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Athena
Athena was the goddess of wisdom. She could get angry, but more typically, she was wise, and kind, and
understanding. Athena was born very oddly. Her father was the mighty Zeus. But she did not have a mother.
Instead, as the myth goes, she was born directly out of Zeus' brain. Zeus loved all his children. But one of his
favorites was Athena.
Athena held a powerful position in the ancient Greek god world. She was an Olympian, one of the council of
12, who held a seat on Mount Olympus. She also had a home there.
Here is a myth about Athena that shows how clever and practical she was.
As the story goes ... The Competition, Athena & Poseidon
Nearly every town in ancient Greece had a god that looked after the townspeople. Towns rarely had more
than one god to keep an eye on their best interests. Most gods did not share well. So usually, it was one town
and if the town was lucky, one god to watch over it.
Poseidon loved watching over towns. He usually picked coastal towns since he was the Lord of the Sea.
Poseidon was a very powerful god. His brothers were Zeus and Hades. Poseidon was a moody fellow, but he
loved his wife and children and he loved attention. He liked having people build temples in his honor and
bring him gifts. They were not very useful gifts for a god, but he enjoyed getting them anyway. As Greece
grew and developed, new towns sprang up all the time. Poseidon was always on the lookout for new coastal
towns.
He was not the only god who loved to be in charge. Athena, along with other gods, enjoyed that role as well.
One day, both Athena and Poseidon claimed a new village.
Most of the time, humans were grateful when they were selected to be under the care of a god. But two
gods? That was one too many. Poseidon wanted them to chose which god they wanted. But the people did
not want to choose. They could see only trouble ahead if they did.
Athena, goddess of wisdom, daughter of Zeus, understood their worry. She challenged her uncle Poseidon to
a contest. Both gods would give the town a gift. The townspeople could decide which gift was the more
useful.
Poseidon slapped his specter against the side of the mountain. A stream appeared. The people were excited.
A source of fresh water was so important! But when they tried to drink the water, they discovered it was not
fresh at all. It was salt water!
Athena waved her arm and an olive tree appeared. The people nibbled at the olives. They were delicious!
The people were excited. The olive tree would provide wood for building homes. Branches would provide
kindling for kitchen stoves and fireplaces. The olives could be used for food. The fruit could pressed to
release cooking oil. It was wonderful.
But theirs was a coastal village. The people could not risk angering the Lord of the Sea, the mighty
Poseidon. As it turned out, they did not have to choose. Poseidon chose for them. He laughed his mighty
laugh, sending waves crashing against the shoreline. Poseidon proclaimed his niece the winner!
That's how a small village gained a most powerful and wise guardian, the goddess Athena, a guardian who
helped them rise to fame. In her honor, they named their village Athens.
Theseus and the Minotaur
As the story goes ...
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a king named Minos. King Minos lived on a lovely island
called Crete. King Minos had everything a king could possibly want. Now and then, King Minos sent his
navy to the tiny village of Athens, across the sea.
The king of Athens did not know what to do. He was desperate. He figured if he had some time, he could
build a strong navy, strong enough to send King Minos packing the next time he attacked Athens. The king
of Athens offered King Minos a deal. If he would not attack Athens for 9 years, Athens would send 7 boys
and 7 girls to the island of Crete to be eaten by the awful monster that King Minos kept as a pet, the dreaded
minotaur.
The minotaur lived in the heart of a maze on the island of Crete. King Minos loved that old monster. King
Minos only attacked Athens when he was bored. He really didn't want anything. This way, his beloved
monster could look forward to a special treat every 9 years or so. King Minos took the deal.
Although Athens did build a navy, King Minos did not attack as the king of Athens had expected. In fact,
King Minos kept his word. And now it was time for Athens to keep theirs. Everyone in Athens was crying.
Prince Theseus of Athens knew the importance of keeping your word. He knew that a deal was a deal. But,
he was also quite sure that it was wrong to send small children to be eaten by a monster. Prince Theseus told
his father (the king) that he was going to Crete as the seventh son of Athens. He was going to kill the
Minotaur and end the terror.
"The Minotaur is a terrible monster! What makes you think you can kill it?" cried his father.
"I'll find a way," Theseus replied gently. "The gods will help me."
His father begged him not to go. But the prince took his place as the seventh Athenian boy. Along with six
other Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls, Prince Theseus sailed towards Crete.
When the prince and the children arrived on the island of Crete, King Minos and his daughter, the Princess
Ariadne, came out to greet them. The Princess Ariadne did not say anything. But her eyes narrowed
thoughtfully. Late that night, she wrote Prince Theseus a note and slipped it under his bedroom door.
Dear Theseus (Ariadne wrote)
I am a beautiful princess as you probably noticed the minute you saw me. I am also a very bored princess.
Without my help, the Minotaur will surely gobble you up. I know a trick or two that will save your life. If I
help you kill the monster, you must promise to take me away from this tiny island so that others can admire
my beauty. If interested in this deal, meet me by the gate to the Labyrinth in one hour.
Yours very truly, Princess Ariadne
Prince Theseus slipped out of the palace and waited patiently by the gate. Princess Ariadne finally showed
up. In her hands, she carried a sword and a ball of string.
Ariadne gave the sword and the ball of string to Prince Theseus. "Hide these inside the entrance to the maze.
Tomorrow, when you and the other children from Athens enter the Labyrinth, wait until the gate is closed,
then tie the string to the door. Unroll it as you move through the maze. That way, you can find your way
back again. The sword, well, you know what to do with the sword," she laughed.
Theseus thanked the princess for her kindness.
"Don't forget, now," she cautioned Theseus. "You must take me with you so that all the people can marvel at
my beauty."
The next morning, the Athenian children, including Prince Theseus, were shoved into the maze. The door
was locked firmly behind them. Following Ariadne's directions, Theseus tied one end of the string to the
door. He told the children to stay by the door and to make sure the string stayed tied so the prince could find
his way back again. The children hung on to the string tightly, as Theseus entered the maze alone.
Using the sword Ariadne had given him, Theseus killed the monstrous beast. He followed the string back
and knocked on the door.
Princess Ariadne was waiting. She opened the door. Without anyone noticing, Prince Theseus and the
children of Athens ran to their ship and sailed quietly away. Princess Ariadne sailed away with them.
On the way home, they stopped for supplies on the tiny island of Naxos. Princess Ariadne insisted on
coming ashore. There was nothing much to do on the island. Soon, she fell asleep. All the people gathered to
admire the sleeping princess. Theseus sailed quietly away with the children of Athens and left her there,
sleeping.
After all, a deal is a deal.
Pandora's Box
As the story goes ...
Once up a time, a long time ago, there were two brothers named Epimetheus and Prometheus. They were
good gods. They had good hearts. They were good friends.
One day, Prometheus got in trouble with Zeus. Angry over something or other, Zeus had declared that man
did not deserve fire. Because he had a kind heart, and he knew how much man needed fire for food and
warmth, Prometheus gave man the secret of fire even though Zeus had told all the gods not to do that. Zeus
was furious that his order had been ignored. As punishment, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock for many
years.
But that was not enough punishment, not for Zeus. Once Prometheus was chained to a rock, Zeus went after
Prometheus' brother, the gentle, kind-hearted Epimetheus. Zeus did not chain Epimetheus to a rock. Zeus
had a more sneaky punishment in mind.
First, Zeus ordered the gods' handyman, the maker of things - Hephaestus - to make Zeus a daughter.
Hephaestus made a woman out of clay, a beautiful woman. He brought her to life, and then brought her to
Zeus. Zeus named his lovely new daughter Pandora.
Zeus knew that Epimetheus was lonely. Zeus told Epimetheus that his brother, Hephaestus, had to be
punished and that's why he was chained to a rock, but he felt sorry that this punishment left Epimetheus
without the company of his brother. That's why Zeus had decided to give Pandora in marriage to
Epimetheus. It was not the truth of course, but then nearly everyone in the ancient Greek world knew better
than to believe the mighty Zeus.
