Difference between revisions of "Perseus"

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'''Perseus''' was the hero of [[List of mythoi in NetHack|Greek legend]] who killed [[Medusa]]. He appears in NetHack in [[statue]] form on the down [[stair]] of [[Medusa's Island|Medusa's lair]]. Either he failed to kill her this time, or Medusa keeps a statue of him to remind her of past failures (if his statue is carrying a shield of reflection, it's hard to say how he went wrong...).
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'''Perseus''' is the name given to a [[statue]] of a [[knight (player monster)|knight]] found on [[Medusa's Island]]. He is named for the Greek mythological figure that beheaded and killing [[Medusa]], using his [[shield of reflection|polished shield]] to view her reflection and avoid meeting her gaze directly.
  
Perseus can be carrying a number of helpful items, including the aforementioned [[shield of reflection]] and [[levitation boots]]. Chances of receiving each vary with the level layout. See [[Medusa's Island]] for the probabilities of receiving each.
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==Description==
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The statue of Perseus appears in all versions of Medusa's domain, with his location dependent on the version. The statue has a chance of containing the following items, with an independent chance for each:
  
Perseus is not a monster. If you cast [[stone to flesh]] on his statue, you create "a [[Knight_(player_monster)|knight]] named Perseus", not a unique monster called Perseus.
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* A 75% chance of a cursed +0 shield of reflection; in the second version, the chance is instead 25%
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* A 25% chance of a +0 pair of [[levitation boots]]; in the second version, the chance is instead 75%
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* A 50% chance of a blessed +2 [[scimitar]]
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* A 50% chance of a [[sack]]
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Casting [[stone to flesh]] on his statue will revive him as a named [[player monster]], much like any other statue.
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==Strategy==
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Perseus's statue is often broken by those seeking a source of reflection after killing Medusa if they manage to make it to her domain without one. He can also potentially provide a source of [[levitation]], either for [[Elemental Plans|later points of the game]] or to be able to actually cross Medusa's island (e.g. after [[digging]] past).
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==Origin==
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The items found in the statue each reflect some of the actual tools the mythological Perseus was gifted for his task: Zeus gave him a set of winged sandals and an adamantine [[Wikipedia:harpe|''harpe'']] (a sword with a sickle or scythe in the blade, hence the scimitar); the polished shield was a gift from Athena; and the Hesperides gave him a knapsack with which to safely contain Medusa's head as well.
  
 
{{Wikipedia|Perseus}}
 
{{Wikipedia|Perseus}}
 
[[Category:Mythology]]
 
[[Category:Mythology]]
{{nethack-361}}
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{{nethack-364}}

Revision as of 15:30, 21 February 2020

Perseus is the name given to a statue of a knight found on Medusa's Island. He is named for the Greek mythological figure that beheaded and killing Medusa, using his polished shield to view her reflection and avoid meeting her gaze directly.

Description

The statue of Perseus appears in all versions of Medusa's domain, with his location dependent on the version. The statue has a chance of containing the following items, with an independent chance for each:

  • A 75% chance of a cursed +0 shield of reflection; in the second version, the chance is instead 25%
  • A 25% chance of a +0 pair of levitation boots; in the second version, the chance is instead 75%
  • A 50% chance of a blessed +2 scimitar
  • A 50% chance of a sack

Casting stone to flesh on his statue will revive him as a named player monster, much like any other statue.

Strategy

Perseus's statue is often broken by those seeking a source of reflection after killing Medusa if they manage to make it to her domain without one. He can also potentially provide a source of levitation, either for later points of the game or to be able to actually cross Medusa's island (e.g. after digging past).

Origin

The items found in the statue each reflect some of the actual tools the mythological Perseus was gifted for his task: Zeus gave him a set of winged sandals and an adamantine harpe (a sword with a sickle or scythe in the blade, hence the scimitar); the polished shield was a gift from Athena; and the Hesperides gave him a knapsack with which to safely contain Medusa's head as well.

This page may need to be updated for the current version of NetHack.

It may contain text specific to NetHack 3.6.4. Information on this page may be out of date.

Editors: After reviewing this page and making necessary edits, please change the {{nethack-364}} tag to the current version's tag or {{noversion}} as appropriate.