and resourceful Perseus. Read the illustrated ancient Greek tale in Russian about how Princess Andromeda was saved and the terrible Gorgon Medusa was destroyed.
One city was ruled by a cowardly and stupid king Polydectes. When the townspeople turned into stones from the witching eyes of a winged woman, he hid in the basement of the palace. He was indifferent to the fate of people. Upon learning of what had happened, the brave Perseus immediately went in search of an evil sorceress. Until the morning he wandered the streets and asked questions, but no one saw the Gorgon. And only with the onset of the day, the young man learned that she and her sisters lived on the banks of a stream near a high mountain.
Perseus found Medusa sleeping. Her beautiful face radiated sadness, but the poisonous snakes on her head reminded the brave young man of the innocently ruined citizens. Looking into the mirror surface of the shield, he cut off her head without hesitation and put it in a bag. Even now, eyes could turn to stone anyone who looked at her. Perseus ran with all his strength, and the Gorgon sisters rushed after him. Drops of blood falling from the bag onto the ground turned into snakes and caught up to sting the young man. Pallas Athena unexpectedly came to the rescue. She gave the hero magical sandals, putting on which he flew like a bird.
Flying up to the sea, Perseus saw a rock to which a girl was chained. She was given as a sacrifice to a sea monster in order to save the city from destruction. A huge dragon swam up to the rock. Before he had time to open his mouth, Perseus showed him the head of Medusa. Her eyes sparkled, and the monster instantly petrified, remaining forever standing like a rock in the sea. Justice prevailed, and Perseus with the rescued girl returned to the city. The people rejoiced at the liberation from the witch's spell, and praised the brave hero. Only the king mockingly met Perseus. He did not believe in his promise to destroy the sorceress, nor in the victory over her.
Then the young man took out the head of Medusa Gorgon from the bag. The king with the nobles, looking at her, remained standing in place like stone statues. There was no stupid and cowardly ruler, but no one regretted it. The inhabitants of the city asked Perseus to reign over them, but he refused. With his wife Andromeda, he went far from these places, to another country.
They say that if you look at the clear starry sky, you can see Andromeda and Perseus holding the head of Medusa. Mythology says that it was the goddess Athena who raised them to heaven after death and turned them into constellations.
The king of Argos, Acrisius, had only one child - the daughter of Danae. The oracle foretold Acrisius that his own grandson would kill him. Having heard this prophecy, Acrisius imprisoned Danae in a copper tower, guarded by ferocious dogs, so that not a single man could approach her. But the god Zeus, who fell in love with Danae, overcame all obstacles. He descended to her in the form of a golden rain, and Danae gave birth to a son from the king of the gods - Perseus.
Danae. Painting by Rembrandt, 1636-1643
Acrisius, having learned about this, did not believe in the paternity of Zeus. Since the birth of Perseus, according to the oracle, threatened him with mortal danger, Acrisius put Danae and his son in a wooden box and threw him into the sea. Near the island of Serif, the box was caught in a net by the fisherman Diktis, who took the rescued Danae and Perseus to his brother, the king of Serif, Polydectes. Perseus grew up in his house.
Years later, Polydect decided to forcibly make Danaë his wife. The matured Perseus opposed this. Then Polydekt for the sake of appearance announced that he would marry Hippodamia, the daughter of the hero Pelops, and asked all his close associates to bring him gifts that he could give to his bride. Perseus, delighted that the king would no longer harass his mother, promised to get any gift for Polydect - "if necessary, then the head of the Gorgon Medusa."
The sinister female monsters of the Gorgon lived at the end of the world. Of the three Gorgon sisters, only Medusa was mortal - and the most terrible. Instead of hair, snakes moved on her head, fangs were sharp as daggers in her mouth. The sight of Medusa was so disgusting that anyone who cast a glance at her turned to stone in horror. Hearing the rash promise of Perseus, Polydect was delighted with the opportunity to get rid of the uncomfortable young man and demanded to fulfill this word.
Head of Medusa. Painting by Rubens, c. 1617-1618
From the dead body of the Gorgon, the winged horse Pegasus and the warrior Chrysaor with a golden sword soared up, whom Medusa conceived from the god Poseidon in one of the temples of Athena. Putting his severed head into a bag, Perseus in winged sandals rushed to his heels through the air. The sisters of Medusa, the Gorgons Stheno and Euryale, rushed after the killer in pursuit. But the cap of Hades made Perseus invisible, and he escaped safely.
