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    Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined
    Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined
    Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined
    Ebook596 pages7 hours

    Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined

    By Stephen Fry

    4.5/5

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    • Greek Mythology

    • Revenge

    • Love

    • Heroism

    • Adventure

    • Persians

    • Suppliants

    • Seven Against Thebes

    • Chosen One

    • Love Triangle

    • Forbidden Love

    • Quest

    • Damsel in Distress

    • Divine Intervention

    • Monster Slaying

    • Family

    • Monsters

    • Hero's Journey

    • Heroes

    • Sacrifice

    About this ebook

    In this sequel to the bestselling Mythos, legendary author and actor Stephen Fry moves from the exploits of the Olympian gods to the deeds of mortal heroes.

    Perseus. Jason. Atalanta. Theseus. Heracles. Rediscover the thrills, grandeur, and unabashed fun of the Greek myths. Whether recounting a tender love affair or a heroic triumph, Fry deftly finds resonance with our own modern minds and hearts.

    Illustrated throughout with classical art inspired by the myths, this gorgeous volume invites you to explore a captivating world with a brilliant storyteller as your guide.

    • Each adventure is infused with Fry's distinctive voice and writing style.
    • Connoisseurs of the Greek myths will appreciate this fresh-yet-reverential interpretation, while newcomers will feel welcome.
    • Retellings brim with humor and emotion.

    "Mostly Chiron saw in the child, and the young man he became, boundless courage, athleticism, intelligence, and ambition. He saw too lots of words beginning with 'self,' which gave him pause. Self-belief, self-possession, self-righteousness, self-confidence, self-love. Perhaps these characteristics are as necessary to a hero as courage."

    In Heroes, Fry draws out the humor and pathos in both tender love affairs and heroic battles, and reveals each myth's relevance for our own time.

    • A collector's edition filled with classical art inspired by the myths and a luxe, foil-stamped jacket
    • Perfect gift for mythology and history buffs, lovers of ancient Greece, art aficionados, and devoted fans of Stephen Fry
    • Add it to the shelf with books like Circe by Madeline Miller, Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, and Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChronicle Books Digital
    Release dateJun 2, 2020
    ISBN9781797204550
    Author

    Stephen Fry

    Stephen Fry is one of Britain's national treasures and his television appearances include 'A Bit Of Fry and Laurie', 'Jeeves and Wooster', 'Blackadder', 'QI' and 'Kingdom'. His film roles include 'Peter's Friends' and 'Wilde'; and in the realm of television, the Emmy-award-winning 'The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive'. As a writer, he best known for his novel The Liar as well as his acclaimed autobiography Moab Is My Washpot, and his is the famous voice of the Harry Potter audio books.

    Read more from Stephen Fry

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    Reviews for Heroes

    4.5/5

    257 ratings16 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I liked this book more than I liked "Mythos". While Mythos started strong, I thought it lost focus and direction around the halfway point. Maybe this is unavoidable because the more interesting stories about the Olympians should come first and the 'less interesting' ones about people becoming flowers naturally come in at the end. In Heroes, Fry could focus on one hero at a time, which makes for a much more organized and interesting read. I was really hoping for the Trojan war to come up, but I guess that will be something for the next book!
    • 5/5
      Just delightful - Fry's dry sense of humour layered over the great stories of mythical Greek heroes. Highly recommend.
    • 5/5
      An excellent book by Fry and a fine accompaniment to his previous edition 'Mythos.' I look forward to another edition on the Trojan War. While familiar with a lot of this material Fry tells you the entire story, warts and all, though sanatised in parts in a very readable style.
    • 4/5
      Een leuke en geslaagde opfrissing van je kennis van de Griekse godenwereld en hun menselijke sibblings. Een wereld als een spiegelbeeld van de onze wat betreft karaktertrekken en emoties. Lees het met mondjesmaat, met kleine happen, zodat je geniet en nageniet van de perikelen van elk goden/mensenkind.
    • 5/5
      Well written as always.
    • 5/5
      Stephen Fry is a great storyteller and presents these Greek Myths in the most entertaining way. I'm so glad I own this instead of borrowing it because I know I will dip in and out of this many times in the future.
    • 4/5
      Fry's second go at Greet mythology reinterpreted is very good but not great - the first volume, Mythos, has it beat by a mile. Maybe it's because I always found the big and brawny heroes (Perseus, Jason, Heracles, Theseus) to be boring fare, especially since the women in the adventures were so peripheral (with the exception of the Amazon Atalanta). Orpheus and Oedipus were not so muscular but much more interesting, due to musical talent and fulfillment of prophecy. But Fry is still a marvel and his clever and informative footnotes are as riveting as the text itself. The classical illustrations enhance the presentation beautifully.
    • 4/5
      Brings to life the ancient myths in an entertaining manner - his writing approach possibly makes you feel what the ancient Greeks may have felt when they were told the stories, as usually when we have them given to us in the ancient text book manner much is usually lost.
    • 5/5
      when i was very young, i remember borrowing (a lot of times without consent) my older sister's copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology. It was probably the first book I can think of that I have re-read multiple times. My last memory of that book is that it was well worn.

      so, naturally, i was drawn to stephen fry's retelling of the greek myths in his Mythos trilogy. it is not as scholarly as hamilton's (by a narrow margin), but is more approachable and readable. in spite of splitting the project into 3 books, it does not feel dense.

      in this second book, he focuses on the stories of mortal heroes (in the first, he focused mainly on the gods). fry's wit and humor shows through (i even read all the footnotes!). also, this is for me probably the most enjoyable retelling of the stories of Jason (my least liked hero) and Oedipus and Theseus (my favorite heroes).

