Perses
Perses was the son of the Titan Crius and his wife Eurybia and was often numbered among the Titans himself. He married Asteria, another second-generation Titan, with whom he fathered Hecate, a goddess of witchcraft.
Perses was not one of the original twelve Titans born to Gaia and Uranus, but he was a child of one of those Titans (Crius) and was thus sometimes called a Titan as well.
According to the common tradition, Perses and his wife Asteria had a daughter named Hecate. In other traditions, however, Hecate was the daughter of Zeus rather than Perses.
#Etymology
The name “Perses” (Greek Πέρσης, translit. Pérsēs) may be related to the Greek word πέρθω (pérthō), meaning “destroy” (itself a word of uncertain etymology).
#Pronunciation
English
Greek
Perses
Πέρσης (translit. Pérsēs)
Phonetic
IPA
[PUR-seez]
/ˈpɜr siz/
#Attributes
The ancients had little to say about Perses or his attributes. However, the poet Hesiod did describe him as “eminent among all men in wisdom.”1
#Family
Perses was one of the sons of Crius, a Titan, and Eurybia, a daughter of Gaia and Pontus. He had two brothers, Astraeus and Pallas.2
Jupiter and Asteria by Marco Liberi (second half of 17th century). Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary.
Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainPerses married Asteria and may have fathered Hecate with her.3 Some traditions also made Perses the father of Chariclo, one of the wives of the wise centaur Chiron.4
#Family Tree
Parents
father
mother
- Eurybia
Siblings
brothers
Consorts
wife
Children
daughters
- Hecate
- Chariclo
#Mythology
Perses is a shadowy figure; his role in Greek mythology appears to have been limited to his genealogical function as the husband of Asteria and the (possible) father of Hecate.
#Further Reading
#Primary Sources
Greek
Hesiod (eighth/seventh century BCE): Perses’ genealogy is outlined in Hesiod’s Theogony.
Apollodorus (first century BCE or first few centuries CE): Perses’ genealogy and mythology are summarized in the Library.
Roman
Hyginus (first century CE or later): The Fabulae, a Latin mythological handbook, mentions Perses and his genealogy.
#Secondary Sources
Smith, William. “Perses.” In A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: Spottiswoode and Company, 1873. Perseus Digital Library. Accessed November 2, 2021. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DP%3Aentry+group%3D15%3Aentry%3Dperses-bio-1.
Theoi Project. “Perses.” Published online 2000–2017. https://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanPerses.html.
Thurmann, Stephanie. “Perses [1].” In Brill’s New Pauly, edited by Hubert Cancik, Helmuth Schneider, Christine F. Salazar, Manfred Landfester, and Francis G. Gentry. Published online 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e915170.