This time, Perseus was properly armed to wage battle against the Gorgons. Happy as a child in front of new toys, he put on the winged sandals, drew the long sword out of its scabbard, grabbed hold of Athena’s shield and put on the helmet of Hades. He instantly became invisible and flew away towards the Gorgons’ den. “Do not forget,” Hermes cried after him, “you can only kill Medusa. She is the only one of the three Gorgons who can die, the other two are immortal, do not attack them!” Perseus, however, was already far away. Hermes’ words were lost in the wind. The messenger god decided to follow the young man in order to keep an eye on him.
The Gorgons lived on an icy island battered by raging winds. Perseus flew first of all across the ocean, until he noticed an island with beautiful cold and deserted beaches. There he discovered an absolutely incredible landscape and he knew that he was approaching the Gorgons’ lair. There were animals of every kind and some men as well. But as he approached, he realized that these were statues of stone. Each had met the gaze of one of the Gorgons and had been immediately transformed into a statue! Perseus landed and began to walk amidst the statues of stone. He was touched by the fate of all these wretched creatures and his anger rose up inside him. When he reached the cave where the Gorgons lived, they were all three asleep. Perseus observed them on Athena’s shield, which served him as a mirror. They were even more appalling than anything Perseus had been able to imagine. Their heads were aswarm with snakes writhing in every direction and their necks were covered with dragon scales. They had enormous golden wings and their hands bore talons of bronze. He flew above the sleeping Gorgons, yet his hand was reluctant to strike. If he missed his target, what would happen once the monstrous sisters were awake? And, what is more, which of the three was Medusa? Hermes again came to his aid. He indicated Medusa to him with a motion of his hand. Perseus then brandished his heavy sword while keeping a keen eye on Medusa on the mirror-shield.
And Athena, who was also watching discreetly from the heights of Olympus, guided his hand. His magic sword came crashing down and lopped off Medusa’s head with one clean blow. He came down immediately, grabbed the head, catching hold of it by its vile snake-hair, and slipped it inside his sack without looking at it. He had thus escaped the terrible gaze which turned people into stone.
Instantly, an incredible winged horse emerged from Medusa’s body, by the name of Pegasus. For a moment Perseus stood there dazzled, his breath taken away by the winged horse’s beauty. He stretched out his hand towards the animal to catch it, but the horse immediately flew away towards Olympus and disappeared from Perseus’ sight.
In the meantime, the other two Gorgons had woken up and were getting ready to go after Medusa’s murderer. Would Perseus manage to escape his pursuers?
To be continued…
EPISODE 68
IN WHICH PERSEUS SETS FREE A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMAN
Previously: Well armed by Hermes and Athena, Perseus has succeeded in cutting off Medusa’s head without ever looking at her. But he must now flee as swiftly as possible, pursued by Medusa’s two sisters…
The winged sandals that Hermes had lent to Perseus were extraordinarily swift. And so he took flight. Behind him, the two Gorgons tore howling along. They screamed, spat, yelled with rage, threatened Perseus with a thousand cruel sufferings. But where had he gone? Perseus had just put back on the helmet that made him invisible. And soon enough they had to abandon their chase, for they couldn’t see him anywhere. Perseus was wild with joy to have succeeded in such an exploit.
The day rose. Perseus came in sight of a black, rocky coast bounded by crystalline blue water. Suddenly a sun ray revealed to him an extraordinary sight. A naked young woman was chained to an enormous rock right by the sea. She was so beautiful, with her dark skin and its shimmering reflections, and her hair floating in the wind, that Perseus fell instantly in love with her. He drew nearer. She remained motionless and stared hard at the sea while silent tears ran down her cheeks.
“What are you doing here chained like this?” asked Perseus.
The young woman gave a little jump when she saw him appear. “I am called Andromeda and I am the only daughter of the king of Ethiopia,” she murmured. “And I am waiting for the sea monster who is supposed to come and devour me.”
Perseus could not believe his ears. “But what have you done to deserve such a horrid fate?” he exclaimed.
