Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa
In Ancient Greece there was a cruel king called Polydectus who wanted to marry a woman called Danae. Danae had a brave son called Perseus, who was not fond of Polydectus. The king decided to send Perseus away on a dangerous quest, hoping that he would not return. Perseus’ quest was to kill the Gorgon Medusa and bring back her head. Medusa was once a beautiful but vain girl. She made the mistake of boasting that she was the most beautiful girl in the land, better looking than any goddess. The gods heard this and as punishment they turned her in to a Gorgon – a monster with snakes for hair. Worst of all, anyone she laid eyes upon immediately turned to stone. Knowing that his quest was impossible, Perseus visited the Temple of Athena to pray for help. The gods heard his prayer and granted him 5 gifts. These were a helmet of invisibility, a sword, a shiny shield and a magic pouch. The final gift was a pair of winged sandals from Hermes, which gave Perseus the ability to fly. Perseus flew to the cave where Medusa lived and bravely walked through the entrance. But how could he defeat a creature he could not look at? Perseus remembered his gifts from the gods and used his shield to look at Medusa’s reflection. He shut his eyes, swung his sword and with one swoop cut off Medusa’s head. He placed it in the pouch and set off back to King Polydectus. The king grabbed the head and, before Perseus could warn him, looked in to the Gorgon’s eyes, instantly turning to stone. Perseus had succeeded in his challenge and now his mother was safe.
In Ancient Greece there was a cruel king called Polydectus who wanted to marry a woman called Danae. Danae had a brave son called Perseus, who was not fond of Polydectus. The king decided to send Perseus away on a dangerous quest, hoping that he would not return. Perseus’ quest was to kill the Gorgon Medusa and bring back her head. Medusa was once a beautiful but vain girl. She made the mistake of boasting that she was the most beautiful girl in the land, better looking than any goddess. The gods heard this and as punishment they turned her in to a Gorgon – a monster with snakes for hair. Worst of all, anyone she laid eyes upon immediately turned to stone. Knowing that his quest was impossible, Perseus visited the Temple of Athena to pray for help. The gods heard his prayer and granted him 5 gifts. These were a helmet of invisibility, a sword, a shiny shield and a magic pouch. The final gift was a pair of winged sandals from Hermes, which gave Perseus the ability to fly. Perseus flew to the cave where Medusa lived and bravely walked through the entrance. But how could he defeat a creature he could not look at? Perseus remembered his gifts from the gods and used his shield to look at Medusa’s reflection. He shut his eyes, swung his sword and with one swoop cut off Medusa’s head. He placed it in the pouch and set off back to King Polydectus. The king grabbed the head and, before Perseus could warn him, looked in to the Gorgon’s eyes, instantly turning to stone. Perseus had succeeded in his challenge and now his mother was safe.