• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Mythology / How Did Perseus Slay Medusa In Greek Mythology and How Many Eyes Do the Graeae Sisters Have?

How Did Perseus Slay Medusa In Greek Mythology and How Many Eyes Do the Graeae Sisters Have?

May 18, 2020 by Karen Hill

Luckily for Perseus, many gods hated the Gorgons and helped Perseus in his quest.

The goddess Athena told Perseus to visit the Graeae to find out where the Gorgons lived.

The Graeae were three old women who shared one eye and one tooth among them.

Perseus made the unwilling witches help him on his quest by snatching the eye and refusing to return it until they had divulged the secret location of the Gorgon’s lair.

Perseus also received invaluable help from some nymphs, who gave him a cap of darkness that made him invisible, winged sandals that allowed him to fly, and a leather bag.

The god Hermes provided him with a razor sharp curved sword.

Perseus flew to a cave far in the west where the Gorgons lived. Using his shield as a mirror to keep from being turned to stone, he approached the sleeping Medusa and lopped off her head with one powerful stroke.

Medusa’s sisters awoke and searched for the murderous intruder, but Perseus donned his cap of invisibility and escaped.

As he journeyed home, Perseus saw a beautiful young woman, named Andromeda, chained to a rock by the sea. Andromeda was being sacrificed to a sea monster because her mother had boastfully praised Andromeda’s beauty above the Nereids, a group of sea nymphs who were dear to Poseidon.

Perseus was enchanted by Andromeda’s beauty, and he promised to kill the sea monster if Andromeda would become his wife.

When the monster appeared, Perseus wore his cap of invisibility and cut open the monster’s throat. The hideous beast fell back into the sea and disappeared beneath the waves.

Overjoyed, Perseus claimed Andromeda as his wife. But Andromeda’s other suitors grew jealous of Perseus, and they plotted to seize Andromeda and take her away.

Seeing the suitors charge, Perseus held Medusa’s severed head aloft and turned them to stone.

When Perseus and Andromeda died years later, the goddess Athena placed them in the night sky as constellations, where they can still be seen today.

Related Facts

  • What Were the Gorgons In Ancient Greek Mythology and Were Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale Immortal?
  • Who Was Perseus In Greek Mythology and Who Demanded That the Son of Zeus Bring the Head of a Gorgon?
  • Who were the Three Sisters and Why were the Three Sisters important to Native Americans?
  • How Do Your Eyes Grow, When Do Your Eyes Stop Growing, and Why Do Eyes Change Their Shape?
  • Did Adolf Hitler have any brothers and sisters?
  • Who Were the Olympians In Ancient Greek Mythology and Where Did the Twelve Greek Gods Live?
  • Who Were Orpheus and Eurydice In Greek Mythology and What Does Orpheus Mean In Greek?
  • What Was the Riddle of the Sphinx In Greek Mythology and What Does the Word Sphinx Mean In Greek?
  • Who Was Oedipus In Greek Mythology and What Does Oedipus Mean In Greek?
  • What Were the Adventures of Aeneas In Greek Mythology and What Does Aeneas Mean In Greek?
  • What is a gorgon and Where did the gorgon sisters come from?
  • What Are the Names of Snoopy's Brothers and Sisters In Charles Schulz's Peanuts Comic Strip?

Filed Under: Mythology

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Who Were the Heroes In Ancient Mythology and How Were Heroes Used As Characters In Myths?
Next Post: Who Was Perseus In Greek Mythology and Who Demanded That the Son of Zeus Bring the Head of a Gorgon? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy