Ανδρομεδη
The daughter of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and Cassiopia who claimed to be more beautiful that all the Nereids put together. In jealousy the Nereids asked Poseidon to avenge this insult and to humour them he sent a monster to lay waste the country of Cepheus. When consulted by the king, the oracle of Ammon had predicted that Ethiopia would be freed from this scourge if Cassiopia's daughter were to be abandoned as a victim in expiation. The inhabitants of the country forced Cepheus to agree to this sacrifice and Andromeda was bound to a rock. Here Perseus, on his way back from his expedition against the Gorgon, saw her, fell in love with her and promised Cepheus to free her if she could become his wife. Cepheus agreed and Perseus killed the dragon and married Andromeda. But Phineus, a brother of Cepheus who had been betrothed to his niece Andromeda, plotted against Perseus, who realized what was happening and turned the Gorgon's head towards them, turning them to stone. When Perseus left Ethiopia he took Andromeda first to Argos and later to Tiryns, where they had several sons and a daughter (Table 31).
Conon offers what might be called the rationalist explanation of the legend. According to him Cepheus ruled over the country later to be called Phoenicia (but then known as Joppa from the name of the town on its coast). His kingdom stretched from the Mediterranean to Arabia and the Red Sea. Cepheus had a very beautiful daughter called Andromeda, who was wooed by Phoenix, who gave his name to Phoenicia, and his uncle Phineus, the brother of Cepheus. After a great deal of beating about the bush Cepheus decided to give his daughter's hand to Phoenix but, unwilling to give the impression that he was refusing his brother, pretended that she had been abducted. She was taken to a small island where she was in the habit of sacrificing to Aphrodite, and Phoenix carried her off on a boat called the Whale. But Andromeda had no idea that this was merely a device to deceive her uncle; she cried aloud and shouted for help. At that very moment Perseus, son of Danae, happened to be passing by. He saw the girl being abducted, took one look at her and fell in love with her. He leapt forward, upset the boat, left the sailors 'turned to stone' with astonishment and carried off Andromeda, whom he married, and thereafter reigned peacefully in Argos.
{E2 DICTIONARY OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY}
Table of Sources:
- Apollod. Bibl. 2, 4, 3
- Ovid, Met. 4, 665ff.
- Hyg. Fab. 64; Astron. 2, 11
- Tzetzes on Lyc. Alex. 836
- Conon Narr. 40
- Sophocles, Andromeda (lost tragedy, Jebb-Pearson I p. 76)
- Euripides, Andremeda (lost tragedy, Nauck TGF, edn 2, pp. 392ff.)
- Pseudo-Eratosth. Catast. 17