Acrisius

In Greek mythology, Acrisius was the king of Argos, son of Abas and Aglaea and twin brother of Proetus. When their father died, Acrisius slyly possessed all of the inheritance and expelled his brother. However, assisted by his father – in – law Iobates, Proetus managed to take his share of the kingdom and became the ruler of the city of Tiryns.

Acrisius had one daughter, Danae; after consulting the Oracle of Delphi, he found out that he would be killed by his daughter’s son. As his daughter was childless at the time, Acrisius incarcerated her so as to remain a virgin. However, Zeus, who had fallen in love with her, sneaked into her cell and impregnated her. Acrisius, enraged that his daughter now had a child, locked both of them in a chest and threw it into the sea. The chest washed up on the island of Seriphos, and was found by a fisherman, who took care of Danae and her son, Perseus.

Many years later, Acrisius moved to the city of Larissa and attended at some funeral games, in which his grandson participated, unbeknown to either of them. During the games, a bad throw of the discus by Perseus resulted in hitting Acrisius on the head, causing his grandfather’s instant death, and thus fulfilling the prophecy of the oracle.

See Also: Danae, Perseus