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Danaë

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

In Greek myth, the mother of Perseus, impregnated by Zeus in the form of a golden shower; symbol of divine intervention and fate.

Detailed Definition
Danaë was imprisoned by her father Acrisius to prevent a prophecy that her son would kill him. Zeus visited her as a shower of gold, resulting in Perseus’ birth. Poets reference her to explore themes of divine intervention, fate’s inevitability, and the paradox of protection leading to fulfillment of doom.
Example
Example in poetry:
Danaë is impregnated by Zeus as golden rain in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, leading to Perseus’s birth; Simonides’ lyric poetry celebrates her divine encounter; In Apollodorus, Danaë and infant Perseus are cast adrift in a chest; Renaissance painters and poets use Danaë to symbolize divine grace and vulnerability; Keats alludes to Danaë’s “shower of gold” as a metaphor for inspiration; Modern verse explores Danaë’s agency amid patriarchal control.
Additional Notes
Danaë, mother of Perseus, was imprisoned by her father Acrisius but impregnated by Zeus as a golden shower; her story blends divine intervention, confinement, and miraculous birth—often used in poetry to examine fate, female vulnerability, or the intersection of violence and creation; her name evokes resilience amid patriarchal control.
Also Known As
Mother of Perseus Golden Showered Danae
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