The myth of Medusa
Medusa is the most famous of the three Gorgon sisters, a chthonic monster, a spirit of the underworld, with the face of a woman and live snakes for hair. Her gaze had the power to turn anyone who looked directly into her eyes to stone. Perseus beheaded her and used her head as a weapon. She is mentioned by Homer in the Odyssey. The sea jellyfish got its name because of its resemblance to the flowing snake hair of the legendary Gorgon Medusa from Greek mythology. For more information about these creatures, you can consult the article on Gorgons in mythology.
the gorgons
The gorgons were daughters of the primordial sea god Forcis and the female aquatic creature Ceto, according to another version of the Medusa myth, their parents were the primordial god Typhoon with the nymph of the underworld Echidna, who were also the progenitors of the grayas, pre-Olympic deities representatives of eternal old age.
Gorgon has the meaning of "terrifying". According to classicist Thalia Phillies Howes the word gorgon is derived from the Indo-European root garj meaning terrifying scream. One of the essential attributes of gorgons is the noise they make, according to the ancient Greek poet Pindar:
“From the snapping jaws of the gorgons in pursuit of Perseus rises a raucous wail and these screams escape both from their young girl's mouths and from the hideous faces of the serpents associated with them. This high-pitched, inhuman scream is the one heard from beyond the grave in Hades."
Medusa's older sister was Esteno who was the most terrible and free of the gorgons, she killed more humans than Medusa and Euríale combined. The other sister, according to the myth of Medusa, was Euryale, representative of the virtue of universality, the only one of the gorgons with feelings of a mother, she had a howl so powerful that she turned stones into sand.
Regardless of who her parents were, Medusa is the granddaughter of the primordial gods Gaia and Pontus, which makes her part of the group of primordial deities, like her cousins Chimera and the Lernaean Hydra, who also had traits associated with the image of the serpent and were destroyed by heroes. Although she appears on the front of several temples, she was not the object of any cult.
The first mentions of the myth of Medusa appear in Homer, however he never names Medusa or Perseus, but rather the Gorgon and this is simply a monstrous head placed on the Aegis. He narrates that when Athena rushes into battle "she throws on her shoulders the formidable aegis and terror surrounds on all sides: in this aegis is the dreadful and terrible head of the Gorgon, a monster of hideous aspect, the prodigy of Jupiter".
Achilles' shield is engraved with the gorgon's head on a black enamel background. When Odysseus was going down to hell in the Odyssey, he fears that Persephone will present him with the head of the horrible gorgon and immediately turns around. "Pale terror seized me, fearing that illustrious Persephone would send me from Hades the head of the hideous greyish monster."
origin of jellyfish
In the version of the Medusa myth presented by the ancient Roman poet Publius Ovid Naso, Medusa was initially a beautiful and voluptuous maiden, who worked as a priestess in the temple of Athens and was desired by many suitors, both mortal and immortal. The maiden was so desired for her extraordinary beauty that she boasted of being more beautiful than the goddess Athena.
The beauty of the young woman attracted the god of the seas Poseidon, who claimed her and she accepted him by having sexual relations with him, thus breaking the vows of chastity she had taken by becoming a priestess of the goddess Athena. When he returned to the temple after lying with the god, he pretended that nothing had happened, but the Goddess Athena knew what had happened and, enraged, transformed the blonde hair that was the pride of the young woman into snakes and her face became so horrendous It turned anyone who looked at it into stone.
A late version of the Medusa myth says that the god Poseidon was obsessed by the beauty of the young priestess and harassed and persecuted her with his demands, the young woman refused because of the vows of chastity she had taken. The god found her in the temple of Athena where she had taken refuge from her and there he raped her. When Athena found out about this desecration of her temple, she turned Medusa into a monster with snakes in her hair and a look that turns any mortal who looks at her to stone.
According to some scholars, this latest version of the Medusa myth is due to the fact that modern authors confuse her with Cassandra. Cassandra was a virgin priestess of Athena who was raped by the Achaean Ajax during the Trojan War, inside the temple dedicated to Athena, the goddess was enraged by this desecration of her temple and asked Poseidon to sink the rapist's ships on his return to Greece.
The oldest version of the myth of Medusa is found in the work Theogony written by Hesiod, oral poet of ancient Greece, where it says exactly "She (Medusa) lay with (Poseidon), in a blooming spring field". This phrase proves that the relationship between the god Poseidon and Medusa was consensual and there was no rape. In Ovid's version of the Medusa myth, Perseus argues that Athena's punishment of Medusa was just and deserved.
death of jellyfish
Perseus was a demi-god, the fruit of the relationship between the god Zeus and the mortal Danae. King Polidectes was in love with Perseus's mother and knew that Perseus would oppose his plans with Danae and thought of a trick to get rid of him. He implied to everyone that he was interested in the princess of a nearby kingdom and that he would give a party where each guest should offer a present consisting of horses which he would use as her dowry to ask for the princess's hand.
Perseus claimed to the king that he did not have horses but that he was willing to deliver any other request and he would not refuse. King Polidectes understood that the young man would not break his promise and asked him to bring him the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Athena instructed Perseus in what he should do, first he should look for the Graeae who were the only ones who could reveal the location of the Hesperides. He was then to seek out the Hesperides, who were guarding the weapons he would need to defeat Medusa.
