She is one of the Gorgons, a mortal woman unjustly condemned by the goddess Athena, who transformed her hair into snakes and gave her a gaze that turned anyone who looked at her to stone. This is Medusa from Greek mythology, whose famous and iconic story we will tell you in this article.
Medusa in Greek mythology
According to accounts in Greek mythology, Medusa was not born a snake-headed woman. She was one of the Gorgons along with her two sisters named Esteno and Euríale, the latter two were monstrous, terrible and immortal from birth, while Medusa was a young mortal full of beauty, this graceful quality of the young woman attracted the gaze of many suitors; her parents were Phorcys and Ceto (although some sources claim that Gorgon is her father), who were two brother sea gods.
Medusa as priestess of Athena
One day she decides to train as a priestess of Athena, although she knew she was a desirable woman, she decided to commit to Athena, the goddess who was considered the most powerful of all those who resided on Mount Olympus; so her affection for Athena was reciprocated for a time. It was a great compliment for Medusa to swear allegiance to Athena due to her great beauty, especially since one of the requirements to be a priestess of the temple was to remain a virgin; however, this would briefly hesitate due to subsequent events.
Shortly after Medusa in Greek mythology became Athena's priestess, she caught Poseidon's attention, partly because of her great beauty and partly because the young woman was serving her rival, Athena. So this presented Poseidon with a unique opportunity: he could pursue Medusa as a love interest and assert her superiority as a god far more powerful than Athena herself.
Poseidon's attack on Medusa
There are several variations on what happened next, some claiming that Medusa was swayed by Poseidon's advances and developed feelings for him as well, others claiming that the young woman remained steadfast in her devotion to Athena. Regardless of the version that is told, Medusa decides not to leave the temple of Athena due to her devotion and this is when Poseidon decides to take Medusa inside the temple by force; as a result of such an action Medusa becomes pregnant, angry and confused.
After being abused by the god Poseidon, a devastated Medusa doesn't know what to do as she had planned to dedicate the rest of her life to Athena; Faced with such desperation, she appeals to her goddess and asks her for help to move forward with her proposed life goal. However, there are many things that need to be resolved in this situation:
- The first is that Medusa is no longer a virgin, although she was deflowered against her will.
- The second is that because she lost her virginity to Poseidon (and is now pregnant by him), she is technically his wife according to the laws of the day; so she asks the goddess Athena for wisdom and advice on how to move forward.
Athena's punishment of Medusa
Upon learning of the incident, Athena is enraged that her temple has been desecrated by her rival, Poseidon. At that time, she doesn't feel any sympathy for Medusa, so she berates her and blames her for the event by punishing her by turning her into an undesirable monster.
There are several variations of the order of events that follow, but the conclusion is always the same where Medusa finally transforms into a terrible beast; some narrations mention that she is punished with bronze hands and wings; in others that her face is disfigured with a beard and fangs (other versions do not talk about this disfigurement) and finally the most popular, is where her hair is transformed into a nest of poisonous snakes.
Like Medusa, her sisters Esteno and Euríale are also concerned with Athena's punishment, so it is here that her monstrous and fearsome transformation is generated. Although the reason for this varies in some versions, where some claim that the sisters were transformed because they defend Medusa and undermine Athena's will, being similarly disfigured and forced to return to the island of Sarpedon.
Medusa's anger towards men
As of this moment, the sisters are known to be monstrous and ruthless who take revenge on any man who sets foot on this island. Medusa's character changes a lot after Athena unfairly punishes her, she has a hard time reconciling with her new identity, but she finally accepts her role and begins to take revenge on men, as this is one of the only ways she can try to get revenge on Poseidon; but, this forces her to remain in a perennial loneliness, taking refuge in her island which she does not leave.
Once transformed, many men begin to appear on the island no longer as suitors, but as hunters seeking glory through their decapitation. So as the years go by, she becomes more and more vicious and vindictive.
Perseus and the hunt for Medusa
Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danae. Danae's father, Acrisius king of Argos was told through consultation with the Oracle of Delphi that he would be killed by his own grandson son of Danae. This caused panic and fear in him, for this reason he locked Danae in a bronze chamber for life so that she would not be wanted by any man. However, faced with such a challenge, Zeus became a golden shower, he entered the room where the young woman was and impregnated her with this mystical apparition.
