Meet Perseus: The constellation named after a mythical hero
Constellation—what comes to your mind when you come across this term? A cluster of stars with a defined pattern, right? In fact, as Indians, we know of the Saptarshi Mandal or the Ursa Major constellation, where each of the stars represents one of the Saptarishis or the Seven Sages of the Hindu mythology. But guess what, it isn’t just Hindu mythology that has a close association with constellations. Greek gods and goddesses too are known to have a ‘connect’ with the stars. That is why we have a constellation named Perseus. He is the son of Greek God Zeus.
A quick peek into Perseus, the constellation
Perseus, regarded as one of the largest constellations in the northern sky, is home to 19 stars and the Perseus molecular cloud that is responsible for blocking much of the light in the Milky Way galaxy. It was discovered by ancient astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD.
Naming of Perseus
Back then, the constellation was known as Perseus et Caput Medusae (Perseus and the Head of Medusa). Are you wondering how it got this name? Well, for that, we have to look into the Greek mythology of Perseus, well-known for his striking appearance. If you search for his image on the internet, you will find a man with extremely well-chiselled features holding a diamond sword in the right hand and the decapitated head of Gorgon Medusa in the other. And guess what, the stellar configuration in the northern sky, apparently creates an impression resembling the Greek hero. This is how it got its unique name. Now, that is interesting, isn’t it?
However, later on, in the 19th century, the astronomical community shortened the name to Perseus and thereafter, the International Astronomical Union recognised it as one of the 88 well-recognised constellations. Today, it is famous for radiating the annual meteor shower Perseid, sometime in between mid-July and mid-August.
The myth of Perseus
Those of you, who are acquainted with Greek mythology, might know that Perseus was the son of the God Zeus and a mortal woman named Danae. This makes him a half-god and a half mortal hero, or what is known as demigod. He is well known for slaying Gorgon Medusa, infamous for her winged, snake-like hair. Medusa, according to Greek mythology, had the power to turn onlookers into stone.
Let us now find out why Perseus killed Medusa. Well, it turns out that Danae was not only Zeus’s lover but also the wife of King Polydectes, who resented Perseus. So, in order to get rid of him, Polydectes hatched a clever plan. He sent Perseus to defeat Medusa, who was considered unbeatable.
Upon instructions from his step-father, Perseus set out on an adventure in search of Medusa. Seeing him fail for days at a stretch, God Hermes and Goddess Athena felt pity and advised him to find Graeae, three grey-haired women who shared one eye and one tooth. When Perseus got hold of Graeae, he blackmailed them by grabbing their eye-tooth combo. As a result, Graeae were forced to direct him towards nymphs who further knew about Medusa’s location. Apart from this, Perseus was also equipped with a pair of magical winged sandals, an impenetrable bag called kibisis, Athena’s bronze shield, Hermes’ adamantine sickle and the cap of invisibility belonging to the Greek god of the ‘underworld’ known as Hades.
Once ready, Perseus made himself invisible, and travelled anywhere he wanted. All these, combined together, helped him locate Medusa, who was sleeping near an ocean. With the help of Athena’s shield, Perseus caught Medusa unaware and cut off her head using Hermes’ sickle. In fact, Perseus used Medusa’s head as a mighty weapon in all his future adventures.