Acrisius

Family: Argos · Role: king · First appears: Fable 37

Acrisius is the king of Argos, descended from Abas and the father of Danaë. He opposed Bacchus, shutting the gates of Argos against him, and stood against Jupiter; he also refused to accept Perseus as Danaë’s son by Jupiter.

Soon afterward, Acrisius regretted insulting Bacchus and failing to acknowledge Perseus as his grandson. His brother Prœtus had seized his citadel, but after defeating the usurper, Perseus returned to Argos and restored Acrisius to the throne; later, Perseus turned his falchion against his grandfather.

Relationship record

Life events

• Acrisius regrets insulting Bacchus and denying Perseus’s divine parentage.(Fable46 · 📍 Argive city)
  • With: Bacchus Perseus Jupiter
  • “but soon (so great is the power of truth) Acrisius was sorry, both that he had insulted the God, and that he had not acknowledged his grandson.”
• Perseus goes to Argos, petrifies the usurper Prœtus, and restores Acrisius to the throne.(Fable48 · 📍 Argos)
  • With: Perseus Andromeda Prœtus
  • “After this victory, he takes Andromeda with him to Argos, his native city, where he turns the usurper Prœtus into stone, and re-establishes his grandfather Acrisius on the throne.”

Fable 37

• enemies with Bacchus “Has Acrisius[84] courage enough to despise the vain Deity, and to shut the gates of Argos against his approach”

Fable 39

• parent: Abas “The order of descent is thus reckoned from Belus; Abas, Acrisius, Danaë, Perseus, Bachæmon, Achæmenes, and Orchamus.”
• child: Danaë “The order of descent is thus reckoned from Belus; Abas, Acrisius, Danaë, Perseus, Bachæmon, Achæmenes, and Orchamus.”

Fable 46

• parent: Abas “Acrisius the son of Abas,[74] descended of the same race,[75] alone remained, to drive him from the walls of the Argive city, and to bear arms against the God, and to believe him not to be the offspring of Jove.”
• child: Danaë “Acrisius was the son of Abas, king of Argos. He was the father of Danaë, by whom Jupiter was the father of Perseus.”
• with Perseus (grandfather and grandson) “Neither did he think Perseus to be the offspring of Jupiter, whom Danaë had conceived in a shower of gold; but soon (so great is the power of truth) Acrisius was sorry, both that he had insulted the God, and that he had not acknowledged his grandson.”
• enemies with Bacchus “Acrisius the son of Abas,[74] descended of the same race,[75] alone remained, to drive him from the walls of the Argive city, and to bear arms against the God, and to believe him not to be the offspring of Jove.”
• enemies with Jupiter “Acrisius the son of Abas,[74] descended of the same race,[75] alone remained, to drive him from the walls of the Argive city, and to bear arms against the God”
• with Bacchus (The footnote identifies Bacchus and Acrisius as related.) “Some suppose that by this it is meant that as Belus, the father of Abas, and grandfather of Acrisius, was the son of Jupiter, who was also the father of Bacchus, the latter and Acrisius were consequently related.”

Fable 48

• younger kin: Perseus “The grandson of Acrisius turned against him his falchion,[6] {already} proved in the slaughter of Medusa,”
• siblings with Prœtus “For, his brother being expelled by force of arms, Prœtus had taken possession of the citadel of Acrisius;”

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Extracted from the original text of The Metamorphoses of Ovid. Made with Rho MD.