Perseus was the son of the god Zeus and a princess named Danae. When Perseus was a boy, a prophecy predicted that Perseus would kill his grandfather, King Acisius. Fearing this, King Acisius banished Perseus and his mother, sending them away in a boat never to return. They eventually found shelter in Seriphus, and Perseus grew up there. The king of Seriphus, Polydectes, developed feelings for Danae but feared acting on them because Perseus was a powerful warrior by this time. King Polydectes hatched a plan to do away with Perseus by sending him to retrieve the head of Medusa. Medusa was a woman with hair made of snakes who turned everyone who looked at her into stone.
Perseus did not turn to stone as King Polydectes hoped. Instead, he evolved into a legendary hero by succeeding in his quest. Perseus first found Medusa's sisters, the Graeae. They only had one eye, that they shared; only one of them could see at any time. Perseus took the eye and only returned it when they helped him defeat Medusa. The Graeae gave Perseus the Cap of Hades for invisibility, winged sandals to fly and a bag to carry Medusa's head. Perseus was able to sneak up on Medusa and cut off her head by looking at her in the reflection on his shield. He then had a potent weapon in the head of Medusa.
The story of Perseus features many more adventures after he succeeded in his quest to slay Medusa. On his way back to Seriphus, Perseus fought with Atlas, who was holding the heavens on his shoulders. Perseus turned Atlas to stone with Medusa's head. This created the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. Perseus also rescued the beautiful woman Andromeda, who was chained to a rock as a human sacrifice to a terrible monster. Perseus killed the monster and married Andromeda. Their wedding was crashed by Phineus, who wanted to steal Andromeda for himself. Perseus also turned Phineus into stone with Medusa's head. When Perseus got back to Seriphus, he turned King Polydectes into stone for continuing to bother his mother. Perseus later returned to his homeland and fulfilled the prophecy mentioned earlier by accidentally killing his grandfather King Acisius with a discus.
The legend of Perseus had effects on other myths. There are many versions of the stories, but the basic themes are the same. Perseus is said to have given his winged sandals to Hermes so that he could fly. He is also said to have given Medusa's head to Athena, who put it on Zeus' shield and used it to protect herself in battle. Perseus is also believed to be the founder of Mycenae and the originator of the Perseid dynasty. He had seven sons and two daughters with Andromeda. Most of them grew up to be kings and heroes as well.
The story of Perseus has survived the centuries because of its enduring themes. He is a noble character who overcame adversity to conquer evil. He is also a flawed man, who despite his best efforts, can not escape his fate. The story has been adapted and utilized by different cultures over time. Perseus eventually replaced Bellerophon as the rider of the winged horse Pegasus. This is believed to have happened because Perseus was a far more iconic figure. In 1650, the French playwright Pierre Corneille connects Perseus to Pegasus in his play Andromede. Perseus was also cited by Herman Melville in the classic novel Moby Dick. The main character Ishmael says Perseus became the first whale man when he killed the sea monster to rescue Andromeda. Many movies, television programs and video games reference Perseus. "Clash of the Titans" is the best known example. It starred Harry Hamlin as Perseus.