      Read into that what you will ^_^ or maybe dont :p
    • 5/5
      This book is a follow up to Stephen Fry's "Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined". The author retells the stories of the Greek heroes who were tasked with ridding the earth of monsters and evil doers. This volume includes the adventures of Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, Orpheus, Jason, Atalanta, Oedipus, and Theseus. The way the stores are retold by Fry are a little to modern at times. The author uses modern slang or phrases to make the stories relatable. I found it a bit distracting. Otherwise, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others who enjoy stories from Greek mythology.
    • 5/5
      Stephen Fry continues his retelling of the Greek myths in this second volume, which focuses on the great ancient heroes including, Perseus, Heracles, Atalanta, Orpheus, and Theseus among others. Whether the tales are familiar or not, Fry breathes life into these myths bringing his wry humour and endless wit to these epic tales. I listened to this as an audiobook, which I highly recommend. Stephen Fry has impeccable talents as a narrator and while his choice to give various characters British regional accents (for example Perseus has a northern accent while Minos and Ariadne have Scottish accents) may not work for all listeners, I found it delightful. The Acknowledgements note that Heroes is part of a planned trilogy and I eagerly look forward to Fry's planned take on the Trojan War and its aftermath. Highly recommended for fans of Fry and those who enjoy Greek myth.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed Mythos but I think I enjoyed this one more. Stories that I vaguely knew but also ones I didn't.
    • 5/5
      The sequel to Fry's "Mythos", this volume covers the demigod heroes populating the Greek myths taking place roughly (to the extent myths have chronology) in the generation(s) between the god myths in the first volume, and the almost-human heroes of the Iliad and Odyssey (which he frequently hints of covering in a future book). And it delivers exactly that. Fry's personal voice is still very present in the narration -- which is usually very welcome, if sometimes a bit corny when he can't resist a particularly bad joke here and there -- as he organises the disparate tales into something that feels as near cohesive as these stories possibly can without taking much bigger liberties with the material. Never before have I experienced the stories of Perseus, Herakles, Theseus, Atalanta, Orpheus, Jason, Oedipus and Bellerophon as so interconnected, and in that, I think, is the biggest selling point of this book. You've heard (most) of these stories before, I'll hasard, if you're at all interested in reading the book. They've been around for thousands of years, after all. But reading them in a way that presents them as more or less contemporaries running around the same fairly limited geographical area -- which indeed the source materials tend to back up, as they're all each others cousins, uncles and in-laws -- was a particular joy for me. And Fry's obvious joy at sharing the stories provides a lot of added value in its own right.
    • 5/5
      Well, with the lockdowns, it took me not quite 6 months to finish this on audio (I can only listen in the car), but I finally did it. It was, of course, worth every minute, and I’d recommend the audio version to anybody who even wants to like Greek mythology. Especially those who want to like it, but always struggled with the names, and the who begat whoms, and the who married whoms. Fry unapologetically tells the listener to ignore all of that – there won’t be a test at the end – and just enjoy the stories. His narration makes this all the easier, as he’s absolutely brilliant at it, even if the Greeks are speaking with Scottish, English and at one point what I think was a distinctly cockney accent. In fact, the hint of Monty Python in some of the stories made them all the more enjoyable for me, because they made me chuckle.

      I’ve never been all that interested in the Trojan War, but I’m sorely tempted to check out his version with the next book in this ‘series’.
    • 5/5
      This is a continuation of Fry's book Mythos. I loved both but with this one, I missed seeing all the rich paintings and details included in the gorgeous print version. Fry reads it himself, which is a complete delight. He tells these well-known tales of Oedipus, Medea, Hercules, Jason and the Argo, etc but he infuses them with such humor and cheek. It reminds me of Gaiman's Norse Mythology.

      “You see?' said Prometheus. 'It is your fate to be Heracles the hero, burdened with labours, yet it is also your choice. You choose to submit to it. Such is the paradox of living. We willingly accept that we have no will."
    • 5/5
      Like Mythos, Stephen Fry's prior book of retellings of Greek myths, Heroes is simply a joy to read. Familiar myths unfold on the page like live performances, with Fry as a chuckling master of ceremonies, having a better time than anyone. Fry makes his mythological characters alive, flawed, and infused with warmth and wit. Gods, demigods, heroes, royals, and supporting characters cavort about capriciously, and readers will be forgiven for not keeping them all straight.

      Heroic quests are more than a bit iffy, with a fair amount of dumb luck mixed in with the heroes' gallantry and skill.

      As in Mythos, Fry treats the reader to a feast of sumptuous and sometimes naughty footnotes with asides, jokes, linguistic lessons (e.g., to be catasterized means to be made a constellation) and much-needed hints about tricky pronunciations. I became reacquainted with these ancient tales and mythical beings with almost the wonder of first meeting them in childhood. I can't be the only reader hoping that Fry continues to reimagine ancient tales.

      I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley and was encouraged to submit an honest review.

    Book preview

    Heroes - Stephen Fry

    TO ALL THE HEROES WE HAVE NEVER HEARD OF.

    PERHAPS YOU ARE ONE.

    Text copyright © 2018 by Stephen Fry.

    Images copyright © 2018 by the individual licensors.

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

    First published in the United States of America in 2020 by Chronicle Books.

    Originally published in the United Kingdom in 2018 by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Books.

