Perseus
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Perseus. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
in Greek legend, a famous hero, son of Danae and Zeus. An account of his birth in the tower of brass and of his journey over the waves shut up with his mother in a chest is given in the article on DANAE. Perseus grew up at the court of Polydectes, king of Seriphus. Seriphus wished to marry Danae and, in order to accomplish his purpose, thought best to get rid of Perseus. He therefore sent him to conquer Medusa, believing that the youth would be slain. But Perseus was a favorite with the gods. Hades loaned him his helmet, which made the wearer invisible at will. Hermes offered his winged sandals and Athene her shield. Perseus did not know where to find Medusa, so he first visited the cavern of the Graeae, guardians of the Gorgons, of whom Medusa was one. The Graeae were grayhaired from their birth, and their names were Alarm, Dread, and Horror. They had but one eye and one tooth between them which they used in turn. Perseus, invisible in Hades' helmet, watched his chance and snatched the eye as it was passing from one sister to another. He refused to return it unless the Graeae would tell him where to find Medusa. Following their directions he found Medusa in a cave by the sea. He waited until she was asleep, and then, not looking at her lest he be turned to stone, but guided by her reflection in his shield, he cut off her horrid head with its writhing snakes. Bearing his trophy Perseus now started to return, flying easily over land and sea with Hermes' sandals. According to one account he sought shelter and food of King Atlas on this trip, and, because he was refused, turned the king into stone with the Gorgon's head. It was on this trip also that he saw Andromeda chained to a rock to be devoured by a monster. Perseus rescued the maiden and claimed her hand in marriage as his reward. At the wedding feast Phineas, who had been betrothed to the princess--Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus, king of the Aetheopians--appeared with a party of warriors and demanded the maiden. A combat ensued. When Perseus perceived that it was an unequal one he shouted for all friends of his to turn away their eyes. He then held up the head of Medusa, when his enemies were immediately turned to stone. Perseus now returned with his bride to his mother. Polydectes was still tormenting Danae with his attentions, so Perseus turned him into stone. He then went to Argos, his birthplace, where he became king. He gave the head of Medusa to Athene, who fixed it in the middle of her aegis. At death Perseus and Andromeda became stars in the constellation of Cassiopeia. See Danae ; Medusa ; Athene ; Atlas ; Aegis ; Cassiopeia
1000 Classical Characters (1900)
A son of Jupiter and Danae , the daughter of Acrisius . It had been predicted by the oracle that Acrisius was to perish by his daughter's offspring, so Perseus, soon after his birth, was, with his mother Danae, thrown into the sea. Both were saved, and reached the island of Seriphos, where they were treated kindly by Polydectes , the king, who, however, soon became jealous of the genius of Perseus. Perseus had promised Polydectes to bring him the head of the Gorgon Medusa . To enable him to obtain this, Pluto lent him a helmet which made the wearer invisible, Minerva gave him her buckler, and Mercury furnished him with wings. Thus equipped he found the Gorgons, and cut off Medusa's head, with which he fled through the air, and from the blood which dropped from it sprang the horse Pegasus. During his flight Perseus discovered Andromeda chained to a rock to be devoured by a sea monster, which he destroyed, and married Andromeda. He now returned to Seriphos, where he turned into stone Polydectes by showing him Medusa's head. By an accident, in throwing a quoit, he killed Acrisius, thus fulfilling the prediction of the oracle. Perseus or Perses. A son of Philip, king of Macedonia. He distinguished himself by his enmity to the Romans, and when he had made sufficient preparations he declared war against them. He, however, wanted courage and resolution, and though he at first obtained some advantages over the Roman armies, his timidity proved destructive to his cause. He was defeated at Pydna, and soon after was taken prisoner, and died in prison at Rome. Persicus Sinus, Persicum Mare. The name given by the later geographers to the great gulf of the Mare Erythraeum (Indian Ocean), extending between the coast of Arabia and the opposite coast of Susiana, Persis, and Carmania, now called the Persian Gulf. Persis (Persia). Originally a small district of Asia, bounded on the southwest by the Persian Gulf, on the northwest and north by Susiana, Media, and Parthia, and on the east towards Carmania by no definite boundaries in the desert. In reading the Roman poets, it must be remembered that they constantly use Persae, as well as Medi, as a general term for the peoples east of the Euphrates and Tigris, and especially for the