Epimetheus was kind-hearted and gentle and thoughtful, but he was no fool. He knew Zeus was up to
something. But he loved Pandora at first sight.
Zeus gave the newlyweds a gift. Some say it was a jar. Some say it was a box. Whatever it was, it was
locked. It came with a note. The note said: "DO NOT OPEN." Attached to the note was a key. It was all very
curious.
You can guess what happened next. It was Pandora whose curiosity got the better of her. One day, she used
the key to open the box. As she raised the lid, out flew all the bad things in the world today - envy, sickness,
hate, disease. Pandora slammed the lid closed, but it was too late.
Epimetheus heard her weeping. He came running. Pandora opened the lid to show him it was empty.
Quickly, before she could slam the lid shut, one tiny bug flew out. He gave Pandora a big buggy smile in
thanks for his freedom and flew away. That tiny bug was named Hope. And Hope made all the difference in
the world.
Midas
The Midas touch, or the gift of profiting from whatever one undertakes, is named for a legendary king of
Phrygia. Midas was granted the power to transmute whatever he touched into gold
The Myth of Midas
Midas was a king of Phrygia, a region nowadays part of Turkey. One day some of his farmhands brought him a
satyr they had caught napping in the vineyard. This creature, part man, part goat, still groggy and much the worse
for wear, had been thoroughly trussed up to keep him from escaping. Midas immediately recognized Silenus,
right-hand satyr to the god Dionysus, and ordered him set free.
Silenus explained that he and his master had just returned from the East where they had been engaged in
spreading the cultivation of the grape. Dionysus had brought back a tiger or two, an ever-expanding flock of
followers and one very drunken satyr. Silenus had conked out in Midas's vineyard to sleep it off. Now he was
grateful to the king for treating him with dignity, and so was Dionysus. The god was so pleased, in fact, that he
offered to grant whatever Midas should wish for.
Now, you didn't get to rule a kingdom in those days without a pretty active grasp of what makes for a successful
economy. Midas didn't have to think twice. As the simplest plan for the constant replenishment of the royal
treasury, he asked that everything he touch be turned to gold.
Arching a godly eyebrow, Dionysus went so far as to ask if Midas were sure. To which the king instantly replied,
"Sure I'm sure." So Dionysus waved his pinebranch sceptre and conferred the boon.
And Midas rushed back home to try it out. Tentatively at first, he laid a trembling fingertip upon a bowl of fruit
and then a stool and then a wooly lambkin. And when each of these had been transmuted in a trice into purest
gold, the king began to caper about like the lambkin before its transformation.
"Just look at this!" he crowed, turning his chariot into a glittering mass of priceless-though-worthless
transportation. "Look what daddy can do!" he cried, taking his young daughter by the hand to lead her into the
garden for a lesson in making dewy nature gleam with a monotonous but more valuable sheen.
Encountering unexpected resistance, he swung about to see why his daughter was being such a slug. Whereupon
his eyes encountered, where late his child had been, a life-size golden statue that might have been entitled
"Innocence Surprised".
"Uh oh," said Midas, and from that point on the uh-oh's multiplied. He couldn't touch any useful object without it
losing in utility what it gained in monetary value, nor any food without it shedding all nutritional potency on its
leaden way down his gullet.
In short, Midas came to understand why Dionysus had looked askance when asked to grant the favor.
Fortunately, the god was a good sport about it. He allowed Midas to wash away his magic touch in the river
Pactolus, which ever after enjoyed renown for its shimmering deposits of gold.
The Trojan War
There is an old saying - Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. This saying comes from the legend of the Trojan
Horse.
As the story goes ......
A long time ago, there was an ancient city-state on the coast of Turkey, across the sea from Sparta. This citystate was named Troy. At one time, Troy and the other Greek city-states were pretty good friends. But times
had changed.
