How Perseus saved Andromeda
The names of the starry sky reflected the myth of the hero Perseus. A long time ago, according to the ancient Greeks, Ethiopia was ruled by a king named Cepheus and a queen called Cassiopeia. They had their only daughter, the beautiful Andromeda. The queen was very proud of her daughter and once had the imprudence to boast of her beauty and the beauty of her daughter in front of the mythical inhabitants of the sea - the Nereids. They were very angry, because they believed that they were the most beautiful in the world. The Nereids complained to their father, the god of the seas, Poseidon, to punish Cassiopeia and Andromeda. And the powerful lord of the seas sent a huge sea monster - Kita - to Ethiopia. Fire erupted from Kit's mouth, black smoke poured from his ears, and his tail was covered with sharp spines. The monster devastated and burned the country, threatened the death of the entire people. To appease Poseidon, Cepheus and Cassiopeia agreed to give their beloved daughter to be eaten by a monster. The beautiful Andromeda was chained to the coastal rock and obediently awaited her fate. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, one of the most famous legendary heroes - Perseus - performed an extraordinary feat. He entered the island where gorgons lived - monsters in the form of women, whose hair was swarming with snakes. The gorgons' gaze was so terrible that anyone who dared to look them in the eye instantly turned to stone. But nothing could stop the fearless Perseus. Seizing the moment when the gorgons fell asleep. Perseus cut off the head of one of them - the most important, the most terrible - the gorgon Medusa. At the same moment, the winged horse Pegasus flew out of the huge body of Medusa. Perseus jumped on Pegasus and rushed home. Flying over Ethiopia, he noticed Andromeda chained to a rock, which the terrible Whale was about to grab. The brave Perseus entered into battle with the monster. This struggle continued for a long time. Perseus's magical sandals lifted him into the air, and he thrust his curved sword into Kit's back. The whale roared and lunged at Perseus. Perseus directed the deadening gaze of the severed head of Medusa, which was attached to his shield, at the monster. The monster turned to stone and drowned, turning into an island.
And Perseus unleashed Andromeda and brought her to the palace of Cepheus. The delighted king gave Andromeda to wife Perseus. A merry feast continued for many days in Ethiopia. And since then the constellations Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, Perseus have been burning in the sky. On the star map you will find the constellation Cetus, Pegasus. This is how the ancient myths of the Earth were reflected in the sky.
How the winged horse Pegasus "flew" to the sky
Near Andromeda is the constellation Pegasus, which is especially visible at midnight in mid-October. The three stars of this constellation and the star alpha Andromeda form a figure that astronomers call the "Big Square". It can be easily found in the autumn sky. The winged horse Pegasus arose from the body of Medusa the Gorgon beheaded by Perseus, but did not inherit anything bad from her. He was the favorite of nine muses - the daughters of Zeus and the goddess of memory Mnemosyne, on the slope of Mount Helikon he knocked out the spring of Hippocrene with his hoof, the water of which brought inspiration to the poets.
And another legend that mentions Pegasus. The grandson of King Sisif Bellerophon was supposed to kill the fire-breathing monster Chimera (Chimera is Greek for “goat”). The scarecrow had the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a dragon. Bellerophon managed to defeat the Chimera with the help of Pegasus. Once he saw a winged horse, and the desire to take possession of it seized the young man. In a dream, the goddess Athena, the beloved daughter of Zeus, wise and warlike, the patroness of many heroes, appeared to him. She presented Bellerophon with a wonderful bridle that pacifies the horses. With her help, Bellerophon caught Pegasus and went to battle the Chimera. Rising high in the air, he threw arrows at the monster until it expired.
But Bellerophon was not satisfied with his luck, but wished to ascend to heaven on a winged horse, to the dwelling of the immortals. Zeus, learning about this, became angry, led Pegasus into a rage, and he threw his rider to Earth. Pegasus then ascended to Olympus, where he wore Zeus' lightning bolts.
The main attraction of the constellation Pegasus is a bright globular cluster. Through binoculars, you can see a round, luminous foggy speck, the edges of which sparkle like the lights of a large city seen from an airplane. It turns out that this globular cluster contains about six million suns!
