Acrisius (ancient Greek: Ἀκρίσιος) was a mythical king of Argos, and father of Princess Danaë. Told by the Delphic oracle that he would one day be killed by Danaë's son Perseus, he had his daughter and infant grandson abandoned in a wooden chest floating in the Mediterranean Sea. Two decades later, while visiting the northern Greek city of Larissa, Acrisius was killed in an accident when a stray discus from a sporting event crushed his skull. The athlete who threw the discus was found to be Perseus.
Acrisius was told by a prophet that his daughter Danaë would have a son who would kill him, so he grounded her for life to prevent her from interacting with any man. However, he underestimated the scheming of Zeus, who transformed himself into "Mr. Shower of Gold" and impregnated the captive princess. Not wanting to kill his grandson directly, Acrisius had Perseus chained to a rock, where a sea monster would come and eat him. Andromeda intervened and rescued the young man, foiling this plan. Perseus then made a half-hearted deliberate attempt to kill Acrisius. When this didn't work, it was decided, for the good of all involved, not to invite Acrisius to the subsequent wedding."[1]