The city of Troy was protected by a high wall built around the city. Some parts of the wall were 20 feet
high! There were gates in the wall to let people in and out but it provided great defense for the people of
Troy. It gave the Trojan warriors a relatively safe place to stand, while they rained arrows down on the
people below, who were trying to break into the city.
The Greek warriors had been trying to breach the wall around Troy for about ten years. The Greeks could
not find a way in, and the Trojans did not seem able to drive the Greeks away.
Odysseus, a Greek general, had an idea. His plan was to build a horse, a beautiful and huge wooden horse,
and leave it outside the gate. Then, the entire Greek army would pretend to leave, as if they had finally
admitted defeat. But the horse would be hollow. Thirty men would be hiding inside. That's what they did.
As the Greek warriors sailed away, the people of Troy rushed outside, cheering. They found the horse.
Fortunately, they did not try to burn the horse. They dragged the horse inside the city gates to keep it on
display, which is just what the Greek general thought they would do - gloat.
That night, while the Trojan people were sleeping, the men hiding inside the wooden horse climbed out and
opened the gates. The waiting Greek army entered Troy. That was the end of Troy.
What really caused the Trojan War
As the story goes .....
As far as Aphrodite was concerned, there really was no comparison between Aphrodite and her half sister,
Helen. Poor Helen was married to the king of Sparta. How boring for her. Aphrodite had no interest in being
married at all. Both girls were probably Zeus' daughters. But Helen's mother was only a mortal. Everyone
knew that Aphrodite's mother was probably a goddess. Helen was attractive certainly. But the truth was, as
Aphrodite would tell you herself if you asked her, Aphrodite was the most beautiful goddess in the land.
You can imagine Aphrodite's surprise when she heard that Paris, a lowly prince of the city-state of Troy, had
proclaimed her half sister Helen as the fairest in the land. Aphrodite was not at all pleased. A short time
later, a wedding was announced in the Greek god world. Eris, the spirit of disagreement, had not been
invited. Eris made a surprise and most unwelcome visit to the wedding reception. She threw a golden apple
of discord on the feasting table. "This apple is for whomever is the fairest," Eris proclaimed haughtily,
hoping to cause trouble.
Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena all grabbed for the apple. "It's mine," insisted the three goddesses, Aphrodite
loudest of all. Zeus thundered, "Enough. Paris will decide who is the fairest. Hermes, go tell Paris he has a
job to do."
"Paris!" Aphrodite muttered. "Well, well."
Paris found himself facing three of the most powerful goddesses in the world, all clamoring for his attention.
"Paris will decide! Which one of us is the loveliest, Paris?" they demanded to know.
Paris could have said they were all the most beautiful. But Paris was as foolish as he was handsome. Paris
told all three goddesses that whomever offered him the best bribe would be declared the fairest.
Aphrodite, wise in the ways of foolish men, promised Paris that his brothers would be so jealous when the
king of Sparta's wife, the beautiful Helen, fell instantly in love with him. Paris loved the idea. His brothers
were always showing him up and making him feel foolish. This would show them!
Foolishly, Paris took the bribe. He declared Aphrodite the fairest of them all.
Aphrodite kept her promise. That very day foolish Paris and Helen (enchanted) left Greece behind. They
traveled together to the city of Troy, where they expected to live happily ever after.
No one knows exactly how, but somehow the king heard that his wife, Helen, had been kidnapped by Paris,
a prince of Troy. The king of Sparta went after his wife to rescue her. When the king of Sparta called on the
other kings of Greece to help, they rallied to his side. A huge navy of Greek warriors set sail for Troy. That
was the beginning of the Trojan War. And the end of Troy.
Ever after, and for all time, Queen Helen of Sparta, the women who caused the destruction of an entire citystate, was no longer known as the half sister of Aphrodite. She was known simply as Helen of Troy
The Charming Myth of Eros and Psyche
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived three princesses. Psyche, the youngest, was very kind. She
was also very beautiful. She was so beautiful, in fact, that the powerful goddess of love, Aphrodite, became
jealous of Psyche.