The most beautiful constellation of the southern sky
There is no other constellation in the whole sky that would contain as many interesting and easily accessible objects as Orion, located near the constellation Taurus. Orion was the son of Poseidon - the god of the seas according to Greek mythology (according to Roman - Neptune). He was a famous hunter, fought with a bull and boasted that there was no animal that he could not defeat, for which Hera, the powerful wife of the powerful Zeus, sent Scorpio against him. Orion cleared the island of Chios from wild animals and began to ask the king of this island for the hand of his daughter, but he refused him. Orion tried to kidnap the girl, and the king took revenge on him: after getting drunk, he blinded Orion. Helios returned sight to Orion, but Orion still died from a bite sent by the Hero of Scorpio. Zeus placed him in the sky in such a way that he can always get away from his pursuer, and indeed, these two constellations are never visible in the sky at the same time.
Where does Veronica's hair come from in the sky?
The ancient constellation Leo had a rather large “territory” in the sky, and Leo himself had a magnificent “tassel” on the tail. But in 243 BC. he lost it. A funny story happened, which the legend says.
The Egyptian king Ptolemy Everget had a beautiful wife, Queen Veronica. Her gorgeous long hair was especially gorgeous. When Ptolemy went to war, his saddened wife made an oath to the gods: if they keep her beloved husband safe and sound, sacrifice her hair. Soon, Ptolemy returned home safely, but when he saw his shorn wife, he was upset. The royal couple was somewhat reassured by the astronomer Konon, saying that the gods lifted Veronica's hair to heaven, where they were intended to decorate spring nights.
Early in the morning the hero took to the air again. It was quiet; Perseus flew for a long time and finally he arrived on the coast of Ethiopia, in the country of King Kefei (Cepheus). There, on a deserted and rocky shore, he saw the beautiful Andromeda, the daughter of Kefei and Cassiopeia. Andromeda had to atone for the haughty speech of her mother Cassiopeia, who boasted that she was more beautiful than all the sea nymphs. Angry nymphs complain Poseidon and ask him to avenge them. Poseidon sent a great flood to Ethiopian land and a terrible sea monster, which, coming out of the sea, devoured people and animals. The oracle of Zeus Ammon (in the Libyan desert near Lake Siwa) announced to Kefey that he should give his daughter Andromeda to be eaten by a sea monster, and the people forced the king to fulfill the oracle's command.
Perseus saw Andromeda chained to a rock. Motionless, she stood, and not a single breeze touched her curls, and if there were no burning tears to be seen, he would have taken her for a marble statue. The young man marvels at the maiden - he hardly rules his wings - love has taken possession of his heart. Immediately he descends to her, asks who she is, from what country, why is she chained to this rock? Andromeda is silent, does not dare say a word to the young man. She bashfully covered her face, if she were not constrained; now she could only shed profuse tears. Perseus insists, and the virgin, not wanting him to consider her guilty, calls herself, her homeland and tells about her mother's misconduct. Before Andromeda had finished, the waves rustled, and the monster came out of the depths and swam, covering the entire coastline with its breast. The maiden was horrified, screamed; in response to a cry, the unfortunate parents came running to her, they embrace the prisoner. They did not bring help, they brought only plaintive groans and crying. "Save your tears," the stranger shouts to them, "salvation is near. I am Perseus, son of Zeus and Danae, Perseus, who killed the gorgon: a son-in-law of someone like me, of course, you are not ashamed to have; Give me your daughter Andromeda, if, with the help of the gods, I save her. ”The parents willingly accept the offer and beg him to save their daughter, and even promise their own kingdom as a dowry.
