Perseus Facts & Worksheets

Perseus is the mythological founder of Mycenae and the Perseid dynasty in Greek mythology. Along with Cadmus and Bellerophon, he is the greatest Greek hero and monster slayer before Heracles. He beheaded the Gorgon Medusa for Polydectes and rescued Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus.

See the fact file below for more information on Perseus, or you can download our 33-page Perseus worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY

• Perseus could be from the Greek verb πέρθειν (pérthein, “to waste, devastate, sack, demolish”), a variant of which appears in Homeric epithets.
• Perseus was the Greek hero who established the ancient city of Mycenae.

MYTHOLOGY

DANAE’S IMPRISONMENT 

• In the Greek kingdom Argos, when King Acrisius was on the throne, he married Eurydice, the daughter of King Lacedaemon.
• Eurydice bore Acrisius only one child, a daughter named Danae.
• On the other hand, Acrisius wished for more children because he desired a male heir to succeed him as King of Argos.
• As years passed and Eurydice bore no more children, Acrisius would go to the Oracle of Delphi to inquire about the possibility of a male heir. 
• The words spoken to Acrisius provided no comfort to the monarch since a male heir would be born, but it would be a grandson rather than a son, and his grandson’s destiny was to kill him.
• When Acrisius returned to Argos, he was far more concerned with his lifespan than with having a male successor. 
• Acrisius had no grandson at the moment, and thus if he had no more children and his daughter Danae had no children, then there wouldn’t be a future grandson to cause his demise.
• Acrisius wanted to prevent Danae from having children by barring any potential male suitor from seeing his daughter. 
• Acrisius built a Brazen Tower with just one guarded entrance and smooth bronze walls that anyone could not climb.

THE IMPREGNATION OF DANAE 

• The creation of the bronze tower and the confinement of Danae only piqued Zeus‘s attention. 
• When they told the supreme god of Danae’s beauty, Zeus decided to investigate and leave Mount Olympus.
• Acrisius had built the bronze tower to prevent mortal suitors from entering, but this did not hinder Zeus, who changed himself into a shower of gold, allowing the god to cascade through the roof of the bronze tower and fall into Danae’s lap.
• Danae became pregnant due to her meeting with Zeus, and she gave birth to a son named Perseus after the given time.

PERSEUS AND DANAE SET ADRIFT

• Acrisius recognized that Danae had given birth to a grandchild with Zeus, and Acrisius also realized that only a god could have made his daughter pregnant, despite some claims that it was Acrisius’ brother Proetus who had done so.
• Acrisius now had a dilemma: he couldn’t kill his grandson since it would enrage a great god, but if he let Perseus grow up, he would undoubtedly perish at the hands of his grandson.
• Acrisius, therefore, felt he had no choice but to throw Danae and Perseus in a huge wooden trunk and cast it adrift on the open sea. 
• If the chest floundered and his daughter and grandson died, Acrisius reasoned, it must have been the desire of the gods to let them pass, and if the trunk did not flounder, it would float a long distance away, ensuring that Perseus was no future threat to him.

PERSEUS ON SERIPHOS

• The chest, of course, did not float away, for Zeus, looking down from Mount Olympus, enlisted the intervention of Poseidon to guarantee that the chest safely came to rest on one of the beaches of Seriphos.
• Dictys, a fisherman, discovered the chest and its inhabitants, and Danae and Perseus were introduced to King Polydectes of Seriphos, as Polydectes and Dictys were brothers.
• Some say Danae and Perseus lived with Dictys, while others say they were guests of Polydectes, but in either case, Perseus developed into an athletic young man as the years passed. 
• Danae’s beauty did not fade over time, and Polydectes desired to make her his next queen. 
• On the other hand, Danae was not in love with Polydectes, and the king discovered that he could not impose himself on Danae because Perseus was now powerful enough to protect his mother.
• Polydectes, on the other hand, devised a strategy that he believed would remove Perseus as an impediment. 
• Thus Polydectes told Perseus that he intended to marry a woman named Hippodaemeia but could not do so until he possessed a suitable wedding gift. 
• The only suitable wedding gift was the head of the Gorgon Medusa.
• Perseus believed that if Polydectes married Hippodaemia, Danae would be free from the king’s unwanted advances. 
• Perseus volunteered to obtain Medusa’s head, benefitting Polydectes, who wanted Perseus to volunteer because Polydectes believed such a quest was impossible and Perseus would perish in the attempt.