The Graeae were Medusa's cousins. They were three sisters. They had only one eye and one tooth, which they shared, taking turns using them. When one of them used them, the other two slept. They lived in a distant land where the sun never rose. Perseus arrived at the Graeae's cave and waited for the moment when they were exchanging eyes, so he could snatch it from them and threaten to throw it into Lake Tritonis unless they revealed the location of the Hesperides. The Graeae had to grant his request.
Thanks to the indications of the Grayas Perseus found the Hesperides who gave him a kibisis that was a backpack where he could transport the head of Medusa safely, from Zeus he received a diamond sword and the barren of darkness of Hades that makes invisible whoever He uses it. Athena gave him a polished shield that reflected like a mirror, the messenger god Hermes, gave him his sandals with wings with which he could fly. Armed in this way, Perseus went in search of the cave where the gorgons lived.
Perseus reached the Gorgons' cave and, taking advantage of his sisters' sleep, approached Medusa. Using his shield as a mirror, he looked at the Gorgon's reflection so he wouldn't have to look directly at her and be turned to stone. The goddess Athena guided Perseus's hand, and he was able to cut off Medusa's head. The Gorgon was pregnant with Poseidon's children; from her severed head sprang her offspring: the winged horse Pegasus and the giant Chrysaor.
Medusa's sisters rushed to her aid upon hearing her terrible screams, but they could not see Perseus because, using Hades' helmet, he made himself invisible.
After fleeing from the harassment of Medusa's sisters, the demigod arrived in the domain of Atlas, asking for refuge and identifying himself as the son of Zeus, but Atlas refused to give him asylum, offended him and ordered him to leave the kingdom. Perseus took Medusa's head out of the backpack and placed it in front of Atlas, who was immediately turned into stone, transforming into the Atlas Mountains.
Then Perseus flies over the Libyan desert and some drops that flow from Medusa's head fall on the desert turning into terrible snakes, one of which, in the future, would kill one of the Argonauts.
Perseus, flying thanks to the winged sandals of the god Hermes, on his return trip saw Andromeda chained to the rock as a sacrifice to Ceto, an aquatic monster sent by Poseidon. Perseus was immediately impressed by the beauty of the young woman and rescued her from her, then he went down to earth and spoke with Cassiopeia and Cepheus, parents of Andromeda, he asked for her hand and in exchange for her he promised to end the monster that tortured them.
Andromeda's parents accepted. Perseus rose into the air with his winged sandals and, from above, attacked the monster with his sword, after a hard battle he finally killed Ceto. When Perseus returned and related to the court the details of his adventure, Phineus's brother arrived and claiming that Andromeda was promised to him and threatened Perseus with a spear.
Cepheus tried to persuade his brother, however he threw the spear at Perseus failing, immediately a battle began between Perseus and Phineus plus all those who supported him. Perseus defended himself bravely with his sword and many fell but when he was overcome by his enemies, he extracted the head from the sack petrifying everyone except Phineus, who begged for his life but Perseus approached and forced him to look at the head of Medusa turning him into stone.
After marrying Andromeda Perseus returned to Seriphos. During Perseus's absence, Polydectes tried to force Danae to have sex with him, Perseus' mother managed to flee and took refuge in a sanctuary. Perseus went to the room of the palace of Polidectes where he was holding a meeting with some courtiers.
Polydectes was surprised by Perseus' return and refused to believe that he had complied with his demand. Perseus assured him that he had killed Medusa and as a demonstration he extracted her head from her sack, putting it in full view of everyone. Polydectes, the courtiers, and everyone in the court who looked at the head were instantly turned to stone. Perseus freed his mother from the other enemies and appointed Dictis, brother of Polydectes, as ruler of the kingdom.
Perseus returned to Argos together with his mother Danae and his wife Andromeda. He returned to Hermes his winged sandals and to the Hesperides all the magical items they granted him. He presented Medusa's head to Athena as a votive present. The goddess, with the help of Hephaestus, fixed Medusa's head on the aegis.
Medusa's head as an emblem
The earliest pictorial representations of Medusa can be found, among other things, in Greek black-figure pottery painting. His distorted faces are characterized by a large mouth area with numerous, often pointed, teeth and a protruding tongue. They have wings and their body looks like a snake, however, it does not necessarily start from the head but, for example, from the shoulders.
In contrast to the other human and mythological figures depicted in archaic vase painting, their faces are not shown in profile, but always from the front.
Gorgoneion is an amulet depicting the head of Medusa, which was placed on clothing, everyday artifacts, weapons, tools, jewelry, coins, and building facades.
In medieval book legends, the possession of Medusa's head was attributed to Alexander the Great, which explained his victories over all peoples. In the famous Pompeian mosaic, the king's armor is decorated on the chest with the image of Medusa's head. The island of Sicily is considered, according to tradition, the place where the Gorgons lived and where Medusa was killed. Her image is present adorning the flag of this region implying the protection of the goddess Athena since she carried it in her aegis.
In ancient maps of the stars in the sky, Perseus is depicted holding Medusa's decapitated head high in his hand; Medusa's eye is the variable star Algol.
Here are some links of interest: