Beware Of Greeks by Paul Curtis (english novels for students TXT) 📕

by force if Perseus wasn't there to resist
So he grew more subtle in the pursuit of achieving his desire of her
And so decided on a plan to be rid of Perseus so he could not interfere

Polydectes pretended to be marrying Hippodameia a friend’s daughter
And everybody was required to bring a gift no matter who they were
Polydectes pretended to be furious when Perseus arrived empty-handed
“Why do you dishonor me and my bride in this way”? He demanded

Perseus though very strong and brave was also very poor in his defense
He explained to the king that he had no money and he meant no offence
He pledged to bring the king any gift in the world and he would cede
“Then bring me the head of the gorgon Medusa!" and Perseus agreed

The gorgons were horrible but Perseus set off to kill medusa as he said
Instead of hair the creatures had black serpents that writhed on their head
And they had brazen hands that could have crushed Perseus effortlessly
But worst of all if you looked a gorgon you were turned to stone instantly

For weeks he wandered on his perilous way in search of the gorgon’s lair
One night in an unknown country he was finally overcome by despair
Then suddenly appearing before him goddess of crafts and war Athena
She offered him help on how to find and defeat the gorgon Medusa

Go and seek out the kindly nymphs of the north she told him Firstly
Ask for the Cap of Darkness which renders the wearer total invisibility
Before he left Perseus was given her own mirrored shield by Athena
And the sickle of adamant and winged sandals from Hermes her brother

Seeking out the nymphs was not as simple as he had first thought
Perseus must first visit the Graeae sisters for the location he sought
And to find the graeae he had to go to the world’s western parameter
Find Atlas and ask him to direct him to the sister’s home in the vicinity

He traveled to the west and found Atlas one of the renegade Titans
Who was paying eternally for defying Zeus by holding up the heavens
Perseus politely asked atlas where he could find the three graeae sisters
This atlas duly did by nodding in the direction of the cave dwellers

The Graeae Sisters were strange hags with one eye between the three
Which they were constantly fighting over to have their chance to see
Perseus hid at the mouth of the cave and watched them very carefully
Then he picked his moment and snatched the eye so they couldn’t see

Then Perseus demanded they tell him the northern nymph’s location
If they did not then they would never get their precious eye back again
Eventually the old hags told Perseus what he need to know Reluctantly
He tossed the eye in a corner and on winged sandals flew across the sea

The northern nymphs were called naiads and were actually minor deities
They were mortal creatures who dwelt in pools and ponds in societies
The kindly Nymphs gave him the Cap of Darkness that he was seeking
As well as a special magic pouch to carry Medusa’s severed head in

They told him he must go still farther north to find the gorgons' lair
When Perseus found a large rocky island he would find medusa their
So with the cap of darkness and the magic pouch he set of north again
Where he found an island adorned with statues which used to be men

Before setting down on the island Perseus put on the Cap of Darkness
Then reflected in his shield he saw the gorgons asleep in the bleakness
Perseus then flew down safe in his invisibility to fine medusa prone
And He swung the sickle and felt it tearing through sinew and bone

Still using the shield he put the head in the magic bag without delay
And Before Medusa's sisters attacked him Perseus flew quickly away
On his way home first visited Atlas and because he pitied the titan
Using medusas head he turned him to stone and relieved his burden

As he traveled closer to Seriphos he saw a statue chained to a rock
When he flew down he saw that it was not a statue, but a young woman
Her name was Andromeda and her mother had boasted that her beauty
Was greater than that of the Nereid’s who were the nymphs of the sea

So Andromeda must be sacrificed to appease the god of the sea Poseidon
And a great sea monster would devour her from the rocks she stood upon
Even as she spoke a monster rose from the sea with the force of a cyclone
Perseus took the head from the pouch and the monster turned to stone

He cut her chains and took her to her father, King Cepheus of Phoenicia
Cepheus gladly agreed when Perseus asked for the hand of Andromeda
So once again for Seriphos Perseus set off and in his arms was Andromeda
There was one last stop so Perseus could compete in the games at Larisa

But when he threw a discus it hit an old man in the stands called Acrisius
So the prophecy came true he was killed by his daughter’s son Perseus
And after mourning briefly Perseus and Andromeda’s last journey began
When they arrived the first person they met was Dictys the fisherman

Dictys told them how the king hadn’t married and of his mothers burden
But Danae wouldn't marry him so he forced her to be his handmaiden
Perseus was furious leaving Andromeda with Dictys he went to the palace
After alerting his friends he showed Polydectes and his court Medusa’s face

