Editing Andromeda (mythology) (section)

=== Central story ===

In [[Greek mythology]], Andromeda is the daughter of [[Cepheus, King of Aethiopia|Cepheus]] and [[Cassiopeia (Queen of Aethiopia)|Cassiopeia]], king and queen of the kingdom of [[A<!--not a typo-->ethiopia]]. Her mother Cassiopeia foolishly boasts that she is more beautiful than the [[Nereids]],<ref>Both ''[[Catasterismi]]'' 16 (Hard 2015, p. 19) and ''[[De astronomia]]'' [https://topostext.org/work/207#2.10.1 2.10] cite [[Sophocles]]' lost play ''Andromeda'' as their source for this. According to [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], ''Fabulae'' [https://topostext.org/work/206#64 64] Cassiopeia boasts of her daughter Andromeda's beauty rather than of her own.</ref> a display of [[hubris]] by a human that is unacceptable to the gods. To punish the queen for her arrogance, [[Poseidon]] floods the kingdom's coast and sends a [[sea monster]] named [[Cetus (mythology)|Cetus]] to ravage its inhabitants. In desperation, King Cepheus consults the [[oracle]] of [[Amun|Ammon]], who announces that no respite can be found until the king [[human sacrifice|sacrifice]]s his daughter, Andromeda, to the monster. She is thus stripped naked and chained to a rock in [[Jaffa]] by the sea to await her death. [[Perseus]] is just then flying near the coast of Aethiopia on his [[winged sandals]] or on Pegasus the winged horse, having slain the [[Gorgon]] [[Medusa]] and carrying her severed head, which instantly [[Petrifaction in mythology and fiction|petrifies]] any who look at it. Upon seeing Andromeda bound to the rock, Perseus falls in love with her, and he secures Cepheus's promise of her hand in marriage if he can save her. Perseus kills the monster with the Medusa's head, saving Andromeda. Preparations are then made for their marriage, in spite of her having been previously promised to her uncle, [[Phineus (son of Belus)|Phineus]]. At the wedding, a quarrel between the rivals ends when Perseus shows Medusa's head to Phineus and his allies, turning them to stone.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grant |first1=Michael |last2=Hazel |first2=John |title=Who's Who in Classical Mythology |publisher=Oxford University Press |orig-date=1973 |year=1993 |page=31 |isbn=978-0-19-521030-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kerenyi |first=Carl |author-link=Károly Kerényi |title=The Heroes of the Greeks |date=1997 |publisher=[[Thames & Hudson]] |isbn=0-500-27049-X |pages=52–53}}</ref><ref>Hard 2004, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA240 240], [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA242 242]; Apollodorus, [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|''Library'']] [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-eng1:2.4.3 2.4.3]; [[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses (poem)|Metamorphoses]]'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0959.phi006.perseus-eng1:4.604-4.705 4.663&ndash;5.235]; [[Marcus Manilius]], ''[[Astronomica (Manilius)|Astronomica]]'', [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/manilius-astronomica/1977/pb_LCL469.345.xml 5.538&ndash;618 (pp. 344&ndash;51)].</ref>

Andromeda follows her husband to his native island of [[Serifos|Seriphos]], where he rescues his mother, [[Danaë]] from her unwanted wedding to the King of that island.<ref>Hard 2004, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA242 p. 242]; Apollodorus, [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|''Library'']], [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-eng1:2.4.3 2.4.3].</ref> They next go to [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]], where Perseus is the rightful heir to the throne. However, after accidentally killing his grandfather [[Acrisius]], the king of Argos, Perseus chooses to become king of neighboring [[Tiryns]] instead.<ref>Apollodorus, [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|''Library'']], [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-eng1:2.4.4 2.4.4].</ref> The mythographer [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]] states that Perseus and Andromeda have six sons: [[Perses (son of Andromeda and Perseus)|Perses]], [[Alcaeus (mythology)|Alcaeus]], [[Heleus]], [[Mestor]], [[Sthenelus (son of Andromeda and Perseus)|Sthenelus]], [[Electryon]], and a daughter, [[Gorgophone (Perseid)|Gorgophone]]. Their descendants rule [[Mycenae]] from Electryon down to [[Eurystheus]], after whom [[Atreus]] attains the kingdom. The Greek hero [[Heracles]] is also a descendant, as his mother [[Alcmene]] is the daughter of Electryon.<ref>Hard 2004, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA243 p. 243–244]; Apollodorus, [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|''Library'']], [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-eng1:2.4.5 2.4.5]. The [[Hesiod]]ic ''[[Catalogue of Women]]'' ([https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-other_fragments/2018/pb_LCL503.347.xml fr. 241 Most, pp. 346–349]) likely listed their children as Alcaeus, Sthenelus and Electryon (Hard 2004, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA634 p. 634 n. 113 to p. 243]), while [[Herodorus]] (''[[FGrHist]]'' 31 F15) adds [[Mestor]] to these three.</ref>

According to the ''[[Catasterismi]]'', Andromeda is placed in the sky by [[Athena]] as the [[Andromeda (constellation)|constellation Andromeda]], in a pose with her limbs outstretched, similar to when she was chained to the rock, in commemoration of Perseus' bravery in fighting the sea monster.<ref>Smith, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0104:entry=andromeda-bio-1 s.v. Andromeda]; ''[[Catasterismi]]'' 17 (Hard 2015, p. 18); see also [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], ''[[De astronomia]]'' [https://topostext.org/work/207#2.11.1 2.11.1]. The ''Catasterismi'' cites [[Euripides]]' lost play ''[[Andromeda (play)|Andromeda]]'' as the source of this account.</ref>