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| Perseus and Andromeda |
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| by Padraic Colum |
In Ethiopia, which is at the other side of Libya, there ruled a king whose name was Cepheus. The king had permitted his queen to boast that she was more beautiful than the nymphs of the sea. In punishment for the queen's ipiety and for the king's folly, Poseidon sent a monster out of the sea to waste that country. Every year the monster came, destryoing more and more of the country of Ethiopia. Then the king asked of an oracle what he should do to save his land and people. The oracle spoke of a dreadful thing that he would have to do-he would have to sacrifice his daughter, the beautiful Princess Andromeda.
The king was forced by his savage people to take the maiden Andromeda and chain her to a rock on the seashore, leaving her there for the monster to devour her, satisfying himself with that prey.
Perseus, flying near, heard the maiden's laments. He saw her lovely body bound with chains to the rock. He came near her, taking the cap of darkness off his head. She saw him, and she bent her head in shame, for she thought that he would think that it was for some dreadful fault of her own that she had been left chained in that place.
Her father had stayed near. Perseus saw him, and called to him, and bade him tell why the maiden was chained to the rock. The king told Perseus of the sacrifice that he had been forced to make. Then Perseus came near the maiden, and he saw how she looked at him with pleading eyes.
Then Perseus made her father promise that he would give Andromeda to him for his wife if he should slay the sea monster. Gladly, Cepheus promised this. Then perseus once again drew his sickle-sword; by the rock to which Andromeda was still chained he waited for sight of the sea monster.
It came rolling in from the open sea, a shapeless thing. With the shoes of flight upon his feet Perseus rose above it. The monster saw his shadow upon the water, and savagely it went to attack the shadow. Perseus swooped down as an eagle swoops down; with his sickle-sword he attacked it, and he struck the hook through the monster's shoulder. Terribly, it reared up from the sea. Perseus rose over it, escaping its wide-opened mouth with its treble rows of fangs. Again he swooped and struck at it. Its hide was covered all over with hard scales and with the shells of sea things, but Perseus' sword struck through it. It reared up again, spouting water mixed with blood. On a rock near the rock that Andromeda was chained, Perseus alighted. The monster, seeing him, bellowed and rushed swiftly through the water to everwhelm him. As it reared up he plunged the sword again and again into its body. down into the water the monster sank, and water mixed with blood was spouted up from the depths into which it sank.
Then was Andromeda loosed from her chains. Perseus, the conqueror, lifted up the fainting maiden and carried her back to the king's palace. And Cepheus there renewed his promise to give her in marriage to her deliverer.
Perseus went on his way. He came to the hidden valley where the nymphs had their dwelling place, and he restored to them the three magic treasures they had given him-the cap of darkness, the shoes of flight, and the magic pouch. And these treasures are still there, and the hero who can win his way to the nymphs may have them as Perseus had
them.
Again he returned to the place where he had found Andromeda chained. With face averted he drew forth the Gorgon's head from where he had hidden it between the rocks. He made a bag for it out of the horny skin of the monster he had slain. Then, carrying his tremendous trophy, he went to the palace of King Cepheus to claim his bride. |
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