Mythology Vs Perseus Mythology

The study and telling of Classical Mythology has endured throughout the ages. The many myths of classical Gods and Heroes have been told and retold from generation to generation, not only through word of mouth but also through various written accounts. However, in saying this, it is also quite apparent that these stories have changed various aspects to suit the generation in which the story is told. One major example of this is the myth of Perseus. When comparing ancient myth of Perseus to modern day adaptations, like those of Clash of the Titans, it is clear that many aspects of the myth has transcended through the ages; however, other aspects have been reshaped significantly to conform to the values of the current generation. First of

With that being said, another similarity is that of the sea monster and Andromeda. After angering the gods, Poseidon flooded Andromeda’s kingdom and released a sea monster that could only be stopped if Andromeda herself was sacrificed to the monster. Perseus, however, frees Andromeda and stops the sea monster, killing it using Hermes’ scimitar. The same is true in Clash of the Titans; however, instead of using a scimitar, Perseus defeats the creature by turning it to stone with Medusa’s head. Clearly, there are many similarities between the ancient myth of Perseus as well as its contemporary adaptations like Clash of the

Firstly, in Clash of the Titans, the helper and companion of Perseus is Io. Io has been Perseus’ companion since birth, and after her death during the pursuit of Medusa, is brought back to Perseus by Zeus. However, in ancient accounts Io is in fact Perseus’ very distant grandmother has no part in the myth of Perseus. Secondly, the depiction of Perseus’ birth is different in both versions. Clash of the Titans depicts Zeus as a human who has slept with Danaë. Nevertheless, Pindar states that Perseus “we say, was born from the shower of gold”, the form in which Zeus took to impregnate Danaë. Thirdly, a big variation is the events surrounding Danaë and those leading to the search for the Gorgons head. In Clash of the Titans Danaë is killed by her husband Calibos and placed in a trunk with Perseus until found by a fisherman, Spyros. After a conflict with Hades which resulted in the death of Perseus’ family, Perseus arrived at Argos where, in order to save the kingdom and Andromeda from the Kraken sent by the gods, Perseus went in search of the Graeae which led him to Medusa. In ancient texts, Danaë was still alive when discovered by the fisherman Dictys in Seriphos, and his brother the King of Seriphos, Polydectes, fell in love with her. Polydectes was eager to get Perseus out of the way so that Danaë would accept his love, so he sent Perseus to retrieve the Gorgons