One of the most dreaded monsters in Greek mythology is Medusa, also known as a Gorgon.According to tales, Medusa was initially a very beautiful woman who was cursed by the Gods for her relationship with Poseidon. Her charismatic looks were transformed into a hideous one with venomous snakes creeping all over her head.The word ‘Gorgon’ reflects the multitudes of poisonous snakes all over the head of Medusa. Her love for Poseidon was cursed, and thereafter, she sought cruelty and vengeance to punish the Gods. Tales of Medusa talk about her wrath and her horrific ability to turn anyone into stone who gazed directly into her eyes. Read on to learn more petrifying facts about Medusa.Medusa’s Origin In Greek MythologyGreek mythology highlights several interesting facts about Medusa and her life. Tales of her mythical powers first came into popularity in the first century BC and were mentioned by the poet Hesiod of Theogony.The origin of Medusa was first elaborated by the Roman poet Ovid, who developed a keen interest in researching past literature, which talks about Medusa’s origins.Ovid’s illustrations tell us that Medusa was the only mortal of the three Gorgon sisters.She possessed captivating looks prior to becoming a monster.Gorgon Medusa was the daughter of the Sea God, Phorcys, and the female Sea God, Ceto.According to Greek tales penned down by the writers Hesiod and Aeschylus, she resided in a town opposite Lesbos Island.The town inhabited by Medusa was Sarpedon, which was in close proximity to Cisthene.Many tales describe Medusa’s father, Phorcys, to bear red spiky skin and claws instead of legs.Her bewitching looks caught the eyes of Poseidon, who was the brother of Zeus (the most revered Greek God) and Hades (the God of the Underworld).Just like other priestesses of Athena, Medusa vowed to practice celibacy throughout her life and serve the Goddess Athena with utter devotion.As Poseidon seduced the beautiful woman, Medusa, to marry him, the Goddess of wisdom, Athena, became furious and cursed Medusa.Many ancient Greek folklores talk about Athena being jealous of the enthralling looks of Medusa and her relationship with Poseidon.There are counter-arguments about the virgin Goddess, Athena, being jealous of Medusa. Different interpretations of this curse have been put forth by researchers.One of the significant interpretations of Athena turning Medusa into a hideous monster is that it was simply an act of protection when Medusa was sexually assaulted by Poseidon.Athena could not protect Medusa from the evil deeds of Poseidon but bestowed on Medusa the power of turning any living being into a stone, with just a single glance. Many claims point out that this power was originally a form of self-defense so that no woman could feel insecure and helpless against the evil intentions of men.Greek tales also stress the fact that Medusa was never loved by Poseidon. In fact, she was simply used by him to appease his lust for her, which eventually destroyed her life.Although Medusa is regarded as a monster in Greek tales, her severed head is seen as a protective symbol.Her head was also used to symbolize freedom at the end of the French revolution. At present, it is used to represent feminism and an apotropaic symbol to repel evil.What did Medusa look like?The grotesque looks of Medusa are vividly described in Greek tales. She was once an astonishingly beautiful woman who was violated by the Greek God, Poseidon, in Athena’s temple. Furious with such an abominable infringement, Athena cursed her and transformed her breathtaking beauty into a gruesome behemoth. It is regarded as the ultimate power given by Athena to her in order to teach evil men a lesson, so that no woman can ever be harmed.Medusa’s hair was transformed into a snake pit.Her long golden hair that was replaced by countless poisonous snakes was dreaded by the men, and this terrifying look was penned down by the Roman poet Ovid in his work, ‘The Metamorphoses’.The snake pit head had a round face along with wide eyes.Her grisly looks were even more accentuated by the extended tongue and sharp teeth present in her gaping mouth.Just like other mythological creatures, Medusa’s face symbolized fear and hatred towards mortals.She was also described as a winged woman with bloodshot eyes.Her hag-like face had a scary green hue, which was loathed by all.The Medusa myth also tells us that she contained black blood that was drying up.The illustration of Medusa on the breastplate of Alexander in the Alexander mosaic tells us that she was terrified to know that the snakes on her head were directly excreting into her brain.The snakes for her hair were countless, and many paintings of Medusa show us that two of the snakes were tied to her chin.The bronze sculpture of Medusa depicts her petrified face with the long tongue sticking out from her venomous fanged teeth, the venom of which came from the intertwined snakes on her cheek.Many depictions point out that soon after the transformation, she roamed the forests of Africa, and during this time, some baby snakes fell onto the forest floor, thereby making Africa the kingdom of poisonous snakes.According to the narratives of Ovid, Medusa herself transformed into a stone after she looked at her own reflection in the mirror. She was killed after she became a stone.The daughter of the female sea God, Medusa, was the most famous Greek Gorgon who was associated with tragic Greek mythology. Medusa’s head was severed by Perseus.Perseus was sent to kill Medusa with a mirrored shield and winged sandals.The mirrored shield and winged sandals of Perseus helped to kill Medusa, who developed into a winged horse after she was beheaded.Perseus turned Medusa into a winged horse, which is considered one of the most famous mythological creatures.Some tales say that Perseus gave the severed head of Medusa to Athena as a gift to return to her.Athena put Medusa’s head on Aegis, which is her famous shield.According to Greek mythology, Medusa’s head was buried in Argos by Perseus himself.Powers