In fear of what the great goddess might do to them if they paid attention to Psyche, all the young men in the
kingdom avoided Psyche whenever possible, and none offered to marry her. Her two sisters married finally.
But Psyche stayed at home with her father.
Psyche could not remain at home forever. In those days, girls had to marry someone. Her father consulted
Apollo's oracle at Delphi for guidance. You know oracles! Who knows what the oracle actually said. What
the king heard was that his beloved daughter should prepare for her death. Sadly, the king took Psyche to the
edge of a cliff and left her there.
In despair, Psyche might have leaped to her death. Before she could, she felt herself lifted into the air.
Zephyrus, the gentle west wind, had taken pity on the girl, and gently carried her to a faraway palace, to the
home of his good friend, Eros, the lonely god of Love.
Eros was a handsome young man, but he had a pair of very big wings. He did not wish to scare Psyche. He
made himself invisible and warned Psyche if she valued his love, not to try to catch a glimpse of him.
Psyche was treated with great gentleness and good company and much laughter and soon fell in love with
her invisible host. For some time, they were blissfully happy. But Psyche longed to see her family. Eros
finally agreed to allow her to invite her two sisters to his palace.
Filled with envy at the sight of the palace and the riches it contained, her two sisters maliciously convinced
Psyche that she was being fooled, that her husband was a fearsome monster, and that she had to escape!
"But he's so kind, so gentle," she argued. "He cannot be a monster. I would know!"
"He's fooling you, Psyche. Trust us." They returned home, dissatisfied with their own lives, and jealous of
Psyche's.
Psyche cried and cried, but one night, she took a lamp in one hand and a dagger in the other, and crept into
her host's bedroom. Instead of the monster she expected to find, she saw Eros, a handsome young man, with
two white wings. She was not frightened at all.
A drop of oil from the lamp she held fell on the sleeping god. He woke instantly. He saw his Psyche, leaning
over him with a dagger in her hand. With great sorrow, he spread his wings and flew away.
Psyche crumbled to the floor. How foolish she had been to listen to her sisters. She ran outside, to the river.
She threw herself into the water. She expected to drown. But Pan, the god of shepherds, pulled her safely
from the water.
"Aphrodite is the goddess of love. Ask for her help," Pan advised her.
Psyche prayed to Aphrodite for help. Aphrodite was still jealous. She pretended to help her, because she
was, after all, the goddess of love, but gave Psyche tasks to prove her love for Eros that no mortal could
possibly accomplish. Yet, Psyche accomplished task after task. Although she did not know it, Psyche was
helped by invisible beings, sent by Eros, who loved her still, and watched over her.
At last, Aphrodite told Psyche her final task was to retrieve a box from the underworld, a very special box
filled with magical beauty supplies. With these, she could make herself so beautiful that Eros would fall
hopelessly in love with her.
You might think Psyche would be excited - her last task! - but Psyche knew she had to die to enter the land
of shades. It was hopeless.
Suddenly, she heard a voice speaking softly in her ear. It warned her of dangers ahead and what she had to
do to retrieve the box without dying.
The voice was very clear. Here is what she had to do:
1. Have a coin ready for the toll to the underworld
2. Bring three pieces of sweetbread to give to Cerberus, the three headed dog
3. DO NOT EAT ANYTHING, not even a seed
4. Once you find it, bring the box to Aphrodite without looking inside.
Psyche did everything she was told. She arrived back in the land of light safely. Waiting for Aphrodite to
show up, she became nervous. What if it was the wrong box? Psyche opened the box just a crack to peek
inside. A foul smelling cloud poured out. Psyche dropped to the ground as if dead.
To save her life, Eros returned to his visible form, and prodded her with the point of a golden arrow. She
awoke immediately.
"Psyche, what am I going to do with you? Will you never learn?"
"I have learned," Psyche said softly. "I've learned that I love you."
Eros gathered her into his arms and flew them back to his palace.