“I? Nothing!” Andromeda sighed. “But my mother is so proud of me that she declared everywhere that I was the most beautiful of all. She even dared say that I was more beautiful than the sea nymphs. The nymphs became vexed and asked Poseidon, the god of the Seas, to avenge them.” Andromeda stopped speaking. She was staring hard at the horizon and Perseus followed her gaze. He saw something writhing on the sea surface. And this something was coming closer and closer. He felt the young girl shake like a leaf. “This is it! This is it!” she cried. “This horrid sea monster ravages everything in its passage. It makes my father’s people suffer, devours the fishermen and their boats. And I must be sacrificed to it to placate its anger…”
The monster was just a few feet away from Andromeda. You could see its gaping mouth and its scaly skin. Its pointed tail thrashed the waves, splattering the sky with spume. Its enormous torso cut through the water like a ship sailing at full speed. Perseus unsheathed his magic sword and, with a kick of his winged sandals, landed on the monster’s spine. Then he thrust his sword into the monster’s shoulder. Surprised, the monster bucked. Yet Perseus did not lose his balance. Three times his sword came crashing down, and three times the sharp blade gashed the monster’s neck. A torrent of blood was flowing out now, dyeing the sea red. The monster lowed; then, after having squirmed in every direction, it gave up the fight and let itself sink to the bottom of the sea. Perseus barely had time to withdraw his sword and fly away again. On the shore, a symphony of applause burst out. The country’s inhabitants were arriving in all haste to hail the hero who had defeated the monster and rescued their princess. Among those enthusiastic spectators was also Hermes. He had watched his protégé with keen attention, ready to intervene if things went awry. But he was proud of Perseus: he had known how to manage on his own.
Perseus paid no attention to his public. He had hurried to Andromeda and with a stroke of his magic sword had severed the chains which held her prisoner. Andromeda’s parents rushed forward and took her in their arms. But Andromeda pulled herself free and turned smiling towards Perseus. She opened her arms and the young man held her fast against his heart. The marriage of the two young people in love was decided immediately. Hermes looked smilingly at Perseus as he was led in triumph to the palace of Andromeda’s father, then he decided to return to Olympus. Yet he heard behind him something which troubled him. A voice in the crowd had just said: “I’ll kill that Perseus!” Hermes jerked round sharply but there were too many people around him. He could not discover who had uttered that threat. He therefore decided to follow the crowd to the palace in order to try to find out who could possibly wish to harm Perseus.
To be continued…
EPISODE 69
IN WHICH PERSEUS ESCAPES DEATH AND PUNISHES HIS ENEMIES
Previously: After having killed the Gorgon Medusa, Perseus met Andromeda, a beautiful young girl condemned to be devoured by a sea monster. He has killed the monster and is getting ready to marry Andromeda.
The palace of the king of Ethiopia was of great splendour, yet Perseus paid no attention to it. He was dazzled by a single beauty, that of Andromeda. A sumptuous banquet was being given to celebrate their wedding, but Perseus did not look either at the succulent dishes filing past, or at the great crowd of guests. He tasted neither the wine nor the music. He only had eyes for Andromeda. And this is how he did not come to notice a man arriving at the banqueting hall accompanied by a squadron of armed men. This man was a cousin of the king to whom Andromeda had been promised in marriage. He was called Phineas. He drew his sword abruptly from its scabbard and began to taunt Perseus. Addre
ssing himself to the guests, he shouted:
“Who is this stranger who comes to steal the most beautiful women of our country?” Then, turning towards the young groom, he yelled: “Perseus, you are not from these parts, you are not worthy of Andromeda! Go back where you came from!”
Hermes, who had slipped in among the guests, heard murmurs: “He is right!” someone said. “This foreigner should leave our princess alone!” added another.
Perseus’ position was shaky. Yet he answered sarcastically: “You love her well now, your princess, but when I found her, chained to a rock, there was no one by her side! You, the great swaggerer, who now come to claim her, did you have the courage to rescue her from the monster’s claws?”