When Polydectes and his supporters had been turned to stone forever
As rulers Perseus and Andromeda lived happily for many years together
And their descendants became great kings down through the generations
After death Perseus and Andromeda were put in the sky as constellations

THE NINE MUSES OF THE ARTS – EUTERPE (MUSE OF LYRICAL POETRY)

The nine muses
Daughters of Zeus
Inspiring of mortals
And nurturers of the arts
The fourth was,
The divine Euterpe,
Rejoicing well,
Was firstly the muse of music
Then of Lyrical poetry
A double flute in her hand
Euterpe the Giver of delight


HERO’S OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY - JASON

Jason was born as the son of the rightful king of Iolcus
But his lawful throne was then usurped by his uncle Pelias
Pelias lived in constant fear of losing what he had taken
He kept his father imprisoned and planned to murder Jason

Jason's mother Polymede mourned as if her son had died
And Pelias was deceived and never knew she had lied
Jason was taken to the wilderness and raised by a centaur
Chiron the Centaur tutored him in the arts hunting and lore

When he came of age he set out to claim the throne of Iolcus
Not realizing he had a powerful ally on Mount Olympus
Hera, wife of Zeus nursed a rage against Pelias the usurper
Rashly he’d honored all the god’s except heavens queen Hera

Hera contrived a raging torrent to test the mettle of Jason
And beside the river’s bank sat a poor withered old woman
Would Jason ignore the old woman and cross over the river
Or would he take pity and offer to pick her up and ferry her

Without hesitation he put her on his back and entered the water
Halfway he staggered under the unexpected weight of Hera
Losing a sandal in the fast current was part of Hera’s plan
On the other side his burden was once again an old woman

King Pelias had been warned many years before by an oracle
"Beware Pelias a stranger who wears but a single sandal."
Arriving in Iolcus, Jason asserted his claim to the usurper
But Pelias was not going to give it to a one-shoed stranger

Pelias managed to persuade Jason to undergo a form of test
Seeking out the fabled Golden Fleece was to be Jason’s quest
Word soon went out across the length and breadth of Greece
That adventurer's were needed to search for the Golden Fleece


Pelias thought with the dangers of dragon’s roar and serpents hiss
His nephew Jason would never return from the land of Colchis
Among the many heroes were Heracles and the heroine Atalanta
And an impressive crew was soon assembled for the adventure

Jason chose from the best that Greece had to offer in his view
All that was needed was a magnificent vessel for them to crew
So Jason had a ship constructed by the worthy shipwright Argus
Who called it “Argo” after himself out of vanity more or less

The heavenly Hera enlisted the aid of her fellow goddess Athena
This patroness of crafts provided a prow in the form of a figure
It was crafted from timber hewn from Zeus’s own sacred grove
Giving it magical property to help the seekers of the special trove

And so one bright autumn morning the Argo set out to sea,
Her benches crewed by ranks of the heroic in her company
And it wasn't long before trouble found Jason and his men
Spending two weeks on an island populated only by women

After many weeks at sea the Argonauts again made land fall
It was at Salmydessus that they made their next port of call
The king welcomed them but was in no mood for festivities
Because he had offended the gods he was plagued by miseries

His tormentors had the heads of women with bird’s bodies
The creatures were razor-clawed scourges known as Harpies
These beasts were possessed of reprehensible table manners
Every evening they dropped down to defecate upon his dinners

They hung around the king's repast making such a racket
That had he been able to eat he didn’t have the stomach for it
As a result poor King Phineus just grew thinner by the hour
And the vicious harpies would then return to their tower

Two Argonauts were descended from the north wind directly
And this relationship gave them the power to fly limitlessly
The pair chased the Harpies far away without hesitating
So they would never bother him again while he was dining

In gratitude he informed Jason of a danger just across the seas
On route to the Fleece namely two rocks called Symplegades
These rocks had the disconcerting habit of crashing together
Upon any ship that tried to navigate through the channel there

Phineus warned Jason not to try and pass straight through
But suggested a method which might help Jason and his crew
Something passing between the Rocks would start them crashing
Then the Argo could follow in its wake and safely passing

The gods help was needed so an offering was made to Athena
And when the Argo approached she caused them to crash together
The Argo was able to pass between the rocks relatively safely
They negotiate through the Symplegades with minor damage only

When the clashing rocks were no more than a distant memory
They reached the shores of Colchis after many days at sea
In Colchis they had to face challenges in search of the trove
Before finding where the Golden Fleece hung in the grove

King Aeetes of Colchis was the barbarian kingdom's ruler
And it sat on the far edge of the heroic world’s perimeter
He and