Jellyfish. Painter Caravaggio, 1595-1596
At sunset, Perseus flew to the palace of the titan Atlanta, brother of Prometheus, who lived on the western edge of the earth. Rich Atlas owned thousands of herds of cattle, but his most valuable asset was a tree with golden apples. The goddess Themis predicted to Atlanta that one day the son of Zeus would steal these apples from him. This prophecy concerned one of the future exploits of Hercules. But when Perseus, who flew to Atlanta, also called himself the son of Zeus, the titan suspected him of a thief, whose appearance was predicted by Themis. Atlas refused Perseus hospitality and rudely demanded that he get out. As punishment for this, the hero showed the titan the head of the Gorgon, and he turned into Mount Atlas, which has been rising ever since in the middle of the Libyan desert, supporting the sky with its peaks.
Perseus flew further east, through the Libyan desert. A few drops of the blood of the Gorgon Medusa fell down, and gave birth to poisonous snakes, which abound in the Libyan sands from that time. Having made a stop in the Egyptian Hemmis, Perseus reached Ethiopia, where he saw a naked girl chained to a rock on the seashore. In the soul of Perseus arose love for her. The girl was Andromeda, the daughter of the Ethiopian king Cepheus (Cepheus) and his wife Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia once boasted that she and her daughter were more beautiful than the water goddesses of the Nereids. They complained about this insult to the sea god Poseidon. Poseidon sent a flood and a terrible sea monster to the kingdom of Cepheus. The oracle announced to Cepheus that it is possible to escape from these troubles only by sacrificing the sea monster Andromeda. The king's daughter was chained to a rock, and the Ethiopians, gathered on the shore, waited for the monster to swallow Andromeda.
Descending from the air to Cepheus and Cassiopeia, who were standing by the sea, Perseus took an oath from them to give Andromeda for him in exchange for her salvation. Soaring up again, Perseus put on the cap of Hades, grabbed the sickle given to him by Hermes and, rushing at the monster approaching the sea, killed him.
Perseus and Andromeda. Artist G. Vasari, 1570-1572
Cepheus and Cassiopeia held a feast in the palace in honor of the wedding of Perseus and Andromeda, but in their hearts they did not want this marriage, because their daughter had previously been promised to Cepheus' brother, Phineus. During the feast, Phineus burst into the palace with armed companions, demanding to stop the wedding and give him Andromeda. Phinea secretly supported Cassiopeia, who wanted Perseus dead.
The bloody battle of Perseus with the people of Phineus began. Perseus killed many opponents in her. But since there were still a lot of enemies, the hero took out the head of the Gorgon from the wonderful bag and showed it to the Ethiopians who attacked him. Two hundred people, led by Phineus himself, turned to stone from this.
God Poseidon placed the image of Cepheus and Cassiopeia among the stars. Cassiopeia, as a punishment for the betrayal of Perseus, was put in heaven in a market basket, which, due to the rotation of the star vault at certain times of the year, turned over along with the queen sitting with her.
Andromeda and Perseus were later also taken to heaven, but for the time being they, having left Ethiopia, arrived on the island of Serif. There the hero learned that his mother Danae had taken refuge from the violence of the insidious king Polydectes in the temple. Perseus went to the palace where Polydectes was feasting and announced that he had brought the promised gift to the king. Pulling out the head of the Gorgon Medusa, he made Polydectes and all his sycophants turn to stone. On the Serif, these stones are still shown standing in the form of a circle.
The ancient Greek myth "Brave Perseus" in the retelling of Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky is perfectly adapted for primary school children. The work is included in the list of literature recommended for reading after grade 2 under the program "Perspective". We invite you to familiarize yourself with its content on the pages of our website. Also, you can.
Ancient Greek fairy tale "The Brave Perseus"
There was a big problem in one city. A winged woman Medusa Gorgon flew in from somewhere.
She slowly walked through the streets, and anyone who looked at her, at the same moment became a stone.
Instead of hair, Medusa Gorgon had long black snakes. They were moving and hissing all the time.
She quietly and sadly looked into the eyes of every passer-by, and he immediately turned into a petrified statue. And if a bird, flying over the earth, looked at Medusa Gorgon, the bird fell like a stone to the ground.
It was a wonderful summer day. There were many children running on the lawns, in the gardens and on the streets. They played funny games, jumped, danced, laughed and sang. But as soon as Medusa Gorgon passed by them, they turned into a cold pile of stones.
In the same city, King Polydectes lived in a magnificent palace. He was cowardly and stupid: he was so afraid of the Gorgon Medusa that he ran away from the palace and hid with his nobles in the cellar, deep underground.
“Here I can not be afraid of the Gorgon Medusa,” he said with a laugh. “She won’t find me here!”
There was plenty of wine and food in the cellar; the king sat at the table and feasted with his nobles. What did he care that in the city, up there, people were dying one after another and could not escape from the cruel sorceress!
