Polydectes
Polydectes
King of the island of Seriphos in Greek mythology, son of Magnes. Consumed by desire for Danaë, he sent her son Perseus to retrieve the head of the Gorgon Medusa in order to get rid of him. Upon his return, Perseus turned Polydectes to stone by showing him Medusa's head.
Key Facts
- King of the island of Seriphos, son of Magnes or Peristhenes depending on the source
- Welcomed Danaë and her son Perseus after they washed ashore on his island following their drift at sea
- Inflamed with desire for Danaë, he sent Perseus to bring back the head of Medusa in order to be rid of him
- Perseus returned victorious and turned Polydectes and his court to stone by showing them Medusa's head
- His brother Dictys, a more benevolent man, became king of Seriphos in his place
Works & Achievements
The most complete mythographic account of Polydectes, describing his tyranny, the banquet ruse, and the final petrification. The reference source for all modern mythographers.
A lyric ode celebrating Perseus and his feat against Medusa, in which Seriphos and the mission imposed by Polydectes are invoked as the starting point of the heroic adventure.
The Latin narrative version of Perseus's adventures, including the return to Seriphos and the transformation of Polydectes into stone, written in an elegant style that proved highly influential on Western culture.
Several Attic ceramics depict Perseus brandishing the head of Medusa, illustrating the petrification scene that directly references the myth of Polydectes.
A Neoclassical masterpiece depicting Perseus holding the head of Medusa — the very gesture by which he turned Polydectes to stone, a timeless symbol of the hero's victory over tyranny.
Anecdotes
When Danaë and her young son Perseus arrived on the island of Seriphos — locked in a chest thrown into the sea by King Acrisius of Argos — it was the fisherman Dictys who took them in. Dictys happened to be the brother of King Polydectes, and so Danaë found herself, against her will, drawn into the dangerous orbit of the island's ruler.
Polydectes organized a banquet and asked each guest to bring a horse as a gift, knowing full well that Perseus, the son of a penniless foreigner, could not comply. Cornered, Perseus rashly promised to bring whatever the king desired — which was exactly what Polydectes had been waiting for, so he could demand the head of the Gorgon Medusa, a quest considered both deadly and impossible.
During Perseus's absence, Polydectes intensified his pressure on Danaë to force her into marriage. The hero's mother had to seek refuge in a sacred temple to escape the king. It was upon finding his mother in such a desperate state that Perseus, returning from his long journey, decided to punish Polydectes without mercy.
Upon his return, Perseus found Polydectes openly mocking his arrival before the entire court. The hero turned his gaze away, drew the head of Medusa from his bag, and held it up before the king and his courtiers: in an instant, Polydectes and all his men were turned to stone statues for eternity. Dictys, the kindhearted brother who had once sheltered them, was then chosen as king of Seriphos.
Primary Sources
Polydectes, enamored of Danaë, sent Perseus to fetch the head of Medusa. Perseus, having returned with the head, showed Medusa to Polydectes and his companions, and turned them all to stone.
Perseus, who cut off the head of the serpent-haired Gorgon and brought petrifying death to the island of Seriphos.
Danaë, adrift in the chest cast upon the waves, holding her child Perseus close, implored Zeus to take pity on them and save them.
Perseus drew the terrible head from his sack and thrust it before Polydectes and his men, who were instantly turned to stone.
Polydectes summoned the inhabitants of Seriphos to a banquet and demanded a horse from each guest, knowing full well that Perseus would be unable to provide one.
Key Places
A small Cycladic island ruled by Polydectes. It is here that Danaë and Perseus wash ashore after drifting at sea, and where the heart of the myth plays out: the king's tyranny, the trap of the banquet, and the final petrification.
The hometown of Danaë and King Acrisius. Polydectes' fate is bound to the prophecy of Argos: it was to escape this oracle that Acrisius cast Danaë adrift at sea, which eventually brought her to Seriphos.
The mythical seat of royal power and the site of the treacherous banquet. It is in this hall that Polydectes demands the head of Medusa, and here that he is turned to stone forever upon Perseus' return.
The chest carrying Danaë and Perseus washes up on the rocky coast of Seriphos, where Dictys finds them and takes them in at his fisherman's hut — unwittingly setting off his brother the king's obsessive desire.