# Perseus — Bulfinch’s Mythology character guide

> Perseus in Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the Sea - Monster Perseus

**First appearance:** 0037-xv-the-graeae-or-gray-maids-perseus-medusa-atlas-andromeda

## Snapshot

Son of Jupiter who beheads Medusa, turns Atlas to stone with the Gorgon's gaze, and wins Andromeda from a sea monster.

## Who they are

Perseus moves through the Greek myths as a hero of divine parentage and practical nerve, claiming Jupiter as father and the conquest of the Gorgon as his credentials. Denied rest by the giant Atlas, he answers the refusal with the one weapon no strength can resist, and the mountain that bears the stars rises where a king once stood. His adventures give Bulfinch's Age of Fable its template for the hero's arc: impossible errand, borrowed gifts, and a rescue that turns monster into monument.

## In the story

### [Bulfinch's Mythology](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/bulfinch-s-mythology)

Slayer of Medusa and turner of Atlas to stone.

### [Stories of Gods and Heroes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/stories-of-gods-and-heroes)

Perseus slays Medusa and uses her head to turn Atlas to stone, showcasing his heroic deeds.

### [XV: The Graeae or Gray-Maids—Perseus—Medusa—Atlas—Andromeda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/xv-the-graeae-or-gray-maids-perseus-medusa-atlas-andromeda)

Hero son of Jupiter and Danaë; slays Medusa, turns Atlas to stone, rescues Andromeda, and defeats Phineus.

### [Perseus and Medusa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/perseus-and-medusa)

Protagonist who slays Medusa with divine aid.

### [Perseus and Atlas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/perseus-and-atlas)

The hero who slays Medusa and later turns Atlas to stone using the Gorgon's head.

### [The Sea-Monster](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/the-sea-monster)

Slays the sea-monster to rescue Andromeda, using his wings and sword; demands her hand in marriage as his reward.

### [The Wedding Feast](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/the-wedding-feast)

The hero who defeats Phineus and his followers by using the Gorgon's head to turn them to stone.

### [Monsters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/xvi-monsters)

Mentioned as the slayer of Medusa, from whose blood Pegasus was born.

### [Pegasus and the Chimaera](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/pegasus-and-the-chimaera)

Mentioned as the one who cut off Medusa's head, from whose blood Pegasus was born.

### [Arion—Ibycus—Simonides—Sappho](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/xxv-arion-ibycus-simonides-sappho)

Infant son of Danaë, set adrift in a chest and later rescued, becoming a famous hero.

### [Simonides](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/simonides)

Mentioned as the infant son of Danaë, rescued from the sea and later a famous hero.

### [A](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/a)

Mentioned as the slayer of Medusa and deliverer of Andromeda; his assailants Ampyx and Astyages are turned to stone.

### [D](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/d)

Son of Danaë and Jupiter.

### [P](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/p)

Son of Jupiter and Danaë, slayer of the Gorgon Medusa, deliverer of Andromeda from a sea-monster.

### [T](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/chapters/t)

Mentioned in the entry on Thescelus, a foe turned to stone by the sight of the Gorgon's head.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/characters/perseus
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bulfinch_s_mythology_se/characters