Medusa-statueMedusa, my dear Medusa, you are one of the most well known and talked about beings from ancient Greek mythology that we have ever heard of. Hunted by many warriors that wished to claim the prize of your head, many tried, and many have failed. It was said that men who gazed upon your eyes would turn to stone instantly. Generally described you as a winged human female with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Well, lets see …

Medusa was one of the three Gorgon sisters, daughters of the sea gods Phorcys and Ceto. Medusa – the only mortal among the Gorgon sisters – was also distinguished from them by the fact that she alone was born with a beautiful face. .”In the Odyssey, the gorgon is a briefly mentioned inhabitant of the underworld—one whom Persephone could apparently “sic” on anyone who angered her. It isn’t until several years later that another author gives the gorgon more of a backstory. Hesiod, in his Theogony (700 BCE), describes the gorgons as three sister-monsters born of Phorcys and Ceto, two primordial ocean deities. He calls them Stheno (“the mighty”), Euryale (“the wide wandering” or “the far springer”), and finally, Medusa (“the cunning one” or “the queen”). He also describes a key difference between Medusa and her two sisters, one that becomes extremely important later: Medusa, unlike the other two gorgons (and for reasons not explained), is fully mortal. Ovid especially praises the glory of her hair, “most wonderful of all her charms

Medusa was not always considered a monster, in fact she was a mortal who was very well known for her stunning beauty until she felt the wrath of Athena, either due to her boastfulness of her beauty or because of an ill-fated love affair with Poseidon.

Her name meant “guardian” and “patroness” and Her story shows the potential cruelty that the Greek gods can have. Transformed into a vicious monster with snakes for hair, she was killed by Perseus, who used her still potent head as a weapon, before gifting it to Athena.

Medusa-Being-Punished-By-Athena

Medusa was a priestess to the goddess Athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom and battle. One requirement to be a priestess for Athena is that the young woman must be a virgin and give her life to the goddess.

Medusa was stunningly beautiful with luscious hair and was often compared to Athena’s beauty. It wasn’t long before Athena’s jealousy of Medusa became obvious.

Poseidon (The god of the sea) lusted for Medusa and was infatuated by her beauty. Medusa rejected Poseidon, because if she wished to remain the priestess of Athena’s temple, she must remain a virgin.

Poseidon had a conflict with Athena and he saw Medusa as a possession that he could take from the goddess. Eventually Poseidon grew tired of being rejected by Medusa and decided that he would take her by force. Medusa feared for her life and ran into Athena’s temple hoping Athena would protect her. Athena ignored Medusa’s plea for help, and Poseidon had his way with Medusa, by raping and impregnating the priestess on the steps of Athena’s temple. Poseidon vanished after he was done and left Medusa vulnerable and weak.

Medusa prayed to Athena for guidance and forgiveness. After all, in those days, the gods claimed their mates as their partner forever, and Medusa was now Poseidon’s wife. Athena was in rage that Medusa had lost her virginity to Poseidon, and she decided that she would punish Medusa. Punishment against the gods such as Poseidon was considered unthinkable.

Athena cursed Medusa and the hair that she was once so envious of and turned her hair into a head of venomous snakes. Medusa was now a monster woman. Medusa was banished from civilization. Anyone who looked into her eyes would be petrified and turned to stone. She looked at them in fear and saw them turn to stone in front of her eyes. She was scared of her powers and angry at the gods for cursing her.

Also some mythology enthusiasts claim, for example, that Medusa was never raped at all. Instead, they say, she was obsessed with her own beauty and tired everyone around her by bragging about it incessantly. One day, she visited the temple of Athena with friends and spent the entire time claiming that she was more beautiful than the goddess herself, for which the goddess cursed her with an appearance so horrifying that it could turn people to stone.

It’s more difficult to trace the potential origins of this interpretation, but it’s possible that Hesiod’s description of Medusa’s relationship to Poseidon—in which the god beds her in a romantic field of wildflowers (lines 278-79 of Theogeny) may have had something to do with it—though again, it’s only two lines of text and does not specify whether Medusa was already a “monster” when Poseidon became interested (we all know the gods weren’t exactly picky).