Here comes a monster, plowing the waves, like a fast-moving ship, and when it approached such a distance that it was possible to throw a stone at it, Perseus rose into the air. In the mirror-like surface of the waters, the beast saw his shadow and furiously rushed at it. But then, as an eagle swoops down on a snake, so Perseus swooped down on the monster and thrust his sword deeply into it. In terrible agony, it flies into the air, then it rushes to the side like a wild boar pursued by dogs. Fast wings help the young man to evade the enemy, he himself inflicts wound after wound, and now - a stream of black blood gushed from the mouth of the beast. In a hot battle, the wings of Perseus were soaked and they would hardly have carried him to the coast: but in time he saw the top of an underwater cliff rising from the waves and stood on it. Holding onto the stone with his left hand, Perseus inflicted several more blows on the monster with his right. Bleeding, it fell to the bottom of the sea.
Perseus and Andromeda. Artist J. Vasari, 1570-1572
Loud cries of approval rang out along the coastline, and the vast sky echoed them. Kefey and Cassiopeia were delighted, they greeted the savior of Andromeda's daughter, and their son-in-law, and together with their daughter took him to their shining golden palace, where they immediately arranged a wedding celebration. At the wedding are present with torches in the hands of Cupid and Hymen; incense and fragrant flowers pour out their fragrance, the sounds of flutes and lyres and joyful songs are heard in the upper rooms. Guests sit down at the table in a long line; They drink the sweet juice of grapes that amuses the heart and listen to Perseus: he talked about his adventures. But suddenly a clatter of weapons was heard in the palace, and military shouts were heard. The king's brother Phineus, who had previously coveted the hand of his niece Andromeda, but left her in dark days, rushed into the palace with an armed crowd and demanded his bride. He already raised his spear to Perseus, but the king shielded him and said to his brother: "What are you up to, mad brother? Perseus did not take your bride from you: Andromeda was no longer yours at a time when, chained to a rock, did not wait for help from you , your fiancé and uncle. To accomplish a great feat yourself: a virgin would be your reward. "
Perseus saves Andromeda from the sea monster. Ancient greek amphora
There was no answer. Numb with anger, Phineus looked first at his brother, then at Perseus and did not know at whom to throw the spear first. But then he made up his mind: with all his strength - the anger gave him strength - he threw the spear and the young man, but did not hit, the spear pierced the pillow. Then Perseus jumped up from his place and with the same spear would probably have pierced Phinea's chest, if he had not quickly disappeared behind the altar. Instead, one of Phineus's companions was wounded. The wedding of Perseus and Andromeda turned into a bloody battle: more and more crowds came to the aid of Phineus - it was difficult for small opponents to resist them. Perseus fought like a lion; at last he was surrounded on all sides by thousands of enemies, with Phineus himself at the head, and arrows rained down on Perseus from all directions. Leaning against the column, he fought off several thousand enemies. They fell in droves, but finally his courage had to yield to numerical superiority, and Perseus decided on the last resort. "I will resort to the old enemy - when you forced me to do so. Who is my friend, turn back!" - he said and took out the head of Medusa the Gorgon. "Scare others with your wonders," one of the opponents exclaimed and wanted to throw a spear at Perseus, when he suddenly turned into a stone statue: and he was left with a raised spear. One by one, the hero's enemies were petrified; Finally, Phineus had only two hundred adherents left: raising the head of the gorgon high, Perseus immediately turned all of them to stone.
Then Phiney just caught himself, felt the truth of his harassment at Andromeda's hand. He looks around in despair; on the right and left, there is nothing but statues in a wide variety of positions. He recognizes his friends in these statues and calls them by name; not wanting to believe his eyes, he touches the nearest ones - they all turned to stone! Phiney was horrified, stretched out his hands with a supplication to the conqueror and, turning his face away from him, said: "You won, Perseus; hide the monster, hide the terrible head; only leave your life to me, take the bride, take all my goods." Perseus exclaimed angrily: "Do not worry, you will not be touched by iron: I will put you in the house of my father-in-law as an indestructible monument, let the image of the former groom be the joy of my wife Andromeda." So, mocking, he said and raised the medusina's head in front of him. No matter how Phineus avoided, Perseus made him look at the terrible head, and Phineus turned into a stone statue. But even after the transformation, he retained the same fearful, the same humiliated look, the same drooping hands.
