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Danaë

A mortal princess of Argos, locked away by her father to defy a prophecy, whom Zeus reached as a shower of gold; mother of the hero Perseus.

Accounts of this vary across texts and traditions. This entry primarily follows Greek mythology (Hesiod and Homer), with other tellings (Homer (Iliad and Odyssey), Ovid's Metamorphoses (Roman retelling), Regional and later Greek and Roman tradition) noted where relevant.

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Relationships

Spouse
Zeus
Children
Perseus

Introduction

Danaë is a mortal princess of Argos, daughter of King Acrisius, and, through her union with Zeus, the mother of the hero Perseus.

This figure marks the point where the genealogy of the gods gives way to the genealogy of heroes. A fuller account of their adventures belongs to a separate treatment of the Greek Heroic Cycle; this article covers their divine parentage and place in that transition.

Family

The prophecy and the bronze chamber

An oracle told Acrisius that a son born to his daughter would one day kill him. To prevent this, he locked Danaë away in an underground chamber of bronze (or, in some versions, a tower), sealed from any mortal man.

Zeus and the shower of gold

Zeus, undeterred, came to her as a shower of gold, pouring through the chamber's roof, and Danaë conceived Perseus. When Acrisius discovered the child, he set mother and son adrift at sea in a wooden chest rather than kill them outright, and they washed ashore safely on the island of Seriphos, where Perseus was raised.

Sources

  1. Bibliotheca, Book 2 (primary text) — https://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html

This entry is independently written for myVamsam using the sources listed above. Where traditions differ, this entry identifies the relevant tradition rather than presenting one account as universally established fact.