Editing Andromeda (mythology) (section)

=== Variants ===

There are several variants of the legend. In [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]]'s account, Perseus does not ask for Andromeda's hand in marriage before saving her, and when he afterwards intends to keep her for his wife, both her father Cepheus and her uncle Phineas plot against him, and Perseus resorts to using Medusa's head to turn them to stone.<ref>[[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], ''Fabulae'', [https://topostext.org/work/206#64 64].</ref> In contrast, Ovid states that Perseus kills Cetus with his magical sword, even though he also carries Medusa's head, which could easily turn the monster to stone (and Perseus does use Medusa's head for this purpose in other situations). The earliest straightforward account of Perseus using Medusa's head against Cetus, however, is from the later 2nd-century AD [[Satire|satirist]] [[Lucian]].<ref>[[Lucian]], ''The Hall'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/lucian-hall/1913/pb_LCL014.201.xml 22 (pp. 200, 201)].</ref>

The 12th-century [[Byzantine]] writer [[John Tzetzes]] says that Cetus swallows Perseus, who kills the monster by hacking his way out with his sword.<ref>[[Tzetzes]] on [[Lycophron]], [https://archive.org/details/isaakioukaiiann00mlgoog/page/819/mode/2up?view=theater 836 (pp. 820&ndash;1)].</ref> [[Conon (mythographer)|Conon]] places the story in Joppa (Iope or [[Jaffa]], on the coast of modern [[Israel]]), and makes Andromeda's uncles Phineus and Phoinix rivals for her hand in marriage; her father Cepheus contrives to have Phoinix abduct her in a ship named ''Cetos'' from a small island she visits to make sacrifices to [[Aphrodite]], and Perseus, sailing nearby, intercepts and destroys ''Cetos'' and its crew, who are "petrified by shock" at his bravery.<ref>[[Conon (mythographer)|Conon]], ''Narrations'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=lWruCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA88 40 (Trzaskoma, Smith and Brunet, p. 88)].</ref><!-- Conon thus explains away all the exotic and magical elements of the story.-->