Poseidon was angered, and his desire for her grew even more. And, to Poseidon’s consternation, she wouldn’t give herself to him either. So beautiful was she, that the god Poseidon also desired to have her.īut Medusa wouldn’t yield to any man. She had many suitors, but she wouldn’t choose one, all wanting her hand in marriage, won over by her rare beauty. Medusa is said to have been coveted across the land. Her features were in perfect symmetry, her lips red like the purest wine. She had stunning golden hair, with perfect ringlets framing her beautiful face. She was a priestess of Athena all her life.īut if you ask Ovid, the Roman poet that lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus, the story is entirely different- and it’s Athena’s fault.ġ.3 What does Medusa’s name mean? The Story of Medusa and Athena What is the story of Medusa and Athena according to Ovid?Īccording to Ovid, Medusa originally was a beautiful young woman. She also had the name Gorgo, and like her sisters, she was born with a monstrous appearance: Snake hair, a terrible face that struck fear into the heart of anyone who looked at them, wings, and a reptilian body were featured by all three sisters.Īccording to Hesiod and Aeschylus, she lived in a town at the coast of Aeolis, in Asia Minor, opposite of the island of Lesbos. That depends on who you ask! The original Ancient Greek myths describe Medusa as the only mortal sister out of three Gorgons. Her power to turn a mortal (or a man, depending on the myth) into stone by a single glance has allured and inspired artists and even activists and social scientists for centuries!īut who was Medusa, and how did she end up a monster for Perseus to kill?
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Her powerful image of a woman with a full head of snake hair is unforgettable. Medusa 4 was a daughter of King Pelias 1 of Iolcus, the man who sent Jason and the ARGONAUTS to fetch the Golden Fleece in Colchis (Caucasus).Medusa is one of the most recognizable pop culture and fashion icons! Medusa 2 was daughter of King Sthenelus 3 of Mycenae, son of Perseus 1. Others tell that Medusa 1 was a queen who reigned in the land around Lake Tritonis in Libya, and that she was assassinated by night when she was encamped with an army against the forces of Perseus 1. When Medusa 1 was beheaded, the other GORGONS woke up and pursued Perseus 1, but they could not see him because he was wearing the helmet of Hades. Later, Pegasus flew away, and left the earth and came to heaven, where he brings to Zeus the thunder and lightning.
Pegasus is said to have leapt forth from the neck of the slain Medusa 1, its mane bespattered with blood. Bellerophon mounted Pegasus, harnessing him with a bridle with golden cheek-pieces which Athena gave him, when he went to kill the Chimera. Pegasus was a winged horse which opened up a spring on a mountain by striking the rock with its hoof. When her head was cut off, there sprang from her trunk Pegasus and Chrysaor. In order to kill her, he beheld the image of Medusa 1 on a brazen shield, so that he would not be turned into a stone for looking at her, and, his hand guided by Athena, he beheaded her. Medusa 1 alone was mortal among the GORGONS, which made it possible for Perseus 1 to come after her head. However, fair Medusa 1 was ravished in the temple of Athena by Poseidon, and in order to punish this deed, Athena changed the beautiful locks of Medusa 1 into repugnant snakes. Still others affirm that Medusa 1 was a beautiful woman and the hope of many suitors, and that the most beautiful in her was her magnificent hair. Otherwise the GORGONS are said to have been a race of warlike women living in Libya, who were defeated by Perseus 1.
The GORGONS were snake-haired, had great tusks like swine's, brazen hands, golden wings, and they turned to stone those who beheld them. Mortal Medusa 1 is one of the three GORGONS, the others being the immortals Stheno and Euryale 1. Medusa 1, one of the GORGONS, was beheaded by Perseus 1.
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