The Messed Up Origins of Perseus | Greek Mythology Explained

[@JonSolo]

Go to aura.com/jonsolo to sign up for 2 FREE weeks of identity protection! Thanks to Aura for sponsoring this episode!

[@pkroninverse7307]

Yes he was in Clash of Titans

[@JoelLeonhart]

Sorry but no thanks let's just say certain "Incogni"(By Surfshark) betrayed my trust after trying them I received way WORSE spam on my Gmail (Thankfully I was planning to get rid of G00gle services starting with Gmail. But it does not justify bs "services" that make thing's worse by just sending a message "please stop collecting/selling info okay?". So yeah I'm done with so called payed services that might work on USA soil but not anywhere else!

[@Dahaka-rd6tw]

1. 16:50 One swedish version of story I read explained that sea monster wasn't affected by Medusa's head because it was blind from living in the dark depths of the sea nad PErseus had instead use his sword. 2 PLEASE, do origin of fairytale that inspired movie 'Litle Otik'

[@bobbytilley7576]

@JonSolo I love your videos I've been watching you since you posted your 3rd video

[@Smokey420Greenleaf]

never seen a hanes t shirt like that. thought they mostly made underwear?

[@Pridam]

To anyone thinking that Medusa was a beautiful woman cursed into becoming a hideous monster by Athena, that's Ovid's retelling of the myth, a Roman edition that was created long after the original myth. In the original Greek myth, Medusa and her sisters were always monsters from day one and were never cursed at any point

[@pastpatour]

I hate the stronghold Ovid has in the Western culture because his retelling of the myths often features lame and melodramatic crap of his own invention that you don't find anywhere else. He's the one to blame for all this "Medusa girlboss" nonsense

[@killabeenig]

They were always Gorgons, but Medusa didn't look like a typical Gorgon. After she was cursed, she looked like her sisters but gained the curse/power of turning men to stone.

[@GarethOfByzantium]

@@killabeenigNO.

[@lisadooley3872]

Learned something new today

[@HoneyBeeCrafts]

Lmao I camera to say exactly what you mentioned here, except I was going to say that I learned it that way. Thanks for this

[@travishayslip9409]

Imagine grabbing Medusa's head out of a bag, accidentally look at her eyes, and before you can think "oh shit", you're stone💀💀💀

[@dshire71]

Jon, your content is so interesting and well produced. But your humor is what makes it so addicting. Fun to watch and always something new learned.

[@JonSolo]

That's so nice of you to say! Thank you for watching and for that wonderful comment :)

[@masteroftheassassins]

Perseus is one of the few Greek heroes who gets a happy ending

[@theanimeunderworld8338]

Herc did too but it required a painful death

[@pierrebuieii3908]

True

[@kinman3051]

I only remember Odysseus

[@yonanyondo8130]

​@@theanimeunderworld8338 you mean Heracles

[@YawnManQO]

Can you please make a part 5 of the Percy Jackson tv series

[@dracone4370]

The sea monster in this story is Cetus, a monster described as a whale with the head of a greyhound. Also, Cetus is a constellation in the night sky

[@JStryker47]

As are Andromeda, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Perseus, and Pegasus.

[@markloveless1001]

Check out Cetus in the Uranometria - uuuuuugly.

[@linagiudetti8442]

Cetus was the Leviathan for scholars

[@greggiovanni1825]

I wager that there are a LOT of "Derricks" watching your channel... Bring on those rays of sunshine, Sunshine! HAHAHAHAHAHAH

[@Blaktastic]

What's crazy is that Hercules is the great-grandson of Perseus. That means the Greek storytellers didn't pay close attention to timelines, because if Perseus turned Atlas to stone and he became the Atlas Mountains, then Hercules could have never met him to get the golden apples or exchange holding up the sky according to the myth of Hercules.

[@davidawesomeness4466]

Oh yeah!!! I had to do a project for this!!! I did a parody of “I Wanna Rock” and called it “You’re Now a Rock”

[@dynamicentry6808]

I was waiting for the Original of Persuas. Thank you Jon Solo. Keep doing the god's work.

