Danae was the daughter of one of the major gods, and her father had been told by a foreseer that he would one day be killed by his grandchild. To avoid this eventuality, Danae's father had her locked away into a tower of his house. However, Zeus, the king of the gods, wanted Danae for himself, and would not be deterred by the imprisonment of Danae by her father. Zeus turned himself into a shower of gold coins and slipped into Danae's room under her door. He impregnated her, and the child of this union did eventually kill his grandfather, Danae's father.