After a long journey, Perseus reached the kingdom of Kepheus, which lay in Ethiopia on the shores of the Ocean. There, on a rock, near the seashore, he saw the beautiful Andromeda, daughter of King Kepheus, chained. She had to atone for the guilt of her mother, Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia angered the sea nymphs. Proud of her beauty, she said that she, Queen Cassiopeia, was the most beautiful of all. The nymphs became angry and begged the god of the seas, Poseidon, to punish Kepheus and Cassiopeia. Poseidon sent, at the request of the nymphs, a monster like a gigantic fish. It emerged from the depths of the sea and devastated the possessions of Kefei. The kingdom of Coffee was filled with crying and groans. He finally turned to the oracle of Zeus Ammon and asked how he could get rid of this misfortune. The Oracle gave this answer:
“Give your daughter Andromeda to be torn to pieces by the monster, and then Poseidon’s punishment will end.”
The people, having learned the answer of the oracle, forced the king to chain Andromeda to a rock by the sea. Pale with horror, Andromeda stood at the foot of the rock in heavy chains; She looked at the sea with inexpressible fear, expecting that a monster would appear and tear her to pieces. Tears rolled from her eyes, horror gripped her at the mere thought that she should die in the bloom of her beautiful youth, full of strength, without having experienced the joys of life. It was Perseus who saw her. He would have taken her for a marvelous statue made of white Parian marble, if the sea wind had not blown her hair and large tears had not fallen from her beautiful eyes. The young hero looks at her with delight, and a powerful feeling of love for Andromeda lights up in his heart. Perseus quickly went down to her and asked her affectionately:
- Oh, tell me, beautiful maiden, whose country this is, tell me your name! Tell me, why are you chained to the rock here?
Andromeda explained whose guilt she had to suffer for. The beautiful maiden does not want the hero to think that she is atoning for her own guilt. Andromeda had not yet finished her story when the depths of the sea began to gurgle, and a monster appeared among the raging waves. It raised its head high with its huge mouth open. Andromeda screamed loudly in horror. Mad with grief, Kepheus and Cassiopeia ran to the shore. They cry bitterly, hugging their daughter. There is no salvation for her!
Then the son of Zeus, Perseus, spoke:
“You will still have a lot of time to shed tears, there will be little time just to save your daughter.” I am the son of Zeus, Perseus, who killed the gorgon Medusa entwined with snakes. Give me your daughter Andromeda as my wife, and I will save her.
Kepheus and Cassiopeia happily agreed. They were ready to do anything to save their daughter. Kepheus even promised him the entire kingdom as a dowry, if only he would save Andromeda. The monster is already close. It quickly approaches the rock, cutting through the waves with its wide chest, like a ship that rushes through the waves, as if on wings, from the strokes of the oars of mighty young rowers. The monster was no further than the flight of an arrow when Perseus flew high into the air. His shadow fell into the sea, and the monster rushed with fury at the hero’s shadow. Perseus boldly rushed from above at the monster and plunged his curved sword deep into his back. Feeling a serious wound, the monster rose high in the waves; it beats in the sea, like a boar surrounded by a pack of dogs barking furiously; first it plunges deep into the water, then it floats up again. The monster furiously hits the water with its fish tail, and thousands of splashes fly up to the very tops of the coastal cliffs. The sea was covered with foam. Opening its mouth, the monster rushes at Perseus, but with the speed of a seagull he takes off in his winged sandals. He delivers blow after blow. Blood and water gushed from the mouth of the monster, struck to death. The wings of Perseus's sandals are wet, they can barely hold the hero in the air. The mighty son of Danai quickly rushed to the rock that protruded from the sea, grabbed it with his left hand and plunged his sword three times into the monster’s wide chest. The terrible battle is over. Joyful screams rush from the shore. Everyone praises the mighty hero. The shackles were removed from the beautiful Andromeda, and, celebrating the victory, Perseus leads his bride to the palace of her father Kepheus.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru