Cetus- Greek CreatureCreature · Monster
Also known as: Ketos and κῆτος
Description
Sent by Poseidon to ravage the coast of Aethiopia, this sea monster rose from the waves to claim Andromeda, chained to a sea-cliff as sacrifice. Perseus dove from the sky with his curved blade and Medusa's head, and the beast died thrashing in bloody foam.
Mythology & Lore
Cassiopeia's Boast
Cassiopeia, queen of Aethiopia, declared herself more beautiful than the Nereids. The sea nymphs carried their grievance to Poseidon, who answered by loosing a monster on the kingdom. Cetus rose from the deep and tore along the coast. It swallowed ships and drowned the fields in salt water.
The Rock and the Rescue
King Cepheus consulted the oracle of Ammon. The price of deliverance was his daughter. Andromeda was stripped and chained to a cliff at the waterline, left for the creature to take.
In Ovid's telling, Perseus spotted her from the air and mistook her for a marble statue. Only the wind stirring her hair and the tears on her cheeks told him she was alive. He landed and struck a bargain with Cepheus: the girl's hand in marriage for the monster's death.
When Cetus surged from the water, Perseus attacked. Apollodorus gives the short version: Perseus held up the Gorgon's head and turned the beast to stone. Ovid tells a longer fight. Perseus dove from the sky and drove his curved blade into the monster's right shoulder, then hacked through waves of blood while the creature thrashed and rolled. The sea turned red. Andromeda's parents watched from the shore.
Among the Stars
Eratosthenes records that after the rescue, the figures were placed among the stars. Cetus became a constellation near the celestial river Eridanus, with Perseus and Andromeda set close by.