It took a while, but Eros finally convinced his mother, Aphrodite, to accept Psyche as his wife. With
Aphrodite's help, he convinced the great Zeus to admit Psyche to the ranks of the immortal gods.
In celebration, Psyche and Eros threw a party at the palace. Apollo played his lyre. Dionysus brought the
wine. And all the gods rejoiced. As for Eros and Psyche, they lived happily ever after
Apollo's Oracle of Delphi
The ancient Greeks built many, many temples. They believed each temple they built should honor only one
god, no matter how big or elaborate the temple. Some cities built more than one temple to honor the same
god.
Apollo enjoyed having temples built in his honor. He liked the gifts. He liked the attention. Everyone knew
that Apollo was the god of music. He also brought out the sun each day. He had other special powers.
Apollo could see the future, not always, but sometimes. Everyone wanted to know the future. So Apollo's
temples were busy places, full of people full of questions about their future. His temples were so busy, in
fact, that the stream of visitors asking him questions wore him out.
As the story goes ....
Apollo decided he needed an assistant, a wise woman, an oracle. An oracle, in ancient Greece, was someone
who could see the future. But Apollo did not want any old oracle to speak for him. He wanted a real one. But
there weren't any real ones, not really. The oracles he had met always had vague answers.
For example, if you asked an oracle if you should plant your garden tomorrow, they might say "the frost will
be gone if the gods will it." Not really helpful.
Apollo had the power to magically make someone truly see the future, just as he could. But Apollo didn't
want to take the fun out of things. So Apollo set some ground rules for his oracle. He would use his magic to
allow her to truly see the future. Apollo's rules stated that she had to tell the truth, but she could not be too
specific. That would allow the possibility of misunderstanding. That would made it fun!
Apollo magically turned a young priestess into a real oracle. He magically built a special temple for her
home. He magically told a few people here and there about his wonderful oracle.
It did not take long for the word to spread. People came from all over to ask Apollo's oracle a question.
People had heard she could really see the future and could only tell the truth.
One day, a weary king came to the temple. He asked Apollo's oracle if he would win the battle. She smiled
and told him a great king would win the battle. That was exactly what he had wanted to hear. He went away
happy, leaving many gifts for the oracle behind him.
When he led his men into battle, they lost. The king was killed. But people still flocked to Apollo's oracle.
They knew she had told the truth. She had to tell the truth. What a pity the king had not listened.
Cassandra & Apollo
Each temple in ancient Greece was dedicated to only one god. Because the Greeks worshiped many gods,
there were a great many temples in ancient Greece. Every town had several temples.
The most famous temple dedicated to Apollo was the temple at Delphi. That temple was the home of
Apollo's special oracle, a young woman Apollo had gifted with the ability to see the future. Apollo could do
things like that.
Apollo enjoyed visiting the temple at Delphi. He enjoyed visiting all the temples that had been built in his
honor. One day, he heard about an especially splendid temple that had been built in the city-state of Troy.
Apollo heard great things about the temple in Troy that had been built in his honor. The most interesting
thing about this temple to Apollo was that the city-state of Troy was not located on the Greek peninsula.
Troy started as an ancient Greek colony. Troy was on a different peninsula entirely.
Being a curious god, one day Apollo decided to swing by and take a look at the temple at Troy for himself.
As the story goes ...
Cassandra was not an oracle. She could not see into the future. She was a beautiful young priestess, with
great ambition.
When Apollo swung by personally to take a look at his temple, all Cassandra saw was his beauty and his
power. She gave him a saucy grin.
Apollo was delighted. Like all the gods, Apollo was very fond of making deals. He offered a deal to
Cassandra. If she would give a kiss, he would give her the gift of prophecy so she could see into the future.
Cassandra did not hesitate. She took the deal. As soon as Apollo gave her the gift of prophecy, she looked
eagerly into the future. What she saw made her gasp. She saw Apollo helping to destroy her beloved city of
Troy. She spit in his face.
