Andromeda & Perseus

Andromeda was the daughter of a king, but she was not spoiled at all. Andromeda
was as kind as she was beautiful. She was even more beautiful than her mother, the
lovely Cassiopeia. Andromeda lived in a city by the sea. She was very happy.
Everything was going along swimmingly until one day Andromeda's mother went
too far with her boasting.
Her mother boasted about Andromeda all the time. Her mother insisted she was the
most beautiful child ever born, except for Aphrodite, of course. One day, she
boasted that Andromeda was more beautiful than any of the gods' daughters
(except for Aphrodite, of course.)
The trouble started when someone told the Nereids what she had boasted. The
Nereids were the daughters of the sea god, Poseidon. Poseidon told his daughters
all the time that they were more beautiful than seashells. Who could possibly be
more beautiful than seashells? (Except perhaps for Aphrodite.) They whined to
their father about it, and whined and whined until Poseidon, in a fit of rage,
flooded the city and sent a huge sea serpent to devour the entire population,
thinking that would certainly shut his daughters up.
The people were terrified. The flood had caused great discomfort. And the monster
kept nipping at people. You never knew when he was going to pop up. He had not
eaten anyone yet, but he kept trying. The people were very unhappy.
The king asked a local oracle what he could do to put a stop to things. The oracle
told him he had to sacrifice his beloved daughter, Andromeda, if he wanted to save
his city. It saddened him greatly, but the king ordered his daughter to be chained to
a tree on a cliff that overlooked the sea.
That day, the hero Perseus was out adventuring. He sailed past just as the king's
servants were chaining the terrified Andromeda to a tree at the edge of a cliff.
Perseus fell in love immediately. As soon as the servants left, Perseus rescued
Andromeda, using his magic sickle to cut the chains.
While they were talking, the giant sea serpent reared its ugly head and struck.
Andromeda screamed. Perseus, who was still holding his magic sickle, chopped off
its head.

Naturally, after that, Andromeda loved Perseus as much as he loved her. Perseus
wanted her to sail away with him immediately. But Andromeda was insistent that
he first ask her father's permission to marry him. She would not feel right about
marrying anyone without it.
Perseus offered the king a deal. If the king would let him marry his daughter,
Perseus would chop off the sea monster's head. The king thought it a very good
joke when he heard that Perseus had already killed the monster. When he heard
that Perseus' mother was a princess in the city-state of Argos, he was even more
pleased. When he heard that Perseus' father was the mighty Zeus, the king of all
the gods, the king gladly agreed to the wedding.
After the wedding festivities, Perseus sailed away with Andromeda. They headed
for his home in the city-state of Argos, where they lived happily ever after.
Since Andromeda had left town, and her mother was no longer allowed to boast
about her daughter's beauty by order of the king, Poseidon did not send another sea
serpent to devour the people, feeling they had learned their lesson. His daughters
wanted him to at least go after Andromeda, but Poseidon stood firm.

Apollo's Oracle at Delphi

The ancient Greeks built many, many temples. They believed each temple they
built should honor only one god, no matter how big or elaborate the temple. Some
cities built more than one temple to honor the same god.
Apollo enjoyed having temples built in his honor. He liked the gifts. The liked the
attention. Everyone knew that Apollo was the god of music. He also brought out
the sun each day. He had other special powers. Apollo could see the future, not
always, but sometimes. Everyone wanted to know the future. So Apollo's temples
were busy places, full of people full of questions about their future. His temples
were so busy, in fact, that the stream of visitors asking him questions wore him out.
Apollo decided he needed an assistant, a wise woman, an oracle. An oracle, in
ancient Greece, was someone who could see the future. But Apollo did not want
any old oracle to speak for him. He wanted a real one. But there weren't any real
ones, not really. The oracles he had met were always had vague answers.

