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Prophecies and Vanities
The Tales of Perseus, Andromeda,
Pegasus, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Cetus and Equuleus
Chapter 3: The Princess on the
Rock
Perseus flew across the sea, imagining civilizations
which would rise from below the surface and of those that had already
been extinguished. In his flight high overhead, he skirted the cliffs
and beaches, watching the humans who ventured into the sea to make
their living. He saw towns in which they lived upon the shore, he
saw their children playing in the sand and their families repairing
their nets, he saw women selling the fish in the market and he even
saw those who owned the markets and those who lived by taxing those
who owned the markets. He saw a predatory lifecycle. And while he
was looking at all of this, he saw one woman, chained by her wrists
against the cliffs overlooking an angry sea. He flew closer until
he saw her salty tears washed away by high waves. Through the turmoil,
Perseus could see that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever
laid eyes on and his heart ached for her.
He flew down to the marketplace, removing his helmet for the first
time since he started his journey, and once again he became visible.
Approaching an old woman selling fruit, he asked about the girl
lashed to the cliff. "That is Princess Andromeda," she responded,
obviously happy to pass on a story. "She is the daughter of our
king Cepheus and his wife, Queen Cassiopeia.
"Queen Cassiopeia has always been very vain and boastful about her
beauty. But this time her boasting got us all in trouble, for she
said that her beauty was so enduring that even her daughter was
more lovely than the Nereids. What she didn't know was that the
Nereids were listening.
"When they heard these insults, the fifty Nereids stopped dancing
and playing their instruments. They stopped singing and riding their
sea beasts. They swiftly swam to their brother-in-law, Poseidon,
the King of the Sea. "We have all been insulted, as has our beautiful
sister, your wife Amphitrite. You must do something about that woman."
"When Amphitrite heard the story from her sisters, she too demanded
justice, "Poseidon, you must do something, now." With his wife and
fifty sisters-in-law relentlessly calling for revenge on Queen Cassiopeia,
he knew he would have no peace at all until he took action against
her. First, he immediately sent a flood-tide to drown Ethiopia and
wash her crops away, then to finish them off, he sent a sea monster
to ravage the people.
"The flood tides came and the farmers suffered as their crops and
homes were washed away. The sea monster arrived near their shore
and it was no longer safe for the fishermen to follow their trade,
for when they tried to fish, the monster overturned their boats
and swallowed the men whole. Food was in short supply and the people
were frightened. It was then that the oracle of Ammon prophesied
an end to all the trouble if King Cepheus would sacrifice his daughter
Andromeda to the sea monster. "Sacrifice her, sacrifice her," the
growing mob chanted, "like you are sacrificing us. Sacrifice her
or we will sacrifice you," the people threatened. Not wanting to
lose his power, King Cepheus had Andromeda chained to the cliff
to await the fate of the sea monster."
An idea flashed through Perseus' mind. "Where can I find King Cepheus?"
he asked the woman. She explained the route to take to reach the
palace and, after thanking her for her help, Perseus set-off to
enact his plan.
As he reached the palace, the royal family was assembled in the
throne room. King Cepheus sat sadly, with his chin resting in his
hand. His brother Phineus and his troops assembled near the wall,
silently waiting for whatever unfolded before them. On her throne,
which was next to Cepheus', sat Queen Cassiopeia, idly looking in
a hand mirror while rearranging her hair. Perseus was announced
and confidently approached the king. "King Cepheus, I come with
a plan to rescue your daughter and rid your land of the dreaded
sea monster. I am willing to risk my life to do this only if you
will agree to let me marry your daughter Andromeda, providing she
is also willing."
The king sat up, surprised at the boldness of this young man. "Certainly
I'll agree to that, and I'll give you a kingdom as her dowry as
well," said Cepheus, "but why do you need Andromeda's consent? It
would upset and confuse her. She is not used to making her own decisions."
"If she would not be happy, how could I be?" responded Perseus.
"I will ask her, you need not bother. I will enjoy being your son-in-law."
With that, Perseus disappeared. He reappeared balancing upon the
cliff ledge where Andromeda was chained. Startled, she stopped crying
when she saw him. "When I save you from the sea monster, will you
marry me?" he asked nervously. "Your father has given his permission.
Don't worry, I will save you anyway."
Her look of confusion gave way to a broad smile. "Yes," she answered.
