Danaë at the altar

myminifactory

Disappointed by his lack of male heirs, King Acrisius asked the Delphi oracle if his situation would change. The oracle replied that he would never have a son but that his daughter would give birth to one and kill him with her own son. At the time, Danae was childless and intended to remain so; therefore, King Acrisius confined her in a bronze chamber built under his palace court (other versions claim she was imprisoned in a tall brass tower with one richly decorated room but no doors or windows except for a skylight that provided light and air). She was buried alive in this tomb and would never again see the light of day. However, Zeus, king of the gods, desired her, and came to her in the form of golden rain streaming through the roof of the underground chamber into her womb. After some time had passed, their child Perseus was born. Refusing to provoke the wrath of the gods or the Furies by killing his offspring and grandson, King Acrisius put Danae and Perseus in a wooden chest and cast them into the sea. The sea was calmed by Poseidon, who at Zeus's request allowed the pair to survive their ordeal. They washed up on the island of Seriphos, where they were taken in by Dictys – brother of King Polydectes – who raised Perseus as a man. The king was charmed by Danae but she had no interest in him; therefore, he agreed not to marry her if her son would bring back his head. Using Athena's shield, Hermes' winged sandals and Hades' helmet of invisibility, Perseus successfully evaded Medusa's gaze and beheaded her. Later, after Perseus brought back Medusa's head and rescued Andromeda, the oracle's prophecy came true. He started for Argos but learning of the prophecy he instead went to Larissa where athletic games were being held by chance an aging Acrisius was there; Perseus accidentally struck him on the head with his javelin or discus fulfilling the prophecy. This object is part of the Scan The World project, a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures artworks and landmarks from across the globe for public access at no cost. The Scan The World initiative is open source and community-driven; if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.