Perseus - Anita

My third constellation is named "Perseus." Perseus's constellation is located in the northern hemisphere, north of his wife's constellation, Andromeda.
This constellation displays the famous Greek hero, Perseus.

Vocabulary Words:
Perseus – the demigod son of Danaë and Zeus; slayer of Medusa and Cetus; husband of Princess Andromeda
Danaë - a mother of Perseus; daughter of Acrisius
Acrisius – king of Argos, which was an ancient Greek city; father of Danaë and grandfather of Perseus
Zeus – the god of lightning and king of the Greek gods; the wielder of thunderbolts
Athena – maiden goddess of wisdom and war strategies
Hermes – god of travelers, thieves, commerce and trade; messenger of the gods
Medusa – a vile, female, snake haired monster; mother of Pegasus
Andromeda – a former, ancient princess of Ethiopia; daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and King Cepheus; wife of Perseus
Cetus – an enormous, sea monster servant of Poseidon
Cassiopeia – an ancient queen of Ethiopia; wife of King Cepheus and mother of Princess Andromeda
Cepheus – an ancient king of Ethiopia; husband of Queen Cassiopeia and father of Princess Andromeda

King Acrisius of Argos had a beautiful daughter named Danaë. But the king wasn't satisfied with her, because he had always longed for a son.
So when the time came to marry her away, Acrisius decided to have his fortune told, for he wanted to know what the future held for him. He was told that Danaë would bear a son, but this son was destined to overthrow him.
King Acrisius was frightened. In a panicked state, he decided to imprison his daughter in a castle underground, where she would be surrounded in isolation, and no one would be able to reach her. Acrisius took extra measures to prevent Danaë from having children.
Danaë was left in solitude for weeks, weeping about her fate. But one day, the god Zeus appeared before her, and declared his love for her. A month later, Danaë bore a son, who Zeus named Perseus.
Acrisius soon heard this news. He stormed down to Danaë's underground castles, where he commanded his guards to seize the woman and her son. They threw Danaë and Perseus into a enormous chest, and cast them out to sea.
Danaë and her son drifted aimlessly through the ocean, until one day they landed ashore a small island. There, an aged fisherman named Dictys found them, and nurtured the two as family.
So time passed, and eventually Perseus grew into a fair, handsome, young man. He decided to become a fisherman, so that he could earn money and care for his mother and Dictys. But, Dictys's brother, Polydectes, king of the small island, fell in love with Danaë. He offered her his hand in marriage numerous times, but she consistently rejected him. At one point, Polydectes decided to force Danaë to marry him, because the king wasn't willing to give up. But Perseus defended his mother, and Polydectes couldn't get anywhere near Danaë.
A lightbulb went off in Polydectes head. If Perseus was around, he wouldn't be able to get near Danaë. But if Perseus had been "accidentally killed", no one would have the right to execute Polydectes, and no one would have the strength to defend Danaë when he forced her hand in marriage.
So Polydectes assigned Perseus a quest. The king requested that Perseus travel to the wild parts of a faraway island, where the young man would find the cave of Medusa. Here, the a beast with the body of a woman and snakes for a mane of hair. It was said that she lured her prey into her home, and when they made eye contact with her, their bodies would turn to stone. Polydectes told Perseus to slay Medusa, and bring her head to him as evidence of her death.
So Perseus set off on his quest, and arrived in the wildlands. Before Perseus readied himself to attack Medusa, the gods Athena and Hermes intervened. They spoke to Perseus, recommending that he create a PLAN before he rushes to his death. The gods respected the bravery of the young hero, so they gave him gifts to help him along the quest. Hermes let Perseus borrow his famous winged sandals, which enabled the wearer to be able to fly or
become airborne. Athena gifted Perseus a magical sword, created from Celestial Bronze, a deadly, ancient metal used to slay monsters. Athena also gifted Perseus a shield. She explained to him not to make eye contact with the monster, but to watch her reflection in the shield, so that he would not be turned to stone.
Perseus thanked the gods, and set off into Medusa's cave. She hide herself wisely in the shadows, and tried to convince Perseus to just strike a gaze at her, so that she could see his beautiful eyes. But Perseus was not easily fooled. Medusa goal really was to turn him into stone, because she saw his as a threat. Eventually, Perseus cornered her, and loped of the monsters head, as Polydectes had asked.
Triumphant, Perseus soared home with his new winged sandals. He held his sword in one hand, Medusa head in the other, and the shield strapped to his back. During his journey, Perseus spotted the shoreline of Ethiopia, where he saw a tortured young maiden, her dress in tatters, chained to a rock which was planted on the beach. Perseus fell in love with her at first site. But he soon spotted an enormous sea monster approaching her, saliva dripping from his jaws in anticipation of a meal.
Perseus flew down to Ethiopia to save the maiden and make her his bride. He slayed the sea monster, who was Cetus, by paralyzing him with Medusa's head. The sea monster turned to stone, but immediately broke into pieces, drifting the ocean depth. Perseus broke the maidens bonds. She explained to him that SHE was Andromeda, princess of Ethiopia, and that her parents, King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia, had chained her to the rock to be sacrificed since Poseidon demanded that it be done. But since Perseus had saved her, Andromeda promised to marry him. Perseus grasped Andromeda, and was preparing to take her home with him to marry, when the kingdom came out of hiding. Everyone filed out of there houses, where they had stowed away safely until Cetus had left Ethiopia. Cassiopeia and Cepheus rushed to Andromeda, begging her to stay and forgive them for their decision to sacrifice her. Perseus was enraged. With Andromeda's permission, he decided to paralyze the entire town with Medusa's head, and he happily set off with his future bride.
When Perseus dropped back on to ground in his home, Dictys embraced him, flailing and wailing. He explained to the young man that while he was out venturing, Polydectes had captured his mother, and had forced her hand in marriage. Dictys cried that he couldn't defend Danaë, since Polydectes's had overwhelmed him. Perseus rushed to Polydectes castle. In a rage he stayed the king's entire army, including Polydectes. He rescued his mother, and he lived in peace with Andromeda, Dictys, and Danaë for the rest of his life. To thank the gods who assisted him on his quest, Perseus returned his flying sandals to Hermes. For Athena, he strapped Medusa's head to his shield and gifted it to the goddess. Now, when Athena is in battle, Medusa's head paralyze's her enemies in fear. To remember the brave warrior, Zeus placed his constellation in the sky.