In Greek mythology, Perseus married Andromeda after rescuing her from a sea monster.
Andromeda was the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia of Ethiopia. Cassiopeia offended the sea god Poseidon by boasting that she was more beautiful than the Nereids. As punishment, a sea monster was sent against the kingdom, and Andromeda was chained to a rock as a sacrifice.
Perseus encountered her while returning from his mission to kill Medusa. He used Medusa’s severed head to turn the monster to stone, then claimed Andromeda as his bride. Their marriage connected two major heroic stories in Greek mythology.
Andromeda’s name is also preserved in astronomy: the constellation Andromeda represents her, and the Andromeda Galaxy takes its name from that constellation. She should not be confused with Danaë, Perseus’s mother, or Ariadne, who is associated with Theseus and Dionysus.