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

    Names: Fry, Stephen, 1957- author.

    Title: Heroes : the Greek myths reimagined / by Stephen Fry.

    Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, 2020. | Series: Mythos ; volume 2 | Includes index. | Summary: In this sequel to the bestselling Mythos, the legendary Stephen Fry retells Greek myths with pathos and humor. Throughout are beautiful illustrations inspired by the the myths--Provided by publisher.

    Identifiers: LCCN 2019032221 | ISBN 9781797204550 (epub, mobi) ISBN 9781797201863 (hardback)

    Subjects: LCSH: Mythology, Greek. | Legends--Greece. | Greece--Folklore.

    Classification: LCC BL783 .F77 2020 | DDC 398.20938--dc23

    LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019032221

    Design by Maggie Edelman.

    Cover illustration by Karolina Schnoor.

    Chronicle books and gifts are available at special quantity discounts to corporations, professional associations, literacy programs, and other organizations. For details and discount information, please contact our premiums department at [email protected] or at 1-800-759-0190.

    Chronicle Books LLC

    680 Second Street

    San Francisco, California 94107

    www.chroniclebooks.com

    CONTENTS

    11 FOREWORD

    14 THE OLYMPIANS

    16 INTRODUCTION

    20 Hera’s Dream

    21 PERSEUS

    22 The Shower of Gold

    24 The Wooden Chest

    30 The Two Strangers in the Oak Grove

    35 The Graeae

    38 Gorgon Island

    40 Andromeda and Cassiopeia

    46 The Return to Seriphos

    51 HERACLES

    52 The Line of Perseus

    57 Snakes Alive

    60 Youth and Upbringing of a Hero

    62 Crime and Punishment

    64 The Labors of Heracles

    64 1. The Nemean Lion

    66 2. The Lernaean Hydra

    68 3. The Ceryneian Hind

    69 4. The Erymanthian Boar

    72 5. The Augean Stables

    73 6. The Stymphalian Birds

    74 7. The Cretan Bull

    75 8. The Mares of Diomedes (incorporating the Story of Alcestis and Admetus)

    83 9. The Girdle of Hippolyta

    88 10. The Cattle of Geryon

    91 11. The Golden Apples of the Hesperides

    100 12. Cerberus

    106 After the Labors: Crimes and Grudges

    108 The Giants: a Prophecy Fulfilled

    110 The Shirt of Nessus

    114 Apotheosis

    119 BELLEROPHON

    120 The Winged One

    127 Bearing False Witness

    128 In Lycia

    131 Chimerical Reaction

    134 Flying Too High

    139 ORPHEUS

    140 The Power to Soothe the Savage Beast

    141 Orpheus and Eurydice

    143 Orpheus in the Underworld

    150 The Death of Orpheus

    153 JASON

    154 The Ram

    159 Return to Iolcos

    165 The Argo

    169 The Isle of Lemnos

    172 The Dolionians

    173 Hylas Disappears

    179 Harpies

    180 The Clashing Rocks

    185 Deaths, Razor-Sharp Feathers, and the Phrixides

    188 The Eagle King

    190 Three Goddesses

    192 Medea

    193 The Khalkotauroi

    196 The Grove of Ares

    200 Escape from Colchis

    202 The Journey Home

    210 The Magical Death of Pelias

    213 Medea Rises Up

    219 ATALANTA

    220 Born to Be Wild

    221 The Calydonian Boar

    225 The Calydonian Hunt

    231 The Foot Race

    237 OEDIPUS

    238 The Oracle Speaks

    241 Where Three Roads Meet

    242 The Riddle of the Sphinx

    246 Long Live the King

    256 The Aftermyth

    261 THESEUS

    262 The Chosen One

    263 Under the Rock

    267 The Labors of Theseus

    267 1. Periphetes

    268 2. Sinis

    270 3. The Crommyonian Sow

    271 4. Sciron

    272 5. Cercyon and the Birth of Wrestling

    274 6. Procrustes, the Stretcher

    277 The Wicked Stepmother

    281 The Marathonian Bull

    283 The Queen of Poisons

    285 The Story of the Tribute

    286 The Bull from the Sea

    291 To Crete

    292 The Dungeons of Knossos

    297 The Bull Man

    302 Abandonment and Flight

    305 Father and Son

    309 Theseus, the King

    320 ENVOI

    321 THE OFFSPRING OF ECHIDNA AND TYPHON

    322 THE RAGES OF HERACLES

    323 AFTERWORD

    326 LIST OF CHARACTERS

    326 Olympian Gods

    328 Primordial Beings

    333 Monsters

    336 Mortals

    355 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    356 PICTURE CREDITS

    359 INDEX

    369 About the Author

    FOREWORD

    Heroes can be regarded as a continuation to my book Mythos, which told the story of the beginning of everything, the birth of the Titans and gods and the creation of mankind. You don’t need to have read Mythos to follow—and I hope enjoy—this book, but plenty of footnotes will point you, by paperback page number, to stories, characters, and mythical events that were covered in Mythos and which can be encountered there in fuller detail. Some people find footnotes a distraction, but I have been told that plenty of readers enjoyed them last time round, so I hope you will navigate them with pleasure as and when the mood takes you.

    I know how off-putting for some Greek names can be—all those Ys, Ks, and PHs. Where possible I have suggested the easiest way for our English- speaking mouths to form them. Modern Greeks will be astonished by what we do to their wonderful names, and German, French, American, and other readers—who have their own ways with Ancient Greek—will wonder at some of my suggestions. But that is all they are, suggestions . . . whether you like to say Eddipus or Eedipus, Epidaurus or Ebeethavros, Philoctetes or Philocteetees, the characters and stories remain the same.

