Chapter III

Heroes and Monsters

Perseus and Medusa

FOUL MEDUSA! Instead of hair, she had hissing poisonous snakes. Her face was somewhat green, somewhat blue, and her eyes an awful shade of red. To look at her would turn any mortal man or woman to stone. And so Medusa had no friends to speak to or to love, just her immortal sisters, the dreadful Gorgons.

A king named Polydectes longed to marry Perseus’ mother, Danae, but to win her he needed to get Perseus out of the way. He asked Perseus to do such a dangerous deed that he would be killed in attempting it. “Fetch me the head of Medusa,” said Polydectes.

Perseus could not do such a thing alone, and prayed for help from the gods, especially the wise Athena.

Athena appeared to him and said, “You need several things if you mean to get close to the Gorgons. Use this bright shield, my shining aegis, as a mirror when you approach the Gorgons. Do not look directly at them. And use this sickle of Hermes to cut off Medusa’s head. You need to be able to fly, so that after you cut off Medusa’s head her winged sisters cannot chase you down; in addition, you had better be invisible, or they might not give up the chase. To gain the gifts of flight and invisibility you must find the nymphs who live in the River Styx, the dark waters of Hades. I may not reveal to you the way to the Styx, and the only beings that may are the Graiai. At the ends of the earth, in a cave, live the three sisters, so old they have but a single eye left among them, which they share by passing it back and forth, and one tooth, which they also share. You must convince them to tell you where to go.”

Perseus thanked Athena and set out over the seas and across the desert until he reached the Graiai.

“What do you want?” said one Graia.

“Directions to the Styx,” said Perseus.

“Ah, yes, wouldn’t you like to know,” said another Graia.

“Ah, yes, wouldn’t he like to know,” said the third.

They laughed at this traveler who dared ask them for help, and they passed their eye back and forth to take a mocking look at him.

As the last Graia was returning it to the first, Perseus, angry at their laughter, quickly stepped forward and snatched the eyeball.

“What’s he doing now?” asked the Graiai among themselves.

“I can’t see!” said the first Graia. “Give me the eye.”

“I don’t have it,” said the other two.

“I have it,” said Perseus, “and I will not return it until you tell me how to get to the River Styx.”

The Graiai grumbled, but what was there to do? They valued the little bit of sight they had left, and so they told him. The hero went off and after many days reached the nymphs in the Styx.

“How did you ever find us, handsome one?” asked a nymph.

“It was not easy,” he replied. “But now that I am here, will you help me?”

“We’d be happy to do so,” said the nymphs. They strapped onto his feet the sandals of Hades that enabled him to fly. They handed him a large bag into which he could put Medusa’s ugly head. Then they kissed him and set a cap on his head that made him invisible. They wished him luck, and Perseus thanked them and flew off.

Once he got into the neighborhood of the Gorgons he saw dozens of statues sculpted in horrified poses. They were men who had turned to stone after glancing at Medusa or her sisters. Perseus, however, was invisible and so the Gorgons did not notice him as he approached. They liked jumping out at foolish men and yapping, “Look at me!”

As he got closer Perseus turned about and lifted up his shield to use as a mirror. That way he could watch them and see where he was going. When he caught a glimpse of their distorted reflection, he found it so hideous that he decided to wait until it was dark to attack.

Finally night covered the land with darkness, and Perseus crept closer and closer to the sisters. He saw that even their snaky hair had fallen peacefully asleep upon the smooth stones they used for pillows.

Perseus now flew forward, and in a large sweeping motion sliced off Medusa’s slimy head. He jumped back then, as out of her neck sprang a horse, Pegasus, who neighed loudly and flapped its beautiful wings. Immortal Pegasus flew off to Mount Olympos, where he became a favorite of the gods.

Perseus now flew home. In the palace he found that King Polydectes had married Perseus’ mother, Danae, against her will.

Polydectes was unhappy to see Perseus again. “I don’t suppose you have really fetched me what I asked for,” the king said. “Therefore, you must leave our country and never come back.”

“But I have done what you asked,” said Perseus. “Just take a look and see for yourself.”

