The legendary son of Zeus and Danae. With the help of the gods, he beheaded the Gorgon Medusa, rescued Andromeda from a sea monster, and founded the great city of Mycenae.1
Born in a subterranean bronze chamber after Zeus visited his mother Danae in a shower of gold, Perseus was cast into the sea in a wooden chest by his paranoid grandfather Acrisius. He washed ashore on Seriphus, where he was raised by the fisherman Dictys.2
To protect his mother from the unwanted advances of King Polydectes, Perseus embarked on a seemingly impossible quest to retrieve the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Guided by Hermes and Athena, he acquired winged sandals, a magic wallet, and the cap of Hades. He successfully beheaded Medusa and used her petrifying gaze to turn his enemies—including the titan Atlas and the sea monster Cetus—to stone.3
After rescuing and marrying the Aethiopian princess Andromeda, he returned to Greece. Fulfilling an ancient prophecy, he accidentally killed his grandfather Acrisius with a stray discus. Ashamed to take the throne of Argos, he exchanged kingdoms with his cousin Megapenthes and founded the mighty fortress of Mycenae.4
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the spine ignites as you read · hover a bond on the card — every mention of them lights in the story