Fortunately, the brave Perseus lived in this city. Everyone loved him very much. He was never afraid of anyone.
When the terrible Gorgon Medusa passed through the city, he was not at home. In the evening, Perseus returned home. Neighbors told him about Medusa Gorgon.
Evil, heartless witch! he cried. “I will go and kill her.”
The neighbors shook their heads sadly and said:
- There were many such daredevils who wanted to fight Medusa Gorgon. But none of them returned here: she turned them all into stones.
But I can't just sit back! After all, it will destroy all the inhabitants of our city, all my relatives and friends! Today I will avenge her for her evil deeds.
And Perseus ran through the streets, asking everyone he met where the dwelling of Medusa Gorgon was. But no one answered him. Everyone wept over some stone.
Perseus looked on the way to each house: is there Medusa Gorgon there. Passing by the royal cellar, he thought: is she not there? He ran down the stairs - and saw the king in the dungeon! King Polydectes sat at the table on the throne and merrily feasted with his nobles.
- Hey, you! he shouted to Perseus. “I hope you didn’t come here empty-handed!” Would you like to give me some strange fish? Or juicy berries and sweet fruits?
- No, - said Perseus. - I did not bring anything - no fish, no fruits, no berries. But soon I will bring you a precious gift that will delight and cheer your heart. The king's eyes sparkled with greed.
“Dear young man,” he said in a friendly voice, “come closer to me and tell me what precious gift you are going to give me. Maybe you found a pearl or a golden crown at the bottom of the sea?
- No, - Perseus answered, - my gift is more expensive than gold, more expensive than the best pearls ...
- What is it? Tell!
- Head of Medusa Gorgon! - Perseus answered loudly. - Yes, I will give you the head of Medusa Gorgon! I will kill this evil witch. I will save my country from her!
The king slammed his fist on the table:
“Get away from me, you pathetic madman!” Or do you not know that thousands of my valiant warriors tried to destroy Medusa, but she turned many into stones, and the rest fled from her like from a fierce beast?
- Your warriors are the same cowards as you! Perseus replied angrily. But I'm not afraid of anyone or anything! I will not run away from Medusa Gorgon. And you will get her head from me. Saying this, he turned and quickly walked out of the basement.
Forgetting everything in the world, he now thought about one thing: how to find Medusa Gorgon and save his native country from her?
But in vain he wandered through the streets of the city all night until morning. Only in the morning did he meet a familiar fisherman who said that Medusa lives nearby, under a high mountain, by a stream.
By evening, Perseus reached a high mountain, on the slope of which, among the gray stones under the trees, the Gorgon Medusa slept soundly.
Perseus drew his sword and rushed down the ledges of the mountain. But soon he stopped and thought: “After all, in order to cut off the head of a sleeping witch, I must look at her, and if I look at her, she will immediately turn me into stone.”
He raised his copper shield - round, shiny and smooth - and began to look into it, as one looks into a mirror. This shield reflected both trees and gray stones that were on the side of the mountain. It also reflected a sleeping woman, who had not hair around her head, but black snakes.
So Perseus managed to see Medusa Gorgon with the help of a wonderful shield, never looking at her.
Medusa slept on the ground, next to her ugly sisters, who looked like big fat pigs. Her wings sparkled like a rainbow, she had such a beautiful, sad, thoughtful young face that Perseus felt sorry for killing her.
But then he saw that black poisonous snakes were moving on Medusa’s head, he remembered how many innocent people and children this evil beauty killed, how many kind, happy, cheerful she turned into dead stones.
And even more than before, he wanted to deal with her.
Looking at the mirror shield, which reflected Medusa, Perseus ran up to her and immediately cut off her terrible head with one blow of the sword. The head flew off and rolled towards the stream. But Perseus did not even look at her now, because even now she could turn him into stone. He took a bag made of goat fur, threw the head of Medusa into it and quickly ran through the mountains.
The Medusa sisters have awakened. Seeing that Medusa was killed, they flew into the air with screams and, like birds of prey, began to circle over the trees. So they noticed Perseus and flew after him.
- Give us the head of our sister! they shouted. "Give us our sister's head!" Perseus ran through the mountains without looking back, and more than once it seemed to him that the terrible Gorgons were overtaking him. Now they will plunge their sharp copper claws into his body!
But for a long time they could not fly, as they were fat and very heavy. Little by little they began to fall behind, but they still shouted after him:
- Give us the head of our sister!
Perseus fled without looking back. He ran through the desert, and the blood from the head of Medusa dripped onto the hot sand, and each drop turned into a snake.
The snakes writhed and crawled after Perseus, trying to sting him. But he rushed like the wind, not afraid of anything, and he had joy in his heart. Killed, killed Medusa Gorgon! She won't be evil anymore.