He tossed the king the bag, and then went to his mother and covered her eyes and his own with Athena’s shield. The king, on the other hand, and all his men gazed with wonder at the bag and then the king opened it and brought forth Medusa’s ghastly head. All of them who looked gaped in amazement, and all were turned to stone.

Perseus shielded his eyes and went and replaced Medusa’s head in the bag. He called on the goddess Athena, and when she appeared he thanked her, returned to her her shield and presented her with the bag as a gift. The gods can tolerate amazing ugliness, and so she gladly accepted Medusa’s head. In fact, the image of Medusa’s face was forever after etched onto Athena’s wondrous aegis.

Bellerophon and Pegasus

When brave young Bellerophon came to Lycia, the king Iobates found him charming. The king had never met a visitor he liked so well. Only after several days did Iobates ask Bellerophon what had brought him to this country.

“The king of Ephyra sent me to deliver this note,” replied Bellerophon.

The king of Ephyra was the husband of Iobates’ daughter. Iobates read the message: “This man has offended me and your daughter. I request you to give him a task that will bring on his death.”

Iobates was surprised by this request but did not think of disregarding it. He did not know that Bellerophon had been wrongly accused; he therefore asked him to destroy the Chimera, a creature part lion, part goat and part snake who breathed fire and was then destroying the countryside in Lycia.

The gods had a fondness for handsome Bellerophon, and when he went to Athena’s temple to ask for help in this challenge, Sleep filled his body, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, spoke to him in a dream. “Take this bridle,” she said, handing him a lovely golden rope, “and catch Pegasus, the divine winged horse. Riding Pegasus, you will have a chance to destroy the horrible one.”

When Bellerophon woke from his dream, there was indeed a golden bridle in his fist, and he set out to find Pegasus, who, you remember, leapt out of Medusa’s body when Perseus cut off her ugly head. In a pasture near Mount Olympos, Bellerophon found Pegasus. The horse, seeing Athena’s bridle, did not run or fly from the warrior. Bellerophon got up on Pegasus, and the horse, understanding its mission, flew towards Lycia.

The Chimera saw her flying enemy and coughed fiery blasts at what it thought was food. But what kind of food was this? A creature atop the flying horse shot arrow after arrow at her. The Chimera was furious, and Bellerophon, had not Pegasus been so brave, would have turned away in caution.

Pegasus flew them close by the Chimera, around and around her terrible head, confusing her until she got dizzy and fell over in a tumble. And now Bellerophon saw his chance. Tipping his arrows with bronze, he fired them down into the beast’s ghastly mouth. The Chimera began to choke; its fiery breath melted the bronze, which flowed down her tender throat and into her stomach. She leapt to her feet, in horrible pain, and nearly thrashed Pegasus and Bellerophon out of the sky. But it was too late for the Chimera. Her tender insides were a volcano of liquid metal. She coughed up one last blast of fire and perished in a heap of ashes.

Bellerophon had won. Pegasus brought him back to a surprised King Iobates and then flew off to Zeus on Mount Olympos.

Theseus and the Minotaur

On the island of Crete lived King Minos. He had many children by his wife, Pasiphae. When Minos forgot to pay his respects to Poseidon, the god of the sea, Poseidon punished him. The sea god asked for the love goddess Aphrodite’s help to make Pasiphae fall in love with a bull. By this animal, then, Pasiphae had a strange child, a bull-headed monster called the Minotaur.

Minos was so ashamed of this beast that he asked the great inventor Daedalus to construct a pen from which the Minotaur could not escape. Daedalus built a vast maze, a labyrinth, from which no man could ever get out once he entered.

The Minotaur lived within this labyrinth roaring with anger. To quiet him, Minos sent prisoners from Athens into the labyrinth. The Minotaur hunted these men down and killed them, and this was his only occupation.

A young man named Theseus, the son of Athens’ king, sailed to Crete to try to stop these sacrifices of Athenians. His father Aegeus begged him not to go, but Theseus insisted. So his father told him that if his mission to Minos was successful to take down the ship’s black sail on the return voyage and raise the white one. “Then I will know and not have to wonder whether you are still alive,” said Aegeus.

