The story and myth of medusa features pictures from mythology and legend. Perseus and medusa acrisius, king of argos, receives an oracle that any child born of his daughter, danae, will grow up to kill its grandfather i. You can use this interactive pdf reading comprehension activity to introduce children to the myth of perseus and medusa. Perseus, the maiden medusa, and the imagery of abduction. Perseus and medusa excerpt from classic myths to read. The story of perseus was popular in ancient greece. Walking backward towards medusa, perseus continues to hold the shield in the air to keep a clear view of medusa, making sure to only look at medusa in the shield. Perseus was the son of zeus, the chief of all the gods. Quickly perseus threw medusa s head into the magic bag and swung himself into the air. Perseus suddenly darted down and held the head of the medusa before the eyes of the monster.
On winged sandals perseus flew to the oneeyed witches lair. When the islands king, king polydectes, heard of danaes. The myth of perseus and medusa explained posted on september, 2019 by madeleine the story of how medusa was killed by perseus is one of the most thrilling stories in greek mythology. Anyone who looked in medusas orange eyes would immediately turn to stones. Perseus s grandfather akrisios goes to the oracle to ask how long he has to live. Acrisius eyes widened in horror as the ancient pythia priestess hissed, king. Here, we will present just a short version of the myth of perseus and medusa until the moment when perseus beheaded medusa. Ancient as time, wrinkled and stooped like three ragged crows, they sat, muttering and cackling. Perseus asked zeus for help in capturing a gorgons head. Perseus in greek mythology greek legends and myths.
Afterward, invite students to discuss how their feelings about perseus and medusa might have changed. Perseus and medusa heroism of ancient world my myth stories. He put it in the saddlebag he carried and, thanks to it, he was able to face monsters and enemies. With a promising plot that gets more complicated as the story progresses, this myth has a typical hollywoodlike scenario with the main character not being born yet at the moment when his destiny was determined. Perseus, in the original greek myths, had no need to use pegasus, for he already had in his possession the winged sandals of the greek god hermes. Text only version of perseus and medusa myths e2bn. Perseus a hero of ancient greek hellenistic mythology. Minos, king of crete, prayed to poseidon, the god of the sea, to send him a. Perseus is not intimidated by the grey women and their eyeball, or by hermess complicated directions, or. Perfect as part of home learning, a homework task or assessment when learning about ancient greece or practising reading comprehension skills. But zeus comes to her through a window in a shower of golden light and soon perseus is born.
Perseus and medusa excerpt from classic myths to read aloud. The myth of medusa and perseus exploring your mind. The story of perseus and medusa does not exist outside of the specific. Pdf medusa the victimized monster dhianita kusuma pertiwi. Readers theater is an effective learning strategy for any grade level, and your students w. So it was that the years ran by until finally the great god zeus saw dana through the.
Acrisius, scared that perseus will grow up to kill him, throws perseus. The adventures of perseus have been told, and retold, over the millennia, and even today his story regularly appears on the big screen. Perseus i this story is on the level of the fairy story. In mythology she wrote, in greece man first realized what mankind was. One day he went to the oracle of delphi to perseus and medusa read more. My side of the story, which retells the myth from medusa s point of view. A ccss aligned, greek mythology short story and corresponding activities about the hero perseus, who slayed the monster medusa. Perseus, in greek mythology, the slayer of the gorgon medusa and the rescuer of andromeda from a sea monster. He was conceived when zeus came to danae disguised as a shower of gold. Harding, published in 1906 by scott, foresman and company. This 45minute scriptstory adapts the ancient greek myth of perseus and his adventure to slay the snakehaired gorgon medusa. This perseus and medusa passage and questions is great asset for anyone teaching greek mythology.
Some myths try to explain how the universe or natural world was created. He eventually gave medusa s head to athena, daughter of zeus and goddess of war, who. Perseus and medusa greek, issue 1 thors stolen hammer norse, issue 3 the hero twins mayan, issue 4. She was a very kind and she obeyed her greek gods and goddesses. He flies across the sky like a cloud driven by a strong wind. Hypermnestra kept to the path of virtue and alone did not draw the dagger from its sheath. Medusa s severed head retained its power to turn people into stone, so perseus carried it on many adventures, using it to defeat his enemies. Perseus rescued the maiden and delivered her to her happy parents, and the two were soon wed. Every single day medusa always boasted about herself.
Son of danae, princess of argos, perseus was born being disliked by his grandfather acrisius, king of argos. Perseus put on his cap so that medusa could not see him. Looking into the mirroring shield, perseus swooped down, and with one deft stroke he cut off the medusa s head. May 19, 2020 the myth of medusa and perseus, a beautiful story. Sep 08, 2016 the story of medusa and the greek goddess athena a myth submitted to the site by shainuja many years ago there was a beautiful women called medusa. The myth of perseus and the medusa the story of perseus and the medusa is featured in the book entitled greek gods, heroes and men by caroline h. Then medusa was beheaded by the hero perseus who then used her head as a weapon until it given to the goddess athena as her shield. Perseus defeated the sea serpent and his rival phineus and successfully protected andromeda.
This story is about perseus, who became king of seriphos. Perseus to slay the gorgon medusa and bring back her head as a trophy. Perseus is also said to be an ancestor of hercules and the asian race of the persians. A summary and analysis of the myth of perseus and the. This resource was created for beginner to intermediate esl students to practice reading and responding to a fictional text. Feb 08, 2021 perseus, in greek mythology, the slayer of the gorgon medusa and the rescuer of andromeda from a sea monster. There are various versions of the story, but depending on which one you pick up, either medusa seduced poseidon or he was smitten with her and took her. He locks up danae alone in an empty room before she has had any children. Gorgon, a scaly monster named medusa who had snakes instead of hair growing out. The story of perseus and medusa in the last 15 years, the percy jackson series has become one of the most popular book and movie franchises of our time. Out from the monsters severed neck sprang a beautiful winged horse, the pegasus. Perseus is one of the greatest heroes of greek mythology.
The ancient greeks has many stories about gods and goddesses. Medusa was one of three horrible gorgon sisters, so gruesome that. Here are some famous myths weve featured in storytime magazine. Perseus manages to kill medusa by not looking directly at her but using the reflection in. Perseus and medusa greek mythology storiesperseus, in greek mythology, the slayer of the gorgon medusa and the rescuer of andromeda from a sea monster. The myth of perseus and medusaa paul perro poem this is the story of the. An oracle had foretold to him that he would be killed by his own grandson. It has become to think that perseus then made use of pegasus in his long return journey to the island of seriphos, rescuing andromeda from the sea monster in aethiopia from the back of the winged horse. Fans of the series will know that percys adventures mirror many of the deeds of the greek hero perseus, the inspiration for his character. Once you have read the myth, describe what happens in the story.
The myth of perseus and medusa explained theoi greek mythology. The monster is the sent punishment of queen cassiopeia, who provokes the wrath of the gods by saying that she is more beautiful than her sisters the nereids. Literary elements as you read, write down the name of stories you are familiar with that share similarities with the story of perseus. Perseus and medusa story pdf a ccss aligned, greek mythology short story and corresponding activities about the hero perseus, who slayed the monster medusa. Perseus is one of the greatest heroes spoken of in greek mythology, for perseus was the famed vanquisher of the gorgon medusa. Perseus was one of the great heroes of greek mythology and he is the real definition that accidents happen. She believed that the greeks maintained a balance of mind, body, and spirit superior to other cultures. As perseus crept closer to medusa, he wielded the sword that hephaestus had given him and beheaded the monster. This essay examines the greek myth of perseus killing the gorgon medusa as. A summary and analysis of the myth of perseus and the gorgon. Greek and roman mythology except for the whispering sounds of the serpents that were her hair.
Perseus kept medusa s unsightly head in bag and used it against his other adversaries. Perseus and the legends of argos oxford university press. Long is the tale of perseus and the gorgon, medusa. It is the only myth in which magic plays a decisive part, and it seems to have been a great favorite in greece. Afterward, invite students to discuss how their feelings about perseus and medusa. He lived on seriphos with danae, his beautiful mother, easy on the eye. Perseus, atlas and andromeda myths myth stories, symbols. Learn more about the traditional story of perseus in this article. This product is an easy printandgo resource thats perfect for sub plans or an everyday lesson plan. He finally reached the country where the titans son iapetus, prometheus brother, the giant atlas, reigned. There were pretty girls there, and medusa was one of them.