Perseus and Andromeda (myth of ancient Greece)
Perseus flies high in the sky, but now the bright day is leaning towards evening, and Helios directed his golden chariot towards sunset. The goddess of the Night is going to replace him, straightens her dark clothes. It's time for Perseus to think about rest. He went down to the ground and saw a city on the rocky coast of the Ocean. Here he decided to stay overnight.
Perseus landed, took off his winged sandals and looked around. Suddenly he hears plaintive cries from the direction of the sea. The young man quickly ran there and saw such a picture. On the very shore of the sea there is a girl of unprecedented beauty chained to a rock and cries with bitter tears. Perseus approached the girl and asks her:
- Tell me, fair maiden, why are you so severely punished and what is this country where I ended up?
The girl began to tell Perseus her bitter story:
- The country where you are now is called Ethiopia. Here I lived in my parents' house, not knowing worries and sorrows. '' The girl fell silent, tears again flowed from her wonderful eyes. Having coped with herself a little, she continued her sad story, from which Perseus learned everything that happened here.
Andromeda - that was the name of the girl - was the only daughter of the Ethiopian king Kefei and his wife Cassiopeia. They lived in happiness and joy in their warm, fertile country, and so it would have gone on forever. But Queen Cassiopeia was very proud of her beauty and told everyone that there is no woman in the world more beautiful than she. Kefey agreed with his wife in everything and also considered her the most beautiful of all. The sea nymphs were angry with them for this and persuaded the god of the seas Poseidon to punish Kefei and Cassiopeia.
Poseidon sent a terrible monster to the shores of Ethiopia, huge and terrible. A monster emerged from the depths of the sea and devastated the country of Kefei. Once happy and carefree Ethiopia was filled with crying and groans. People did not know how to save themselves from such a punishment, and they cried pitifully, preparing for a terrible death.
Then Kefey turned to the oracle of Zeus and asked him what they should do to save themselves from this punishment.
- Poseidon's punishment will end only if you give your only daughter Andromeda to be torn apart by the monster, - the oracle answered him.
Kefey was horrified at the answer and at first did not tell anyone about it. But the gigantic fish continued to ravage the country, people begged the king to save them, and then Kephei had no choice but to tell everyone what the oracle told him. He hoped that people would take pity on Andromeda and would not give her up to be torn apart by a monster. But his hopes were not destined to come true. The people decided that the king's daughter should atone for the guilt of her mother.
And now Andromeda, pale and trembling with horror, stands chained to a rock and awaits her terrible fate. Perseus's heart sank with pity for the beautiful girl. He fell in love with her as soon as he saw her, and now he was ready to do anything to save him from suffering.
Then the city gates were thrown open, and the parents of the unfortunate girl came out with weeping and groaning. Perseus addressed them with the words:
- Now is not the time to shed tears, you have to think about how to save an innocent girl. I am Perseus - the son of Zeus. Give me Andromeda as a wife, and I will save her and your country from this punishment.
As soon as Perseus had time to utter these words, the sea shook, and a huge monster appeared from the depths of the sea. It was quickly approaching the shore and had already opened its terrible mouth, preparing to tear to pieces the unfortunate Andromeda. Andromeda screamed in horror, Kefey and Cassiopeia rushed to their knees in front of Perseus:
- O glorious and fearless youth! We beg you to save our unfortunate daughter, and you will receive her as your wife, and together with her we will give you our entire kingdom as a dowry.
The sea is raging, salty streams of water overwhelm Andromeda's legs, a terrible monster is already next to her. And at this moment Perseus soars into the air, rushes from above to the gigantic fish and with a swing plunges the curved sword of Hermes into its back.
A monster rushed up in a deadly throw, trying to get Perseus. But he manages to pull out his deadly sword and again plunges it into the back of the mighty fish. The wounded monster rushes about on the sea, then goes deep into the abyss, then floats up to the surface of the sea with a noise, whips up the water with its powerful tail, salt spray scatters in all directions. Perseus's winged sandals are wet, he can barely stay in the air. The young man flew up to a high rock, grabbed it with one hand, and with the other thrust a sword into the chest of a gigantic fish and finally killed her. In the last throw, she darted to the side, and then slowly began to plunge into the abyss of the sea.
