Andromeda
Ethiopian princess chained to a rock as sacrifice to a sea monster, rescued by Perseus, and placed among the stars.
The Legend of Andromeda
She was chained to a rock because her mother said she was prettier than sea goddesses — and a flying hero on a winged horse saved her seconds before the monster struck. Cassiopeia boasted that Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids. Poseidon sent a sea monster (ketos) to ravage Ethiopia. An oracle demanded Andromeda be sacrificed. Perseus, returning from killing Medusa with Pegasus and the Gorgon's head, saw her chained to the coastal rocks. He killed the ketos (either with his sword or by showing it Medusa's head) and married Andromeda. At their wedding, her former suitor Phineus attacked, and Perseus petrified him. Athena placed Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus, and the ketos (Cetus) in the sky as constellations.
Parents
Cepheus, Cassiopeia
Children
Perses
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Andromeda Galaxy is named after her — the most distant object visible to the naked eye carries the name of a chained princess.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Andromeda
🗡 heroPrincess chained to a rock, saved by Perseus
Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess chained to a sea cliff as sacrifice to a monster — rescued by Perseus, who petrified the beast with Medusa's head.
Cepheus
🗡 heroNone recorded
King of Aethiopia who nearly sacrificed his daughter Andromeda to a sea monster
Cepheus
🗡 herotragedy
Ethiopian king who chained his own daughter Andromeda to a rock to appease Poseidon's sea monster.
Hesione
🗡 herocaptivity
Trojan princess chained to a rock as sacrifice to a sea monster, rescued by Heracles, then given to Telamon as a war prize.
Cassiopeia
🗡 heroQueen whose vanity endangered her daughter
Cassiopeia was the queen who boasted her beauty exceeded the sea nymphs — provoking Poseidon to demand her daughter Andromeda as sacrifice.
Perseus and Andromeda
💭 conceptNarrative
The rescue of an Ethiopian princess from a sea monster by the Gorgon-slaying hero
Theseus
🗡 heroheroism
Athenian prince who entered the Cretan Labyrinth, killed the Minotaur with Ariadne's help, then abandoned her on Naxos.
Peleus
🗡 heroMortal who married a goddess
The king of Phthia who wrestled and won the sea-nymph Thetis, fathering Achilles — the greatest warrior of the Trojan War.
Cassiopeia
🗡 heroNone recorded
Vain queen of Aethiopia whose boast brought a sea monster upon her kingdom
Peleus
🗡 heroheroism
King of Phthia, Argonaut, and father of Achilles who wrestled the shape-shifting sea goddess Thetis to win her as his bride.
Ino
🗡 heromadness
Theban princess who raised the infant Dionysus, was driven mad by Hera, and leaped into the sea to become the goddess Leucothea.
Perseus
🗡 heroHero who slew Medusa
The son of Zeus and Danae who beheaded Medusa, rescued Andromeda, and founded the Perseid dynasty of Mycenae.