d even when she is dead, one glance of
that fearful face will still turn all mortal things to stone. So, when
thou drawest nigh to slay her, thine eye must not rest upon her. Take
good heed, then, to thyself, for while they are awake the Gorgon
sisters dread no danger, for the snakes which curl around their heads
warn them of every peril. Only while they sleep canst thou approach
them, and the face of Medusa, in life or in death, thou must never
see. Take, then, this mirror, into which thou canst look, and when
thou beholdest her image there, then nerve thy heart and take thine
aim, and carry away with thee the head of the mortal maiden. Linger
not in thy flight, for her sisters will pursue after thee, and they
can neither grow old nor die."

So Athene departed from him, and early in the morning he saw by his
side the mirror which she had given to him, and he said, "Now I know
that my toil is not in vain, and the help of Athene is a pledge of yet
more aid in time to come." So he journeyed on with a good heart over
hill and dale, across rivers and forests, towards the setting of the
sun. Manfully he toiled on, till sleep weighed heavy on his eyes, and
he lay down to rest on a broad stone in the evening. Once more before
him stood a glorious form. A burnished helmet glistened on his head, a
golden staff was in his hand, and on his feet were the golden sandals,
which bore him through the air with a flight more swift than the
eagle's. And Perseus heard a voice which said, "I am Hermes, the
messenger of Zeus, and I come to arm thee against thine enemies. Take
this sword, which slays all mortal things on which it may fall, and go
on thy way with a cheerful heart. A weary road yet lies before thee,
and for many a long day must thou wander on before thou canst have
other help in thy mighty toil. Far away, towards the setting of the
sun, lies the Tartessian land, whence thou shalt see the white-crested
mountains where Atlas holds up the pillars of the heaven. There must
thou cross the dark waters, and then thou wilt find thyself in the
land of the Graiai, who are of kin to the Gorgon sisters, and thou
wilt see no more the glory of Helios, who gladdens the homes of living
men. Only a faint light from the far-off sun comes dimly to the
desolate land where, hidden in the gloomy cave, lurk the hapless
Graiai. These thou must seek out, and when thou hast found them, fear
them not. Over their worn and wrinkled faces stream tangled mas