People all around the world have used stories to explain the world that they see; and this is never more evident than in the stories of Greek mythology. Every event was explained by the actions of a god, whilst every water source had a deity associated with it. There is even one story from Greek mythology which tells of how coral was formed.

The formation of coral comes about as a minor element within the adventures of the Greek hero Perseus.

Having fallen in love with Danae, King Polydectes decided that he needed to get rid of Danae’s son Perseus. To this end Polydectes set Perseus what seemed like an impossible task. Polydectes told Perseus that he wished to wed Hippodaemia, but was being prevented by the lack of a suitable wedding gift, a gift that was to be the head of the Gorgon Medusa. The glance of Medusa though would turn every mortal to stone.

Perseus though was not deterred by the danger, and with the aid of several of the Olympian gods set off. Ultimately Perseus was successful in cutting off the head of Medusa, with the trophy being stored in a mystical wallet.

The trip home to Serphios took him along the Red Sea coast of Ethiopia. There Perseus found that the princess Andromeda being sacrificed to the sea monster, Ceto. Perseus made use of Medusa’s head to turn Ceto to stone, thus rescuing Andromeda, who would later become his wife, and mother to his children.

After making use of Medusa’s head Perseus went to wash his hands, and thus to ensure that the head was not damaged laid it down upon some seaweed on the shore of the Red Sea. Blood seeped onto the seaweed, turning it hard and red, and so coral had been created. Ovid tells then of how this new creation was spread through the waters by the Sea Nymphs.

Later tales told of how the blood of Medusa actually dripped into the Red Sea as Perseus rode Pegasus back to Serphios. In classical tales though, Pegasus and Perseus were not closely associated, aside from the fact that the horse emerged from the decapitated Gorgon, the winged horse was tamed by Bellerophon not Perseus.

 As well as explaining the existence of coral, the story of Perseus also imbues the coral with magical powers, and as a result there was a high demand for coral throughout the ancient world.