Andromeda was the beautiful princess of Aethiopia, the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia, who was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea-monster and rescued by the hero Perseus. The story of Perseus and Andromeda is one of the great love stories of Greek mythology, the archetypal tale of the hero who rescues the maiden from the monster, defeats the rival, and wins the bride. The story has been retold in countless works of literature, art, and film, and the constellation Andromeda, named for the princess, is one of the most recognizable in the night sky.
The Pride of Cassiopeia
The myth of Andromeda begins with the pride of her mother, Queen Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia, the wife of King Cepheus of Aethiopia, boasted that she (or, in some versions, her daughter Andromeda) was more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea-nymphs who were the daughters of the old man of the sea, Nereus.
The Nereids, angered by the boast, complained to Poseidon, the god of the sea. Poseidon, in his wrath, sent a flood on Aethiopia, and with the flood came a great sea-monster, Cetus, which devastated the land. According to the oracle of Ammon, the only way to appease the monster was to sacrifice Cassiopeia’s daughter, Andromeda, to it.
The Chaining of Andromeda
King Cepheus, the father of Andromeda, was forced by his people to chain his daughter to a rock by the sea, where the sea-monster would come to devour her. The princess was stripped of her clothing and her jewelry, and her hair was loosened, and she was left to await her fate.
The chaining of a maiden to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea-monster is one of the most common motifs in Greek mythology. The motif appears in the stories of Andromeda, Hesione (saved by Heracles), and many others. The motif has been interpreted as a symbol of the dangers of the sea, the vulnerability of the coast, and the power of the gods to demand human sacrifice.
The Arrival of Perseus
As Andromeda waited on the rock, the hero Perseus was flying over the area on his way back from slaying Medusa. He saw the beautiful princess chained to the rock, and he immediately fell in love with her. He landed on the rock and asked her why she was chained there.
Andromeda told Perseus her story, and the hero vowed to save her. He went to King Cepheus and offered to kill the sea-monster in exchange for Andromeda’s hand in marriage. Cepheus agreed, and Perseus prepared to face the monster.
The Slaying of the Sea-Monster
The sea-monster, Cetus, was a fearsome creature, but Perseus had a powerful weapon: the severed head of Medusa, whose gaze could turn onlookers to stone. According to the most familiar version of the myth, Perseus held up the Gorgon’s head, and the sea-monster, looking at it, was turned to stone and sank beneath the waves.
According to another version, Perseus used a magical sword given to him by Hermes to kill the sea-monster. According to a third, he fought the monster in hand-to-hand combat. The most common version, however, is the one with the Gorgon’s head, and it is the most famous.
The Marriage of Perseus and Andromeda
After the killing of the sea-monster, Perseus and Andromeda were married, with the consent of Cepheus and Cassiopeia. The wedding was a grand affair, attended by the gods and the heroes of the age.
According to one tradition, the wedding was disrupted by Phineus, Andromeda’s uncle and original fiancé, who claimed her as his bride. Perseus used the Gorgon’s head to turn Phineus and his followers to stone, securing his bride.
The Children of Perseus and Andromeda
Perseus and Andromeda had several children, who became the ancestors of many of the great heroes of Greek myth. The most famous were:
- Perses, the ancestor of the Persians (in the Greek version of the myth)
- Electryon, the grandfather of Heracles and the father of Alcmene
- Sthenelus, the king of Mycenae who was the father of Eurystheus, the king who set Heracles the Twelve Labors
- Gorgophone, who married two husbands in succession
- Heleus, in some traditions
The descendants of Perseus and Andromeda thus included the greatest of Greek heroes, including Heracles and the heroes of the Trojan War.
The Death of Andromeda
The death of Andromeda is not described in detail in the surviving Greek sources, but it is told in some later traditions. According to one tradition, she died in the arms of Perseus and was placed among the stars as the constellation Andromeda. According to another, she died of old age and was honored in her homeland.
The story of Andromeda was an important one in Greek and Roman culture, and it was the subject of many works of art, including the famous Pompeian frescoes and the Andromeda of the Roman poet Ovid. The story has been retold in countless modern retellings, including the 1981 film Clash of the Titans and the 2010 remake, in which Andromeda was played by Alexa Davalos.
The Constellation Andromeda
The constellation Andromeda, named for the princess, is one of the most recognizable in the night sky. It contains the Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way, which is named for the constellation. The constellation is also associated with the myths of Perseus, her husband, and Cassiopeia, her mother, both of whom are also constellations.
The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as M31, is one of the most studied objects in astronomy, and it is the most distant object visible to the naked eye. The galaxy is approaching the Milky Way at about 110 kilometers per second, and it is expected to collide with the Milky Way in about 4.5 billion years.
For more on the mythological context, see our profile of Perseus, our guide to the Greek heroes, and our profile of Medusa. For more on the cultural legacy, see our guide to Greek mythology in modern culture.