For example, if you asked an oracle if you should plant your garden tomorrow,
they might say "the frost will be gone if the gods will it." Not really helpful.
Apollo had the power to magically make someone truly see the future, just as he
could. But Apollo didn't want to take the fun out of things. So Apollo set some
ground rules for his oracle. He would use his magic to allow her to truly see the
future. Apollo's rules stated that she had to tell the truth, but she could not be too
specific. That would allow the possibility of misunderstanding.
Apollo magically turned a young priestess into a real oracle. He magically built a
special temple for her home. He magically told a few people here and there about
his wonderful oracle.
It did not take long for the word to spread. People came from all over to ask
Apollo's oracle a question. People had heard she could really see the future and
could only tell the truth.
One day, a weary king came to the temple. He asked Apollo's oracle if he would
the battle. She smiled and told him a great king would win the battle. That was
exactly what he had wanted to hear. He went away happy, leaving many gifts for
the oracle behind him.
When he led his men into battle, they lost. The king was killed. But people still
flocked to Apollo's oracle. They knew she had told the truth. She had to tell the
truth. What a pity the king had not listened.

Psyche and Eros

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived three princesses. Psyche, the
youngest, was very kind. She was also very beautiful. She was so beautiful, in fact,
that the powerful goddess of love, Aphrodite, became jealous of Psyche.
In fear of what the great goddess might do to them if they paid attention to Psyche,
all the young men in the kingdom avoided Psyche whenever possible, and none
offered to marry her. Her two sisters married finally. But Psyche stayed at home
with her father.
Psyche could not remain at home forever. In those days, girls had to marry
someone. Her father consulted Apollo's oracle at Delphi for guidance. You know

oracles! Who knows what the oracle actually said. What the king heard was that
his beloved daughter should prepare for her death. Sadly, the king took Psyche to
the edge of a cliff and left her there.
In despair, Psyche might have leaped to her death. Before she could, she felt
herself lifted into the air. Zephyrus, the gentle west wind, had taken pity on the girl,
and gently carried her to a faraway palace. It was the home of his good friend,
Eros, the lonely god of Love.
Eros was a handsome young man, but he had a pair of very big wings. He did not
wish to scare Psyche. He made himself invisible and warned Psyche if she valued
his love, not to try to catch a glimpse of him.
Psyche was treated with great gentleness and good company and much laughter
and soon fell in love with her invisible host. For some time, they were blissfully
happy. But Psyche longed to see her family. Eros finally agreed to allow her to
invite her two sisters to his palace.
Filled with envy at the sight of the palace and the riches it contained, her two
sisters maliciously convinced Psyche that she was being fooled, that her husband
was a fearsome monster, and that she had to escape!
"But he's so kind, so gentle," she argued. "He cannot be a monster. I would know!"
"He's fooling you, Psyche. Trust us." They returned home, dissatisfied with their
own lives, and jealous of Psyche's.
Psyche cried and cried, but one night, she took a lamp in one hand and a dagger in
the other, and crept into her host's bedroom. Instead of the monster she expected to
find, she saw Eros, a handsome young man, with two white wings. She was not
frightened at all.
A drop of oil from the lamp she held fell on the sleeping god. He woke instantly.
He saw his Psyche, leaning over him with a dagger in her hand. With great sorrow,
he spread his wings and flew away. Psyche crumbled to the floor. How foolish she
had been to listen to her sisters. She ran outside, to the river. She threw herself into
the water. She expected to drown. But Pan, the god of shepherds, pulled her safely
from the water.
"Aphrodite is the goddess of love. Ask for her help," Pan advised her.

Psyche prayed to Aphrodite for help. Aphrodite was still jealous. She pretended to
help her, because she was, after all, the goddess of love, but gave Psyche tasks to
prove her love for Eros that no mortal could possibly accomplish. Yet, Psyche
accomplished task after task. Although she did not know it, Psyche was helped by
invisible beings, sent by Eros, who loved her still, and watched over her.
At last, Aphrodite told Psyche her final task was to retrieve a box from the
underworld, a very special box filled with magical beauty supplies. With these, she
could make herself so beautiful that Eros would fall hopelessly in love with her.
You'd think Psyche would be excited - her last task! - but Psyche knew she had to
die to enter the land of shades. It was hopeless.
Suddenly, she heard a voice speaking softly in her ear. It warned her of dangers
ahead and what she had to do to retrieve the box without dying.
The voice was very clear. Here is what she had to do:
1. Have a coin ready for the toll to the underworld
2. Bring three pieces of sweetbread to give to Cerberus, the three headed dog
3. DO NOT EAT ANYTHING, not even a seed
4. Once you find it, bring the box to Aphrodite without looking inside.
Psyche did everything she was told. She arrived back in the land of light safely.
Waiting for Aphrodite to show up, she became nervous. What if it was the wrong
box? Psyche opened the box just a crack to peek inside. A foul smelling cloud
poured out. Psyche dropped to the ground as if dead.
To save her life, Eros returned to his visible form, and prodded her with the point
of a golden arrow. She awoke immediately.
"Psyche, what am I going to do with you? Will you never learn?"
"I have learned," Psyche said softly. "I've learned that I love you."
Eros gathered her into his arms and flew them back to his palace.

