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Perseus
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===Overcoming Medusa=== Medusa and her two immortal older sisters, [[Stheno and Euryale]], were [[Gorgon]]s, monsters with snakes for hair, sharp [[fang]]s and [[claw]]s, [[wing]]s of [[Gold (color)|gold]], and [[Petrifaction in mythology and fiction|gazes that turned people to stone]]. Before setting out on his quest, Perseus [[Prayer|prayed]] to the gods and Zeus answered by sending two of his other children β [[Hermes]] and [[Athena]] β to bless their half-brother with the weapons needed to defeat Medusa. Hermes gave Perseus his own pair of [[Talaria|winged sandals]] to fly with and lent him his [[Harpe|harpe sword]] to slay Medusa with, and [[Hades]]'s [[Cap of invisibility|helm of darkness]] to become invisible with. Athena lent Perseus her polished shield for him to view Medusa's reflection without becoming petrified, and gave him a ''kibisis'', a knapsack to safely contain the Gorgon's head which the goddess warned could still petrify even in death. Lastly, Athena instructed Perseus to seek out the [[Graeae]], the Gorgons' sisters, for the snake-haired women's whereabouts (in other versions, it was the [[Hesperides|Hesperides nymphs]] who gave Perseus the weapons after he sought out the Graeae). Following Athena's guidance, Perseus found the Graeae, who were three old [[swan]]-shaped [[Witchcraft|witches]] sharing a single eye and a single tooth. As the witches passed their eye from one to another, Perseus snatched it from them, holding it for ransom in return for the Gorgons' location. The Graeae informed Perseus that the Gorgons lived on the Island of Sarpedon. Perseus then gave the Graeae their eye back and proceeded to the island. On the Island of Sarpedon, Perseus came across a cave where Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa lay sleeping. Using Athena's reflective shield, Perseus overcame the [[looking taboo]] by looking at her reflection on the shield to guide himself.<ref name = britannica/>He then walked into the cave backwards, safely observing and approaching the sleeping Gorgons. With Athena guiding the sword, Perseus [[Decapitation|beheaded]] Medusa. From Medusa's neck sprang her two children with [[Poseidon]]: the [[winged horse]] [[Pegasus]] ("he who sprang") and the [[Giants (Greek mythology)|giant]] [[Chrysaor]] ("sword of gold"). To avenge their sister's death, Stheno and Euryale flew after Perseus, but he escaped them by wearing Hades's invisibility helm.<ref>[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]], [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+2..4.3&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022:book=:chapter=&highlight=Perseus 2.4.3]</ref> From here he proceeded to visit [[Atlas (mythology)#King of Mauretania|King Atlas]] who had refused him hospitality; in revenge Perseus petrified him with Medusa's head and King Atlas became the [[Atlas Mountains|Atlas mountains]].<ref>{{cite book |first=William |last=Godwin |year=1876 |title=Lives of the Necromancers |page=39 |url=https://archive.org/details/livesnecromance04godwgoog |via=Archive.org}}</ref>
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