The sea churned as it carried waves from distant sources onto the
Ethiopian shore. Perseus glanced quickly across the water wondering
which of the angry waves carried Poseidon's death warrant. He took
a deep breath and strapped on the helmet of Hades to become invisible
again. He seized his sickle and the young warrior sped through the
air.
In the northwest, against the far reaches of the horizon, Perseus
noticed a wave that dwarfed all the rest. He watched as it moved
faster than the others, nor did it follow the normal pattern of
the other waves. Instead it slid parallel to the land before cutting-in
sharply toward shore, then it returned back to it's original point
far offshore. It seemed to be waiting. As suddenly as it had come,
it disappeared, then reappeared as a mammoth black body bursting
through the sea sending a fountain of water higher than the waves.
Perseus had seen his enemy and flew to meet him.
Ready for battle, Perseus saw the creature burst through the waves
again, high into the open air. But this time, the creature was met
with a blade of razor-sharp stone which slashed into its skin. As
it submerged beneath the waves, the water darkened with its blood.
Sharks, clustered like gnats, descended to tear away the flesh of
the monstrous beast. Again the monster surged through the waves
and as before, something invisible from above ripped his flesh as
the seasalt burned his wounds. Deep into the sea he continued to
plunge to wash away the trail of blood that clouded his vision.
Then, with a clear view above, he rose to a point just below the
surface and waited.
The sun was reflecting against the crystalline surface of the sea.
There he saw a shadow cast by some creature floating through the
air. The creature seemed to be shaped like a man with outstretched
arms and had small wings fluttering at his heels. The monster floated
closer to the surface where he could see more clearly every detail
in the sky, but nothing was there except the shadow which he saw
only from the depths.
The monster dove down to the ocean floor, then turned to face the
sky, forming himself into a ball wound as tight as a spring. His
body was now a weapon as he pushed off with his flippers, becoming
a flesh torpedo aimed for impact at the location of the winged shadow.
Perseus baited his attacker, the fluttering sandal wings holding
him motionless in the air as he waited for the attack. In one hand
he held the head of Medusa and the other held the sickle. Perseus
was ready.
The monster breached the waves ahead of and in easy reach of Perseus.
Too late, the monster saw the approach of the snake-haired head
of a woman. He had not realized that the water distorted the location
of the image and in a single smooth motion, Perseus severed the
monster's head, which was caught by a high wave and carried swiftly
in the current.
Looking quickly for somewhere to place his weapons as he washed
off the blood, Perseus spied a mound of seaweed growing on a sandbar
that rose above the waves. He placed his sickle and Medusa's head
there for only an instant, then he snatched off the helmet and stuffed
it beneath his belt. Andromeda must see him in all his heroic splendor.
Tidying his hair and straightening his tunic, he arranged himself
to look unruffled before returning to claim his beautiful prize.
As he replaced Medusa's head in the knapsack he brushed the seaweed
only to find that it had turned the living plants to stone. The
curious Nereids came to investigate, and were delighted to find
the stone plants had spread over the entire underwater realm. The
Nereids named this remarkable creation coral, and in their delight
they brought tiny multicolored fishes there, to make it their new
home.
Quickly skirting the waves, he found and grabbed the monster's head
as it floated toward shore. Then on he flew to Andromeda's ledge
where he broke her chains and scooped the princess up in his arms.
While carrying Andromeda and holding the head of the monster by
its ear, he set down upon shore to the cheers of the crowd. In jubilation,
the wedding plans were made.
Phineus leaned against a column of the palace portico as he watched
the celebrations below. His eyes narrowed as the crowd hailed Perseus,
their new prince. It had been his rightful and promised place to
marry Andromeda and become his brother's successor. He and Cepheus
had planned it for years. Now this boy had stolen it from him and
upset the natural course of family affairs. Phineus folded his arms
against the events underway. He would find a way to stop them.
Perseus collected a cow, a steer and a bull. It was time to thank
his father Zeus and mentors, Athena and Hermes, for the success
of his adventure. Herding the animals to a clearing in the forest
and tying them to trees, he collected stones and built three altars.
One was for Athena, and to her alter he took and tied the cow. The
next was for Hermes. The steer was tied there. The last was for
father Zeus, and to this he took the bull. Pulling out his sickle,
he prepared to continue with his ritual, when, from behind him,
he heard someone say, "Let us help you make a fitting sacrifice."
