Like a winged horse Pegasus "flew" into the sky. How the winged horse Pegasus “flew” into the sky Who saved Andromeda from the sea monster
After a long journey, Perseus reached the kingdom of Cepheus, which lay in Ethiopia 1 on the shores of the Ocean. There, on a rock, near the seashore, he saw the chained beautiful Andromeda, the daughter of King Cepheus. She had to atone for her mother, Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia angered the sea nymphs. Proud of her beauty, she said that she, Queen Cassiopeia, was the most beautiful of all. The nymphs became angry and begged the god of the seas, Poseidon, to punish Cepheus and Cassiopeia. Poseidon sent, at the request of the nymphs, a monster like a gigantic fish. It surfaced from the depths of the sea and devastated Kefey's possessions. The realm of Coffee was filled with weeping and groans. He finally turned to the oracle of Zeus Ammon 2 and asked how to get rid of this misfortune. The oracle gave this answer:
Give your daughter Andromeda to be torn to pieces by a monster, and then the punishment of Poseidon will end.
The people, having learned the answer of the oracle, forced the king to chain Andromeda to a rock by the sea. Pale with horror, she stood at the foot of the cliff in heavy chains Andromeda; with inexpressible fear she looked at the sea, expecting that a monster was about to appear and tear her to pieces. Tears rolled from her eyes, horror seized her at the mere thought that she should die in the bloom of beautiful youth, full of strength, without having tasted the joys of life. Perseus saw her. He would have mistaken her for a marvelous statue of white Parian marble, if the sea wind had not blown her hair and large tears had not fallen from her beautiful eyes. The young hero looks at her with delight, and a powerful feeling of love for Andromeda lights up in his heart. Perseus quickly went down to her and affectionately asked her:
Oh, tell me, beautiful maiden, whose country is this, tell me your name! Tell me, why are you chained here to the rock?
Andromeda told for whose fault she had to suffer. The beautiful maiden does not want the hero to think that she is expiating her own guilt. Andromeda had not yet finished her story, when the depths of the sea began to gurgle, and a monster appeared among the raging waves. It raised its head high with a huge open mouth. Andromeda screamed loudly in horror. Mad with grief, Kefey and Cassiopeia ran to the shore. They weep bitterly, hugging their daughter. She has no salvation!
Then the son of Zeus, Perseus, spoke:
You will have a lot of time to shed tears, little time just to save your daughter. I am the son of Zeus, Perseus, who killed the gorgon Medusa entwined with snakes. Give me your daughter Andromeda as my wife, and I will save her.
Cepheus and Cassiopeia happily agreed. They were ready to do everything to save their daughter. Kefey promised him even the whole kingdom as a dowry, if only he would save Andromeda. The monster is close. It quickly approaches the rock, cutting through the waves with a wide chest, like a ship that rushes along the waves, as if on wings, from the flapping of the oars of mighty young rowers. Not further than the flight of an arrow was a monster when Perseus flew high into the air. His shadow fell into the sea, and with fury the monster rushed at the shadow of the hero. Perseus boldly rushed from a height to the monster and plunged a curved sword deep into his back. Feeling a heavy wound, the monster rose high in the waves; it beats in the sea like a wild boar surrounded by a flock of dogs with furious barking; then it sinks deep into the water, then it rises again. The monster furiously hits the water with its fish tail, and thousands of sprays fly up to the very tops of the coastal cliffs. The sea was covered with foam. Opening its mouth, the monster rushes at Perseus, but with the speed of a seagull he takes off in his winged sandals. He strikes blow after blow. Blood and water gushed from the jaws of the monster, struck to death. The wings of Perseus's sandals are wet, they barely keep the hero in the air. The mighty son of Danae quickly rushed to the rock that protruded from the sea, grabbed it with his left hand and plunged his sword three times into the wide chest of the monster. The terrible battle is over. Joyful cries rush from the shore. All praise the mighty hero. The fetters are removed from the beautiful Andromeda, and, triumphant in victory, Perseus leads his bride to the palace of her father Cepheus.