It took a while, but Eros finally convinced his mother, Aphrodite, to accept Psyche
as his wife. With Aphrodite's help, he convinced the great Zeus to admit Psyche to
the ranks of the immortal gods.
In celebration, Psyche and Eros threw a party at the palace. Apollo played his lyre.
Dionysus brought the wine. And all the gods rejoiced. As for Eros and Psyche, they
lived happily ever after.

The Myth of Midas

Midas was a king of Phrygia, a region nowadays part of Turkey. One day some of
his farmhands brought him a satyr they had caught napping in the vineyard. This
creature, part man, part goat, still groggy and much the worse for wear, had been
thoroughly trussed up to keep him from escaping. Midas immediately recognized
Silenus, right-hand satyr to the god Dionysus, and ordered him set free.
Silenus explained that he and his master had just returned from the East where they
had been engaged in spreading the cultivation of the grape. Dionysus had brought
back a tiger or two, an ever-expanding flock of followers and one very drunken
satyr. Silenus had conked out in Midas's vineyard to sleep it off. Now he was
grateful to the king for treating him with dignity, and so was Dionysus. The god
was so pleased, in fact, that he offered to grant whatever Midas should wish for.
Now, you didn't get to rule a kingdom in those days without a pretty active grasp of
what makes for a successful economy. Midas didn't have to think twice. As the
simplest plan for the constant replenishment of the royal treasury, he asked that
everything he touch be turned to gold.
Arching a godly eyebrow, Dionysus went so far as to ask if Midas were sure. To
which the king instantly replied, "Sure I'm sure." So Dionysus waved his
pinebranch sceptre and conferred the boon.
And Midas rushed back home to try it out. Tentatively at first, he laid a trembling
fingertip upon a bowl of fruit and then a stool and then a wooly lambkin. And
when each of these had been transmuted in a trice into purest gold, the king began
to caper about like the lambkin before its transformation.
"Just look at this!" he crowed, turning his chariot into a glittering mass of
priceless-though-worthless transportation. "Look what daddy can do!" he cried,

taking his young daughter by the hand to lead her into the garden for a lesson in
making dewy nature gleam with a monotonous but more valuable sheen.
Encountering unexpected resistance, he swung about to see why his daughter was
being such a slug. Whereupon his eyes encountered, where late his child had been,
a life-size golden statue that might have been entitled "Innocence Surprised".
"Uh oh," said Midas, and from that point on the uh-oh's multiplied. He couldn't
touch any useful object without it losing in utility what it gained in monetary value,
nor any food without it shedding all nutritional potency on its leaden way down his
gullet.
In short, Midas came to understand why Dionysus had looked askance when asked
to grant the favor. Fortunately, the god was a good sport about it. He allowed
Midas to wash away his magic touch in the river Pactolus, which ever after
enjoyed reknown for its shimmering deposits of gold.

Zeus, Hera, and IO

Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were the three sons of Cronos. When Cronos retired,
the boys divided the world up between them. Zeus took the sky, Poseidon took the
sea, and Hades ruled under the earth, the home of the dead. At first, it was great
fun. But things had been just a bit slow lately.
Zeus thought about what he could do.
He could turn himself into an octopus and visit his brother Poseidon under the sea,
but he didn't feel much like a swim.
He could visit Hades under the earth, but Hades was such a gloomy fellow.
He could hurl thunderbolts, but it wasn't much fun without a target.
He could hunt up one of the other gods. But the truth was, all the other gods were
terrified of Zeus. He did have a terrible temper, but only when someone lied to
him. Since the gods often lied, they mostly avoided Zeus.
He could call for his wife, Hera. But the truth was, Zeus was a little frightened of
his wife, Hera.