He turned to see Phineus approach with his band of twenty men. Their
swords were out and the blades were flashing. "Don't wait for their
attack, Perseus. There are too many of them. They mean to kill you,"
Perseus heard Athena as she spoke to him from her altar. Reaching
into his knapsack, he grabbed Medusa's head by her snaky locks.
Averting his eyes, he held the head high in front of him. Moving
Medusa to his side, he looked ahead to where Phineus and his troops
were. Like a sculpture garden, the clearing was filled with men
turned to stone.
Perseus and Andromeda, married, contentedly made their home within
the palace of Cepheus for a number of years. But one day, as he
watched his children at play, Perseus remembered that he had not
completed his mission. "I wonder what happened to my mother?" he
asked himself.
"Why don't you see her and find out," the wind answered, and the
couple made plans immediately to leave. Although Andromeda was willing,
her father was not content to let her go. A peaceful settlement
was made when Andromeda realized that, if she left and took her
children, her poor father would be left without an heir. When she
offered to leave their eldest son, Perses, with his grandfather,
Cepheus gave his blessing to the trip. Aboard their ship, Perseus
and Andromeda, with their children Alcaeus, Sthenelus, Heleius,
Mestor, Electryon and Gorgophone, waved goodbye to Cepheus and Perses.
Little did they realize as they set out for their next home, that
young Perses would some day found a dynasty from which all Persian
kings would descend.
Sailing into Seriphus, the port was shrouded in black. As they docked,
it took some time before anyone recognized Perseus, now fully a
man. "Your stepfather has died," he was told. "Many are here to
participate in Polydectes' funeral games. Even your grandfather,
King Acrisius, is here. While he was traveling, a storm came up
and forced him to take refuge here." Gathering his wife and children,
Perseus hurried off to find his mother and to see his grandfather
for the first time.
Perseus found his mother and Polydectes' brother, Dictys, at the
temple altar, seeking refuge from the visitors. Danae held her breath
as she saw her son approach. Behind him came his wife and children.
Danae shed tears, this time of joy, and together they went to the
palace to introduce Perseus to his grandfather.
Acrisius saw Danae approach with a tall young man who looked very
like her. He froze as his instinct told him this was his grandson
of prophesy.
"My dear grandfather," Perseus began, "mother has told me everything.
Don't be afraid. I swear to father Zeus that I will never harm you."
His words put the old king at ease and they spent a beautiful evening
together, enjoying each other and the joy of familial affection.
The next morning the funeral games began. There were many from all
the neighboring islands taking part and the excitement and competition
was keen. Acrisius watched as his grandson skillfully competed in
the pentathlon. Perseus, poised with his discus in hand, focused
all his concentration on its intended destination. A gust of wind
arose from the south and carried the discus out of his hand. It
flew across the field and hit Acrisius in the head, killing him
instantly. The prophesy had been fulfilled.
Although it was sad that his grandfather was dead, Perseus was a
realist and knew that life goes on. There was other unfinished business
he had come to complete. Perseus called to Athena and presented
her with Medusa's head, which she placed in the middle of her shield
and called the Aegis. Then Hermes came to collect the kibisis, the
winged sandals and the helmet of Hades and he returned them to the
Stygian nymphs. Then Perseus asked Dictys to rule the island of
Seriphos. For himself, he did not feel comfortable in becoming the
new king of Argos, since he had caused his grandfather's death.
Instead he went to Tiryns to meet his cousin Megapenthes, the son
of Proteus. Proteus had recently died and Megapenthes was now the
king. Agreeing with Perseus' idea, the cousins enacted a trade.
Megapenthes became the king of Argos and Perseus became king of
Tiryns, also fulfilling the fear of Acrisius that Proteus' son would
be his successor.
Zeus, at the end of Perseus' life, honored him by placing Perseus
in the sky. With him, he placed Andromeda, Cetus the sea monster,
Andromeda's father King Cepheus, and her mother Queen Cassiopeia,
although, as the queen had made the Nereids very angry, she was
tied to her throne so that she would look ridiculous as she sat
upside down half the year. Finally he placed Chrysaor, as Equuleus,
along with his white winged brother Pegasus, as he galloped across
the sky carrying thunderbolts. Together they were born of the death
of vanity.
Tales of
the Immortal Night ©2003, J.J. Kuhl
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