By way of an answer, Phineas hurled his spear at Perseus. The spear planted itself right at the feet of the young man, who immediately drew his sword. A battle ensued. The clangour of arms replaced the wedding music. The soldiers of the king defended Perseus and Andromeda, but the friends of Phineas were numerous. Soon blood began to flow instead of wine. So Perseus shouted: “Those who are my friends, turn your eyes away now!” And he took out of his sack Medusa’s horrid head. Instantly, the company of Phineas and those guests who had rallied to his side were transformed into statues of stone. They stood there, frozen in the position they were in. Reassured, Hermes then returned to Olympus to get some rest, for his young protégé had adventures which were quite exhausting even for a god!
Perseus was happy living with his wife, yet he was dying to return home. He was worried about his mother Danae, whom he had left behind while that appalling king of the island wished to make her his wife. And what if the king had succeeded in forcing her to marry him? He had a ship built and he decided to take Andromeda home with him.
When he arrived on the island, the young couple went to the house of Dictys, the fisherman who had rescued Perseus and his mother. But alas, he found Dictys and his wife plunged in deep sorrow. The two old people welcomed him with tears, happy to find him alive, but despairing about Danae’s fate.
“What has happened to mummy? Speak! Is she dead?” cried Perseus.
“No, thanks be to the gods, but the king pursued her so persistently that in order to escape him she had to seek refuge in the temple of Athena. Since then, she cannot come out unless she agrees to marry him.”
Boiling with rage, Perseus hurried to the king’s palace. He entered the throne room like a whirlwind. Seeing him burst in like this, the king gave a sneering laugh:
“Well, well, here is Perseus, the great Perseus, Perseus the valiant! We believed you dead, my little one, after all this time,” he scoffed. “So, then, have you brought me back the head of the Gorgon Medusa, as promised?”
At these words the entire company broke into an enormous laughter. But Perseus, white with rage, replied:
“Now you mention it, here it is!” And he took Medusa’s head out from his sack. The king did not even have time to let out a cry—he was turned into stone. A scowl of surprise and fear was branded on his sculptured face. He had been punished. All those who were in a circle around him were petrified at the same moment.
Once rid of this cruel tyrant, Perseus ran to the temple of Athena. “Mother!” he cried. Danae turned around. Perseus clasped her tight in his arms. Then he placed the sack containing the Gorgon’s head at the feet of the statue of Athena, together with the shield. From that day on, Athena would always bear on her shield the image of that head swarming with snakes. Perseus put his arms around his mother’s shoulders and led her gently out into the light of day. It was over! He would never let anyone make her suffer again.
To be continued…
EPISODE 70
IN WHICH PERSEUS’ DESTINY IS FULFILLED
Previously: Perseus has returned to the island of Seriphos, where he has turned into stone the king who was tyrannizing his mother.
Calm had returned to the island. Perseus had no desire to become king. He had installed upon the throne the old fisherman Dictys and his wife. They were good and wise people, and they would bring prosperity to the inhabitants. Each morning, Perseus left the arms of his wife Andromeda and went to the beach where he had met Hermes. And he waited. He waited patiently for an hour, two hours, and then he went away again. At last, one day, as he watched the horizon keenly, he saw the messenger god appear.
“You have been waiting for me?” Hermes asked, astonished.
Without replying, Perseus smiled and held out to him his winged sandals.
“You had only lent them to me,” he said. He also returned to Hermes the magic sword and the helmet of invisibility. “I no longer need these now. I can handle things on my own. But don’t abandon me altogether. I still have one thing I need to accomplish. I wish to meet my grandfather Acrisius. I know that he threw us into the sea, mummy and me, because someone had predicted that one day I would kill him. But I have no intention of doing so. I don’t bear any grudge against him. I just want to meet him. What do you think?”
Hermes took the helmet, the sword and the sandals and sat on the sand. He then spoke the words that Pausania had said to him one day and which he had never forgotten:
“In order to understand who you are, you must first know where you come from.”