He could find a beautiful woman. But he couldn't let Hera catch him. His wife
Hera was very very jealous.
Zeus flew down to earth and looked around for something to do. He spotted two
men walking along a lane. Zeus cast his voice to make it sound like somebody else
was speaking. He was very good at that.
"Hey stupid," Zeus cast his voice loudly, hoping to start a fight.
One man turned to the other angrily. "What did you say?" And before you could
say Zeus, fists were flying. Zeus found that very funny.
A glint on the river caught his eye. It was Io, a lovely river nymph.
"What a lovely young woman," Zeus said. He promptly fell in love.
Hoping to hide himself from the eagle eye of his jealous wife, Zeus covered the
world with some really thick clouds. Then he flew down to Io. But Hera was not
stupid. The thick coat of clouds made her suspicious immediately.
Zeus looked up. "It's Hera!" he gulped.
Quickly, Zeus changed Io into a cow. When Hera landed, all she found was an
innocent looking Zeus standing next to a little white cow.
"This little cow appeared out of nowhere," he told his wife, acting surprised.
Hera was not fooled. "What a beautiful cow," she gushed admiringly. "May I have
it as a present?"
Not knowing what else to do, Zeus had to agree. Hera sent the cow away under
guard.
Zeus arranged for Io to be rescued and set free. He sent his son Apollo to sing the
guard asleep. When the guard closed his eyes, Io ran away.
When Hera heard about it, she sent a gadfly after Io. A gadfly is a fly that bites.
"Moo moo," Io screamed, when the gadfly found her.

Io swam across a sea, hoping the gadfly would drown on the trip. No such luck,
although Hera did name the sea between Greece and Rome after Io. Perhaps you've
heard of it - the Ionian Sea? No matter.
Feeling very sorry for herself, a dispirited Io traveled next to Egypt.
It was then that Hera decided that Io had suffered enough. First, she made Zeus
promise that he would never see Io again. Then she changed Io back into human
form, and left her in Egypt.
Egypt was a dismal place for a river nymph. There are crocodiles in the Nile.
Back in Greece, Zeus gave a big sigh. Surely there was something he could do ....

The Myth of Sisyphus

Sisyphus, the son of Aeolus, was born heir to the throne of Thessaly in central
Greece. Sisyphus and one of his brothers, Salmoneus, hated each other and
Salmoneus took the throne of Thessaly from him.
Eventually Sisyphus would become a kingbut never of Thessaly. The sorceress
Medea gave Sisyphus the throne of Ephyra, later known as Corinth. Some say that
Sisyphus earned the crown by founding the city, which he populated with people
grown out of mushrooms. Sisyphus married Merope, the only one of the seven
Pleiades (daughters of the Titan Atlas and Pleione) to have wedded a mortal rather
than consorting with the gods. The couple would have three children: Glaucus,
Ornytion, and Sinon.
Glaucus would inherit the throne of Ephyra, but would suffer a gruesome fate. A
renowned horseman, Glaucus fed his mares on human flesh. Having whetted their
appetites for flesh, Glaucus unwittingly served them up a full meal. After losing a
chariot race, his mares tore Glaucus to pieces and ate him on the spot. For
generations afterward, horses on Corinth seemed unusually skittishhaunted no
doubt by the ghost of Glaucus.
The Cunningness of Sisyphus Sisyphus and Autolycus