Apollo was angry of course. But could not take away his gift. He could only add to it. That's how his power
worked. That's exactly what he did. He added something to his gift. From that time on, Cassandra could see
the future, but no one believed a thing she said. That's what Apollo had added. Some time later, Cassandra
warned her people that the huge wooden Trojan horse the Greeks had given Troy was hollow - full of Greek
warriors, hidden inside - warriors who would destroy the city! The people of Troy did not believe her. They
did not even look. They were far too busy celebrating the "defeat" of the Greeks, who had left the horse as a
token of defeat (or so they believed.) But the horse was full of Greek warriors. That night, they crept out of
the hollow horse and opened the city gates to let the Greek army in. That was the end of Troy.
Andromeda & Perseus
Andromeda was the daughter of a king, but she was not spoiled at all. Andromeda was as kind as she was
beautiful. She was even more beautiful than her mother, the lovely Cassiopeia. Andromeda lived in a city by
the sea. She was very happy. Everything was going along swimmingly until one day Andromeda's mother
went too far with her boasting.
Her mother boasted about Andromeda all the time. Her mother insisted she was the most beautiful child ever
born, except for Aphrodite, of course. One day, she boasted that Andromeda was more beautiful than any of
the gods' daughters (except for Aphrodite, of course.)
The trouble started when someone told the Nereids what she had boasted. The Nereids were the daughters of
the sea god, Poseidon. Poseidon told his daughters all the time that they were more beautiful than seashells.
Who could possibly be more beautiful than seashells? (Except perhaps for Aphrodite.) They whined to their
father about it, and whined and whined until Poseidon, in a fit of rage, flooded the city by the sea, and sent a
huge sea serpent to devour the entire population, thinking that would certainly shut his daughters up.
The people were terrified. The flood had caused great discomfort. Even after the flood waters receded, the
monster kept nipping at people. You never knew when he was going to pop up. He had not eaten anyone yet,
but he kept trying. The people were very unhappy. The king asked a local oracle what he could do to put a
stop to things. The oracle told him he had to sacrifice his beloved daughter, Andromeda, if he wanted to save
his city. It saddened him greatly, but the king ordered his daughter to be chained to a tree on a cliff that
overlooked the sea.
That day, the hero Perseus was out adventuring. He sailed past just as the king's servants were chaining the
terrified Andromeda to a tree at the edge of a cliff. Perseus fell in love immediately. As soon as the servants
left, Perseus rescued Andromeda, using his magic sickle to cut the chains. Just then, the giant sea serpent
reared its ugly head and reached for Andromeda. Andromeda screamed. Perseus, who was still holding his
magic sickle, chopped off the serpent's head.
Naturally, after that, Andromeda loved Perseus as much as he loved her. Perseus wanted her to sail away
with him immediately. But Andromeda was insistent that he first ask her father's permission to marry him.
She would not feel right about marrying anyone without it.
Perseus offered the king a deal. If the king would let him marry his daughter, Perseus promised to chop off
the sea monster's head. The king thought it a very good joke when he heard that Perseus had already killed
the monster. When he heard that Perseus' mother was a princess in the famous and rich city-state of Argos,
he was even more pleased. When he heard that Perseus' was half god, and his father was the mighty Zeus,
the king of all the gods, the king gladly agreed to the wedding.
After the wedding festivities, Perseus sailed away with Andromeda. They headed for his home in the citystate of Argos, where they lived happily ever after.
Since Andromeda had left town, and her mother was no longer allowed to boast about her daughter's beauty
by order of the king, Poseidon did not send another sea serpent to devour the people, feeling they had
learned their lesson. His daughters wanted him to at least go after Andromeda, but Poseidon stood firm.
To be fair, his decision probably had nothing to do with the fact that the ancient city-state of Argos had a
nearby harbor for trade and commerce, but Argos itself was located on a plain. Poseidon, god of the sea,
could have sent a tidal wave, I suppose, but it would have been a great deal of work, and frankly, he had
better things to do.