The Perseus slaying Medusa, founded in 1554 upon his return from France, not only for the brave attitude of hero, personified the triumph of Cosimo I de 'Medici on his opponents Republicans, but by the elaborate marble pedestal with harpies and masks among which there are four dynamic and very elegant niches with figures representing the myth of Perseus, one of the top mature expression of Mannerism, exalted in the relief of the Liberation of Andromeda today in the Bargello Museum.
The ancient Greeks had in Argos, a city of the Peloponnese peninsula, lived Acrisio King, son of Abas and Aglaia, with the beautiful daughter named Danae. One day the king asked why Oracle did not have sons and told him that would not, but be careful because his only grandchild would cause death.
So cruel Acrisio took the precaution of confining his pubescent daughter with her mother in a tower, but to no avail because the amorous Zeuz, god of sky and thunder, was discovered, was captivated by her beauty and before her like a golden shower enclosure, fertility and gave him a son named Perseus. The servant who brought them food, hearing the cries of the child and alerted Acrisio who, terrified at the birth of his grandson, decided to kill them and put them in a wooden chest that plunged into the sea to drown. To help your child Zeuz asked his brother Poseidon, god of the sea, which calmed the lead to water and land. The ark came to the beach on the island where a fisherman named Sérifos Dictis found them, gave them shelter and raised the child as a child. The tyrant of the island, Polidectes, brother of the fisherman, a passion for the beautiful Danae and wanted to make his concubine, but she refused. To get rid of Perseus, who was 16 years and prevented him from taking by force from his mother, Polidectes demanded a gift horse, but as the boy was poor, he promised that he would bring the head of Medusa, the only mortal of the three hideous Gorgon with snakes instead of hair, claws and teeth of pigs that could turn to stone those who look. The tyrant accepted with enthusiasm because he was sure the end of youth. As Perseus loved his mother and was a brave and sensible young man, departed. Zeuz his father protected him in his business and enlisted the help of Hermes, messenger of the gods, who gave him a bronze sickle to cut her off Medusa's head. Athena gave him a shield as bright as a mirror and advised on the tasks to be undertaken.
Then, Perseus went to the daughters of Forcis, the Gray, who lived in Mount Atlas and witches were three old guards the road leading to her sisters, the Gorgons. This trinity had only one eye and a tooth for the three, when one used them, the other two were sleeping so he took them with the false promise of its return, that's how they confessed where Medusa lived, then, the trio fell asleep.
But Perseus needed and got some things that kept the naiads or nymphs of the Styx: sandals with wings to fly, a magic wallet to save the head of Medusa and the helmet of the god Hades was invisible to wearer. Taking
all managed objects flew with his sandals to the Hyperborean country where the Gorgons were asleep in the wreckage of men who had been petrified by looking at them. Careful not to wake them up and using his shield as a mirror to look at them not directly in the face, looked at Medusa. Once recognized, one of the snakes of the hair was startled awake, but before he could realize his presence, placed the helmet that provided the invisibility, so seeing nothing unusual, returned to his dream. Once found asleep, Perseus decapitated her with a sickle of Hermes, then your neck or blood born Pegasus, the winged horse, and the warrior Chrysaor as sons of Poseidon.
Perseus B. Cellini: details of Medusa.
way back, Perseus met the Titan Atlas, condemned to bear the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. On seeing the Titan asked for help to end their unbearable suffering, begging him to let him see the head of Medusa. Perseus took pity and showed the monster's head. Thus, Atlas was turned into the mountain that bears his name.
The hero continued his way back, but while flying to Ethiopia, he saw an extremely beautiful naked girl who cried chained to a rock. When approached, she admitted that she called Andromeda daughter of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and Cassiopeia. His punishment was that his mother felt that they were more beautiful than any of the nymphs of the sea and these words aroused the wrath of the gods of the ocean who complained to Poseidon, who responded causing storms and tempests and creating Cetus, a monster who devoured in your path. To end this situation, King Cepheus consulted the oracle who told her to sacrifice to the beast, his only daughter Andromeda and had done so. As she related her woes, the waves of the sea appeared a monster coming towards Andromeda. Then, with his sandals flying Perseus or, perhaps, riding on Pegasus, rose high in the sky and fell upon the beast, pulled Medusa's head, confused Cetus and beheaded him with a sickle hit and sank in the waters. So Perseus freed Andromeda and brought with her parents who agreed to marry, but after defeating Piraeus, a suitor of his beloved, and his soldiers showing the head of Medusa, turned them into rocks, before they had ordered his men to close their eyes.
Perseus Sérifos hurried back to where his mother Danae refuge in a temple because Polidectes had not fulfilled its promise not to pursue it. Enraged, he went to find his enemy who was giving a feast, once in front of him, he took the head of Medusa and turned them into a circle of stones.
then gave the head of Medusa to Athena, which since then shines in his shield, and asked Hermes to return the helmet, bag and sandals to the naiads or nymphs of the Styx.
Perseus and Andromeda went to Argos to know Acrisio, grandfather of Perseus. When Acrisio learned that his grandson was about to return, fled from Argos to Larissa, in Thessaly to avoid the prophecy.
Perseus could not meet his grandfather. But one day was invited to take part in a funeral games organized by King Teutámides of Larissa, where his grandfather had also attended Acrisio who was among the spectators not knowing that his grandson was one of the competitors. When his turn came the album's release, a gust of wind sent by the gods, Perseus turned the disc into the head of his grandfather. The blow caused her death and thus fulfilled the oracle.
Perseus was so sorry he did not want to continue governing his rightful kingdom, Argos. So, he exchanged kingdoms with his neighbor and uncle, and built for himself the powerful city of Mycenae, where he lived long time with his family. When they died, Zeus became the constellations with their names.
Marta A. Mortars
Pereyra, 05/10/2003
0 comments:
Post a Comment