    Stephen Fry

    THE OLYMPIANS

    *Hades is not technically an Olympian, as he spent all of his time in the underworld.

    INTRODUCTION

    ZEUS sits on his throne. He rules the sky and the world. His sister-wife HERA rules him. Duties and domains in the mortal sphere are parceled out to his family, the other ten Olympian gods. In the early days of gods and men, the divine trod the earth with mortals, befriended them, ravished them, coupled with them, punished them, tormented them, transformed them into flowers, trees, birds, and bugs, and in all ways interacted, intersected, intertwined, interbred, interpenetrated, and interfered with us. But over time, as age has succeeded age and humankind has grown and prospered, the intensity of these interrelations has slowly diminished.

    In the age we have entered now, the gods are still very much around, favoring, disfavoring, directing, and disturbing, but PROMETHEUS’S gift of fire has given humankind the ability to run its own affairs, build up its distinct city-states, kingdoms, and dynasties. The fire is real and hot in the world and has given mankind the power to smelt, forge, fabricate, and make, but it is an inner fire too; thanks to Prometheus we are now endowed with the divine spark, the creative fire, the consciousness that once belonged only to gods.

    The Golden Age has become an Age of Heroes—men and women who grasp their destinies, use their human qualities of courage, cunning, ambition, speed, and strength to perform astonishing deeds, vanquish terrible monsters, and establish great cultures and lineages that change the world. The divine fire stolen from heaven by their champion Prometheus burns within them. They fear, respect, and worship their parental gods, but somewhere inside they know they are a match for them. Humanity has entered its teenage years.

    Prometheus himself—the Titan who made us, befriended us, and championed us—continues to endure his terrible punishment: shackled to the side of a mountain he is visited each day by a bird of prey that soars down out of the sun to tear open his side, pull out his liver, and eat it before his very eyes. Since he is immortal, the liver regenerates overnight, only for the torment to repeat the next day. And the next.

    Prometheus, whose name means Forethought, has prophesized that now that fire is in the world of man, the days of the gods are numbered. Zeus’s rage at his friend’s disobedience derives as much from a deep-buried but persistent fear that man will outgrow the gods as from his deep sense of hurt and betrayal.

    Prometheus has also seen that the time will come when he will be released. A mortal human hero will arrive at the mountain, shatter his manacles, and set the Titan free. Together they will save the Olympians.

    But why should the gods need saving?

    The Olympians, triumphant on Mount Olympus.

    For hundreds of generations a deep resentment has smoldered beneath the earth. When KRONOS the Titan castrated his father, the primordial sky god OURANOS, and hurled his genitals across Greece, a race of giants sprang from where the drops of blood and seed fell. These chthonic beings, these creatures sprung from the earth, believe that the time will come when they can wrest power from the arrogant upstart children of Kronos, the Olympian gods. The giants await the day when they can rise up to conquer Olympus and begin their own rule.

    Prometheus squints into the sun and awaits his moment too.

    Mankind, meanwhile, gets on with the mortal business of striving, toiling, living, loving, and dying in a world still populated with more or less benevolent nymphs, fauns, satyrs, and other spirits of the seas, rivers, mountains, meadows, forests, and fields, but bristling too with its share of serpents and dragons— many of them the descendants of the primordial GAIA, the earth goddess, and TARTARUS, god of the depths beneath the earth. Their offspring, the monstrous ECHIDNA and TYPHON, have spawned a multitude of venomous and mutant creatures that ravage the countryside and oceans that humans are trying to tame.

    To survive in such a world, mortals have felt the need to supplicate and submit themselves to the gods, to sacrifice to them and flatter them with praise and prayer. But some men and women are beginning to rely on their own resources of fortitude and wit. These are the men and women who—either with or without the help of the gods—will dare to make the world safe for humans to flourish. These are the heroes.

    HERA’S DREAM

    Breakfast on Mount Olympus. Zeus sits at one end of a long stone table, sipping his nectar and considering the day ahead. One by one the other Olympian gods and goddesses drift in to take their seats. At last Hera enters and takes her place at the opposite end from her husband. Her face is flushed, her hair discomposed. Zeus glances up in some surprise.

    In all the years I have known you, you have never once been late for breakfast. Not once.

    Prometheus continues to endure his terrible punishment.

    No, indeed, says Hera. Accept my apologies, but I slept badly and feel unsettled. I had a disturbing dream last night. Most disturbing. Would you like to hear it?

    Absolutely, lies Zeus, who has, in common with us all, a horror of hearing the details of anyone else’s dreams.

    I dreamt that we were under attack, Hera says. Here on Olympus. The giants rose up, climbed the mountain, and they assaulted us.

    My, my . . .

    "But it was serious, Zeus. The whole race of them streamed up and attacked us. And your thunderbolts glanced as harmlessly off them as if they were pine needles. The giants’ leader, the largest and strongest, came for me personally and tried to . . . to . . . impose himself."

    Dear me, how very upsetting, he says. But it was after all only a dream.

    "Was it though? Was it? It was all so clear. It had more the feeling of a vision. A prophecy, perhaps. I have had them before. You know I have."

    This was true. Hera’s role as goddess of matrimony, family, decorum, and good order made it easy to forget that she was also powerfully endowed with insight.

    How did it all end?

    Strangely. We were saved by your friend Prometheus and . . .

    "He is not my friend," snaps Zeus. Any mention of Prometheus is barred on Olympus. To Zeus the sound of his once dear friend’s name is like lemon juice on a cut.

    If you say so, my dear, I am merely telling you what I dreamed, what I saw. You know, the strange thing is that Prometheus had with him a mortal man. And it was this human that pulled the giant off me, threw him down from Olympus, and saved us all.

    A man, you say?

    Yes. A human. A mortal hero. And in my dream it was clear to me, I am not sure how or why, but it was clear, so clear, that this man was descended from the line of Perseus.

    Perseus, you say?

    Perseus. There could be no doubt about it. The nectar is at your elbow, my dear . . .

    Zeus passes the jar down the table. Perseus.

    There’s a name he hasn’t heard for a while.

    Perseus . . .

    PERSEUS

    THE SHOWER OF GOLD

    ACRISIUS, ruler of Argos,¹ having produced no male heir to his kingdom, sought advice from the oracle at Delphi as to how and when he might expect one. The priestess’s reply was disturbing:

    King Acrisius will have no sons, but his grandson will kill him.

    Acrisius loved his daughter and only child DANAË,² but he loved life more. It was clear from the oracle that he should do everything in his power to prevent any male of breeding age from getting close to her. To this end he ordered the construction of a bronze chamber beneath the palace. Locked up in this gleaming, impregnable prison, Danaë was given as many creature comforts and as much feminine company as she asked for. After all, Acrisius told himself, he was not flint-hearted.³

    He had sealed the bronze chamber against all invaders, but he had reckoned without the lusts of the all-seeing, all-cunning Zeus, whose eye had fallen on Danaë, who was even now considering how he might penetrate this sealed chamber and take his pleasure. He liked a challenge. In his long, amorous career the King of the Gods had transformed himself into all kinds of exotic entities in his pursuit of desirable females and, from time to time, males. It was clear to him that to conquer Danaë he had to come up with something better than the usual bulls, bears, boars, stallions, eagles, stags, and lions. Something a little more outré was required . . .

    A shower of golden rain streamed down through the narrow slit of the skylight one night, poured itself into Danaë’s lap, and penetrated her.⁴ It may have been an unorthodox form of coition, but Danaë became pregnant, and in due time, with the help of her loyal female attendants, she gave birth to a healthy mortal boy, whom she named PERSEUS.

    Along with the mortal healthiness of Perseus came a pair of very serviceable lungs, and try as they might neither Danaë nor her aides could stifle the wails and cries of the baby which made their way through the bronze walls of her prison all the way to the ears of her father two floors above.

    The shower of gold.

    His rage when confronted with the sight of his grandson was terrible to behold.

    Who dared break into your chamber? Tell me his name and I shall have him gelded, tortured, and strangled with his own intestines.

    Father, I believe it was the King of Heaven himself who came to me.

    You are telling me—will someone please shut that baby up!—that it was Zeus?

    Father, I cannot lie; it was.

    A likely story. It was the brother of one of these damned maidservants of yours, wasn’t it?

    No, father, it was as I said. Zeus.

    If that brat doesn’t stop screaming I’ll smother him with this cushion.

    He’s just hungry, said Danaë, putting Perseus to her breast.

    Acrisius thought furiously. His threat with the cushion notwithstanding, he knew that there could be no greater crime than a blood killing. The murder of one’s kin would provoke the Furies to rise up from the underworld and pursue him to the ends of the earth, scourging him with their iron whips until the very skin was flayed from his body. They wouldn’t leave off until he was raving mad. Yet the oracle’s prophecy meant that he could not suffer this grandson to live. Perhaps . . .

    The next night, out of sight of gossiping townspeople, Acrisius had Danaë and the infant Perseus shut up in a wooden chest. His soldiers nailed down the lid and hurled the chest over the cliffs and into the sea.

    There, said Acrisius, dusting off his hands as if to clear himself of all responsibility. If they perish, as perish they surely will, none can say that I was the direct cause. It will be the fault of the sea, the rocks, and the sharks. It will be the fault of the gods. Nothing to do with me.

    With these weasel words of comfort, King Acrisius watched the chest bob out of sight.

    THE WOODEN CHEST

    Tossed in the wild waves of the sea, the wooden box bounced and buffeted its way from island to island and coast to coast, neither breaking up on the rocks nor beaching safely on the soft sands.

    Inside the darkness of the chest, Danaë suckled her child and waited for the end to come. On the second day of their heaving, pitching voyage she felt a great lurch and then a terrible bang. After a few moments of stillness she heard the lid of the box creak and shift. All at once daylight poured in, accompanied by a strong smell of fish and the cry of gulls.

    Danaë and Perseus, rescued from the wooden box.

    Well, well, said a friendly voice. Here’s a catch!

    They had been caught in a fisherman’s nets. The owner of the voice extended a strong hand to help Danaë out of the chest.

    Don’t be frightened, he said, though in truth he was the one who felt fear. What could all this portend? "My name is Dictys⁵ and these are my crewmen. We mean you no harm. The other fishermen crowded around smiling shyly, but Dictys pushed them away. Let the lady breathe. Can’t you see she’s worn out? Some bread and wine."

    Two days later they landed on Dictys’s home island of Seriphos. He took Danaë and Perseus to his small cottage behind the dunes.