1 Ethiopia - a country that lay, according to the Greeks, in the extreme south of the earth. The Greeks, and then the Romans, called Ethiopia the whole country lying in Africa south of Egypt.
2 Located in an oasis in the Libyan desert, west of Egypt.
How Perseus Saved Andromeda
The names of the starry sky reflected the myth of the hero Perseus. Long ago, according to the ancient Greeks, Ethiopia was ruled by a king named Cepheus and a queen named Cassiopeia. They had only one daughter, the beautiful Andromeda. The queen was very proud of her daughter and once had the imprudence to boast of her beauty and the beauty of her daughter in front of the mythical inhabitants of the sea - the Nereids. They were very angry, because they believed that they were the most beautiful in the world. The Nereids complained to their father, the god of the seas, Poseidon, to punish Cassiopeia and Andromeda. And the mighty lord of the seas sent to Ethiopia a huge sea monster - Kita. Fire shot out of Keith's mouth, black smoke poured from his ears, his tail was covered with sharp spikes. The monster devastated and burned the country, threatened the death of all the people. To appease Poseidon, Cepheus and Cassiopeia agreed to give their beloved daughter to be eaten by a monster. The beautiful Andromeda was chained to a coastal rock and dutifully awaited her fate. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, one of the most famous legendary heroes - Perseus - performed an extraordinary feat. He penetrated the island where the gorgons lived - monsters in the form of women who had snakes instead of hair. The look of the gorgons was so terrible that anyone who dared to look into their eyes was instantly petrified. But nothing could stop the fearless Perseus. Seizing the moment when the Gorgons fell asleep. Perseus cut off the head of one of them - the most important, the most terrible - the Gorgon Medusa. At the same moment, the winged horse Pegasus fluttered out of the huge body of Medusa. Perseus jumped on Pegasus and rushed home. Flying over Ethiopia, he noticed Andromeda chained to a rock, which was about to be grabbed by a terrible Whale. The brave Perseus entered the fray with the monster. This fight went on for a long time. Perseus' magical sandals lifted him into the air, he plunged his curved sword into Keith's back. The whale roared and rushed at Perseus. Perseus directed the deadly gaze of the severed head of Medusa, which was attached to his shield, to the monster. The monster petrified and drowned, turning into an island.
And Perseus unchained Andromeda and brought her to the palace of Cepheus. The delighted king gave Andromeda as his wife to Perseus. In Ethiopia, a merry feast continued for many days. And since then, the constellations of Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, Perseus have been burning in the sky. On the star map you will find the constellation Cetus, Pegasus. So the ancient myths of the Earth found their reflection in the sky.
How the winged horse Pegasus "flew" into the sky
Near Andromeda is the constellation Pegasus, which is especially visible at midnight in mid-October. The three stars of this constellation and the star Alpha Andromeda form a figure that astronomers called the “Great Square”. It can be easily found in the autumn sky. The winged horse Pegasus arose from the body of Medusa Gorgon decapitated by Perseus, but did not inherit anything bad from her. He was a favorite of nine muses - the daughters of Zeus and the goddess of memory Mnemosyne, on the slope of Mount Helikon, he knocked out the source of Hippocrene with his hoof, the water of which brought inspiration to poets.
And another legend in which Pegasus is mentioned. The grandson of King Sisyphus, Bellerophon, was supposed to kill the fire-breathing monster Chimera (Chimera is Greek for “goat”). The monster had the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a dragon. Bellerophon managed to defeat the Chimera with the help of Pegasus. Once he saw a winged horse, and the desire to take possession of it seized the young man. In a dream, the goddess Athena appeared to him, the beloved daughter of Zeus, wise and warlike, the patroness of many heroes. She gave Bellerophon a wonderful bridle that pacifies horses. With her help, Bellerophon caught Pegasus and went to fight the Chimera. Rising high into the air, he threw arrows at the monster until it expired.
But Bellerophon was not satisfied with his luck, but wished to ascend to heaven on a winged horse, to the dwelling of the immortals. Zeus, having learned about this, became angry, enraged Pegasus, and he threw his rider to Earth. Pegasus then ascended to Olympus, where he carried the thunderbolts of Zeus.
