The Princess

You may have already heard of me, the darling daughter of Queen Cassiopeia, or the heir to the Ethiopian throne. I have heard people say that my beauty compares only to that of Helen of Troy. Some say that I am one of the few from the “Greek tragedies” that had a happy ending.

I may be all of these things, sure, but I am also simply a woman, and my name is Andromeda.

In order to understand my story, you must understand that the life of the princess is pretty much mapped out for you since birth. I was told where I was to be during the day, what I was to wear, and I was even told who I was supposed to be married to – my uncle, Phineus, the brother to my father, Cepheus.

Everything had always been chosen for me, even my death, as my mother explained in her tale. Because of her boastful nature, I was the one that had to be forfeited to the sea monster, Cetus. Because of my parents’ choices, it was I who was to bear the punishment for their crimes against the gods. Nevermind that I never had a say in the matter, even if it was my life on the line.

As Cetus rose from the depths of the ocean, his breath falling heavily and disgustingly on my face, I watched in horror as he surged towards me, satisfied with the sacrifice my parents had provided for him. I was chained, naked, the chains chafing my wrists and ankles enough to be sure to scar.

I was too terrified to make any noise; I writhed against the shackles and tried to get free, but to no avail. I shut my eyes tightly just as Cetus’ mouth opened, revealing rows of sharpened teeth, and he lunged.

However, death did not come.

There was a horrific scream, one that could have only come from the mouth of the monster set to kill me, loud enough that it shook the steady rock that I was chained to, and my eyes shot open, revealing a scene that, to this day, leaves me completely in awe.

Cetus was frozen, his eyes wide with the same terror in them as mine had been only moments before. However, instead of the grotesque, scaly monster, in its place a mass of stone.

A young man, holding a frightening decapitated head, was turned, staring at me as he breathed heavily. He stood in front of me, placing the head so that the face was not facing me, and took my face into his hands. I didn’t know this man; he was beautiful, with eyes that stared right into my soul. He spoke, words that passed right through me, and I could only watch as he set me free from my chains. I collapsed into his arms, but he held me steadfast.

His name was Perseus, and in that moment, as he carried me back to my parents, naked and recovering from shock, I knew that he was my soulmate. It was the only thing in my life, up to the moment, that I had been able to choose for myself.

It was that kind of steadfastness that made me fall in love with him, despite not knowing him properly, and despite the fact that I had been promised to someone else. The Fates may have brought him to me, but it was I myself that chose to keep him.

We married quickly, my parents agreeing without hesitation, mainly because he was the one that saved their darling daughter.

The road to marriage wasn’t one without mishaps. My uncle decided to take it upon himself to break up the union, but it only led to his demise – he turned to stone much like Cetus had been, just by the sight of the Medusa’s head.

My story is not just about me. You cannot have my story without my mother, or my husband. I followed him across the world, had his children – seven sons and two daughters – and we started a line of ancestors that ruled Mycenae. We lived together, happily, something that not many people in our time got to do. We had love, and that was the most important thing.

Despite the fact that my family had angered the gods, Athena placed me in the northern sky, near my husband and my mother. It is odd to be near my mother in the heavens, as she was punished, and I was honored. The Goddess of Wisdom admired my heart, the ingrained stubbornness and my ability to stand up and choose for myself. Now, I rest happily amongst the stars, keeping my mother company and watching as humans enjoy their own freewill. I watch as they fall in love and find their own soulmates, creating their own stories out of pages fate provides for them.

Author's Note: This is my final segment of my Storybook, and part of me is very sad and yet relieved that I have finally finished it! Andromeda is such an important figure in Greek Mythology, as she provides that sense of relief that love often does for many people. Not all stories in Greek Mythology end with them being honored by the Gods after living a long life with their one true love. It makes me happy to know I was able to bring Andromeda to life and give her a voice that she most definitely deserved. The one thing that I kind of changed was that there are different variations of how Perseus ends of killing Cetus – one of which being that he uses Medusa’s – a monster, a Gorgon, who was a winged human with venomous snakes for hair who had the ability to turn humans into stone if she was looked in the eyes – head as his weapon of choice to murder Cetus. I think this part of the story allows nice transition into other Greek myths, if anyone wanted to look into the subject more. By adding the story of Medusa and also that of Andromeda’s uncle, Phineus, it provides more depth to the story in order to help the reader understand the complexity and the dynamic nature of Greek mythology as a whole.

Bibliography: Andromeda (mythology), found on Wikipedia.

Image Information

Header: Perseus Rescuing Andromeda (oil on canvas) by Charles Antoine Coypel. Found on Fine Art America.

Bottom Image: Andromeda (oil on canvas) by Edward Poynter. Found on Wikipedia Commons.