October 31, 2001
Week one
Jeremy Vigil
INSTRUCTOR
Tim Bryan
Hero myths have always fascinated me therefore I chose the story of Perseus for my personal myth essay. Perseus was the son of Zeus, ruler of the gods. The story begins when an oracle tells Acrisius, Perseus’ grandfather, that Perseus will kill him. This upsets Acrisius so he sends Perseus and Danae, his mother, out to sea in a wooden box. Acrisius doesn’t realize that Perseus is Zeus’ son. Zeus, being the loving father that he is, guides the wooden box to Seriphus. While living in Seriphus, the king falls in love with Danae. The king Polydectes doesn’t like having Perseus around for that reason he sends Perseus on an impossible quest that king Polydectes believes Perseus will not survive. This quest is to bring him Medusa’s head. Perseus does this with his wits and the gods’ help. When he returns to Seriphus he kills the king and marries his girlfriend Andromeda. The story doesn’t end there. Perseus competes in a discus contest where he accidentally hits his grandfather and kills him. This fulfills the prophecy that was established at the beginning of the story.
I was first introduced to this story watching Clash of the Titans on television. This was one of the few things my stepfather and I enjoyed together. It would come on at least once a year and we would watch it every year. Until this paper, I didn’t realize how many differences there were between the story and the movie. Although, I didn’t think a mechanical owl was part of the original story. This is the first time I have read the original story that I can recall. The differences however are only esthetic. The root story still remains. This is a story about a mere mortal conquering extraordinary odds. That is what appeals to me. The sense that anything can be accomplished when you put your mind to it. Perseus used his strength as well as his wits. Help from the gods didn’t hurt either. Without the combination of strength and wits he would not have accomplished the tasks he did. I believe I also have that combination but Medusa doesn’t need to be afraid of me.
Perseus’ story was filled with
adventure. More adventure than I’m
willing to take part in but I still admire him for his bravery and cunning. I
aspire to have these traits. At the end of Clash of the Titans one of the gods
said that if everyone had Perseus’ traits the gods will no longer needed. I have no doubt this is true.
References:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/10050.html