Around 8 AD, Ovid—a Roman poet celebrated for his faithful retelling of popular Greek myths—produced his famous Metamorphoses, an expansive book of myths which includes the myth of Perseus and his slaying of Medusa. In this section of the book, Ovid gives a completely different origin story for the terrifying creature.

Word spread of the monster that Medusa had become, and she became the target of many warriors that literally wanted her head. All that tried shared the same fate and were turned to stone after looking into Medusa’s eyes. Until Perseus, son of Zeus was tasked with retrieving her head.

Perseus’s mother was being forced into marriage with Polydectes, the king of Seriphos. Trying to get rid of Perseus, Polydectes sent the great hero on a quest. “Fetch me the head of Medusa,” commanded Polydectes. In order to complete his task, Perseus required aid from the gods. He was given a helmet from Hades that made him invisible to Medusa. A pair of winged sandals from Hermes allowed him to reach Medusa. Athena gave him a bronze shield that was able to reflect the gaze of Medusa and lastly, he was given a sword from Zeus that was sharp enough to cut the head off Medusa.

Since Medusa was the only one of the three Gorgons who was mortal, Perseus was able to slay her while looking at the reflection from the mirrored shield he received from Athena.

Medusa was pregnant at the time of her death with the baby of Poseidon, and When Perseus severed her head, her two unborn children Pegasus, a winged horse, and Chrysaor, a giant wielding a golden sword, sprang from her body.

Perseus would use the head of Medusa which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone, to aid him in several adventures and it played a crucial role when defeating the Titan Atlas.

Perseus flew past the Titan Atlas, who stood holding the sky aloft, and transformed him into stone when he tried to attack him. In a similar manner, the corals of the Red Sea were said to have been formed of Medusa’s blood spilled onto seaweed when Perseus laid down the petrifying head beside the shore during his short stay in Ethiopia where he saved and wed his future wife, the lovely princess Andromeda.

Perseus then flew to Seriphos, where his mother was being forced into marriage with the king, Polydectes, who was turned into stone by the head. Then Perseus gave the Gorgon’s head to the goddess Athena, who placed it on her shield, the Aegis.

In classical antiquity the image of the head of Medusa appeared in the evil-averting device known as the Gorgoneion.

Medusa Gorgon head on a shield hand drawn line art and dot work tattoo or print design isolated vector illustration. Gorgoneion is a protective amulet.

Medusa is one of the most misunderstood characters in Greek mythology, she’s often looked at as a cruel monster. She had only the best intentions and placed her trust in the goddess Athena, who ultimately failed her and punished her for her actions that were beyond her control.

Medusa was a loyal woman who spent her youth training to become a priestess to a goddess she worshiped and believed was the strongest of all the Olympians.

Even in death Medusa can be seen as a symbol of good, as her head is used as a protective amulet to keep evil away. However, she does spend all her life with Athena, as she protects her goddess against many foes. So, in a twisted series of events, Medusa fulfills her role of protecting Athena. However, it also led to snakes hating mankind for worshiping the Olympians. This is one story that shows the cruelty of the Greek Gods.

Her story shows us that even the gods are prone to the sins that they heavenly provide themselves above.

de277da6429ffc0b578ffdba013228f2

What’s clear from all of this is that Medusa not only lives within the realm of myth,

but also within a liminal space.liminal

As long as her story is so variable, she is both monstrous and beautiful, both born to kill and cursed to a life of solitude, both arrogant and humble, both loved and horribly raped. Her story is open for us to take from it what we choose—horror and derision for a simple mythological villain, or pity and sympathy for a girl whose life was taken out of her own hands and changed very much for the worse.

This story making you curious for sure and maybe my dear Nietzsche find inspiration in this story for my favorite quote :

The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.

P23.19Medousa

352 replies on “Medusa”

  1. An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a colleague who has been conducting a little research on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast because I discovered it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending some time to discuss this subject here on your site.