[@dcbandit]

The king would only have prevented his death by Perseus by not having went to learn if he would get a grandson in the first place, he pretty much signed his fate when he did, though I honestly don't know if it would have happened either way. Btw, I had to write a story thing for school from the pov of a different character in the tale. I wrote it from the Graeae's pov, in which I framed it as an interview with them after their meeting with Perseus, and I made them a trio of nice old British ladies who invited him to tea, only for him to make a mockery of the occasion and be a bother. I had a lot of fun writing it!

[@runningthemeta5570]

I always imagine Perseus used Medusa’s head on him as a way to free Atlas from constantly having to hold up the sky.

[@jagirl966]

Fun Fact: Peresus is Heracles' great grandfather. So, how did Atlas turn back to be in Heracles' myth? EDIT: They both are also descendants of Io by Zeus, with Poseidon fathering another ancestor. Also, Alcheme, Heracules' mother, and her husband, Amphition, were descendants of Peresus.

[@TitularHeroine]

An act of mercy. I swear, too, that somewhere I read a version in which Atlas *asked* Perseus to do it.

[@pierrebuieii3908]

Where you get that idea

[@runningthemeta5570]

@@TitularHeroine yeah I’m in the same boat, I swear I saw that somewhere but I have no clue where I saw it.

[@johnburnside7828]

@@jagirl966 I was just going to mention that little discrepancy in the myths. But of course, they were just separate tales, and people back then didn't have the obsession with making everything fit together in stories.

[@amb163]

Oooooh! Off topic, but I love Jim Henson's Storyteller series! I watched it when it first aired on tv back in the 90s, and now I own a dvd copy. I need to let my niece watch it...

[@juanprada4410]

Excellent video! Other curious details about Perseus: - According to the version, Perseus returns the eye to the 3 sisters or throws it into a river and they lose it (sounds cruel on his part). - There is a version that suggests that the garden of the Nymphs, who had the tools that Perseus needed, was a garden of Hera; this curiously makes him one of the few sons of Zeus that the queen seems to tolerate. - Although no classical version mentions that Perseus rode Pegasus, if there are several representations from antiquity that show him riding the winged horse, it is not unreasonable to consider that there is a version in which he, if he were the first rider of Pegasus, exists. , but did not survive in written form. - There is a version in which Perseus years later confronts Dionicio (at this point Dionicio was still mortal) and Perseus would defeat him, not only this but he would also kill or transform Ariadne (Dionicio's wife) into rock.

[@sorreljaclyn]

Incubus's and succubus's would be good as a topic. It might be a tad naughty subject, though 😅

[@TitularHeroine]

"The main logistic problem is that this was mythic ancient Greece." That was the best laugh I had all week!! Ahhhhh, sigh. Nerd humor. You ever try to do sh_t in a mirror that we don't normally do in a mirror? For a long time I thought Perseus was just given everything -- but he must've been the consummate swordsman and *extremely* well-prepared. And, of course -- thank you, Jon Solo! I hope the Fates continue to smile in your general direction!!

[@pastpatour]

Perseus is like the hero of a RPG game who has the most OP weapons given to him for free, but has no XP! He had to do the training all by himself.

[@ThePinkDragon]

loved the orginal clash of the titans

[@Laramaria2]

"His mom and his lover... Two separate people", I was expecting an Oedipus joke there 🤭

[@Fluttershy890]

Fun fact: Perseus in God of War II is actually voiced by Harry Hamlin, who played as Perseus in the original Clash of the Titans.

[@derricksilva1407]

I might have to join that Greece trip, it would be hilarious just to have you stuck with a Derrick on the trip.

[@JonSolo]

Lmao! I'd pack an extra "Shut Up, Derek" shirt just for you

[@bethmarriott9292]

The Atlas thing is interesting considering Hercules was meant to have spoken with him, but Hercules was also in some tellings a descendent of Perseus, which speaks to the transference of attributes and actions between mythological figures and creation/origin stories

[@Caldor64]

The Storyteller Greek myths are all surprisingly good

[@WiltedRose-wg4xz]

Perseus- ya know? Perseus? Me: Jackson? (P.S, I love your videos so much!)