Medusa and perseus, and the relationship between myth and. Perseus and medusa ancient greek mythology stories. Answers can be directly entered onto the pdf rather than having to be printed off. Argos was connected in history and in legend with corinth and thebes, and the. Perseus was born to the god, zeus, and mortal woman, danae, making him a demigod with great strength and intelligent ingenuity. The script includes 19 speaking parts as well as opportunities for sound effects. When perseus returned to seriphos, the evil polydectes laughed at him and asked what was in his sack. Medusa was asleep and perseus, using the reflection in athenas bronze shield as a guide so as to not look directly at the gorgons and be turned into stone, managed to cut off her head with his sickle. The use of pegasus by perseus though was an interpretation of the myth that occurred in europe many hundreds of years after the original stories had been recorded. Edith hamilton students who enjoy reading greek and. Perseus is one of the great heroes of the ancient greek epic, and his most famous exploits include defeating the gorgon medusa and rescuing andromeda from the sea monster sent by poseidon.
With the help of the gods, perseus was able to kill the gorgon, medusa. Pegasus in greek mythology greek legends and myths. Edward burnejones perseus cycle of paintings and a drawing by aubrey beardsley gave way to the twentieth century works of paul klee, john singer sargent, pablo picasso, pierre et gilles, and auguste rodin s bronze. Perseus pulled out the horrifying head of medusa and turned polydectes to stone. He had a beautiful daughter named danae pronunciation.
It contains a 2page myth about perseus and medusa, 10 comprehension questions, and an answer key. The origin medusa in greek mythology is considered as the first account which depicts her characterization and became the basic idea of following literary and art works. Andromeda eventually married to perseus and perseus had a lovely family consisting of six children. Danaes father, acrisius, discovered that his daughter had given birth to a son, and threw both danae and perseus. Surprisingly, and in spite of everything, her head didnt lose its power whatsoever. King polydectes is pretty cunning himself, setting perseus up to go on mission impossible. Sep, 2019 perseus takes the reflective bronze shield from athena and holds it up to use as a mirror to locate medusa. He is best known as the slayer of the gorgon medusa, a fearsome monster, and as the rescuer of the ethiopian princess andromeda.
The myth of perseus and medusa a paul perro poem this is the tale of the great perseus, legendary son of the mighty zeus. Perseus, one of the most famous of the legendary heroes of ancient times, was the son of zeus and danae, daughter of acrisius, king of argos. There was once a king in greece who did a very cruel thing. Then hermes whispered to perseus an idea, a little seed of an idea that soon took root. The beasts hideous body was gradually transformed into a huge black rock. Once there was a princess named danae, who was so beautiful that mighty zeus himself had fallen in love with her, and danae bore him a son whom she named perseus. Medusa remained a common theme in art in the nineteenth century, when her myth was retold in thomas bulfinchs mythology. Perseus, atlas and andromeda myths myth stories, symbols and.
The magical wallet and cap belong to the properties fairy tales abound in everywhere. Perseus with the head of medusa by benvenuto cellini, wikimedia commons. Thousands of flocks of finewooled sheep and whirling. This radiant personage told him that before he attacked. The myth of perseus and medusa is one of the best thrillerlike tales in greek mythology. Perseus is moving further and further away from the island of the gorgons. Perseus and medusa heroism of ancient world my myth. The snakehaired monster reading fluency scholastic. The posthumous fate of medusa strangely enough, medusa s story doesnt end with her death. Perseus was the son of zeus and danae, the daughter of acrisius of argos. The gorgons lived at the ocean, and medusa caught poseidons attention. Silently thanking the gods for the invisible helmet, perseus backed into the cave, watching the images in the mirrored surface of his shield.
Perseus isnt the only clever guy in the story, though. World myths and legends in art minneapolis institute of arts. As medusa was beheaded, she birthed pegasus and chrysaor from her neck, who were poseidons children. The myth of medusa and perseus says that, since then, the young hero used medusa s head to defeat his enemies. The adventures of perseus the national gallery, london. Danaes father, acrisius, discovered that his daughter had given birth to a son, and threw both danae and perseus into the sea, in a wooden chest. The story of the semigod was way beyond the death of the creepy medusa. His trickery is repaid in kind when perseus surprises polydectes and turns him into stone using his handydandy gorgon head. And when perseus cut off her head from the neck, out sprung great crysoar and the horse pegasus medusa s head by phidias more detail of the story is told in his shield of heracles. Mar 24, 2020 long before medusa faced off with perseus, there was poseidon. Edith hamilton students who enjoy reading greek and roman. Perseus saved andromeda, who was chained by the vicious sea serpent as a sacrifice for her fathers kingdom.
806 1532 289 448 1011 1547 1197 788 918 214 1004 1629 1200 1006 202 1113 1023 374 860 391 745 882 909 388 728