Shouts of joy filled the seashore. People ran out of the city, removed her heavy fetters from Andromeda. And then Perseus came up. He took his beautiful bride by the hand and led her to Kefei's palace.
After a long journey, Perseus reached the kingdom of Kefei, which lay in Ethiopia on the shores of the Ocean. There, on a rock, at the very shore of the sea, he saw the chained beautiful Andromeda, the daughter of King Kefei. She had to redeem her mother, Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia angered the sea nymphs. Proud of her beauty, she said that she was the most beautiful, Queen Cassiopeia. The nymphs got angry and begged the god of the seas Poseidon to punish Kefei and Cassiopeia. Poseidon sent, at the request of the nymphs, a monster like a gigantic fish. It emerged from the depths of the sea and devastated the possessions of Kefei. The kingdom of Coffee was filled with crying and groans. He finally turned to the oracle of Zeus Ammon and asked how to get rid of this misfortune. The oracle gave the following answer:
- Give your daughter Andromeda to be torn apart by a monster, and then Poseidon's punishment will end.
The people, having learned the answer of the oracle, forced the king to chain Andromeda to a rock by the sea. Pale with horror, stood at the foot of the cliff in the heavy shackles of Andromeda; with inexpressible fear she looked at the sea, expecting that a monster was about to appear and tear her to pieces. Tears rolled from her eyes, horror gripped her at the mere thought that she should die in the color of beautiful youth, full of strength, not having tasted the joys of life. It was her that Perseus saw. He would have taken her for a marvelous statue of white Parian marble, if the sea breeze did not flutter her hair and large tears did not fall from her beautiful eyes. The young hero looks at her with delight, and a powerful feeling of love for Andromeda lights up in his heart. Perseus quickly went down to her and gently asked her:
- Oh, tell me, beautiful maiden, whose country is this, tell me your name! Tell me, why are you chained to a rock here?
Andromeda told whose fault she had to suffer. The beautiful maiden does not want the hero to think that she is atoning for her own guilt. Andromeda had not yet finished her story, when the depths of the sea began to gurgle, and a monster appeared among the raging waves. It raised its head high with a huge gaping mouth. Andromeda screamed loudly in horror. Distraught with grief, Kefey and Cassiopeia ran to the shore. They cry bitterly, hugging their daughter. There is no escape for her!
Then the son of Zeus, Perseus, spoke:
- You will have a lot of time to shed tears, little time just to save your daughter. I am the son of Zeus, Perseus, who killed the gorgon Medusa entwined with snakes. Give me your daughter Andromeda as my wife, and I will save her.
Kefey and Cassiopeia happily agreed. They were ready to do everything to save their daughter. Kefei even promised him the whole kingdom as a dowry, if only he would save Andromeda. The monster is already close. It quickly approaches the rock, cutting through the waves with its broad chest, like a ship that rushes along the waves, as if on wings, from the flapping of the oars of mighty young rowers. No further than the arrow's flight, there was a monster when Perseus flew high into the air. His shadow fell into the sea, and the monster rushed with fury at the hero's shadow. Perseus boldly rushed from a height to the monster and thrust a curved sword deep into his back. Sensing a grievous wound, the monster rose high in the waves; it beats in the sea like a wild boar surrounded by a pack of dogs with frantic barking; it plunges deep into the water, then floats again. The monster furiously hits the water with its fish tail, and thousands of splashes fly up to the very tops of the coastal cliffs. The sea was covered with foam. Opening its jaws, the monster rushes at Perseus, but with the speed of a seagull he takes off in his winged sandals. He delivers blow after blow. Blood and water gushed from the jaws of the monster, struck to death. The wings of Perseus's sandals are wet, they barely hold the hero in the air. The mighty son of Danae quickly rushed to the rock that protruded from the sea, grabbed it with his left hand and plunged his sword into the broad chest of the monster three times. A terrible fight is over. Shouts of joy come from the shore. Everyone praises the mighty hero. The shackles were removed from the beautiful Andromeda, and, triumphant, Perseus leads his bride to the palace of her father Kefei.