Of Medusa Medusa possessed immense powers and was the most notorious of the Gorgon sisters according to Greek mythology. The Greek Goddess Athena gave her the power to transform anybody into a stone whenever they directly glanced at her. The exact reason for giving this power to Medusa is a topic of debate, and many tales claim that this dangerous power was actually a form of self-defense, which repulsed men from committing any sins.Apart from the power of transforming into a stone, the head of Medusa had innumerable venomous snakes, which gave rise to her poisonous sharp fangs.Medusa’s green face and large eyes, along with the intertwined baby snakes on her chin, terrorized people. Due to these powers, Medusa’s head has been illustrated in several American comic books, which were published by the famous Marvel comics. Well-known artists like Rubens, Pablo Picasso, and Michelangelo depict Medusa and her helplessness in their paintings. Her terrifying head filled with snakes has also been showcased in these paintings. A bronze statue of Medusa with her hair replaced by snakes was sculpted by Hubert Gerhard in the year 1950, who named it ‘Perseus and Medusa’.The Gorgon Medusa, the most dreaded among the three Gorgon sisters, is portrayed in comics, as well as in the television series, ‘Inhuman’, as a character bearing psychokinetic control over her once golden hair.After Hero Perseus killed Medusa and beheaded her head, which once had long golden hair, she transformed into a winged horse. Although Medusa appears in such a terrifying form, her winged form is often used as a symbol of freedom during the French revolution as well as on Roman mosaics that were unearthed in Pompeii.What is Medusa known for?Medusa is known for her terrifying looks and the power to turn anyone into stone who looked directly at her. She is also known as Athena’s patron, who was violated by Poseidon in the sacred temple of Athena. Medusa, who was once the daughter of a Sea God, served Athena with all her devotion. There are works that suggest that Medusa had two children, Chrysaor and Pegasus.However, she was forced to marry Poseidon, who fell in love with her captivating looks. Thus, she was cursed by the Greek Goddess, Athena, to turn into a Gorgon and transform anybody into stone who dared to look at her eyes. Gorgons were actually flesh-eating creatures!This ultimate power given to her is often attributed to Athena’s jealousy. However, Ovid’s illustrations of her during the Roman era highlighted Athena’s love for Medusa, whom she couldn’t protect from the clutches of Poseidon.Another interesting fact for which she is famous is the rise of countless venomous snakes in Africa as baby snakes fell from her head while she wandered the African forests. Her wrath and might are used as a protective symbol and also to ward off evil. Did you know that contrary to popular belief, Medusa is not in the Bible?The head of Medusa is also seen as a protective symbol in various Greek and Roman artifacts. Roman shields excavated from Pompeii that were used at the time of King Alexander’s rule also had symbols of Medusa on them. Let’s find out some more interesting Medusa facts in the following sections.The head of Medusa appears on the flag of a village located in the Czech Republic and also on the flag of Sicily, all of which represent freedom from the clutches of evil power.Medusa’s immense powers and abilities were used in a popular British horror film, ‘The Gorgon’, that was released in the year 1964.Medusa is also featured in other well-known English movies, including ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lighting Thief’, and ‘Clash of the Titans’. In the movie ‘Percy Jackson’, Medusa was killed by the son of Poseidon, Percy.Numerous video games also feature the strength and abilities of Medusa and portray her gruesome head full of snakes. One such example of a popular video game is ‘Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey’. The well-known novel ‘Gone with the Wind’ written by Margaret Mitchell in 1963 includes Ashley’s character who wore a lapel pin having the symbol of Medusa on it.According to the anecdotes of Greek mythology, many powerful creatures rose from Medusa’s blood.Some tales also claim that after beheading Medusa, Perseus used her head to fight against the enemies he encountered on his way.The unique power of Medusa’s head was used even after her death by Perseus to save his mother, who was being forced to marry the king. The king was turned into a stone by the head of Medusa.Perseus was sent by King Polydectes to kill the Gorgon Medusa, who hoped that Perseus would die in his attempt to kill the beast. The death of Perseus would give Polydectes the opportunity to marry his mother forcefully.The Greek Gods helped Perseus to carry out his mission successfully as they all were scared of Medusa’s wrath. It is said that Athena herself gave Perseus the mirrored shield to win Medusa’s head easily. Hermes, who was the herald of the Gods, gave Perseus winged sandals made of gold. The God of fire and metalwork, Hephaestus, also gifted him the golden sword with which he chopped off the head of Medusa. He also received the cloak of invisibility from the God of Underworld, Hades, also known as Pluton.Numerous stories surrounding the encounter of Perseus with Medusa claim that she was pregnant with the child of Poseidon when she was killed. Many radical poets described her as a victim of cruelty. Her monstrous transformation and exceptional powers are symbolic of revolution, and therefore, she has been recognized as a Jacobin emblem during the French Revolution in the 19th Century.Even now, her sacrifice is honored by well-known designers like Versace as their brand symbol. Countless scientific names of plants and animals are given in the name of Medusa to honor her. An example of such a real animal is the stalked jellyfish, whose scientific name is Stauromedusae.
One of the most dreaded monsters in Greek mythology is Medusa, also known as a Gorgon.