The main attraction of the constellation Pegasus is a bright globular cluster. Through binoculars you can see a round, luminous, misty spot, the edges of which sparkle like the lights of a big city seen from an airplane. It turns out that there are about six million suns in this globular cluster!
The most beautiful constellation in the southern sky
There is no other constellation in the entire sky that would contain as many interesting and easily accessible objects for observation as Orion, located near the constellation Taurus. Orion was the son of Poseidon - the god of the seas in Greek mythology (in Roman - Neptune). He was a famous hunter, fought with a bull and boasted that there was no animal that he could not defeat, for which Hera, the powerful wife of the powerful Zeus, sent Scorpio to him. Orion cleared the island of Chios from wild animals and began to ask the king of this island for the hand of his daughter, but he refused him. Orion tried to kidnap the girl, and the king took revenge on him: after getting drunk, he blinded Orion. Helios returned Orion's sight, but Orion still died from the bite of the Scorpion sent by the Hero. Zeus placed him in the sky in such a way that he can always get away from his pursuer, and indeed, these two constellations are never visible in the sky at the same time.
Where does Veronica's hair come from in the sky?
The ancient constellation Leo had a rather large “territory” in the sky, and Leo himself was the owner of a magnificent “tassel” on his tail. But in 243 BC. he lost her. There was a funny story about which the legend says.
The Egyptian king Ptolemy Euergetes had a beautiful wife, Queen Veronica. Especially magnificent were her luxurious long hair. When Ptolemy went to war, his saddened wife swore an oath to the gods: if they keep her beloved husband safe and sound, sacrifice their hair. Soon Ptolemy returned home safely, but when he saw his shorn wife, he was upset. The royal couple was somewhat reassured by the astronomer Konon, declaring that the gods lifted Veronica's hair to heaven, where they were destined to decorate the spring nights.
Early in the morning the hero again rose into the air. It was quiet; Perseus flew for a long time and finally he arrived on the coast of Ethiopia, in the country of King Cepheus (Cepheus). There, on a deserted and rocky shore, he saw the beautiful Andromeda, the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia. It fell to Andromeda to atone for the haughty speech of her mother Cassiopeia, who boasted that she was more beautiful than all the sea nymphs. The angry nymphs complain to Poseidon and ask him to avenge them. Poseidon sent a great flood to the Ethiopian land and a terrible sea monster, which, coming out of the sea, swallowed people and animals. The oracle of Zeus Ammon (in the Libyan desert near Lake Siwa) announced to Cepheus that he should give his daughter Andromeda to be eaten by a sea monster, and the people forced the king to fulfill the oracle's command.
Perseus saw Andromeda chained to a rock. She stood motionless, and not a single breeze touched her curls, and if burning tears were not visible, he would have mistaken her for a marble statue. The young man marvels at the virgin - he almost does not rule his wings - love has taken possession of his heart. He immediately descends to her, asks who she is, from what country, why is she chained to this rock? Andromeda is silent, does not dare to utter a word to the young man. She would bashfully cover her face if she were not bound; now she could only shed copious tears. Perseus insists, and the maiden, not wanting him to consider her guilty, names herself, her homeland and talks about her mother's misdeed. Andromeda had not yet finished, when the waves rustled, and the monster came out of the depths and swam, covering the entire coast with its chest. The maiden was horrified, she cried out; the ill-fated parents ran up to her cry, enclosing the prisoner's daughter in their arms. They did not bring help, they brought only plaintive groans and cries. "Save your tears," the stranger shouts to them, "salvation is near. I am Perseus, the son of Zeus and Danae, Perseus, who killed the gorgon: of course, you are not ashamed to have a son-in-law like me; give me your daughter Andromeda, if, with the help of the gods I will save her." Parents willingly accept the offer and beg him to save their daughter, and even promise their own kingdom as a dowry.
