In Greek mythology, Perseus’s mother, whom King Polydectes wanted to marry, was Danaë.
Danaë was the daughter of Acrisius, king of Argos. A prophecy said that Acrisius would die through a descendant, so he confined Danaë in a chamber. Zeus reached her in the form of golden rain, and Perseus was born from their union.
Acrisius later placed Danaë and the infant Perseus in a chest and cast them into the sea. They survived and reached Seriphos, where Polydectes eventually became interested in Danaë. His attempt to get rid of Perseus led to the hero’s mission against Medusa. Danaë is sometimes confused with Andromeda, but Andromeda was Perseus’s later wife, not his mother.