    My wife died giving birth to a boy, so perhaps Poseidon has sent you to take their place—not that I mean . . . he added in hasty confusion, I would not, of course, expect . . . I make no demands on you as a . . .

    Danaë laughed. The atmosphere of unaffected kindness and simplicity was just what she needed for rearing her child. Guileless amiability had been in short supply in her life. You are too kind, she said. We accept your offer, don’t we, Perseus?

    Yes, mother, whatever you say.

    No, this is not the Miracle of the Talking Baby. Seventeen years have now passed on Seriphos. Perseus has grown into a fine, strong young man. He is, thanks to his adopted father Dictys, a confident and skilled fisherman. Standing in a boat in swelling seas he can spear a darting swordfish, and he can flick up a trout from the fast waters of a stream with his fingers. He runs faster, throws further, and jumps higher than any other young man on Seriphos. He wrestles, he rides wild asses, he can milk a cow and tame a bull. He is impulsive, perhaps a little boastful sometimes, but his mother Danaë is right to be proud of him and to believe him the best and bravest boy on the island.

    The plainness of Dictys’s home seemed all the more remarkable to Danaë when she discovered that this humble fisherman was the brother of Seriphos’s king, Polydectes. The island’s ruler was everything that Dictys was not: proud, cruel, dishonest, greedy, lascivious, extravagant, and demanding. At first he had paid no particular attention to Dictys’s houseguest. Over the last few years, however, his black heart had become more and more troubled with feelings of attraction for the beautiful mother of that boy, that impertinent boy.

    Perseus had an instinctive way of interposing himself between his mother and the king that was most aggravating. Polydectes was in the habit of calling round when he knew that his brother would be out, but every time he did the pestilential Perseus would be there:

    Mum, mum, have you seen my running sandals?

    Mum, mum! Come out to the rock pool and time me while I hold my breath underwater.

    It was too irritating.

    At last Polydectes hit on a way of sending Perseus far away. He would exploit the youth’s vanity, pride, and bluster.

    Messages were sent to all the young men of the island inviting them to the palace for a feast to celebrate Polydectes’s resolution to seek the hand in marriage of HIPPODAMIA, daughter of King OENOMAUS of Pisa.⁶ This was a bold and surprising move. Just as the oracle had prophesized that King Acrisius of Argos would be killed by a grandson, so it had told Oenomaus that he would be killed by a son-in-law. To prevent his daughter ever marrying, the king challenged every applicant for her hand to a chariot race, the loser to forfeit his life. Oenomaus was the finest charioteer in the land: so far, the heads of more than a dozen hopeful young men adorned the wooden stakes that fenced the racing field. Hippodamia was very beautiful, Pisa was very rich, and the suitors kept coming.

    Danaë was delighted to hear that Polydectes had thrown his hat into the ring. She had long felt uncomfortable in his presence and the surprising news that his heart was elsewhere came as a great relief. How gracious of him to invite her son to a feast and show that there were no hard feelings.

    It is an honor to be invited, she told Perseus. Don’t forget to thank him politely. Don’t drink too much and try not to talk with your mouth full.

    Polydectes sat young Perseus in the seat of honor to his right, filling and refilling his cup with strong wine. He played the young man just as Perseus himself would have played a fish.

    Yes, this chariot race will certainly be a challenge, he said. But the best families of Seriphos have each promised me a horse for my team. May I look to you and your mother to . . .?

    Perseus flushed. His poverty had always been a source of mortification. The young men with whom he played at sports, wrestled, hunted, and chased girls all had servants and stables. He still lived in a stone fisherman’s cottage behind the dunes. His friend Pyrrho had a slave to fan him in his bed when the nights were warm. Perseus slept out on the sand and was more likely to be awoken by a nip from a crab than by a serving girl with a cup of fresh milk.

    I don’t really have a horse as such, said Perseus.

    A horse as such? I’m not sure I know what ‘a horse as such’ might be.

    I don’t really own anything much more than the clothes I wear. Oh, I do have a collection of sea shells that I’ve been told might be quite valuable one day.

    Oh dear. Oh dear. I quite understand. Of course I do. Polydectes’s sympathetic smile cut Perseus deeper than any sneer. It was too much to expect you to help me.

    But I want to help you! Perseus said, a little too loudly. Anything I can do for you I will. Name it.

    Really? Well, there is one thing but . . .

    What?

    No, no, it’s too much to ask.

    Tell me what it is . . .

    I’ve always hoped that one day someone would bring me . . . but I can’t ask you, you’re just a boy.

    Perseus banged the table. Bring you what? Say the word. I’m strong. I’m brave. I’m resourceful, I’m . . .

    . . . just a little bit drunk.

    I know what I’m saying . . . Perseus rose unsteadily to his feet and said in a voice everyone in the hall could hear, Tell me what you want brought to you my king and I will bring it. Name it.

    Well, said Polydectes with a rueful shrug of defeat, as one forced into a corner. Since our young hero insists, there is one thing I’ve always wanted. Could you bring me the head of Medusa, I wonder?

    No problem, said Perseus. The head of Medusa? It’s yours.

    Really? You mean that?

    I swear it by the beard of Zeus.

    A little while later Perseus stumbled home across the sands to find his mother waiting up for him.

    You’re late, darling.

    Mum, what’s a ‘Medusa’?

    Perseus, have you been drinking?

    Maybe. Just a cup or two.

    A hiccup or two, by the sound of it.

    No, but seriously, what’s a Medusa?

    Why do you want to know?

    I heard the name and wondered, that’s all.

