Greek Mythology and Medusa
Medusa
Medusa, the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto is a famous gorgon in Greek Mythology. Medusa, who represented female wisdom, was the eldest of two other Gorgon sisters, Stheino, who represented strength, and the last sister, Euryale as universality. Medusa was the mortal one of the sisters. She was known originally for being a beautiful young maiden, her loveliest feature being her long gorgeous hair. She was a virgin, and she was raped by Poseidon, Lord of the Sea, while she had been worshipping in the temple of the Goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. Athena was enraged about this happening in her temple. She blamed Medusa for this sacrilegious act and punished Medusa by taking her beauty away from her and turning her into a serpent headed monster with snakes for hair. After this, any man who was to gaze directly upon her would turn into stone. Over time Medusa’s face has come to symbolize and refer to many different things, such as; a monster, something that resembled evil, she’s also been a popular choice for art pieces, and also a symbol for feminist. Many females like Medusa because she stood up for them. After being raped, she wanted to help other women and avoid this happening to them. Medusa also became the face on Greek coins later on in history. There are many different versions of the myth about Medusa and why she was turned into an ugly serpent with snakes for hair. The most common one being that Athena was angry that she had been sexual with Poseidon in her temple and also that she was especially jealous of Medusa’s beauty. Athena cursed Medusa to lose all her beauty and made her an ugly monster. Any man who even looked at her turned into stone. Soon after this, the hero Perseus was sent on a quest, by King Polydectes of Seriphos, and Athena herself, to retrieve the head of the Gorgon, Medusa. A deed said to require the maximum of heroic-male courage and skill. Perseus was given magic winged sandals, a cap and a pouch from
Medusa, the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto is a famous gorgon in Greek Mythology. Medusa, who represented female wisdom, was the eldest of two other Gorgon sisters, Stheino, who represented strength, and the last sister, Euryale as universality. Medusa was the mortal one of the sisters. She was known originally for being a beautiful young maiden, her loveliest feature being her long gorgeous hair. She was a virgin, and she was raped by Poseidon, Lord of the Sea, while she had been worshipping in the temple of the Goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. Athena was enraged about this happening in her temple. She blamed Medusa for this sacrilegious act and punished Medusa by taking her beauty away from her and turning her into a serpent headed monster with snakes for hair. After this, any man who was to gaze directly upon her would turn into stone. Over time Medusa’s face has come to symbolize and refer to many different things, such as; a monster, something that resembled evil, she’s also been a popular choice for art pieces, and also a symbol for feminist. Many females like Medusa because she stood up for them. After being raped, she wanted to help other women and avoid this happening to them. Medusa also became the face on Greek coins later on in history. There are many different versions of the myth about Medusa and why she was turned into an ugly serpent with snakes for hair. The most common one being that Athena was angry that she had been sexual with Poseidon in her temple and also that she was especially jealous of Medusa’s beauty. Athena cursed Medusa to lose all her beauty and made her an ugly monster. Any man who even looked at her turned into stone. Soon after this, the hero Perseus was sent on a quest, by King Polydectes of Seriphos, and Athena herself, to retrieve the head of the Gorgon, Medusa. A deed said to require the maximum of heroic-male courage and skill. Perseus was given magic winged sandals, a cap and a pouch from
Cited: Deacy, Susan. Athena in the Classical World. Ed. Alexandra Villing. The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill, 2001. Atsma, Aaron J. “Medusa and Gorgons.” (2000): N. pag. The Project Copyright. New Zealand, 2 Apr. 2010 . Gantz, Timothy. Early Greek Myth. Baltimore: the John Hopkins University Press, 1993. Kershaw, Stephen P. the Greek Myths. New York: Carrol and Graf Publishers, 2007. Wilk, Stephen R. Medusa. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.