When Theseus arrived in Crete he went to Minos and said, “Athens has paid you tribute long enough.”

Minos laughed at him and said, “I defeated your country in the war, and I may do whatever I like with my prisoners. If you don’t like what the Minotaur does, go and kill him, and I will demand no more Athenians.”

“That is what I shall do,” replied Theseus.

Ariadne, a young and beautiful daughter of Minos, saw Theseus and fell in love with him. She could not bear the thought that he would enter the labyrinth and never return. She went and begged the inventor of the labyrinth, Daedalus, for the secret to get back out safely from the maze. Ariadne was so sweet that Daedalus told her what to do.

She secretly went to Theseus and said, “Take this ball of thread and tie it to the gateway of the labyrinth. Hold onto the ball and unwind the thread as you make your way in. Once you kill the Minotaur—for I see that you have the strength and courage to do so—you will be able to find your way back by following the thread.”

And so Theseus unwound the thread on the way in, and found the man-eating Minotaur. Theseus had no weapons, but his fists were like bronze. When the Minotaur tried to swallow him up, he gripped one arm around its neck and battered the creature with the other. The Minotaur fell over dead!

Theseus followed the string back out of the winding labyrinth. But when he presented himself to Minos, the king was furious. “You have killed my beast! You have solved the riddle of the labyrinth! For these deeds, I shall have you killed!”

Theseus, however, battled off Minos’ soldiers, and made his way down to his ship. Minos’ daughter Ariadne rushed down to the shore and begged that Theseus take her with him. He agreed and they escaped and sailed away.

Lovely Ariadne, who had betrayed her father because of her love for Theseus, died before the ship arrived in Athens. This so saddened Theseus that he forgot to raise his white sail that would have signaled to Aegeus his successful adventure. Theseus’ poor father, seeing the black sail and feeling he had nothing and no one left to live for, jumped off a cliff to his death.

Theseus became king of Athens and never allowed his citizens to be sent to the labyrinth in Crete again.

Daedalus and Icarus

Meanwhile, for having helped Theseus, Minos imprisoned both Daedalus and Daedalus’ son, Icarus, in the labyrinth.

“Will we die, father?” asked Icarus.

“We all die some time,” said Daedalus. “But if I can finish these wings, our time will not be as soon. We’re going to fly away from here.”

Daedalus built two pairs of wings for himself and Icarus. Each was made of feathers and wax on a wooden frame. Inventors often know the flaws of their inventions. The flaw in these wings was that if they got too close to the sea, the salt spray would dampen the wings—making them too heavy to fly. “So don’t get them wet!” said Daedalus to his son.

“I won’t!”

“On the other hand, if the wings get too hot,” continued Daedalus, “the wax will melt and the wings will come apart. Do you understand? Don’t fly too low, don’t fly too high.”

Icarus, impatient to get up in the air, said, “I know! I know!” His father’s advice was already forgotten.

They set out, the people of Crete marvelling at the men as they rose from the labyrinth like birds and flew away over the ocean. Daedalus called out, “Follow me, Icarus!”

Icarus shouted back, “I’ll be right there, Father.” Icarus soared, he flew higher and higher—he felt like a god! Daedalus hovered in the middle sky, pleading with his son to show some sense. But, just as Daedalus feared, the wax melted off Icarus’ wings; they were in tatters and the feathers were slipping away.

“Father!” screamed Icarus. He was now plunging toward the sea. What could Daedalus do? He flew around and around, over the very spot where the waters had swallowed up his son. Daedalus, after weeping tears on Icarus’ watery grave, winged his way to distant Sicily. It was Icarus’ fatal fall that gave these waters their name, the Icarian Sea.

The Story of Narcissus

One fine day the youth Narcissus was walking on a path along a forest stream when he came to a smooth, clear, deep running pool. He was thirsty, and so he went to the bank of the stream and knelt down and leaned over the water. Who do you think he saw down there looking up at him? He did not know, but whoever it was was the most fascinating and handsome young man he had ever seen.

Narcissus smiled, and the handsome young man smiled at the same time. How charming! He felt there was some secret connection between himself and the young man, and that they needed no words to understand each other.

