Danaë

Danaë, the daughter of Acrisius, king of Argos, himself the great-grandson of Danus. An oracle had announced that she would one day give birth to a son, who should kill his grandfather. Acrisius, for safety's sake, shut her up in a dungeon, where, nevertheless, she was visited by Zeus in a shower of gold, and so became the mother of Perseus. Acrisius next put both the mother and child into a chest, and exposed them on the sea. The chest, however, drifted ashore on the island of Seriphos, and Danaë and her child were saved. She remained in the island until Perseus (q.v.) had grown up and become a hero famous for his exploits; afterwards she accompanied him to Argos. On his arrival, Acrisius fled, but was subsequently slain accidentally by Perseus at Larissa.