Acrisius, learning of his daughter's condition, decided to throw her along with Perseus into the sea in a wooden chest; and this is how they arrive at Seriphos where they are received and rescued by Dictis brother of Polidectes. He raised Perseus to adulthood, which is when the king of Seriphos commissions the young man on a suicide mission; and this is how the plot between Medusa and Perseus begins.
There are many different men who try and fail to hunt down Medusa, until Seriphos' king Polydectes hires Perseus to find and swallow Medusa's head. The King wishes to marry Perseus' mother, but Perseus does not allow him. As a trick, Polydectes tells Perseus to bring him the head of Medusa (which is a very dangerous mission), to which Perseus obeys and goes to the gods to help him on his journey.
Death of Medusa at the hands of Perseus
The gods give him gifts to help him on his journey, to achieve his triumph over Medusa. So from Athena he receives a reflective shield, from Hermes winged sandals, from Hephaestus (the god of fire, blacksmiths and metal workers) he receives a sword and finally from Hades he receives a helmet of invisibility.
Using these gifts, he travels and gathers information that is vital to his quest, then sneaks onto the island of Sarpedon and decapitates Medusa while she sleeps using Athena's mirror shield, to guide her movements so she doesn't have to look at Medusa. directly. After that she tries to sneak off the island, but the sisters discover Medusa's body before he can leave.
Immediately afterwards, they begin to tour the island in search of the murderer of their sister Medusa, but they cannot find Perseus due to the gifts that the gods offered him; him being able to escape unseen thanks to his helm of invisibility. The sisters, who are enraged, can do nothing but cry, so Euryale's screams echo across the island, an act for which she becomes more famous in mythology.
Although Medusa's story in Greek mythology has some relevance and symbolism to her tragic end, she arguably has the biggest influence on her death. Through her passing, she gives the world important contributions to mythology and medicine while providing the public with a new form of protection.
Medusa's children
As soon as Perseus cuts off Medusa's head, her two fully grown children are born and fly out of her neck. The first to emerge is Pegasus, one of the most famous creatures in all of mythology, this was a pure white winged stallion with a powerful nature.
After his birth after the decapitation of his mother Medusa, it is said that he ascended to the heavens where he was received by Zeus. It was then that Pegasus was commanded that he will bear the lightning and thunderbolts on behalf of the Olympians; Another of Pegasus' powers is that he is known to have been able to bring forth magical and inspiring fountains and springs from the Earth whenever he hit the ground with his hooves, and this power is likely enabled by Pegasus' lineage (already who is a son of Poseidon).
The second to come out of Medusa's neck is Chrysaor, who is said to have been born with a golden sword in his hand and is known to have married the naiad Callírroe, as a result of this loving bond Geryon was born. Additionally, this son of Medusa ruled as king of Iberia.
An ancient Greek poet by the name of Pindar said that Athena was so moved by the lamentation of Medusa's children at birth, that she brought the Aulos out of their tears and sadness; the Aulos is a sad and melancholy double-pipe tune.
Medusa's head
Despite Medusa's death in Greek mythology, her head is said to still have magical properties. So as Perseus traveled the earth, significant changes began to occur as drops of blood from Medusa's head began to fall. As she flies over Libya, each drop of blood that falls to the ground transforms into a poisonous viper; This is attributed to the existence of poisonous vipers in Libya to this day.
Medusa's blood is also credited with creating the Amphisbaena, a fearsome creature that resembled a dragon and had a serpent's head at the end of its tail. Last, but perhaps most interesting, it is believed that the blood of the famous Gorgon was the reason why the Red Sea corals formed; so many authors claim that corals were created when drops of blood spilled on algae in the waters below.
Perseus turns the Titan Atlas into stone
According to legend, after Perseus beheaded Medusa and was traveling back to save his mother when he encountered Atlas the giant titan who held up the sky, Perseus asked the Titan to let him rest but Atlas refused and tried to attack him.
Perseus knew that he couldn't fight Atlas on his own, but with quick thought he realizes that he can use Medusa's head to his advantage, so he holds the head up to Atlas' gaze, who immediately transforms into a Mountain; this is one of the first instances where Medusa's powers have been used to show the protective nature of the Gorgons.
