The older generation of residents of the former Soviet UnionThe name of the Andromeda is very familiar to the Union, but not because schools taught Greek mythology well, but because in 1957 in the nine issues of the journal "Technique - Youth" a science-fiction and, at the same time, socio-philosophical novel by Ivan Efremov "Andromeda's nebula". The incredible popularity of this work is evidenced by the fact that it was reissued more than 20 times over the years of Soviet power.
Many people far from astronomy have learned that there exists in space a nebula called Andromeda. Mythology, especially Greek, gave names to many cosmic bodies and objects.
But for some reason another constellation was namedin the name of the absurd and insolent mother of Cassiopeia - the causes of all the misfortunes that Andromeda suffered. The mythology of the ancient Greeks left this instructive history to the world. It is contained in a series of stories about Perseus. The ancient Greek gods did not like people. Everyone knows what a terrible punishment the lecherous Zeus Prometheus subjected to that he saved the dying mankind by giving him a fire. Drinking nectar, they loved from the height of Olympus to watch the wars on earth, some help was provided only to their favorites. But if it concerned the punishments of some guilty mortals, then their fantasy became simply irrepressible.
The essence of the story is that Andromeda(the mythology of this narrates), the girl is quiet, intelligent, affable and very beautiful, was doomed by Poseidon to a painful death to punish in such a cruel way a arrogant mother who constantly clung to the Nereids, proving to them that she was more beautiful than all of them together. Nereids are sea deities that quietly splashed in the waters of the ocean, conducted dances, admired each other and so on.
Horror embraced Ethiopia.According to some reports, the monster systematically began to devastate the country, then demanded every day to chain one girl to the rock, and gradually the turn came to the tsar's daughter. In other versions, the oracle of Ammon immediately said that the monster would retreat if the victim was Andromeda. Mythology mentions this story in connection with the exploits of Perseus, who on his winged sandals just got, in the opinion of the Greeks, to the southern edge of the world. When he approached the land, the first thing the son of Zeus saw was a beautiful woman, chained to the rock. She was motionless, petrified with horror, and only hair fluttering in the wind suggested to the hero that before him was a living girl. Perseus went down to her and recognized the terrible story that Andromeda told him. Greek mythology tells us that an innocent beauty, caught in such an eerie story, immediately won the heart of the hero.
And now the sea rustled, foreshadowing that it was about tothere will be a monster. The parents of the beauty came running, not otherwise than look at the bloody finale. Where they were before, it is not known. But the essence of the punishment chosen by Poseidon was that Cassiopeia must have seen the terrible death of her daughter-he still suspected that there was room for maternal love in this arrogant heart, and it must burst from grief.
The punishment of a stupid mother was to becometorn to pieces in anything not guilty Andromeda (mythology). The goddess Amphitrite, probably, demanded from her husband Poseidon is such a revenge. Perhaps, by that time she did not have her own children, and she did so with the cruelty of an affronted young beauty. Moreover, she was hurt by a simple mortal.
Perseus, before entering into battle with anotherevil, he asked his parents for the hands of his daughter and promises that they would keep the word. Some researchers blame him for this rasschetlivost. Obviously, the hero knew his strength and doubted the decency of future relatives. The consent he received, and in a heavy battle defeated Leviathan. Do not list the works of literature and painting that turned to this subject "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece". The moment of liberation of the beauty is especially known for the works of Rubens. They had several.
Andromeda in mythology is the symbol of an innocent victim,who received the deserved award in the finals for her virtue. After the wedding, which was not entirely successful, Perseus took his beloved wife to Argos, where they lived happily ever after. But there are other options.
