Andromeda
Publié le 22/02/2012
Extrait du document
(Ruler of Men) Greek The daughter
of Cepheus and Cassiopeia of Ethiopia, a country
in northeast Africa; wife of the hero Perseus; mother
of many sons, including Perses, who is said to have
founded the land of Persia.
The fates of Andromeda and Perseus became
entwined. Cassiopeia had boasted of her daughter's
beauty, claiming that it was greater than that of the
sea Nymphs, daughters of the god Poseidon. Greatly
angered, Poseidon sent a sea monster to ravage
Ethiopia. Ammon, the Oracle, declared that only
the sacrifice of Andromeda to the monster could
appease Poseidon and save the Ethiopians from flood
and plague, so Andromeda was chained to a rock in
the sea to await death. She was rescued by Perseus,
who turned the monster into stone with the head
of Medusa and claimed Andromeda in marriage.
The wedding feast was interrupted by the arrival of
Phineus, brother of Cepheus, to whom Andromeda
had been promised in marriage. In the ensuing battle, Perseus again used the Medusa's head to turn Phineas
and his soldiers into statues of stone.
The dramatic rescue of Andromeda by Perseus
inspired many artists, among them Peter Paul
Rubens (1577–1640), the foremost Flemish painter
of the 17th century; Titian (c. 1490–1576), a Venetian
and one of the greatest painters of the Renaissance;
and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867),
a French painter. An ancient fresco still surviving at
Pompeii (near Naples, Italy) also shows the rescue.
The gods placed, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and
Cepheus among the stars as constellations. That
constellation has been Andromeda for so long that
some believe the Greeks invented the story to explain
the stars.
Liens utiles
- Perseus Greek Son of the god Zeus and Danae; husband of Andromeda; father of Perses; slayer of the Gorgon Medusa.
- Phineus Greek Brother of Cepheus, the king of Ethiopia; uncle of Andromeda, whom he wished to marry.
- Great Andromeda Spiral Galaxy - astronomy.