*Some of the Myths Below Are Very Compressed and May Not Work As Well As Other Versions You Discover, However, They Are All Correctly Cited
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*Some of the myths below are very compressed and may not work as well as other versions you discover, however, they are all correctly cited. Perseus and Medusa In Greek mythology Perseus was the young hero who slew Medusa, one of the fearful Gorgons who turned to stone anyone who dared to look at them. Perseus was the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and Dana, the beautiful daughter of Acrisius, king of Argos. Acrisius had banished mother and son because an oracle had said Dana's son would one day kill him. Polydectes was king of the island where Dana and Perseus had been carried under Zeus's guidance. The king wooed Dana, but knew that he would have to get rid of Perseus before he could win Dana's hand. So he sent the youth to bring back the head of Medusa, thinking Perseus would be killed. Medusa was one of three terrible sisters called Gorgons. They had leathery wings, brazen claws, and writhing poisonous snakes in place of hair. Anyone who looked at them turned to stone. But Perseus was helped by the gods. Athena lent him her brightly polished shield, and Hermes gave him a magic sword. Perseus came to the land of night where the three Gray Sisters (the Graeae) lived. They had only one eye and one tooth among them. They refused to help Perseus, but he stole their eye and returned it only when they told him where to find the Gorgons. With winged sandals that enabled him to fly, the helmet of Hades that made him invisible, and a bag in which to conceal the head, he set out again and finally found the three Gorgons asleep. He put on his cap of darkness and flew nearer. Alighting, he looked into his shining shield, thus avoiding a direct look at the Gorgons. With one stroke of his sword he cut off Medusa's head. On his way home Perseus came across the beautiful maiden Andromeda, who was chained to a rock and left to be devoured by a sea monster. Perseus waited beside her and when the monster appeared he cut off its head. Her rejoicing parents, Cepheus and Cassiopeia, gave Andromeda to Perseus as his bride. Perseus continued home and rescued his mother by turning Polydectes and his supporters to stone at the sight of Medusa's head. Perseus gave the Gorgon's head to Athena, who placed it on her shield, and he accompanied his mother back to Argos. Later, as Perseus threw the discus in a great athletic contest, it swerved and fell among the spectators, accidentally killing his grandfather Acrisius and thus fulfilling the prophecy. After his own death Perseus was taken into the sky by his father Zeus, as were also Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Cepheus. There they became constellations, all according to the old Greek myths. "Perseus (1)." Compton's by Britannica, v 6.0. 2009. eLibrary. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Odysseus and the Sirens In Greek mythology, a creature, half bird and half woman, who lures sailors to their doom with her sweet singing. Homer placed Sirens near the rocks of Scylla; in the Odyssey, Odysseus has his men plug their ears with wax and has himself tied to his ship's mast so he can hear the Sirens' singing without endangering the ship. In one tale of Jason and the Argonauts, Orpheus sings so sweetly that the crew do not listen to the Sirens. According to later legend, the Sirens committed suicide after one or the other of those failures. "Siren." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. 2011. eLibrary. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Pandora In Greek mythology Pandora was the first woman on Earth. When it came time to populate Earth, the gods delegated the task to Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus. Epimetheus (whose name means “afterthought” or “hindsight”) began with the animals, to whom he gave all the best gifts—strength and speed, cunning, and the protection of fur and feathers. Too late, he realized there was no quality left to make humankind a match for the beasts. After Prometheus (“foresight”) had stolen fire from heaven and given it to mortals, an angry Zeus determined to counteract this blessing. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to fashion a woman out of clay and adorned her with gifts from all the gods. Aphrodite gave her beauty, Hermes persuasion, and Athena skill in needlework. She was named Pandora (“all-gifts”). The ancient Greek poet Hesiod, in his Works and Days, said that Zeus sent her to Earth. There Epimetheus married her despite a warning from his brother Prometheus to accept no gifts from Zeus. Pandora either found or brought with her a mysterious jar. Epimetheus ordered Pandora never to open it. Secretly, however, she removed the lid. All human ills and evils flew out and covered the world. Hope alone was caught inside the jar. According to some modern versions of the myth, Pandora was given a box, not a jar, but these resulted from either a mistranslation of the Greek or confusion with a different myth. "Pandora." Compton's by Britannica, v 6.0. 2009. eLibrary. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. King Midas The story of King Midas is a myth about the tragedy of avarice and narrates what happens when true happiness is not recognized. Midas was a man who wished that everything he touched would turn into gold. However, he had not thought that this wish was not actually a blessing, but a curse. His greed invites us to think and realize the consequences that may lead us to become slaves of our own desires. The phrase the Midas touch comes from this myth and is used to say that somebody has a good fortune. The wish Midas was a king of great fortune who ruled the country of Phrygia, in Asia Minor. He had everything a king could wish for. He lived in luxury in a great castle. He shared his life of abundance with his beautiful daughter. Even though he was very rich, Midas thought that his greatest happiness was provided by gold. His avarice was such that he used to spend his days counting his golden coins! Occasionally he used to cover his body with gold objects, as if he wanted to bath in them. Money was his obsession. One day, Dionyssus, the god of wine and revelry, passed through the kingdom of Midas. One of his companions, a satyr named Silenus, got delayed along the way. Silenus got tired and decided to take a nap in the famous rose gardens surrounding the palace of king Midas. There, he was found by the king, who recognized him instantly and invited him to spend a few days at his palace. After that, Midas took him to Dionyssus. The god of celebration, very grateful to Midas for his kindness, promised Midas to satisfy any wish of him. Midas though for a while and then he said: I hope that everything I tough becomes gold. Dionyssus warned the king to think well about his wish, but Midas was positive. Dionyssus could do nothing else and promised the king that from that following day everything he touched would turn into gold. The curse The next day, Midas, woke up eager to see if his wish would become true. He extended his arm touching a small table that immediately turned into gold. Midas jumped with happiness! He then touched a chair, the carpet, the door, his bathtub, a table and so he kept on running in his madness all over his palace until he got exhausted and happy at the same time! He sat at the table to have breakfast and took a rose between his hands to smell its fragrance. When he touched it, the rose became gold. I will have to absorb the fragrance without touching the roses, I suppose, he thought in disappointment. Without even thinking, he ate a grape but it also turned into gold! The same happened with a slice of bread and a glass of water. Suddenly, he started to sense fear. Tears filled his eyes and that moment, his beloved daughter entered the room. When Midas hag her, she turned into a golden statue! Despaired and fearful, he raised his arms and prayed to Dionyssus to take this curse from him. The atonement The god heard Midas and felt sorry for him. He told Midas to go to river Pactolus and wash his hands. Midas did so: he ran to the river and was astonished to see gold flowing from his hands. The ancient Greeks said they had found gold on the banks of the river Pactolus. When he turned home, everything Midas had touched had become normal again. Midas hang his daughter in full happiness and decided to share his great fortune with his people. From now on, Midas became a better person, generous and grateful for all goods of his life. His people led a prosperous life and when he died, they all moored for his beloved king. "King Midas and His Touch." Greeka. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Echo & Narcissus In Greek mythology Echo was a wood nymph who loved a youth by the name of Narcissus. He was a beautiful creature loved by many but Narcissus loved no one. He enjoyed attention, praise and envy. In Narcissus' eyes nobody matched him and as such he considered none were worthy of him. Echo's passion for Narcissus was equaled only by her passion for talking as she always had to have the last word. One day she enabled the escape of the goddess Juno's adulterous husband by engaging Juno in conversation.