[@doll9340]

Lol well he was named after him

[@tecumsehcristero]

I always imagined the golden shower to be pieces of gold raining down on her which is how all ancient artworks depict it so I don’t think “golden shower” was a metaphor for urine or sunlight.

[@bradwolf07]

"When in doubt, present the head of your quest victim and turn your problems to stone," Perseus the Merceus

[@dianeporrier9218]

This was actually one of the more entertaining stories of Percious out there.

[@kevin-2.1]

I can’t believe that Perseus actually try to wrestle with Atlas! 😂 And I guess the sea monster Perseus has slain wasn’t much of a problem, since he use a sword and not Medusa’s head. Guess he only needs it for bigger monster, as an emergency backup?

[@Ariel_thenotsolittlemermaid]

About your comment that it isn't clear why Perseus flew over Ethiopia on the way from Libya to Greece- you have to remember that just because an ancient place has the same name as a modern one it doesn't mean they're the same place, as sometimes people just pick out place names they've come across and give it to other places. There's a rocky structure just off shore in Jaffa (Israel) known as Andromeda's rock, because it is said that's where she was chained. When I first heard it I got confused because, like you, I thought she was from Ethiopia. Well, I looked it up, and according to Google for ancient Greeks the word 'Ethiopia' referred to everything southern of Greece. So, that's one possible explanation.

[@okami-chan9772]

Perseus was basically the Gods' pawn to "clean up" Poseidon's mess...

[@tvytytanooki]

Have you ever heard of the Greek hero Bophades? He was one of the heroes who fought in the Trojan War. His story is similar to the story of Achilles. When he was a child, his mother held him by the groin and dipped him in the river Styx, as to make him invincible in battle. However, just like Achilles, he had a weak spot. Because his mother held him by the groin, this was where he became vulnerable. In the case of Achilles, this was his heel. So you may have heard of Achilles' heel, or the Achilles' tendon, but I bet you have never heard of Bophades nuts.

[@DeadwaveCarrier-oc1wo]

You got me.

[@kenslycarpel3140]

Alright, you deserve this 👑

[@DrDolan2000]

Why the groin???

[@EduardoCardozo-z9q]

@@DrDolan2000 It is a joke, he is saying "bopha-this-nuts" at the end basically.

[@DrDolan2000]

@@EduardoCardozo-z9q I'm such a sucker...

[@Scalesthelizardwizard]

I'm quite fond of Perseus because in middle school we got these scholastic magazines that had plays in them and we would act them out by reading them one was the tale of Perseus and I got to pick the part of Perseus I also really like names that end in eus for some reason

[@amberly0317]

Please keep doing these trips! I can’t do the Greece one but would love one in the future! ❤️

[@pastpatour]

Perseus was an ancestor of Hercules who lived one generation before the Trojan War, so his story was old even for the archaic Greeks

[@brandieduryea1999]

Another great video. I love that you are giving people a chance to come with you on an adventure. Would love to go and see all the history but unfortunately don't have the funds. One day.

[@griffen34]

I'd love to see him tackle Theseus, that's be fun minefield.

[@vginsprdsobepr9698]

4:10 Harry Hamlin who played Perseus in the original Clash of the Titans reprised his role and was the voice actor for Perseus in God of War 2.

[@sdavis8292]

Where did you get your shirt? I love it! The steamboat Willy design.

[@doll9340]

His merch store

[@PunkinThePie]

This is the first time I have been this early and I love the fact it is one of my favourite myths

[@DaddyOfTheSugarVariety]

I love Jim Henson's The Storyteller/Greek Myths!

[@shivanijoshi9252]

I always wondered why there was no video on perseus on your channel! Im so glad you uploaded one!

[@elijahtorres7058]

This was a really good video I felt the need to comment. Loved the references to Bilbo and stuff also never knew about how Atlas got turned to stone like that. My cousin's videos tho. Also have you covered Sin Bad?

[@JosephSmith-xy4lp]

Atlas said be gone Perseus said ya motha that was hilarious

[@yolman25]

Awesome episode. Can you do an episode on Theseus, the character Henry Cavill played in the movie Immortals?