    Like

    Reply

  2. I absolutely love your blog.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you build this site yourself? Please reply back as Iím hoping to create my own personal site and would like to find out where you got this from or just what the theme is named. Thanks!

    Like

    Reply

  4. Hello there! This article could not be written much better! Reading through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he’s going to have a very good read. I appreciate you for sharing!

    Like

    Reply

  5. Hello there! This post couldnít be written much better! Looking at this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He always kept preaching about this. I am going to send this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. I appreciate you for sharing!

    Like

    Reply

  8. Can I simply just say what a relief to uncover somebody that truly knows what they are discussing on the internet. You certainly know how to bring a problem to light and make it important. A lot more people must check this out and understand this side of your story. I was surprised you aren’t more popular since you definitely have the gift.

    Like

    Reply

  12. Hi! I could have sworn Iíve visited your blog before but after browsing through a few of the posts I realized itís new to me. Nonetheless, Iím definitely pleased I discovered it and Iíll be book-marking it and checking back frequently!

    Like

    Reply

  14. Hi! I could have sworn Iíve been to your blog before but after browsing through some of the posts I realized itís new to me. Regardless, Iím certainly delighted I discovered it and Iíll be book-marking it and checking back often!

    Like

    Reply

  16. You are so awesome! I don’t believe I’ve truly read through a single thing like that before. So great to find another person with original thoughts on this subject. Seriously.. many thanks for starting this up. This web site is one thing that’s needed on the internet, someone with a bit of originality!

    Like

    Reply

  17. I blog quite often and I truly thank you for your content. This article has really peaked my interest. I will bookmark your website and keep checking for new information about once per week. I opted in for your RSS feed as well.

    Like

    Reply

  19. I seriously love your website.. Very nice colors & theme. Did you develop this amazing site yourself? Please reply back as Iím looking to create my very own website and would love to know where you got this from or just what the theme is named. Cheers!

    Like

    Reply

  20. Howdy! I could have sworn Iíve visited this web site before but after looking at a few of the posts I realized itís new to me. Regardless, Iím certainly delighted I stumbled upon it and Iíll be book-marking it and checking back frequently!

    Like

    Reply

  24. An intriguing discussion is definitely worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you need to publish more on this issue, it may not be a taboo subject but generally people do not discuss such topics. To the next! All the best!!

    Like

    Reply

  29. Your style is really unique in comparison to other folks I’ve read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this web site.

    Like

    Reply

  30. Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Thank you so much, However I am encountering troubles with your RSS. I donít understand why I can’t subscribe to it. Is there anyone else having identical RSS problems? Anyone who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanx!!

    Like

    Reply

  31. I blog frequently and I truly appreciate your information. This great article has really peaked my interest. I’m going to take a note of your site and keep checking for new details about once a week. I subscribed to your Feed as well.

    Like

    Reply

  32. An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a coworker who has been doing a little homework on this. And he actually ordered me breakfast due to the fact that I discovered it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending the time to talk about this matter here on your site.

    Like

    Reply

  33. Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Many thanks, However I am having issues with your RSS. I donít understand the reason why I can’t join it. Is there anybody else having the same RSS issues? Anyone that knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanx!!

    Like

    Reply

  36. You’re so awesome! I don’t believe I have read something like that before. So nice to find someone with a few genuine thoughts on this issue. Seriously.. many thanks for starting this up. This web site is something that’s needed on the web, someone with a bit of originality!

    Like

    Reply

  37. An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a co-worker who was doing a little homework on this. And he actually ordered me breakfast simply because I discovered it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending time to discuss this subject here on your internet site.

    Like

    Reply

  40. Hi, I do believe this is a great blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I’m going to revisit once again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.

    Like

    Reply

  43. I’m pretty pleased to find this page. I want to to thank you for ones time for this particularly fantastic read!! I definitely really liked every little bit of it and I have you book marked to check out new information in your site.

    Like

    Reply

  47. A motivating discussion is worth comment. I believe that you ought to publish more about this subject, it may not be a taboo matter but generally folks don’t talk about these issues. To the next! Best wishes!!

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to Cleveland Alipio Cancel reply