In Greek mythology, Acrisius (; Ancient Greek: Ἀκρίσιος means 'ill-judgment'
Family
Acrisius was the son of Abas
and Aglaea
[Apollodorus, 2.2.1] (or Ocalea, depending on the author), grandson of
Lynceus, great-grandson of
Aegyptus. He was the twin brother of Proetus
and the half brother of
Lyrcus.
Acrisius was the husband of Eurydice
[Scholiast ad Apollonius of Rhodes, 4.1091; Apollodorus, 2.2.2] or Aganippe
and thus grandfather of the hero
Perseus through their daughter
Danae. His other daughter was
Evarete, wife of King
Oenomaus of Pisa in
Ancient Elis.
Mythology
Rivalry of twins
Acrisius and Proetus were said to have quarrelled even in the womb of their mother and when Abas died and Acrisius had grown up, he expelled Proetus from his inheritance. On his exile, Proetus was supported by his father-in-law
Iobates, the
, Proetus returned, and Acrisius was compelled to share his kingdom with his brother by giving
Tiryns to him, while he retained Argos for himself.
In one version of the myth, there is no mention of the dispute between the two brothers but they divided the kingdom, Acrisius remained where he was at Argos and Proetus took over the Heraeum, Mideia, Tiryns, and the Argive coast region.[Pausanias, 2.16.2]
Death
Disappointed by his lack of luck in having a son, Acrisius consults the
Oracle at
Delphi, who warns him that he will one day be killed by his daughter’s son. Danaë is childless and to keep her so, he imprisons her in a bronze chamber open to the sky in the courtyard of his palace.
Zeus impregnates her in the form of a golden shower (some accounts say it is her uncle, Proetus, who impregnates her).
Danaë becomes pregnant with Perseus. Acrisius puts the child and Danaë in a chest and throws it into the sea. Zeus asks
Poseidon to calm the water; he does and Danaë and Perseus survive, washing up on the island of
Seriphos. A fisherman named
Dictys, brother of King
Polydectes, finds the pair and takes care of them.
[Apollodorus, 2.2.1 & 2.4.1; Pausanias, 2.16.2, 2.25.7 & 3.13.6; Hyginus, Fabulae 63]
Perseus grows up to be a hero, killing Medusa and rescuing Andromeda. Perseus and Danaë return to Argos with Andromeda, but King Acrisius has gone to Larissa. When Perseus arrives in Larissa, he participates in funeral games and accidentally strikes Acrisius on the head with a discus, killing him and fulfilling the prophecy.
Founder of Delphic amphictyony
According to the
Scholiast on
Euripides,
[Euripides, Orestes 1087] Acrisius was the founder of the
amphictyony. Strabo believes that this amphictyony existed before the time of Acrisius,
[Strabo, 9. p. 420] and that he was only the first who regulated the affairs of the amphictyons, fixed the towns which were to take part in the council, gave to each its vote, and settled the jurisdiction of the amphictyons.
[Comp. Libanius, Orat. vol. iii. 472, ed. Reiske.]
Argive genealogy chart
Notes
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Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
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Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
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Robert Graves, The Greek Myths, Harmondsworth, London, England, Penguin Books, 1960.
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Graves, Robert, The Greek Myths: The Complete and Definitive Edition. Penguin Books Limited. 2017.
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Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
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Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
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Strabo, Geographica. Edition by H.L. Jones. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
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Strabo, Geographica edited by A. Meineke. Leipzig: Teubner. 1877. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