Sisyphus, called the craftiest of men by Homer, was extraordinarily clever. His
ingenuity came in handy when Autolycus began grazing cattle near the herds of
Sisyphus.
Autolycus was a notorious thief. He would steal anything he could get his hands
on. But he always escaped detection because he could change the form or color of
anything he stole. Horned cattle would lose their horns; brown cattle would
become white.
Autolycus repeatedly stole cattle from Sisyphuss herd. Sisyphus noticed that cattle
were missingand that the herd of Autolycus seemed to be expanding in number,
but could not prove any theft.
In an attempt to catch Autolycus in the act, Sisyphus secretly marked the inside of
the hooves of his cattle. Some say he wrote the words Stolen by Autolycus,
while others maintain he wrote only the letters SS. The later discovery of his
mark on cows in Autolycuss herd proved that his neighbor was a thief.
Sisyphus was not satisfied merely with proving Autolycus a thief and recovering
his cattle. Seeking revenge, he seduced Anticleia, the daughter of Autolycus and
later the mother of Odysseus . Given the cunning that Odysseus later demonstrated,
many have suggested that Sisyphus, rather than Anticleias husband Laertes, was
his father.
Sisyphus and Tyro
This was not the only occasion when Sisyphus used an enemys daughter in order
to take revenge on the father. When he consulted the oracle at Delphi to find out
how he might exact revenge on his hated brother, Salmoneus, he learned that if he
had children by his brothers daughter, they would destroy their grandfather.
Without a second thought, Sisyphus violated his beautiful niece Tyro. The oracle
went unfulfilled, however, because Tyro, learning of the prophecy, killed both of
her sons.
Sisyphus cheats the Gods
In his time on Earth, Sisyphus killed, raped and stole. The special place of
Sisyphus in the lore of the Underworld, however, comes not from his ill treatment
of his niece or other mortals, but from the application of his cunning in his
relations with the Gods.

His crimes against the gods began with Zeus. Asopusa river god whose father
was Poseidonwas looking for his daughter Aegina, who had disappeared.
Sisyphus promised to tell Asopus what had happened to Aegina if the river god
would create an eternal spring for Sisyphuss kingdom, Corinth. Once Asopus
created this endless source of fresh water, Sisyphus named Zeus as Aeginas
abductor. Enraged, Asopus pursued Zeus until the gods thunderbolts forced him to
retreat.
Even though Zeus had in fact taken Aegina, to punish Sisyphus for his betrayal,
Zeus sentThanatos (Death) after him. Yet Sisyphus managed to outwit Death. He
may have asked Thanatos to demonstrate how a pair of handcuffs worked and then
locked them on Death himself or he may have used some other trickery to entrap
Death in heavy chains.
In any case, Death found himself a prisoner in Sisyphuss house. With Death
locked up, no one could dieno matter how gruesome the injuries suffered. The
headless, bloodless, mortally wounded, and disease-torn continued to walk the
earth, racked with pain and begging for release. Finally, the war god Ares set
Death free and delivered Sisyphus to him.
How Sisyphus cheated Hades
However, clever Sisyphus managed to elude his fate. Before descending to Hades,
he instructed his wife Merope not to bury him, give him a funeral feast, perform
any sacrifices to Hades or Persephone, or place a coin under his tongue (which was
used to pay Charon, who ferried the dead for passage across the river Styx to the
Underworld home of Hades).
Sisyphus thus arrived at the Palace of Hades as an unburied pauper. Appealing to
Queen Persephone, Sisyphus told her that he had no right to be there. As one of the
unburied, who had no fare for Charon, he should have been abandoned on the far
side of the river Styx. Furthermore, Sisyphus argued, his wifes neglect of funeral
ceremonies and sacrifices might set a bad example for other widows in the future.
Sisyphus pleaded for permission to return to the surface of the earth for just three
days. This brief time would allow him to arrange for his funeral, to punish his wife
for neglecting her duties, and to teach her respect for the lords of the Underworld.
Persephone fell for his pleas and allowed Sisyphus to go home. Sisyphus, of
course, had no intention to return to the world of darkness. He reneged on his
promise to descend again in three days. Indeed, he lived many more years until old
age claimed him at last.
The punishment of Sisyphus

For his offenses to both Zeus and Hades, Sisyphus was condemned to eternal
punishment in Tartarus, the lowest region of the Underworld.
The king of Corinth would forever roll a massive boulder to the top of a steep hill.
But his efforts were always in vain, for whenever Sisyphus neared the top, the rock
would roll right back down again. Sisyphus was thus forced to start his labor all
over again.

The Myth of Hades and Persephone

Hades fell in love with Persephone and decided to kidnap her. The myth says that
in one of the rare times he left the Underworld, he traveled above ground to pursue
her, while she was gathering flowers in a field.
One day Hades, God of the Underworld, sawPersephone and instantly fell in love
with her.
Ades (Hades) confided his secret in his brother Zeus, asking for help, so the two of
them concocted a plan to trap her. As the girl (Persephone) played with her
companions, they caused the ground to split underneath her.
Persephone slipped beneath the Earth and Hades stole her to the Underworld where
he made her his wife.
The myth says that Persephone was very unhappy, but after much time, she came
to love the cold-blooded Hades and lived happily with him.
A different version of the myth of Hades and Persephone
The myth of Hades and Persephone also has a different version; in this one
Demeter was present when Persephone was kidnapped by God Hades but was
tricked by Zeus and Hades.
That morning when Demeter descended on Earth with her daughter Persephone ,
she left her to play with the sea nymphs called Nereids and the Naiads who were
the freshwater nymphs of the lakes, springs and rivers.
Persephone and flower Narcissus
Demeter went to supervise her bountiful crops. As Persephone engaged in play and
with the rest of the group, her attention fell upon the potently fragrant valley

nearby and she couldnt take her eyes of the yellow flower narcissus. She called
upon her playmates to accompany her, but they couldnt possibly go with her as
leaving the side of their water bodies would result in their death.
The flower Narcissus was planted there by Gaia, who was following the orders of
Zeus. The goal was to enchant Persephone and attract her, away from her guides.
So, Persephone danced her way to the garden alone and tried to pluck the narcissus
from the bosom of Gaia. It drained her energies as the narcissus only came out
after a lot of pulling. But suddenly, to her utter fright, she saw the tiny hole from
which she had drawn out the flower shaft, began to rapid grow in size until it
started to resemble a mighty enormous chasm.
Hades Kidnapping Persephone
From this came the vigorous galloping sounds of multiple horses and such sudden
happenings only froze the frail beauty to her feet. Out of all her friends only the
naiad Cyane tried to rescue the crying Persephone but she was no match for the
powerful Hades. Bereaving her friends kidnap, Cyane melted into a pool of tears
and formed the river Cyane at the spot.
Goddess Demeter trying to find Persephone
Demeter rushed back to where she had left her daughter and found only the Cyane
river there with the other nymphs weeping. Worried as she was, she asked all as to
the whereabouts of her beloved daughter.
Nobody could tell her anything at all and furious that they couldnt protect her
child, she cursed all the nymphs into becoming heinous women with plumed
bodies and scaly feet, called the sirens. It was only the river Cyane who helped her
by washing over the belt of Persephone, indicating that something gravely wrong
had happened.
Demeter went mad and hunted for her daughter everywhere. The myth says that
she even disguised herself as an aged lady and with lighted torched in her hands
roamed the Earth for nine long days and nine long nights.

Finally, she met Hekate, the deity of magic, witchcraft, spirits and crossroads, at
the dawn of the 10th day who had pity at her dismal condition and asked her to
seek help from the all seeing Helios, the sun god. Helios told Demeter all about
how Hades had dragged Persephone into the underworld.
Persephone in the Underworld
Persephones mother, Demeter, begged her brother Hades to allow Persephone to
come back to the livings, denoting that the young Persephone was not supposed to
live in the underworld. Hades consulted with Zeus and they both decided to allow
Persephone to live on earth for six months each year, while the rest of the time she
would be on his side in the Underworld.
Before leaving the underworld, Persephone had been persuaded to eat four seeds of
a pomegranate. In ancient mythology, to eat the fruit of ones captor meant that one
would have to return to that captor or country, so Persephone was doomed to return
to the underworld for four months of the year. But she was allowed to spend the
remaining two-thirds of the year with her Earth Mother, Demeter.
The myth of Hades and Persephone is associated with the coming of Spring and
Winter: When Persephone comes to the Earth, its springtime. When she descends
to Hades, it is winter.
Celebrating the myth of Persephone
The disappearance and the return of Persephone were the occasions of great
festivals in ancient Greece, among them the Elefsinian rites, whose secrets were so
closely guarded that little is known about them today.
Some experts believe the rites or mysteries fostered the idea of a more perfect life
after death, and thus helped to lay the groundwork for the coming of Christianity,
which upholds the idea of everlasting life.