In Ancient Greece there was a cruel king called Polydectus. He was keen to marry the mother of Perseus, Danae. Perseus was not fond of Polydectus and so the king sent him away on a quest expecting him not to return. His quest was to go and kill the gorgon Medusa and bring back her head. Medusa used to be a very beautiful girl, however, she was very vain. She had made the mistake of boasting that she was the most beautiful girl in the land and that there was not even a goddess more beautiful than her. The gods heard this and to punish her they turned her in to a gorgon- a monstrous creature with snakes for hair, anyone who she laid eyes upon would immediately turn to stone.
Knowing this was an impossible task Perseus visited the Temple of Athena to pray for help. The gods heard his prayers and granted him 5 gifts. These were Hades helmet of invisibility, a sword, a shiny shield and a magic pouch from the underworld. The final gift was from Hermes and was his winged sandals which gave him the ability to fly.
He flew to the cave where Medusa lived and bravely walked through the entrance. Perseus wondered how he was to defeat a creature hat he could not look directly at. Then an idea came to him. He remembered the gifts that he had been given by the gods. Using his shield Perseus looked at the reflection of Medusa, he shut his eyes and swung his sword and with one swift swoop Perseus cut off the head of Medusa. He placed it in to the magic pouch and set off to return the head to the king. On showing the head to him, the king looked in to the gorgon’s eyes and instantly turned to stone. Perseus had succeeded in his challenge and now his mother was safe.
Knowing this was an impossible task Perseus visited the Temple of Athena to pray for help. The gods heard his prayers and granted him 5 gifts. These were Hades helmet of invisibility, a sword, a shiny shield and a magic pouch from the underworld. The final gift was from Hermes and was his winged sandals which gave him the ability to fly.
He flew to the cave where Medusa lived and bravely walked through the entrance. Perseus wondered how he was to defeat a creature hat he could not look directly at. Then an idea came to him. He remembered the gifts that he had been given by the gods. Using his shield Perseus looked at the reflection of Medusa, he shut his eyes and swung his sword and with one swift swoop Perseus cut off the head of Medusa. He placed it in to the magic pouch and set off to return the head to the king. On showing the head to him, the king looked in to the gorgon’s eyes and instantly turned to stone. Perseus had succeeded in his challenge and now his mother was safe.