    If you’ll stop pacing around like a caged lion and sit down, I’ll tell you, said Danaë. Medusa, so they say, was a beautiful young woman who was taken and ravished by the sea god Poseidon.⁷

    Ravished?

    Unfortunately for her this took place on the floor of a temple sacred to the goddess Athena. She was so angry at the sacrilege that she punished Medusa.

    She didn’t punish Poseidon?

    The gods don’t punish each other, at least not very often. They punish us.

    And how did Athena punish Medusa?

    She transformed her into a Gorgon.

    Blimey, said Perseus, and what’s a ‘Gorgon’?

    A Gorgon is . . . Well, a Gorgon is a dreadful creature with boar’s tusks instead of teeth, razor sharp claws of brass, and venomous snakes for hair.

    Get away!

    That’s the story.

    And what does ‘ravished’ mean, exactly?

    Behave yourself, said Danaë, slapping his arm. There are only two others like her in the world, Stheno and Euryale, but they were born as Gorgons. They are immortal daughters of the ancient divinities of the sea, Phorcys and Ceto.

    Is this Medusa immortal as well?

    I don’t think so. She was once human, you see . . .

    Right . . . and if . . . say, for example . . . someone was to go hunting for her?

    Danaë laughed. They’d be a fool. The three of them live together on an island somewhere. Medusa has one special weapon worse even than her serpent hair, her tusks, and her talons.

    What would that be?

    One glance from her will turn you to stone.

    What do you mean?

    I mean that if you were to meet her eyes for just one second you would be petrified.

    Scared?

    No, petrified means turned into stone. You’d be frozen for all eternity. Like a statue.

    Perseus scratched his chin. "Oh. So that’s Medusa? I’d rather hoped she might turn out to be some sort of giant chicken, or a pig maybe."

    Why do you want to know?

    Well, I sort of promised Polydectes that I’d bring him her head.

    "You what?"

    He wanted a horse, you see, and somehow this Medusa came up and I found myself saying I’d bring him her head . . .

    You will go round to the palace first thing tomorrow morning and tell him that you will do no such thing.

    But . . .

    No buts. I absolutely forbid it. What was he thinking of? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Now, you go and sleep off that wine. In future you’ll have no more than two cups in an evening, is that understood?

    Yes, mum.

    Perseus sloped off to bed as commanded, but he awoke in a mutinous mood.

    "I will leave the island and I will search for this Medusa, he declared over breakfast and nothing Danaë said to him would make him change his mind. I made a promise in front of others. It’s a matter of honor. I am of an age to travel. To have adventures. You know how swift and strong I am. How cunning and resourceful. There’s nothing to be afraid of."

    You speak to him, Dictys, said Danaë, despairing.

    Dictys and Perseus walked along the beach for most of the morning. Danaë was not pleased when they returned.

    It’s like he says, Danaë. He’s old enough to make his own decisions. He’ll never find Medusa, of course. If she even exists. Let him go to the mainland and try out life for a while. He’ll be back before long. He’s well able to look after himself.

    The farewell between mother and son was all tears and distress on the one side and hand-patting and reassurance on the other.

    I’ll be fine, mother. Ever seen anyone who can run faster? What harm can come to me?

    I’ll never forgive Polydectes, never.

    That at least, thought Dictys, was something.

    He took Perseus by boat to the mainland. Don’t trust anyone who offers you anything for free, he warned. There’ll be plenty who’ll want to befriend you. They might be trustworthy, they might not. Don’t gaze around you as if it’s the first time you’ve ever seen a busy port or a city. Look bored and confident. As if you know your way around. And don’t be afraid to seek guidance from the oracles.

    How much of this excellent advice Perseus was likely to heed, Dictys could not tell. He was fond of the boy, and even fonder of his mother, and it grieved him to be complicit in so foolhardy an adventure. But, as he had told Danaë, Perseus was set on it and if they parted with hot words his absence would be all the harder to bear.

    When they arrived on the mainland Perseus thought that Dictys’s fishing boat looked very small and shabby beside the great ships moored at the harbor. The man he had called father since he had been able to speak suddenly looked very small and shabby too. Perseus embraced him with fierce affection and accepted the silver coins slipped into his palm. He promised to try and send word to the island as soon as he had any news worth imparting and was patient enough to stand on the quayside and wave Dictys and his little boat goodbye, even though he was desperate to get going and explore the strange new world of mainland Greece.

    THE TWO STRANGERS IN THE OAK GROVE

    Perseus was confounded and confused by the cosmopolitan clamor of the mainland. No one seemed to care who he was, unless it was to try and con him out of his few pieces of silver. It did not take him very long to realize that Dictys was right: if he was going to return to Polydectes with the head of Medusa he would need guidance. The oracle of Apollo at Delphi was a long way to walk, but at least it was free to all.⁸ He joined the long queue of petitioners and after two long days found himself at last standing before the priestess.⁹

    What does Perseus wish to know?

    Perseus gave a little gasp. She knew who he was!

    I, well, I . . . I want to know how I can find and kill Medusa, the Gorgon.

    Perseus must travel to a land where people subsist not on Demeter’s golden corn but on the fruit of the oak tree.

    He stayed there hoping for further information, but not a word more was forthcoming. A priest pulled him away.

    Come along, come along, the Pythia has spoken. You’re holding up the others.

    I don’t suppose you know what she meant?

    I’ve got better things to do than listen to every pronouncement that comes from her mouth. You can be sure that it was wise and truthful.

    But where do people subsist on the fruit of the oak?

