Perseus

In NetHack, Perseus is the name given to an historic statue of a knight found on Medusa's Island.

Generation

The statue of Perseus appears in all four maps of Medusa's Island, with his location sometimes tied to the location of Medusa or the down stairs:

• On the first map, which has Medusa's dwelling on a central island surrounded by other islands, the statue of Perseus is placed on the down stair, where Medusa also resides.
• On the second map, which has two large islands containing each stairway with a chain of smaller one between them, the statue of Perseus is placed on the down stair, where Medusa also resides.
• On the third map, which has several islands that are populated with trees scattered across the level, the statue of Perseus is placed on the center square of a 3x3 building randomly chosen from the four split across the larger islands.
• The fourth map, which has a large palace-like structure on the western end of the map with several sets of iron bars, the statue of Perseus is placed on the center square of a 3x3 room randomly chosen from the four within the 'palace'.

The statue of Perseus has an independent chance of containing each of the following items, which is also dependent on the map:

• A ¹⁄₄ chance of a cursed +0 shield of reflection on the second map, with a ³⁄₄ chance on all other maps
• A ³⁄₄ chance of a +0 pair of levitation boots on the second map, with a ¹⁄₄ chance on all other maps
• A ¹⁄₂ chance of a blessed +2 scimitar
• A ¹⁄₂ chance of a sack

Strategy

Perseus's statue is often checked for a source of reflection by a hero who either manages to kill Medusa without one, or else plans to pilfer the statue before taking her on - characters should have the required items for at least one of the usual strategies listed on her article readied and equipped, lest they end up like Perseus. His statue can also potentially provide a source of levitation, either for later points of the game such as the Elemental Planes or for crossing Medusa's island freely (e.g. after digging past).

The raven-filled variant of Medusa's island is likely to have the statue on a different island from Medusa herself, making it safer to break the statue but much harder to actually reach either area if the character lacks most other means of crossing the sea.

Origin

Perseus is named for the Greek mythological figure that beheaded and killed Medusa, using his polished shield to view her reflection and avoid meeting her gaze directly. The items found in the statue each reflect the tools Perseus was gifted for the task of killing Medusa: Zeus or Hermes 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 that would allow him to safely view Medusa; and the Hesperides gave him a knapsack (kibisis) with which to safely contain Medusa's head as well. The sack in particular also serves as the inspiration for both the Wallet of Perseus in SLASH'EM and its variants and the Bag of the Hesperides in EvilHack.

Variants

FIQHack

In FIQHack, the statue of Perseus is guaranteed to contain the shield of reflection and a pair of levitation boots, with the same independent ¹⁄₂ chance of the scimitar and sack each generating within the statue.

EvilHack

In EvilHack, the +2 scimitar generated within Perseus's statue is replaced by a +2 saber. The saber additionally has a ¹⁄₂₀ chance of being made into an appropriate artifact, i.e. either Werebane or Grayswandir (with an equal probability for each artifact).

Encyclopedia entry

See the encyclopedia entry for Medusa.