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Ethiopia in Western Culture

The Myth of Perseus

According to greco-roman literature, the great greek Hero Perseus, that was a descendent of the african gods Egypt and Nile, went to Ethiopia to be crowned and receive a kingdom.
On the back of the flying horse Pegasus, he had killed Medusa the monster, and going to visit first Atlas the Ethiopian Giant, then he went to visit the Kingdom of Ethiopia, whose king’s name was Cepheus.
Ovidius states at the end of IV Book of the Metamorphoses (668-671):
gentibus innumeris circumque infraque relictis
Aethiopum populos Cepheaque conspicit arva.
illic inmeritam maternae pendere linguae
Andromedan poenas iniustus iusserat Ammon;
“Leaving innumerable nations behind, below and around him, he came in sight of the Ethiopian peoples, and the fields of Cepheus. There Jupiter Ammon had unjustly ordered the innocent Andromeda to pay the penalty for her mother Cassiopeia’s words.”
The wife of Cefeus, Queen Cassiopea, had praised the beauty of her daughter and declared it higher than the beauty of deities. Therefore, the God Ammon sent a dragon to destroy their kingdom, forcing the royal couple to offer Andromeda’s life to save the land. Andromeda was chained on the shores of the Ocean to be killed, when Perseus saw her and killed the dragon using the head of Medusa, thus marrying Andromeda and becoming Prince of Ethiopia.
The story of Perseus recalls the traditional tale of Agabos father of Makeda Queen of Sheba (the most beutiful of women) who became Ethiopian Sovereign killing the king-serpent that was oppressing the land. The deeds of Saint George (Ghiorghìs, like “Gorgon”, the title of Medusa) seem to be very similar also.
According to western interpretation of stars, Perseus, Cepheus, Cassiopea and Andromeda are 4 constant constellations of the boreal emisphere, that never go under the line of the horizon and are visible during the whole year. Therefore, the complete Ethiopian Royal family is represented on the European Celestial Vault and symbolically rules it.