the chains of andromeda

in the greek mythology, andromeda was the daughter of cepheus and cassiopeia, rulers of the phoenician kingdom of ethiopia. cassiopeia bragged about her unmatched beauty, one that not even the nereids could match. poseidon, god of the seas, decided to punish the queen for her arrogance, and sent the sea monster cetus to ravage the coasts of ethiopia. fearing the monster, cepheus and cassiopeia went to see zeus' oracle, who told them that in order to appease the monster's wrath, the young (and virgin) andromeda had to be sacrificed to it; as such, she was chained, naked, to a rock by the coasts of jaffa. she was timely saved by the hero perseus, who was returning from slaying the gorgon medusa. perseus slew cetus, freeing andromeda. both eventually got married, and after her demise, the goddess athena placed her among the constellations in the sky.

andromeda didn't fall, as poseidon intended to. not everyone had the same luck. but that time, fate sent a hero to save her. her chains were lost, probably left in the rock by perseus and then swallowed by the tide - thus returning to poseidon. perhaps the sea god used them again, to chain some hapless soul to the underwater spires of his domain. perhaps today there is still someone chained to that god-forsaken rock, endlessly tormented by a nigthmare of the dephts, without a hero to pass by and slay it. perhaps fate is taking no one else up to the constellations in the sky.