[@TitularHeroine]

That's a great movie. Not so much if you're looking for something accurate to mythology, but visually, absolutely amazing.

[@absolutezer0174]

6:38 R.I.P. Darren

[@jessvlogs2518]

If you can do one next year like another trip when I’m done with nursing school, that would be great

[@mattbaltimore7195]

12:39 That reminds me of that Vegan pun from Scott Pilgrim movie.......😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@pastpatour]

The ending of Clash of Titans is hilarious if you think about it. Zeus: Come Perseus, you gotta be a god and live with us in Olympus! Perseus: Screw that! I'm gonna live as a mere mortal! [Walks away with winged horse, magical sword and immortal, ageless hot girlfriend]

[@KoshTimeStepper]

A story I heard was that Perseus tried to ride to Olympus on Pegasus' back and fell into the ocean and drowned. I think the teacher had her myths mixed up somewhere.

[@allisearaeyvnlillith2218]

Always a pleasure

[@trickstergod6503]

13:44 In some paintings Perseus is shown riding Pegasus.

[@richewilson6394]

It doesn't make sense for the timeline that they say that Perseus is like the grandfather to Hercules and he meets him again in his like 11th labor. But if Perseus had turned Atlas into the mountains how would he have been able to get the apples from Hera's garden?

[@jesternario]

It was always my understanding that it wasn’t Medusa’s gaze that turned men to stone, but her face. Her curse was to be so ugly that men would be revulsed, at which point they were turned to stone.

[@FutureMythology]

Among Greek heroes, Perseus is unusual in that he has a happily ever after.

[@redpharaoh4084]

Do you have any stories for Egyptian mythology?

[@yensid4294]

I've noticed they tend to mix n match stories about Perseus, Thesseus & Bellepheron in popular culture.

[@kaylaroach7698]

Don't knock the 1951 version. For the time, it has good stop motion monsters. In my opinion, the vest part in the remake the Medusa scene.

[@HeyItsLito]

EARLY GANG LEZ GOOOOOO, luv ur vids Jon 😊😊

[@Cssisabeautifulthang]

Can you do more stuff on norse this that are very not known

[@wolverine2244]

You need to do Gilgamesh.

[@fnumbuh]

Ethiopia ? Why isn’t andromeda black?

[@melvinshine9841]

If Perseus murdered Atlas, then what or who was supposed to be keeping the heavens up?

[@danielthomas2816]

grate episode funny I just watched clash of the titans and was glad to here the rile stores of or Perseus .

[@peculiarmisfit746]

Great episode.

[@tinanelligan4153]

How accommodating is this trip for people with disabilities (am legally blind) I would love to go but I don't think I could do things like the kayaking on my own

[@BennyLlama39]

Jon: "By total coincidence, Acrisius, with nothing better to do since he's trying to avoid Perseus, ends up attending those funeral games." Me: (as Jeremy from CinemaSins) Plot conveniences are convenient. *Ding!* 😀

[@theanimeunderworld8338]

Want to know something else? Perseus is the ancestor of Heracles

[@malak..nightly6667]

Yeah that's exactly what I'm talking about online flats but I don't have that situation like you do John you're kind of trying to advanced me with your advanced information right now because I don't have any you do it makes me feel left out go and get it because apparently won't work for me 2:33 2-week trial do you know what that means 2 week trial using your money for 2 weeks in a row I'm already off my budget and I can't afford that I used it simply for a little simple things that are not usually meant to be but actually for use 2:54 and thanks to those decisions I've gotten somewhere far enough to be also not just justed by many other people in the app

[@c-dotproctah7390]

Not Vicki Gunvalson… I never expected that! 🤣🤣🤣

[@daniluv2696]

one of my fave demi gods!!

[@ginnyjollykidd]

Another lesson: tho it is an aside, it is still very important: when people-especially gods and goddesses offer help, especially one grounded in the art of war (Athena) -you accept and _take it!_

[@sakilynn]

He tried to wrestle Atlas? What, did he tried to chokehold the guy's toe? 😒 Ha! Reminds me of that Bugs Bunny cartoon when he wrestled the Crusher! 🤣

[@baldemarsilva8603]

Have you done a messed up origins of the titans only?