THE GODS AIDE PERSEUS

• Polydectes had every reason to believe that the journey would be impossible and terrible because Medusa was a Gorgon, a monster with snakes for hair and a glance capable of turning any living thing into stone.
• After accepting the assignment, Perseus was confronted with difficulties, as no one knew where anyone could find Medusa.
• However, the gods of Mount Olympus were interested in Perseus’ mission, and Athena and Hermes stepped forth to assist their half-brother.
• Athena and Hermes accompanied Perseus to the Garden of the Hesperides, where the goddess bestowed upon him a reflective shield and a magical sack in which the Gorgon’s head could be kept preserved. 
• Hermes then presented to Perseus his winged sandals and an adamantine sword.
• The two also handed Hades‘ helmet of invisibility, which was instrumental in bringing the Titanomachy to an end.

PERSEUS AND THE GRAEAE

• Although Athena and Hermes could not reveal Medusa’s whereabouts, they instructed Perseus to seek out the holders of this secret, the Graeae. 
• The Graeae, or Grey Sisters, were Gorgon siblings because they, too, were offspring of Phorcys and Ceto.
• It wasn’t as simple as asking the Graeae about their sister’s whereabouts. 
• Perseus had to force them to reveal the secret location of Medusa. Perseus accomplished this by seizing the three Graeae’s one eye, effectively blinding them, and retaining it until they divulged where he could find Medusa.

PERSEUS AND MEDUSA

• Perseus used Hermes’ winged sandals to fly to the location of Medusa’s cave, now that he knew where he could find Medusa.
• Perseus entered Medusa’s cave stealthily, fearing that any disturbance might alert all of the Gorgons to his presence, especially since Medusa’s sisters’ caves were nearby. 
• Perseus approached Medusa, using Athena’s mirrored shield to get closer to the Gorgon without seeing her stone gaze.
• With Athena’s help, Perseus used the adamantine blade to decapitate Medusa in one swing. 
• Perseus quickly picked up Medusa’s head and placed it in the satchel handed to him by Athena.
• The sound of their sister’s death woke Euryale and Stheno, but Perseus’ invisible helmet and winged sandals guaranteed he escaped unharmed.
• Perseus now faced a long voyage home, which was full of surprises.

PERSEUS IN AETHIOPIA

• Perseus would fly over Aethiopia, a territory south of the Sahara that the Aethiopian Cetus(Sea monster) was ravaging.
• Aethiopia was ruled at the time by King Cepheus, and his wife, Cassiopeia, boasted that she was more beautiful than Nereus’ daughters. 
• This comment from a mere mortal infuriated the Nereids, who protested to Poseidon, who dispatched the sea monster to appease the Nereids.
• Cepheus would try to solve his dilemma, but when they told the king that only the sacrifice of his daughter Andromeda would appease the monster, it compelled Cepheus to perform the unimaginable.
• As Perseus soared over Aethiopia, he noticed Andromeda bound to a sea rock and the approach of the Aethipoian Cetus.
• Perseus would save the damsel in trouble, for the Greek hero extracted Medusa’s head from the bag, and the Gorgon’s gaze was so powerful that he turned the Aethipoian Cetus to stone, despite Medusa’s death.
• Cepheus then prepared for Andromeda and Perseus to marry. Phineus, son of Belus, wais the one who pledged to Andromeda previously. 
• At the bridal feast, Phineus and his entourage attempted to stop the marriage from taking place. 
• Perseus would be dead if he did not remove Medusa’s head from its sack and turned Phineus and his followers to stone.

