The Three Blind Sisters

The very next morning, Perseus said goodbye to his mother and went to find the three blind sisters. The three blind sisters had lived for hundreds of years and knew many secret things that others did not. Perseus had heard many terrible stories about them. It was said that they were so old that they only had one tooth and one eye left between them and they had to share them. Because they only had one tooth, they had to spend most of the day eating slowly. Because they only had one eye, it was hard to find food, and they often ate men who came asking them questions.

Perseus put on his flying boots and helmet of invisibility and flew towards the mountain where the three blind sisters lived. As he flew over the ocean, he feared that his boots would stop working and that he would fall into the sea, but the boots were a gift from Apollo himself, and they carried him across the sea safely. Once Perseus was on land, no one saw him for he was wearing his helmet of invisibility.

He climbed the mountain of the three blind sisters and entered the cave where they lived. Immediately the sisters smelled him, because, without eyesight, their power of smell was sharp.

"I smell something. What is it? It smells juicy and good. I'm hungry!" said the youngest sister.

"It is a man," said the middle sister.

"Quickly, give me the eye!" said the oldest sister.

Perseus watched as the oldest sister reached into the middle sister's head and pulled out the one eye. She then pushed the eye into her own head and looked around the room. Perseus was still wearing his helmet, however, and the old sister could not see him.

"Yes, it's a man; I hear a man's footsteps on the rock floor; yet, I see no one!" the old sister said angrily. "Where are you hiding, young man?"

"I have come to ask you about Medusa," said Perseus in a strong voice.

"We will tell you nothing!" yelled the three sisters together.

"Not until we can see you."

The other two sisters came close to the oldest so that they would not be far from the eye that they depended on.

The youngest sister spoke:

"Give me the eye, sister, I am younger than you and can see better with it. I will find this young man!"

Perseus watched as the youngest sister pulled the eye out of the oldest sister's head. Just when she was about to put it in her own head Perseus grabbed it out of her hand.

"Our eye, he stole our eye!" shouted the young sister.

"Give it back, you thief! We'll make you sorry, we will!" all three sisters said with voices like snakes.

Perseus laughed at the sisters. "Oh, I think I will keep your eye, since you will not answer my questions about Medusa. I will see you later, but I don't think you will see me."

"Wait! Come back!" cried the sisters. "Oh, all right! We will tell you what you want to know."

"Very well," said Perseus, "tell me about this monster called Medusa."

The middle sister answered his question with great hatred in her voice. "Long ago, Medusa was once a beautiful woman with two sisters. Medusa was very vain, and she told her sisters that she was more beautiful than even the goddess Athena, and her sisters agreed with her. Of course Athena heard what Medusa had said and was very angry. She decided to punish them all. She changed Medusa and her sisters into Gorgons—the most terrible and ugly monsters on this earth. They have the body of a woman, but their legs have become snakes. Also, Medusa's long, beautiful hair was turned into a group of snakes as well. She is the most horrible looking of them all! Her face is so ugly that if anyone looks into her eyes, they will be changed into stone. The only way to look at her is by using a mirror."

"So that is why Athena gave me this mirror shield," thought Perseus.

"Where can I find this monster?" demanded Perseus.

"She lives with her sisters on the Island of the Gorgons, far to the north of here. Just follow the north wind and you will find it."

Hearing this, Perseus turned to leave and threw the eye down on the floor. The three old women jumped down on the floor, feeling around for their precious eye.

(end of section)