The rescue of Andromeda and Danae using Medusa's head
While flying through Ethiopia, Perseus spies the young princess Andromeda tied to a rock as a sacrifice to the fearsome sea creature Cetus. Andromeda is being sacrificed as punishment to Cassiopeia (her mother), who was foolish enough to boast that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids of the sea. Perseus at that moment considers that he is able to defeat the monster with the powerful head of Medusa, so he faces the sea monster finally saving Andromeda.
In love with the young woman, Perseus realizes that she cannot marry him because she was already engaged to Proteus, the usurper of the throne of Argos and her uncle; For this, Perseus used Medusa's head on Proteus again, thus separating him from his path to finally marry Andromeda.
When Perseus finally returns from his quest, King Polydectes is surprised to see the young hero alive. So he plots to kill Perseus so he can marry the young hero's mother, but Perseus manages to stop the attack by using Medusa's head by turning Polydectes and his accomplices to stone. Therefore, his mother is saved by the protective powers of Medusa.
Delivery of Medusa's head to Athena
After all the trouble Athena's betrayal of Medusa in Greek mythology has caused, the two are finally symbolically reunited when Perseus gives Medusa's head to Athena after he has completed his journey; after that Athena puts her head on her shield, the Aegis.
Similarly, the goddess makes use of the remaining blood that still flows from Medusa's severed head. It is said that the blood that came from the left side of her head had the power to take life, while the blood from the right side of her head had the power to revive the dead; this power was given to Asclepius, who used it accordingly.
It is also known that two drops of her blood were placed in a jar into which the goddess delivered her son Erichthonius. Similar to the previous powers, one drop of blood held the cure for any disease or poison, while the other drop of blood was the deadliest poison in the world.
Finally, a lock of hair was cut off and placed in a jar that the goddess gave to the demigod Heracles (also known as Hercules) as a gift. Hercules, in turn, took it and gave it to Esterope, the daughter of Cepheus, who used it to protect the kingdom of Tegea, in Arcadia, her hometown. While the lock of hair itself did not have the power to petrify a rival warrior, it would strike terrible fear into the heart of anyone unfortunate enough to see it.
Medusa becomes protector
While Medusa in Greek mythology was wrongfully condemned by Athena and forced to live out the rest of her life as a terrible monster, she experiences some redemption in death. Because her head was placed on Athena's shield (the Aegis) and her blood was revealed to have the power of life and death, Medusa's head became a symbol of protection. In fact, her head went on to inspire one of the most powerful talismans of her time: the Gorgoneion.
The Gorgoneion was an amulet bearing the head of a Gorgon; this symbol was thought to ward off evil from those who invoked her protection by wearing it as a pendant. In addition to being known to display great power that was even thought to imply divine lineage or protection, which is likely due in part to Zeus and Athena who were known to use a Gorgoneion.
Modern interpretations
Throughout time, the Medusa story has inspired many great thinkers and artists. The maiden transformed into a monster has inspired many great works of art and philosophy, and is experiencing a resurgence in popularity today.
In the history
Various scholars of the early classics have analyzed the story of Medusa in Greek mythology as quasi-reliable: "founded or reformed from an event, tradition, mood of the preterite" or an "exalted" memory of a royal invasion, so in particular:
“The legend of Perseus beheading Medusa means that “the Hellenes invaded the main sanctuaries of the goddess” and “stole her priestesses their Gorgon masks”, the latter being apotropic faces with which the profane were terrified.
That is, it happened at the beginning of the XNUMXth century BC A real historical break, a kind of sociological trauma recorded in this myth, as Freud calls the implicit content a neurosis that is registered in the manifest content of a dream: registered but hidden, registered in the unconscious but unknown or false by consciousness interpreted.»
in psychology
Among the many historical figures who were fascinated by the story of Medusa in Greek mythology was Sigmund Freud, who took a keen interest in the story of Medusa and what it can symbolize in terms of psychology in young people.
Freud hypothesized that the myth might symbolize the reaction of a boy who, up to a certain point, has refused to consider the idea of castration as a real possibility. He believed that seeing a woman's genitalia (especially a mother's genitalia) in her adult state would have represented real terror to young men and thought that the Medusa story might have been created to symbolize this idea.