    Fruit of the oak? There’s no such thing. Now please, move along.

    I know what she meant, said an old lady, who was one of the many regulars who came daily to sit on the grass and watch the line of supplicants shuffling along to hear their fortune. It was her way of telling you to visit the oracle at Dodona.

    Another oracle? Perseus’s heart sank.

    The people there make flour from acorns that drop from oaks sacred to Zeus. I’ve heard tell the trees can speak. Dodona is a long way north, my love, she wheezed. A very long way!

    A long way it was. His small supply of coins had gone and Perseus slept under hedgerows and subsisted on little more than wild figs and nuts as he traveled north. He must have presented a forlorn figure by the time he arrived, for the women of Dodona were kind. They ruffled his hair and served him delicious acorn-flour bread spread thick with sharp goats’ curd and sweetened with honey.

    Go early in the morning, they advised. The oaks are more talkative in the cool hours before the noontide sun.

    A mist hung over the countryside like a veil when Perseus set out for the grove at dawn the next day.

    Er, hello? he called out to the trees, feeling remarkably stupid. The oaks were tall, stately, and impressive enough, but they did not have mouths or faces with recognizable expressions.

    Who calls?

    Perseus started. Unquestionably a voice. Calm, soft, female, but strong and deeply authoritative.

    Here to help.

    Another voice! This one seemed to contain a hint of scorn.

    My name is Perseus. I have come . . .

    Oh, we know who you are, said a young man stepping forward from the shadows.

    He was young, startlingly handsome, and most unusually dressed. Aside from the loincloth around his waist, a narrow-brimmed hat that circled his brow, and winged sandals at his ankles, he was quite naked.¹⁰ Perseus noticed that two live snakes writhed about the staff that he was carrying.

    A woman holding a shield emerged behind him. She was tall, grave, and beautiful. When she raised her shining grey eyes to his, Perseus felt an extraordinary surge of something he could not quite define. He decided the quality was majesty and bowed his head accordingly.

    Don’t be afraid, Perseus, she said. Your father has sent us to help you.

    "My father?"

    He’s our father too, said the young man. The Cloud Gatherer and Bringer of Storms.

    The Sky Father and King of Heaven, said the shining woman.

    Z-Z-Zeus?

    The same.

    You mean it’s really true, then? Zeus is my father? Perseus had never believed his mother’s wild story about Zeus coming to her as a shower of golden rain. He had taken it for granted that his real father was some itinerant musician or tinker whose name she had never discovered.

    Quite true, brother Perseus, said the tall woman.

    Brother?

    I am Athena, daughter of Zeus and Metis.

    Hermes, son of Zeus and Maia, said the young man, bowing.

    It was a lot for a youth of sheltered upbringing to take in. The two Olympians now told him that Zeus had been keeping an eye on him since his birth. He had guided the wooden chest into the net of Dictys. He had watched Perseus grow up into young manhood. He had seen him rise to Polydectes’s challenge. He admired his boldness and had sent his two favorite children to assist their half-brother in his quest for the head of Medusa.

    You’re going to help me? said Perseus. This was so much more than he could have hoped for.

    We can’t slay the Gorgon for you, said Hermes, but we can help tilt the odds a little in your favor. You might find these useful. He looked down and addressed the sandals at his feet. To my brother Perseus, he commanded. The sandals unwrapped themselves from the god’s ankles and flew to Perseus. Take your own off, first.

    Perseus did so and at once the sandals attached themselves to his feet.

    You’ll have plenty of time to get used to them, said Athena, watching in some amusement as Perseus leapt in the air like a dancer.

    You’re confusing them, said Hermes. You don’t have to flap your feet to fly. Just think.

    Perseus closed his eyes and strained.

    Not like you’re taking a crap. Just picture yourself in the air. That’s it! You’ve got it now.

    Perseus opened his eyes to discover that he had risen up into the air. He dropped down again with a jarring bump.

    Practice. That’s the key. Now here is a hood from our uncle HADES. Wear this and no one will be able to see you.

    Perseus took the hood in his hands.

    I have something for you too, said Athena.

    Oh, said Perseus, putting the hood down and taking the object she was offering to him. A satchel?

    You might find it useful.

    After flying sandals and a cap of invisibility, a plain brown leather satchel seemed something of a disappointment, but Perseus tried not to show it. That’s very kind of you, I’m sure it will come in useful.

    It will, said Athena, but I have more for you. Take this . . . She passed him a short-bladed weapon, curved like a scythe.

    Be very careful, the blade is very sharp.

    You’re not wrong! said Perseus, sucking blood from his thumb.

    "It is called a harpe and can cut through anything."

    It is forged from adamantine, Hermes added. A perfect replica of the great sickle Gaia made for Kronos.

    And this shield is like no other, said Athena. Its name is AEGIS. You must make sure its surface is always kept to a mirror shine like this.

    Perseus shaded his eyes from the flashing light of the rising sun that was reflecting from the polished bronze.

    Is the idea to dazzle Medusa with its glare?

    You must work out for yourself how best to use it, but believe me, without this shield you will surely fail.

    And die, said Hermes. Which would be a pity.

    Perseus could hardly contain his excitement. The wings at his heels fluttered and he found himself rising up. He made some swishes with the harpe.

    This is all just amazing. So what do I do next?

    There are limits to how much we can help. If you’re to be a hero you must make your own moves and take your own—

    I’m a hero?

    You can be.

    Hermes and Athena were so fine. They shone. Everything they did was

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