Danae

Family: Argos · Role: princess · First appears: Apollodorus, Library 2.2

🌐 Also appears in: The Metamorphoses of Ovid (as Danaë)

Danae is a princess of Argos, born to Acrisius and Eurydice, daughter of Lacedaemon: “And Acrisius had a daughter Danae by Eurydice, daughter of Lacedaemon”. She had a child, Perseus, though accounts differ on his father: some say Proetus seduced her, while others say Zeus came to her in the form of a stream of gold.

When Acrisius learned of Perseus, he cast Danae and the infant into the sea in a chest. It reached Seriphus, where Dictys took up and reared the boy; there, Polydectes, brother of Dictys, fell in love with Danae. Later, Perseus hastened with Danae and Andromeda to Argos.

Relationship record

Life events

• Acrisius fathered Danae by Eurydice.(Apollodorus, Library 2.2)
  • With: Acrisius Eurydice
  • “And Acrisius had a daughter Danae by Eurydice, daughter of Lacedaemon”
• Acrisius cast Danae and infant Perseus into the sea in a chest.(Apollodorus, Library 2.4 · 📍 Seriphus)
  • With: Acrisius Perseus
  • “When Acrisius afterwards learned that she had got a child Perseus, he would not believe that she had been seduced by Zeus, and putting his daughter with the child in a chest, he cast it into the sea. The chest was washed ashore on Seriphus, and Dictys took up the boy and reared him.”

Apollodorus, Library 2.2

• parent: Acrisius “And Acrisius had a daughter Danae by Eurydice, daughter of Lacedaemon,”
• parent: Eurydice “And Acrisius had a daughter Danae by Eurydice, daughter of Lacedaemon,”

Apollodorus, Library 2.4

• child: Perseus “When Acrisius afterwards learned that she had got a child Perseus, he would not believe that she had been seduced by Zeus”
• with Proetus (interaction) “However, she was seduced, as some say, by Proetus, whence arose the quarrel between them”
• with Zeus (interaction) “but some say that Zeus had intercourse with her in the shape of a stream of gold which poured through the roof into Danae's lap.”
• admirer: Polydectes “fell in love with Danae”
• courtship with Proetus “However, she was seduced, as some say, by Proetus, whence arose the quarrel between them;”
• courtship with Zeus “but some say that Zeus had intercourse with her in the shape of a stream of gold which poured through the roof into Danae's lap.”
• courtship with Polydectes “Polydectes, brother of Dictys, was then king of Seriphus and fell in love with Danae”
• with Perseus (interaction) “Perseus hastened with Danae and Andromeda to Argos”

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Extracted from the original text of Greek Mythology. Made with Rho MD.