Furthermore, Freud compared Medusa as a beautiful maiden to the image of a mother in the eyes of an innocent, before a child had seen adult female genitalia. The classic version of Medusa, however, was something that Freud saw as an Oedipus-like syndrome and the decapitation of the monster was thought to represent castration and fear.
in feminism
Modern feminists have also taken a stance on the symbolism surrounding Medusa. Many academic feminists tend to compare the image of Medusa with society's attitude towards women of power, arguing that any woman who has recognizable power, especially power over men, is immediately criminalized and turned into a monster.
Feminists also like to point to the conditions of Medusa's descent into the world of monsters, such as a criminalization of rape victims that is also typical of modern society.
in nihilism
Interestingly, the story of Medusa has also been adopted by nihilists (one who believes that life is meaningless). They use the symbolism of not being able to look Medusa in the eye as a symbol of how many people navigate the modern world, so it is their thought that people keep their eyes down to avoid facing reality (Medusa) so they don't freeze realizing that life means nothing.
Hierarchy Reminder
Last but certainly not least, many see the story of Medusa in Greek mythology as a reminder of the many dynamics that come into play when the great forces of the world (in this case, the gods of Mount Olympus) are in action. Although Medusa was a devoted priestess of Athena, she was not protected from being raped by Poseidon being unfairly punished for a situation she had no control over.
This part of Medusa's story gives a clear insight into the gods' perspective on mortals: they are mindless pawns in a game that existed before their birth and will continue long after they are gone. Perhaps then, Medusa is a story of the great injustice suffered by those who have done nothing wrong, and the little importance of these injustices for the greatest powers of this world.
Medusa in art and written works
Throughout ancient Greece, there is a string of accounts of the Medusa story by the ancient Greek literary figures Hyginus, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Dionysius Scythobrachion, Herodotus, and the Roman authors Ovid and Pindar. When she is personified in art, her head is usually presented with a wide face, sometimes with fangs and snakes for hair; in other images she has fangs, a forked tongue, and bulging eyes.
While Medusa is generally considered to have a gruesome appearance, one myth claims that it was her great beauty, not her ugliness, that transfixed all who saw her. Some scholars believe that her "monstrous" form represents a partially decomposed human skull, with teeth beginning to appear through decaying lips.
In addition, it was thought that the image of Medusa was a symbol of protection, so it was very common to see it reflected in past statues, bronze shields, receptacles and other objects. Some of the celebrated artists have been enlightened by the story of Medusa and the epic feat of Perseus, including: Leonardo da Vinci, Benvenuto Cellini, Peter Paul Rubens, Gialorenzo Bernini, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin and Salvador Dalí.
Medusa in emblems and flags
The representation of Medusa has been used in some parts of the world as emblems of regional localities, as is the case of the flag of Sicily, which uses the face of Medusa and three legs that surround it making the figure of a triskele (Nordic distinctive), Placing it in the center concerns it with the protection of the goddess Athena, who carried her image on her shield. Likewise, the Medusa is represented in the coat of arms of the Czech town of Dohalice.
jellyfish in science
As a way to honor this popular character from Greek mythology, in addition to his connection with snakes; His name has been used to name various species of vipers in the world, such as:
- Apodochondria medusae
- Archimonocellis jellyfish
- atractus medusa
- australomedusa
- boeromedusa
- bothrops medusa
- caput medusae
- Cardiodectes medusaeus
- chama oomedusae
- Cirratus jellyfish
- Coronamedusae
- csyromedusa
- csiromedusa medeopolis
- Disc jellyfish lobata
in pop culture
The petrifying serpent-headed image of Medusa is instantly recognizable in popular culture. The story of Medusa in Greek mythology has enjoyed a revival since the story appeared in the movies "Clash of the Titans" in 1981 and 2010, and "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" also in 2010, where Medusa is played by actress Uma Thurmann.
In addition to the silver screen, the mythical figure appears as a character on television, books, cartoons, video games, role-playing games, usually as an antagonist. Additionally, the character has been commemorated in song by UB40, Annie Lennox, and the band Anthrax.
On the catwalks, it can be seen through the emblem of the designer and fashion icon Versace that uses a Medusa head; according to the design house, it was selected because it epitomizes beauty, art, and philosophy.
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