On the way, he met a kind sorceress named Pallas Athena, who said to him:
- Glory to the hero! For the fact that you were not afraid of Medusa and saved your people from her, accept these sandals from me as a gift. These sandals are magical. You see, they have wings attached to them. Put them on your feet soon and you will fly like a bird. Saying this, the sorceress disappeared.
As soon as Perseus put on sandals, the wings fluttered on them, and he, like a falcon, flew over the desert.
Soon he flew out to the blue sea and quickly rushed over it. And suddenly I saw a big rock.
The rock stood on the shore, all illuminated by the sun, and a girl was chained to it with an iron chain, who sobbed bitterly.
Perseus flew up to her and shouted:
- Tell me, beautiful girl, what cruel people chained you to this rock? I will go and cut them down with my sharp sword!
- Go away, go away! she cried. “Soon a dragon will emerge from the sea, a terrible sea monster. He will swallow both you and me! Every day he swims up here, climbs the mountain, prowls through our city and devours people there. He swallows indiscriminately both old and small. To escape from him, the inhabitants of the city chained me to this rock: the dragon will see me and immediately swallow me, and all the people in our city will remain alive.
- I'm not afraid of the sea monster! - shouted the fearless Perseus. - Today I destroyed another monster, which is much more terrible!
But the girl felt sorry for Perseus.
“Leave me,” she said, “go away!” I don't want to be swallowed by a monster.
- No, I won't leave you! I will stay and kill this evil dragon that swallows defenseless people.
And he struck hard with his sharp sword on the chain with which the girl was chained.
- You are free! - he said. She laughed, rejoiced, and tenderly thanked her deliverer. But suddenly she turned around and shouted:
- The monster is close! It floats here! What to do? What to do? He has such sharp teeth. It will tear apart, swallow both you and me! Go away, go away! I don't want you to die because of me.
- I will stay here, - said Perseus. - I will save both you and your city from the evil dragon. Promise me that if I destroy him, you will be my wife and will go with me to my country.
The dragon was getting closer. He rushed through the waves like a ship. Seeing the girl, he greedily opened his wide toothy mouth and rushed to the shore to swallow his victim. But Perseus fearlessly stood in front of him and, pulling out the head of the Gorgon Medusa from the goat fur, showed it to the ferocious monster.
The monster looked at the magic head and immediately petrified forever - turned into a huge black coastal cliff.
The girl was saved. Perseus rushed to her, took her in his arms and ran with her to the top of the mountain, to the city that was threatened by the monster.
Everyone in the city was glad and happy. People hugged and kissed Perseus and shouted to him in delight:
- Long live the great hero who saved our country from destruction! The girl had a beautiful name: Andromeda. Soon she became the wife of Perseus, he gave her one of his wonderful sandals, and both of them flew to the city in which the cowardly Polydectes reigned.
It turned out that King Polydekt was still hiding in his dungeon and feasting with his nobles.
As soon as the king saw Perseus, he laughed and shouted:
- Come here, you braggart! Well, where is your Medusa Gorgon? Apparently, it is easier to promise than to fulfill!
- No, king, I fulfilled my promise: I brought you a wonderful gift - the head of Medusa Gorgon! But you'd better not look at her!
- No no! - shouted the king. - Show me! I do not believe you. You are a braggart and a liar!
- Her head is here, in this gray bag!
- You are lying. I do not believe you, - said the king. - There you have the most ordinary pumpkin.
- Well! If you don't believe me, look! - Perseus shouted with a laugh, took out the head of the Gorgon Medusa from the bag and, closing his eyes so as not to look at her, showed it to the king and nobles.
They wanted to get up and run away, but they could not and remained where they were.
“Here is your reward for the fact that you, miserable cowards, hid from formidable danger and left your people to perish, while you yourself feasted from morning to morning.
But no one answered him, because both the king and the nobles became a heap of stones.
The inhabitants of this city were very happy when they learned that Polydect was no longer in the world.
- May Perseus reign over us! they shouted. “He is so brave and kind.
But Perseus did not want to be king. He threw the head of the Gorgon Medusa into the abyss of the sea and went to a distant land with his sweet wife Andromeda.
Leave your house on a clear night and look at the sky, strewn with bright stars. You will see the young Perseus constellation. Perseus has the head of Medusa in his hand, but do not be afraid to look at her: she can no longer turn you into stone. Next to Perseus you will see his beautiful wife Andromeda. Her hands are raised up, as if they were chained to a rock. For thousands of years, people have been looking at these constellations and remembering the glorious hero Perseus, who saved them from the Gorgon Medusa and the cruel sea monster.
Cartoon "Brave Perseus"
