Perseus was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, Danae. Perseus lived with his very beautiful mother in a fishing village on a small island.
Polydectes, the ruler of the island, admired Danae’s great beauty. He decided he wanted her as his wife. But he did not want Perseus to live with them.
Polydectes knew how much Danae and Perseus loved each other. They would never want to live apart. So he made a plan to get rid of Perseus and marry Danae.
On a nearby island, there lived terrible monsters called Gorgons. They were known for their deadly powers. One day, Polydectes told Perseus about them.
“There are three of them. Each has wings and snakes for hair. They have golden scales that are as hard as armor. Any man who looks at them never breathes again. He turns instantly into stone,” Polydectes said. “Medusa is the fiercest of the Gorgons. To tell you the truth,” he added to Perseus in a low voice, “I would rather have the head of Medusa than anything else in the world.”
The next day, Polydectes announced he would marry Danae. He invited all his friends, including Perseus, to the marriage celebration. All of Polydectes’s friends brought great gifts. Perseus sadly had nothing to give. But he was young, proud, and embarrassed. Perseus stood up at the wedding to make an announcement. He did exactly what Polydectes hoped he would do.
“I will give you and my mother the best present of all. I will go and kill Medusa the Gorgon. I will bring back her head as your gift,” Perseus promised Polydectes.
“Splendid!” Polydectes said, patting Perseus on the back. “Nothing will make us happier.”
Perseus had let his pride and shame take over. His offer was empty. No mortal man could kill Medusa. But two of the most powerful gods, Hermes and Athena, watched over him.
Perseus set sail the next day for the island of the Gorgons. When he arrived, he realized he did not know where the Gorgons lived. No one was able to tell him, either. Perseus searched high and low. Still nobody would direct him to the Gorgons’ home.
At last, the gods decided to help him. Perseus soon met a young man who had a golden wand with wings. He wore a winged hat and winged sandals. It was Hermes, guide and giver of good. Athena had sent him to help Perseus find the Gorgons.
“Before you attack Medusa, you must have the right tools,” Hermes explained. “The fairies of the North will know what you need,” he added. “But first, we must look for the Gray Women. Only they know where to find the fairies of the North.”
Hermes led Perseus through a shadowy forest. All was dim and covered in twilight. No ray of sun or glimmer of moonlight ever shone there. In that gray place lived the three Gray Women. They were old and withered. The women were strange creatures. Among them they had only one eye. They took turns using it. When each woman was done with it, she removed it from her forehead and passed it to the next woman.
“Now, listen carefully, Perseus,” Hermes whispered as they came upon the Gray Women. “Stay hidden until you see one of the women take the eye from her forehead. That’s when the women cannot see anything. At that moment you must rush forward and grab the eye. Refuse to give it back until they tell you how to reach the fairies of the North.”
Perseus and Hermes found the Gray Women at last. In the dim light, the women were in the shape of gray swans. But their heads were human. Beneath their wings they had arms and legs.
Perseus did just as Hermes had instructed him. He stayed back until he saw one of the women take the eye out of her forehead. Before she could give it to her sister, Perseus grabbed the eye from her hand. It took a moment for the women to realize they had lost the eye. Each one thought the other had it. They began to bicker about it.
Just then Perseus spoke up. He demanded to know where the fairies of the North were. Perseus promised to return the eye as soon as they told him.
They gave him directions at once. The Gray Women would have done anything to get their eye back. As soon as he had his directions, Perseus returned it to them.
“Good job,” Hermes said to Perseus. “Now let’s find the fairies of the North.” They continued their journey. Hermes kept talking. “Once the fairies tell you where the Gorgons live, I will give you a sword to attack Medusa. The sword cannot be bent or broken by the Gorgons’ golden scales.”
Hermes’s sword was a wonderful gift. But what good will this sword be when the Gorgons can turn me to stone instantly? Perseus thought.
Athena, the goddess of war, heard his thoughts. She realized the problem and came to help. She appeared in front of Hermes and Perseus. Athena took off her polished bronze shield and held it out.
“Look into this when you attack Medusa,” she said. “It will act as a mirror and you will be able to see her reflection. This way you will not have to look at her directly. You will avoid her deadly power and not be turned into stone.”
Now Perseus had hope that he would be able to fight the Gorgons. He felt confident during the long journey.
Perseus and Hermes came to the land of the fairies of the North. Perseus was amazed at how good, generous, and happy they were. The fairies showed him great kindness. They welcomed him with a feast. They told him exactly how to reach the Gorgons’ lair. And they gave him three gifts. One was a pair of winged sandals. Another was a magic silver purse that changed size to fit whatever Perseus needed to carry. And most important, they gave him a cap that would make him invisible. With these gifts—plus Athena’s shield and Hermes’s sword—Perseus was ready to meet the Gorgons.
Hermes flew with Perseus to the home of the Gorgons.
The Gorgons were asleep when Perseus found them. He could see them clearly in the mirror of Athena’s shield. They were just as Polydectes had described. The Gorgons had great wings. Their bodies were covered with golden scales. And their hair was a mass of twisting snakes. They were more terrible than he could have imagined.
Athena and Hermes stood on either side of Perseus. They pointed out Medusa. She was the only one of the three Gorgons who could be killed. The other two were immortal.
Perseus hovered above the Gorgons on his winged sandals. He looked at them only through the mirrored shield. Perseus aimed Hermes’s sword at Medusa’s throat. Athena guided his hand. He cut through Medusa’s neck with the sword. Then he swooped low enough to grab her head. Perseus looked into the shield the whole time. By doing that, he avoided being turned into stone.