Here a monster swims up, surfing the waves like a fast-moving ship, and when it approached such a distance that a stone could be thrown into it, Perseus rose into the air. In the mirror-like surface of the waters the beast saw his shadow and furiously rushed at her. But then, as an eagle swoops down on a snake, so Perseus swooped down on a monster and plunged his sword deep into him. In terrible agony, it either flies into the air, or rushes to the side, like a wild boar pursued by dogs. Quick wings help the young man to evade the enemy, but he himself inflicts wound after wound on him, and now black blood gushed from the mouth of the beast. In a hot battle, the wings of Perseus got wet and would hardly have carried him to the shore: but in time he saw the top of an underwater rock rising from the waves and stood on it. Holding on to the stone with his left hand, Perseus inflicted a few more blows on the monster with his right. Bleeding, it fell to the bottom of the sea.
Perseus and Andromeda. Artist G. Vasari, 1570-1572
Loud cries of approval resounded along the coast, echoed by the spacious sky. Cepheus and Cassiopeia rejoiced, with greeting words they met the savior of Andromeda's daughter, and their betrothed son-in-law, and together with their daughter they took him to their glittering gold palace, where they immediately arranged a wedding feast. At the wedding, they are present with torches in the hands of Cupid and Hymen; incense and fragrant flowers pour their fragrance, the sounds of flutes and lyres and joyful songs are heard in the upper rooms. A long line of guests sit down at the table; they drink sweet grape juice rejoicing at the heart and listen to Perseus: he told about his adventures. But suddenly the sound of weapons was heard in the palace, and military cliques were heard. The king's brother Phineus, who had previously sought the hand of his niece Andromeda, but left her in black days, burst into the palace with an armed crowd and demanded his bride. He already raised his spear against Perseus, but the king blocked him and said to his brother: “What are you up to, brother insane? Perseus did not take your bride from you: Andromeda was no longer yours at the time when, chained to a rock, she did not wait for help from you , your fiancé and uncle. To accomplish a great feat yourself: a maiden would be your reward.
Perseus saves Andromeda from a sea monster. ancient greek amphora
There was no answer. Numb with anger, Phineus looked first at his brother, then at Perseus and did not know whom to throw the spear at first. But then he made up his mind: with all his strength - anger gave him strength - he threw a spear at the young man, but he didn’t hit, the spear pierced the pillow. Then Perseus jumped up from his seat and probably would have pierced Phineus in the chest with the same spear, if he had not quickly disappeared behind the altar. Instead, one of Phineus' companions was wounded. The wedding of Perseus and Andromeda turned into a bloody battle: more and more crowds came to the aid of Phineus - it was difficult for small opponents to resist them. Perseus fought like a lion; Finally, thousands of enemies surrounded him on all sides, with Phineus himself at the head, and arrows rained down on Perseus from all sides. Leaning against a column, he fought off several thousand enemies. They fell in droves, but finally his courage had to give way to numerical superiority, and Perseus decided on the last resort. "I will resort to the old enemy - when you forced me to do so. Who is my friend, turn back!" - he said and took out the head of Medusa Gorgon. “Frighten others with your curiosities,” exclaimed one of the opponents and wanted to throw a spear at Perseus, when he suddenly turned into a stone statue: he remained with a raised spear. One by one, the hero's enemies petrified; finally, Phineus had only two hundred adherents left: raising the head of the Gorgon high, Perseus immediately turned all of them to stone.
Only then Phineus caught himself, felt the untruth of his harassment on the hand of Andromeda. He looks around in despair; to the right and left there is nothing but statues in the most varied positions. He recognizes friends in these statues and calls them by name; not wanting to believe his eyes, he touches the nearest of them - they all turned into stone! Phineas was horrified, with a plea he stretched out his hands to the winner and, turning his face away from him, said: "You won, Perseus; hide the monster, hide the terrible head; only leave me life, take the bride, take all my goodness." Perseus exclaimed angrily: "Do not worry, iron will not touch you: I will put you in the house of my father-in-law as an indestructible monument, let the image of the former groom be a joy to my wife Andromeda." So, mockingly, he said and raised his jellyfish head in front of him. No matter how Phineus evaded, Perseus forced him to look at the terrible head, and Phineus turned into a stone statue. But even after the transformation, he retained the same shy, the same humiliated look, the same drooping hands.
Perseus and Andromeda (myth of ancient Greece)
Perseus flies high in the sky, but now the bright day is drawing to a close, and Helios sent his golden chariot towards sunset. The goddess of the Night is going to replace him, straightening her dark clothes. It's time for Perseus to think about rest. He descended lower to the ground and saw a city on the rocky shore of the Ocean. Here he decided to stay for the night.
Perseus landed, took off his winged sandals and looked around. Suddenly he hears plaintive cries from the sea. The young man quickly ran there and saw such a picture. On the very shore of the sea, a girl of unprecedented beauty stands chained to a rock and cries bitter tears. Perseus approached the girl and asked her:
- Tell me, beautiful maiden, why are you so cruelly punished and what kind of country is this where I ended up?
The girl began to tell Perseus her bitter story:
– The country where you are now is called Ethiopia. Here I lived in the house of my parents, not knowing worries and sorrows. The girl fell silent, tears again gushed from her wonderful eyes. Having coped a little with herself, she continued her sad story, from which Perseus learned everything that had happened here.
Andromeda - that was the name of the girl - was the only daughter of the Ethiopian king Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia. They lived in happiness and joy in their warm, fertile country, and this would have continued forever. But Queen Cassiopeia was very proud of her beauty and told everyone that there was no woman in the world more beautiful than she. Kefey agreed with his wife in everything and also considered her the most beautiful of all. The sea nymphs were angry with them for this and persuaded the god of the seas, Poseidon, to punish Cepheus and Cassiopeia.
Poseidon sent a terrible monster to the shores of Ethiopia, huge and terrible. A monster emerged from the depths of the sea and devastated the country of Kefei. Once happy and carefree Ethiopia was filled with crying and groans. People did not know how to save themselves from such a punishment, and they screamed plaintively, preparing for a terrible death.
Then Cepheus turned to the oracle of Zeus and asked him what they should do to escape this punishment.
“The punishment of Poseidon will end only if you give your only daughter Andromeda to be torn to pieces by the monster,” the oracle answered him.
Kefey was horrified by the answer and at first did not tell anyone about it. But the gigantic fish continued to devastate the country, people begged the king to save them, and then Kefei had no choice but to tell everyone what the oracle had told him. He hoped that people would take pity on Andromeda and not give her to be torn to pieces by a monster. But his hopes were not destined to come true. The people decided that the daughter of the king should atone for the guilt of her mother.
And now Andromeda, pale and trembling with horror, stands chained to a rock and awaits her terrible fate. Perseus's heart sank with pity for the beautiful girl. He fell in love with her as soon as he saw her, and now he was ready to do anything to save her from suffering.
Then the city gates were flung open, and the parents of the unfortunate girl came out of them with weeping and groaning. Perseus addressed them with the words:
- Now is not the time to shed tears, we must think how to save an innocent girl. I am Perseus, the son of Zeus. Give me Andromeda as my wife, and I will save her and your country from this punishment.
As soon as Perseus had time to utter these words, the sea stirred, and a huge monster appeared from the depths of the sea. It quickly approached the shore and already opened its terrible mouth, preparing to tear the unfortunate Andromeda to pieces. Andromeda screamed in horror, Cepheus and Cassiopeia rushed to their knees in front of Perseus:
“O glorious and fearless youth! We implore you, save our unfortunate daughter, and you will get her as a wife, and together with her we will give you the whole kingdom of ours as a dowry.
The sea is raging, salty streams of water overwhelm the legs of Andromeda, a terrible monster is already next to her. And at this moment, Perseus soars into the air, rushes from above to a gigantic fish and with a swing stabs the curved sword of Hermes into her back.
A monster shot up in a deadly throw, trying to get Perseus. But he manages to pull out his deadly sword and plunges it into the back of the mighty fish again. A wounded monster rushes about the sea, then goes deep into the abyss, then floats to the surface of the sea with noise, whips up water with its powerful tail, salt spray scatters in all directions. The winged sandals of Perseus got wet, he can barely stay in the air. The young man flew up to a high rock, grabbed it with one hand, and with the other he thrust a sword into the chest of a gigantic fish and finally killed it. In the last throw, she darted to the side, and then slowly began to sink into the depths of the sea.
