The Killer of Medusa :
Perseus , the legendary founder of Mycenae , was the son of Zeus and Danaë . Perseus and his mother were sent out to sea and eventually landed on the island of Seriphos , where he was raised by Dictys . Dicyts ' s brother , Polydectes , was the king of Seriphos .
" After Perseus had grown older , Polydectes had fallen in love with Danaë . Perseus did not think that Polydectes was honorable enough to marry his mother and kept his mother away from him . Polydectes had to find a way to get rid of Perseus ... He decided to hold a banquet where each guest was expected to bring a gift to the king and he requested that the guests bring horses . Perseus , being a fisherman , had no horse to give the king and asked the king to name the gift and he would not refuse it . Polydectes told Perseus that he wanted the head of the only mortal Gorgon , Medusa , whose eyes turned people to stone ."
" Perseus , not sure of where to begin on this quest , decided to consult Athena , the goddess of wisdom , to find out what he should do . She instructed him to find the Graeae , three old women who had to share a single eye , who knew where to find the weapons needed to defeat Medusa . The weapons Perseus received consisted of a knapsack to hold Medusa ' s head , an adamantine sword , Hades ' helm of darkness , a pair of winged sandals , and a polished shield . The helm of darkness would keep Perseus invisible to the world and the winged sandals would allow him to fly ."
" When Perseus found the cave of Medusa , he approached with much caution , not knowing what to expect and weary from his travels . When he entered the cave , he found Medusa sleeping in a far corner . Careful not to make the mistake of looking in her eyes , Perseus used the reflection of his polished shield to make his way over to her , where he easily cut off her head . Once her head came off , Perseus went on to use her power of turning to people to stone in many other adventures and quests , making Perseus one of the greatest heroes of all time ."
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