Perseus on Pegasus hastening to the rescue of Andromeda

Perseus on Pegasus hastening to the rescue of Andromeda (1895-1896), oil on canvas painting by the British painter Frederic Leighton (1830-1896).

Perseus, the son of Zeus and Danaë, grew up in the island of Seriphos (or Serifos, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea), brought up by the fisherman Dictys, whose brother of Polydectes was the king of the island. The king fell in love with Danaë, but Perseus, knowing his evil intentions, always protected his mother from him. Polydectes wanted to drive away Perseus from the island so that he could have Danae and plotted to send him away in disgrace.

As part of the plot, Polydectes held a royal banquet for which the guests were expected to bring horses as gifts. As Perseus had no horse to give, he asked the king to name some other gift and he promised to give it. Upon this Polydectes told him to bring the head of the Gorgon, Medusa. Medusa was once a beautiful woman, who mated with Poseidon in the Temple of Athena, who punished her for the desecration of her temple, by changing Medusa’s hair into gruesome snakes.

Goddess Athena instructed Perseus to find out the Hesperides who had the weapons defeat Medusa. Athena also guided him further about how to find and defeat Medusa. His father, Zeus, gave him an adamantine sword and Hades’ helm of darkness to hide from the Gorgons. Hermes gave Perseus winged sandals to fly.

In their cave Perseus found the sleeping Gorgons, Stheno, Euryale and Medusa. By viewing Medusa’s reflection on the shield given to him by Athena, he approached her and cut her head off. From her neck sprang out Pegasus and Chrysaor, the result of Medusa’s mating with Poseidon. The other two Gorgons, Stheno and Euryale, woke up and pursued Perseus, who escaped from there under his helm of darkness.
On the way back to Seriphos Island, Perseus came to the Kingdom of Ethiopia ruled by King Cepheus.

Because of the boasting of Queen Cassiopeia that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, their lover Poseidon sent the sea serpent monster, Cetus, to devastate Ethiopia. The helpless King Cepheus consulted the oracle of Ammon who advised him to expose his daughter Andromeda to Cetus to get relief. Following the oracle’s advice, Andromeda was fastened to a rock on the seashore. Perseus found her, killed the sea monster and married her.

In Greek classical mythology, Perseus flew using winged sandals given to him by Hermes. But most of the Renaissance artists created the myth that Perseus flew riding Pegasus. This painting shows such an image in which Perseus is hastening Pegasus to reach the seashore where Andromeda is tied to the rock. The severed head of Medusa also can be seen in the painting.

On returning to Seriphos Island, Perseus came to know that his mother Danae had to suffer from the violent advances of Polydectes. He killed the king with Medusa’s head and his brother Dictys (the consort of Danaë) was made king of Seriphos Island.

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