Polydectes is a character from Greek mythology, known as the king of Seriphos. He is often depicted as a powerful and ambitious ruler who desired to marry Danaë, the mother of the hero Perseus. To achieve this, he devised a plan to eliminate Perseus, who was protective of his mother. In the myth, Polydectes tricks Perseus into embarking on a dangerous quest to retrieve the head of the Gorgon Medusa. However, Perseus ultimately succeeds and returns to confront Polydectes, using Medusa's head to turn him to stone, thus freeing his mother from the king's unwanted advances.