[@RichardSeebald]

In other versions of the myth, Acrisius maliciously attends to the wedding of his daughter Danaë and Polydectes, enable to inherit an heir to his kingdom. So when Perseus comes back after slaying Medusa, he not just turns Polydectes to stone but also his grandfather Acrisius as well. In another, Perseus also uses the head of Medusa to kill Cetus the sea monster and save Andromeda.

[@superfun64]

...he's literally on the vacation as I watch this for the first time >^

[@pennyrey1448]

I love your videos can you do a video on the maya creation myth please🙏🏽

[@debbralehrman5957]

Thanks Jon👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@skyetredinnick3624]

I am the biggest fan and know a lot about Greek mythology 👍

[@ZeldaSam1]

12:40 Ah, Screw you, that was FUNNY!!!

[@JBirdInfo]

Can u please do a video about thors daughter, thora/thordis

[@cask82]

Question, which no one seems to ask. If Perseus turned Atlas to stone long before the birth of Herakles. How was Herakles then able to travel to Atlas to ask for the golden apple(s) if he was supposedly immobile and frozen solid??? What, does Medusas spell wear off on Gods and Titans over time???

[@johnnycage112]

Medusa was the short end of the stick moreso than anyone else screwed over by the gods.

[@MamaCat956]

My favorite novel is Athena's child by Hannah Lynn

[@Pridam]

Well Medusa being a beautiful woman who was cursed by Athena into being a monster was a Roman edition that was made much later down the line. She and her sister were originally wicked monsters that the gods never screwed over

[@johnnycage112]

@@Pridam IK but I like it so much more.

[@mecahhannah]

❤Awesome as always thanks

[@Thelastmanalive565]

Can you do Jason next?

[@Uncleed251]

Perseus had killer head 😂😂😂

[@AustynSN]

Though a later more modern edition, I remember a version of the stories (I think it was from a collection of short books by or inspired by Bullfinch, but not certain of the author, though.) in which Perseus was actually able to look at Medusa's severed head before throwing it to Athena. Basically, he'd seen it in reflections so much that he had gotten past the "turn to stone" thing and could see the beauty beneath Athens's curse. He kissed her (I think on the forehead) as a sort of "Sorry I had to kill you"/"Thanks for the help"/"Have a peaceful afterlife". Though a bit cliche, I always liked that detail because even though it was after death and by her killer, it shows that maybe Medusa finally had some tiny bit of release from her curse. (Also, it should be mentioned that the same series included a volume on "Heraclea". Basically Hercules, but gender flipped and a major thorn in Zeus's side instead of a victim of Hera.)

[@williamloy3140]

Who is this Derek? I love the content always watching

[@HeatherNickless-vt8zr]

The stuff about Andromeda's Uncle Kind a makes him sound like he was like the leader of Odysseus' wife's suitors, but with the gross personality of Gabe Ugliano. LOL

[@popoha4380]

Gunther and Penny know more stories than my mom. Likely not so good at speaking them.

[@mercuryman1250]

Hey Jon did Medusa have a roman counterpart or any other ones in different myths other than greek

[@Lulundoo]

Hi Jon 🤗

[@DJMarcO138]

Why you gotta be kink shamin' folks Jon Solo? lol

[@natashasalazar3275]

I need that shirt, Jon. Is that on ur page?

[@jaidengames26]

Love this video

[@christinecallahan5512]

I love your Videos and l do know Perseus and greek Mythology......

[@aholland20132]

Great video!

[@kimbella7726]

I just found my new favorite person to have on when im deep cleaning😂❤

[@charmaintrout174]

Paul?? Is that you ? It is! I see you back there. Are you moonlighting? 😄

[@MusicLover-my6fo]

"Perseus makes everyone rock hard." Damn you, Jon.

[@plains7000]

I have a book at home The Hamlyn Book of Myths and Legends One of it's stories is Perseus and Andromeda I read a few years ago.

[@PhilieBlunt666]

Isnt there something about pegasus using the gorgon blood to poison its hooves?