Joyful cries resounded the seashore. People ran out of the city, removed her heavy shackles from Andromeda. And then Perseus came up. He took his beautiful bride by the hand and led her to Kefei's palace.
On the shore of the ocean. There, on a rock, near the seashore, he saw the chained beautiful Andromeda, the daughter of King Cepheus. She had to atone for her mother, Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia angered the sea nymphs. Proud of her beauty, she said that she, Queen Cassiopeia, was the most beautiful of all. The nymphs became angry and begged the god of the seas, Poseidon, to punish Cepheus and Cassiopeia. Poseidon sent, at the request of the nymphs, a monster like a gigantic fish. It surfaced from the depths of the sea and devastated Kefey's possessions. The realm of Coffee was filled with weeping and groans. He finally turned to the oracle of Zeus and asked how to get rid of this misfortune. The oracle gave this answer:
Give your daughter Andromeda to be torn to pieces by a monster, and then the punishment of Poseidon will end.
The people, having learned the answer of the oracle, forced the king to chain Andromeda to a rock by the sea. Pale with horror, Andromeda stood at the foot of the cliff in heavy chains; with inexpressible fear she looked at the sea, expecting that a monster was about to appear and tear her to pieces. Tears rolled from her eyes, horror seized her at the mere thought that she should die in the bloom of beautiful youth, full of strength, without having tasted the joys of life. Perseus saw her. He would have mistaken her for a marvelous statue of white Parian marble, if the sea wind had not blown her hair and large tears had not fallen from her beautiful eyes. The young hero looks at her with delight, and a powerful feeling of love for Andromeda lights up in his heart. Perseus quickly went down to her and affectionately asked her:
Oh, tell me, beautiful maiden, whose country is this, tell me your name! Tell me, why are you chained here to the rock?
Andromeda told for whose fault she had to suffer. The beautiful maiden does not want the hero to think that she is expiating her own guilt. Andromeda had not yet finished her story, when the depths of the sea began to gurgle, and a monster appeared among the raging waves. It raised its head high with a huge open mouth. Andromeda screamed loudly in horror. Mad with grief, Kefey and Cassiopeia ran to the shore. They weep bitterly, hugging their daughter. She has no salvation!
Then the son of Zeus, Perseus, spoke:
You will have a lot of time to shed tears, little time just to save your daughter. I am the son of Zeus, Perseus, who killed the gorgon Medusa entwined with snakes. Give me your daughter Andromeda as my wife, and I will save her.
To the left of Andromeda her father Cepheus, to the right of her mother Cassipei
Cepheus and Cassiopeia happily agreed. They were ready to do everything to save their daughter. Cepheus even promised him the whole kingdom as a dowry, if only he would save Andromeda. The monster is close. It quickly approaches the rock, cutting through the waves with a wide chest, like a ship that rushes along the waves, as if on wings, from the flapping of the oars of mighty young rowers. Not further than the flight of an arrow was a monster when Perseus flew high into the air. His shadow fell into the sea, and with fury the monster rushed at the shadow of the hero. Perseus boldly rushed from a height to the monster and plunged a curved sword deep into his back. Feeling a heavy wound, the monster rose high in the waves; it beats in the sea like a wild boar surrounded by a flock of dogs with furious barking; then it sinks deep into the water, then it rises again. The monster furiously hits the water with its fish tail, and thousands of sprays fly up to the very tops of the coastal cliffs. The sea was covered with foam. Opening its mouth, the monster rushes at Perseus, but with the speed of a seagull he takes off in his winged sandals. He strikes blow after blow. Blood and water gushed from the jaws of the monster, struck to death. The wings of Perseus's sandals are wet, they barely keep the hero in the air. The mighty son of Danae quickly rushed to the rock that protruded from the sea, grabbed it with his left hand and plunged his sword three times into the wide chest of the monster. The terrible battle is over. Joyful cries rush from the shore. All praise the mighty hero. The fetters are removed from the beautiful Andromeda, and, triumphant in victory, Perseus leads his bride to the palace of her father Cepheus.
