Danaë and the Birth of Perseus
King Acrisius tries to prevent a prophecy that his grandson will kill him, but Zeus reaches Danaë and Perseus is born.
The Story
Acrisius, king of Argos, received a prophecy that he would one day die through the son of his daughter Danaë.
He attempted to prevent that future.
Danaë was confined so that she could not bear a child.
But Zeus reached her.
A famous tradition describes the god coming to Danaë as a shower of gold.
Danaë became pregnant and gave birth to Perseus.
Acrisius was now confronted with the very child whose birth he had tried to prevent.
He was unwilling to kill Danaë and the infant directly.
Instead, mother and child were placed in a chest and cast into the sea.
They survived.
The chest eventually reached the island of Seriphos, where Danaë and Perseus were taken in.
Perseus grew there into the hero whose adventures would include the killing of Medusa and the rescue of Andromeda.
Acrisius' attempt to escape prophecy had therefore failed before Perseus had even reached adulthood.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
The birth of Perseus establishes the prophecy that frames the hero's life and introduces Danaë and Acrisius as essential figures in the Perseus cycle.
Traditions & Variations
Sources vary over the precise form of Danaë's confinement and several details surrounding Perseus' birth, but the prophecy and Zeus' intervention are central to the tradition.