AAA BBB CCC DDD EEE FFF GGG HHH III JJJ KKK LLL MMM NNN OOO PPP QQQ RRR SSS TTT UUU VVV WWW XXX YYY ZZZ Did you know that 80% of UCSD students could not find the error above? One of three Gorgon sisters, Medusa was the only one who was not immortal. Thus those who gazed into her eyes would turn to stone. It is in the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses that her story is most deeply elaborated. Details were added and entire plot points embellished for dramatic effect rather than an adherence to tradition. ), The Secret Science of Solving Crossword Puzzles, Racist Phrases to Remove From Your Mental Lexicon. [16], In the 20th century, feminists reassessed Medusa's appearances in literature and in modern culture, including the use of Medusa as a logo by fashion company Versace.

The motive of the Medusa has also had an appearance in some of the modern songs. The snake-headed, petrifying image of Medusa is instantly recognizable in popular culture. According to Hesiod and Aeschylus, she lived and died on an island named Sarpedon, somewhere near Cisthene. "Only the Gorgon has the savage, threatening appearance to serve as an immediately recognized symbol of rage and a protector of women's secrets," wrote Wilk.[24]. Some ancient sources hinted at the idea that Medusa may not have always been so terrible to look upon, however. Some accounts said her two spawn had sprung from her severed head. In classical antiquity the image of the head of Medusa appeared in the evil-averting device known as the Gorgoneion. Privacy, Jason Greek: Who is Jason in Greek Mythology. Medusa, after being raped, was cursed for betraying her goddess. A story of victim blaming, one that she says sounds all too familiar in a current American context. The characterization of Medusa as a formerly beautiful young woman was a very late addition to the mythology of the ancient Mediterranean world. She became so hideous that the mere sight of her could cause a man to turn to stone.

She is not considered a goddess or Olympian, but some variations on her legend say she consorted with one. When Perseus beheaded her, Pegasus, a winged horse, and Chrysaor, a giant wielding a golden sword, sprang from her body.

According to Ovid’s account, Medusa’s punishment by Athena was just and appropriate for her crime.

This was posted 7 years ago. Legend states that Medusa was once a beautiful, avowed priestess of Athena who was cursed for breaking her vow of celibacy. Athena then punished her for this violation, by turning her into the monstrous, stony-glanced creature that we know.

Today, many accept the story of Medusa as a victim of Athena’s anger as a standard part of the story of the monster and her death at the hands of Perseus.

[25] Elizabeth Johnston's November 2016 Atlantic essay called Medusa the original 'Nasty Woman.' Medusa is widely known as a monstrous creature with snakes in her hair whose gaze turns men to stone. He was able to defeat the Gorgon by lopping off her head, which he was able to do by fighting her reflection in his highly polished shield. In addition to the silver screen, the mythical figure appears as a character in TV, books, cartoons, video games, role-playing games, usually as an antagonist. Furthermore, the poisonous vipers of the Sahara, in the Argonautica 4.1515, Ovid's Metamorphoses 4.770 and Lucan's Pharsalia 9.820, were said to have grown from spilt drops of her blood.

Ovid was certainly familiar with the unclear origin story of Pegasus and Chrysaor, and may have known the few texts that alluded to Medusa as having once been a great beauty. [30] "You only have to look at the Medusa straight on to see her," writes Cixous.

(Source: sweetxbabyy-blog, via lovelykaito360). The Curse of Medusa.

However, she does spend all her life with Athena, as she protects her goddess against many foes. Medusa was not cursed by Aphrodite. One of a trio of Gorgon sisters, Medusa was the only sister who was not immortal. [17][18][19][20] The name "Medusa" itself is often used in ways not directly connected to the mythological figure but to suggest the gorgon's abilities or to connote malevolence; despite her origins as a beauty, the name in common usage "came to mean monster. It was chosen because she represents beauty, art, and philosophy.[39]. In Greek art, Medusa, especially her fearsome head, became a very common motif very early on, namely in the Archaic period, in the 6th century BC or even before. In particular, the designer Versace's symbol is reflected through the Medusa-head symbol. Ancient statuary, bronze shields, and vessels have depictions of Medusa. Of the three siblings, only Medusa is a mortal. Medusa was raped by Poseidon then beheaded by the hero Perseus, who thereafter used her head, which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone, as a weapon[4] until he gave it to the goddess Athena to place on her shield. It is impossible to tell whether the mythological tale was already fully formed then, or whether the image itself contributed to its formulation.

The hero Perseus was sent on a quest to kill Medusa. Also, the character has been memorialized in song by UB40, Annie Lennox, and the band Anthrax.

Powered by Tumblr and designed by Evan Walsh. The Greek poet Hesiod wrote that Medusa lived close to the Hesperides in the Western Ocean near Sarpedon.

Medusa's destiny was a harsh one she had no control over. # (via troll-two) This was posted 6 years ago.

In 1940, Sigmund Freud's "Das Medusenhaupt (Medusa's Head)" was published posthumously. [7], Jane Ellen Harrison argues that "her potency only begins when her head is severed, and that potency resides in the head; she is in a word a mask with a body later appended... the basis of the Gorgoneion is a cultus object, a ritual mask misunderstood."[8].

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It is in the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses that her story is most deeply elaborated. Okay. Most sources describe her as the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto,[2] although the author Hyginus makes her the daughter of Gorgon and Ceto.[3].

The other two sisters were Stheno and Euryale. Ovid’s was not the only account in which Poseidon had some sort of relationship with Medusa. According to one famous writer, however, Medusa was not always the most grotesque of the three monstrous sisters.