512 THE GREEK SAGAS: GREEK LOCAL LEGENDS
Perseus was able to fly away from Medusa's sisters unharmed, since he was
wearing the Cap of Invisibility. In the original version of the saga, he probably
returned directly to Seriphos and dealt with Polydectes.ANDROMEDA
At a very early stage the legend of Andromeda was added to the story of Perseus'
return. Andromeda was the daughter of King Cepheus and his queen, Cassiepea.
Their kingdom is variously placed in Ethiopia or in the Levant.^9
Cassiepea boasted that she was more beautiful than the Nereids. As a pun-
ishment, Poseidon flooded Cepheus' kingdom and sent a sea-monster to ravagePerseus Attacks the Sea-Monster. Etruscan black-figure hydria from Caere (Cerveteri), ca.
530 B.C.; height 153 /4 in. Perseus brandishes a rock in his right hand and Hermes'
scimitar (harpe) in his left. The seal, octopus, and dolphins remind the viewer of marine
realities. The absence of Andromeda reflects the artist's narrative priorities, and it has
been suggested that the hero is Heracles, rather than Perseus. (Switzerland, Kusnacht,
Hirschmann Collection.)