PERSEUS RETURNS TO SERIPHOS

• Perseus and Andromeda then departed from Aethiopia for Seriphos.
• Perseus, or Medusa’s head, is also attributed to generating the coral of the Red Sea and the poisonous snakes of the Sahara, as both are said to have been created by Medusa’s blood when it seeped from the magical satchel.
• Perseus eventually returned to Seriphos, but his arrival was unexpected since Polydectes had used his absence to arrange his marriage to Danae.
• When Perseus learned of his mother’s maltreatment, he entered Polydectes’ palace and turned Polydectes and his entire entourage into stone using the Gorgon Medusa’s head. 
• The residents of Seriphos later claimed that the stone boulders discovered on the island were the eroded statues of Polydectes and his warriors.
• With his quest completed, Perseus returned the gifts bestowed upon him by the gods to their rightful owners. But Athena would use Medusa’s head, incorporating it into her aegis, her shield, transforming it into a devastating weapon and a means of defense.

PERSEUS AND THE DEATH OF ACRISIUS

• Perseus would later establish Dictys as the new king of Seriphos, after which Perseus, Andromeda, and Danae would leave the island and return to the Argolis.
• Acrisius’ attempt to construct a barrier between his grandson and himself had decreased.
• The version of the Perseus prophecy determined whether the prediction of Perseus murdering Acrisius came true.
• According to one legend, Perseus competed in athletic contests in Larissa in Thessaly, where he was demonstrating his new game of quoits. 
• Acrisius is said to have walked in front of Perseus, who struck his grandfather with the quoit, killing Acrisius.
• A related myth goes that Perseus and Acrisius were both presents in Larissa to attend King Amyntor’s funeral and that Perseus threw a discus, wounding Acrisius during the funeral sports.
• A third, less common version has Perseus not killing Acrisius because when he returned to Argolis, he discovered that Proetus had taken his grandfather’s realm. As a result, Perseus assassinated Acrisius’ brother Proetus and restored his grandfather to the throne.

FAMILY

• Perseus is a half-god and the only son of Zeus and Danae.
• Aethiopian princess Andromeda became Perseus’ wife.
• Perseus would make Mycenae his capital city and his and Andromeda’s home. Andromeda bears nine offspring for Perseus, seven sons, and two daughters.
• Electryon, Perseus’ successor and also the grandfather of Heracles; Alcaeus; Heleus; Mestor; Sthenelus; and Cynurus, were Perseus’ sons. Autochthe, Aegeus’ future wife, and Gorgophone, Sparta’s future queen, were the daughters.
• Electryon was Alcmene’s father, whose union with Zeus produced a complete Greek hero, Heracles. 
• Perseus is thus Heracles’ great-grandparent as well as his half-brother, a symbolic predecessor as well as a suitable peer.

PERSEUS IN ART AND MODERN ENTERTAINMENT

• Perseus was a well-known figure in art, frequently represented in paintings and sculptures. One of the most famous is Benvenuto Cellini’s bronze statue of Perseus grasping Medusa’s head.
• Perseus’ image has appeared in numerous novels, television series, and films in the twenty-first century. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Rick Riordan’s tale, is primarily based on Perseus’ rebirth, and it depicts some of his acts in a modern version that departs slightly from the myths.
• Both film, Clash of the Titans and its sequel, features Perseus and depict his most remarkable exploits, including the beheading of Medusa and the rescue of Andromeda.
• Several of Perseus’ mythological characters, including Andromeda, Perseus, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, and Cetus, the sea monster, can be identified as constellations in the night sky.

Perseus Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Perseus across 33 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Perseus, who is the mythological founder of Mycenae and the Perseid dynasty in Greek mythology.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Perseus Facts
2. Demi-Godbook
3. Crossword
4. Aethiopia
5. Constellations
6. The Birth of Perseus
7. Movie Adaptation
8. Island of Seriphos
9. The Prophecy
10. Perseus
11. Bookmark

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Perseus known for?

The mythical creature Medusa, who had snakes instead of hair and could turn anyone to stone upon eye contact, was defeated by Perseus.

What were Perseus’ powers?

Perseus has a lot of strength and can run very fast. He also has a lot of weapons given to him by the Olympian Gods. He uses Hades’ Helm to turn invisible and throws things with his sling while remaining hidden.

Who married Perseus?

As the story goes, Perseus fell in love with Andromeda at first sight while he was passing by her.

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