Andromeda in Greek Mythology

Andromeda was a Ethiopian princess in Greek mythology. Her father was Cepheus king of Ethiopia. His wife and her mother was Cassiopeia. Queen Cassiopeis boosted that Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids, who were sea goddesses. The Nereids were very angry and asked their father Nereus to send the sea monster Cetus to attack the Ethiopian coasts. To appease the deities, an Oracle directed Cepheus to chain his daughter to the side of a rock on the sea coast as a sacrifice to be the only person to be devoured by the sea monster. Persues, the son of the chief god Zeus and the mortal Dana&#euml;, killed the Gordon Medusa by using the shield of Athene as a mirror to locate the Gordon Medusa by the Medusa's mirror image. Any living being looking at a Medusa will be turn into stone, but the reflection of a Medusa is will not turn the viewer to stone. After locating the Gordon Medusa, Perseus severed her head with his sword. The winged horse Pegasus sprang from Medusa's blood. While flying with Hermes winged shoes on his feet over Ethiopia, Perseus saw Andromeda chained to a rock and the approaching sea monster. Perseus rescued Andromeda by turning the sea monster to stone with the head of Gordon Medusa. After killing the monster, Perseus married Andromeda.

Andromeda was changed into constellation after her death. Andromeda is the only constellation in the northern hemisphere with a spiral nebula visible to the unaided eye.

The nearest major galaxy Andromeda resides within the Andromeda Constellation. This galaxy is 2.5 million light year from Earth. It is the most distant object visible to the unaided eye.

Her parents, her husband, Pegaus, and the sea monster Cetus are neighboring constellations.

Andromeda: Greek Mythology links

Bulfinch's Mythology The Age of Fable Online version of Thomas Bulfinch book first published in 1855.: Table of Content
Chapter XV : The Graeae and Gorgons - Perseus - Medusa - Atlas - Andromeda

The Mythology of the Constellations
index Constellation: Andromeda

Andromeda Home