Hermes’ words rang inside Perseus’ head as he returned to his house absorbed in thought. His mind was made up, he would go and meet his grandfather Acrisius. Perseus took to the sea once more and set course towards his grandfather’s kingdom. When he arrived full of joy at the doors of Acrisius’ palace, news of his arrival had preceded him. Panic had seized Acrisius when he was told that his grandson was alive; convinced that he was now coming to see him in order to seek revenge, he had taken flight. Perseus was about to enter the palace portal when he saw a chariot drawn by three powerful horses leaving in all haste.
“Make way for the king! Make way for the king!” shouted the guards.
“Hey! Wait for me!” shouted Perseus. “I am Perseus, your grandson!”
Upon hearing these words, Acrisius urged on his horses even harder. Perseus barely had time to see his face as the chariot disappeared far away in the distance, enveloped in a cloud of dust. Perseus ran to buy a horse and followed his grandfather’s trail.
This is how he arrived a few days later in a city. It was very difficult for him to find the old king, for the streets were flooded by great throngs of people.
“What is happening here?” Perseus asked.
“Don’t you know, stranger?” they answered him. “Our king is organizing great athletic games. Come see our heroes in the stadium.”
For all that he had grown, Perseus still remained the young man who loved to have fun and above all to shine and to be admired. He decided that the search for his grandfather could wait and he put his name down for the games. No one knew Perseus, but he quickly emerged as the best of all the contestants. First of all he won the foot race. Then he carried away the victory at wrestling. The spectators cried: “Perseus! Perseus! Long Live Perseus!” The young man radiated with pleasure. In the crowd, an old man lowered his head so as not to be recognized. It was Acrisius, who hoped to pass unnoticed in the midst of all these people. Perseus, ecstatic with joy, could see that he was going to be crowned champion of the games. There was only the discus event left for him to win. He threw the heavy discus with skill and precision. Soon there were only two contestants. Perseus threw his discus one more time. All of a sudden, a brisk and violent gust of wind turned the discus away from its target and made it land among the crowd. One spectator received the heavy projectile full on the head and died on the spot. Perseus hurried to him. The victim was Acrisius, his own grandfather.
At that instant, someone came out of the crowd and put his arms around the shoulders of the devastated young man. He helped him stand up again, dried his tears and tried to console him. “You were not responsible, Perseus. It was an accident. It was also your destiny.” That someone was none other than Hermes. He had followed him unseen. He accompani
ed him back to his homeland and returned him to the arms of Andromeda. He did not worry about the prospects of his young protégé. By questioning the pebbles which allowed him to foretell the future, Hermes had seen him found a great city which would be very powerful one day, a city called Mycenae.
And he knew that Perseus and Andromeda would end their lives welcomed by the gods, who would place them as stars in the sky.
Hermes had learnt much by accompanying Perseus on all his adventures. Yet one question remained unanswered in his mind: what had become of the magnificent winged horse Pegasus, born of the Gorgon’s blood?
To be continued…
EPISODE 71
IN WHICH HERMES MEETS UP AGAIN WITH PEGASUS, THE WINGED HORSE
Previously: Perseus has accidentally killed his grandfather. Hermes has decided to take him back to his homeland and then their paths separate. He wonders what could have become of Pegasus.
Hermes was flying languidly, letting himself be carried by the air currents. He had for once no errand to carry out, no letter to deliver, no dead person to accompany to the Underworld, and he was offering himself a well-deserved break of daydreaming. As he lay on a cloud, eyes staring blankly into the distance, he suddenly saw a small white dot descending from Olympus and heading towards the earth. The white dot grew bigger and Hermes could soon make out two immense white wings. He thought that he had seen Pegasus, the winged horse occupying his thoughts. But soon the white dot and the two wings were hidden away by a cloud. Undoubtedly, it had been but a dream… But in order to make sure, Hermes got up from his cloud and flew towards where the white dot had disappeared. He landed on earth, just below the cloud. There was a fountain there. Fine lush green grass grew in front of it. Hermes’ heart gave a leap: there, in the middle of this grassy patch, was Pegasus, grazing serenely. The magnificent horse with the white wings had descended from the sky to eat this exquisite grass and to drink this pure water.
The Adventures of Hermes, God of Thieves Page 18