Famous Myths
What makes Roman mythology so popular are the myths and legends that were created to entertain crowds and to explain how the universe worked. Below are summaries of some of the more famous myths.
Perseus and Medusa
There was a king named Acrisius who ruled in Argos. He learned from an oracle that the child of his daughter would kill him. He confined his daughter in a tower to keep her from getting pregnant. Jupiter visited her in the tower and they conceived a child that the woman later named Perseus. When Perseus grew up, he was sent by the evil king of that country to get the head of Medusa. Any man that looked her in the eye would turn to stone. To accomplish his task, Perseus borrowed the shield of Minerva and onlylooked at Medusa's reflection. He was able to cut her head off without turning to stone.
Midas
Bacchus found his foster father missing one night. The old man had wandered away and was found by some peasants, who brought him to their king, Midas. Midas recognized the man and treated him with hospitality. Bacchus decided to grant him any reward he wanted for finding the old man. Midas wanted everything he touched to be gold. Therefore, he was granted the power to change everything to gold. At first he was pleased, but soon he found that he could not eat or drink because the food and wine turned instantly to gold. He finally, out of starvation, begged Bacchus to relieve him of this curse. Bacchus consented, and instructed Midas to go wash himself in the river. The river turned gold, but after that the curse was lifted. The moral of the story is that love of wealth can ruin your life.
To learn about more myths and legends go to the Mythology Guide Online.
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