He and his admirer, who dwelled below the surface of the pond, stared at each other all day. When night came, Narcissus’ admirer seemed to swim away into the darkness. Narcissus got up and went on his way, terribly in love.

The moon came out and the lonely nymph named Echo heard the words of this handsome young man.

“I am in love,” said Narcissus. “What a handsome young man!”

“I am in love,” said Echo. “What a handsome young man!” It was true, Narcissus was remarkably handsome. Echo now appeared to Narcissus, her arms open in love, but he turned away, not wanting to see anyone, not even a beautiful immortal nymph, if she did not resemble the lovely young man he had seen.

Echo followed Narcissus everywhere, unable to say anything original, always only saying what he had said. He did not enjoy this. He only had thoughts for one person.

Each day he returned to the pool in the forest, and each day he and his admirer gazed in wonder, silently, lovingly. Each night Echo followed him home repeating everything he said, trying to please him with her agreement.

And then one day, Narcissus, tired of the distance between himself and his true love, looked into his eyes and their eyes agreed: Narcissus should join his loved one. In the pool? Yes. Narcissus could not swim, but his admirer, this one who seemed to understand Narcissus’ own soul, encouraged him. Narcissus reached out his arms to the young man and the young man reached out his arms as well. Into the pool plunged Narcissus!

Echo rushed to the pond and looked in. There she saw only her own reflection. Narcissus had sunk to the bottom of the pool and drowned in his love for himself. In his memory we now find lovely blooming narcissus flowers growing by still pools.

Echo wept. She was now so lonely and heartbroken that she wasted away, until all that remained of her was a voice, speechless unless spoken to.

Oedipus

When Oedipus was born to the king and queen of Thebes, Laius and locasta, a prophet announced that the baby would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. To avoid such a shocking outcome, King Laius sorrowfully ordered one of his servants to kill the baby.

The servant took the baby away, onto a hilltop, but he could not kill the innocent child. He left Oedipus instead with a shepherd, who brought him across the mountains to the king of Corinth. This king claimed the boy and raised him as his own.

When Oedipus grew to manhood, a prophet warned him that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Not knowing that he had been adopted, and that his real parents were locasta and Laius, Oedipus left the country to avoid committing such crimes. While crossing over the mountain, he fought a caravan of men who tried to force him off the road. He killed them all.

From there, Oedipus came to the outskirts of Thebes, which he did not know was his original country. Thebes was being menaced then by the Sphinx, who would ask its visitors a riddle. When they could not answer correctly, the Sphinx would kill them. The riddle was this: “What has four legs, two legs, and then three legs?” Oedipus was good at solving riddles and went to the Sphinx, who asked him its question. Oedipus thought for a moment and then answered, “A man! As a baby he crawls on his hands and knees, as an adult he walks on his two legs, as an old man he walks with a cane!” The Sphinx, shocked by this mortal’s correct answer, fell over dead. As a reward from the Theban people, Oedipus was named king, for the former king had recently been killed. His bride was the queen, Iocasta.

Several years later, after they had had four children, plagues began to destroy the people of Thebes. Oedipus strove to discover the reason. A prophecy gave him a hint, that the murderer of the former king, Laius, was living unpunished in Thebes. Until this murder was punished, plagues would sweep the country.

Oedipus questioned everyone: old servants, his wife, his brother-in-law, and the famous seer Teiresias. As he questioned them about the former king’s death, he slowly put together the facts, the terrible facts that seemed to point to himself!

At last, the entire mystery revealed itself to him. He understood who his true parents were—Iocasta and Laius. One of those men he had killed while crossing over the mountain had been his father! He himself had killed Laius! Cursing his fate that had doomed him to do what he had meant not to do, he blinded himself, as he could not bear to see the children he had fathered with Iocasta, his wife and mother. locasta for her part hanged herself.

Oedipus was good at solving riddles and went to the Sphinx, who asked him its question.

Oedipus, in disgrace, left his country, and, as a blind beggar, wandered the countryside. Oedipus was the unhappiest man who ever was. He lived in suffering to an old age, accompanied by his daughter Antigone, until the gods, pitying his pain, whisked him off the face of the earth at a sacred place near Athens.