Surely, everyone has heard the story of Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa. And if not for everyone, then for many, the question arose of how it all began. Why did Perseus go to battle with Medusa, in which he could easily die? Why did he need the head of this gorgon? Let's "rewind the tape" back and find out why Perseus went to the Gorgon Island. To find an explanation for this, one should start from the very moment of the birth of the hero.
Birth of Perseus
In the city of Argos, King Acrisius ruled, who had a daughter, Danae. Once the king was predicted to die at the hands of his own grandson - the son of Danai. Acrisius decided to protect himself. He ordered to build a stone and bronze room underground, in which he hid Danae from prying eyes. But Zeus the Thunderer saw the beautiful daughter of Acrisius, fell in love with her and entered the dungeon with golden rain, and the girl became his wife. Soon Danae had a lovely boy, whom she named Perseus. But Perseus and Danae did not live long in the chambers under the palace of Acrisius. One day the king went down into the dungeon and saw a little boy there. Upon learning that he was the son of Zeus and Danae, he was frightened and ordered to put Danae and his grandson in a wooden box and throw them into the sea. The box floated for a long time until the waves threw it near the island of Serif. On the shore at that time there was a fisherman Diktis, in whose net a box fell. The fisherman opened it, saw in it a beautiful woman with a child, and took them to the king of Serif Polydectes, who gave them shelter. There Perseus grew up, and among the young men of the whole island there was no equal to him in beauty, strength and dexterity.
Perseus and Medusa Gorgon
Polydect wanted to marry the beautiful Danae, but she hated him. Then the king decided to act by force, but Perseus stood up for his mother. And since then, Polydect harbored a grudge against the son of Danae. He kept thinking about how to get him out of the world. Finally, he found a way out. The king called Perseus and ordered him to prove that he was the son of Zeus by bringing the head of the Gorgon Medusa to the palace. Perseus agreed and went to the western edge of the earth, where the Gorgons lived. Their whole body was covered with strong and shiny scales. Only the curved sword of Hermes could cut it. Gorgons had copper hands with sharp steel claws. They had poisonous snakes on their heads. Gorgons with their sharp fangs, with red lips like blood and eyes burning with rage, were so terrible that, looking at them, every traveler turned into stone. The Gorgons flew through the air quickly thanks to wings with golden feathers. Any person they saw, the gorgons tore apart with their hands and drank his blood. Two of the Gorgons were immortal, and only one - Medusa Gorgon - was mortal. So she was to be killed by Perseus. The gods of Olympus decided to help him. The messenger of the gods Hermes and the daughter of Zeus Athena descended to Perseus. Athena handed the hero a copper shield, which reflected everything that was happening around him. And Hermes gave the young man his sword, cutting any steel, and showed the way to the Gorgons. Perseus walked for a long time and finally arrived in the country where the Grays lived. Only they knew the way to the Gorgons. They had one eye and a tooth for three, passing them to each other in turn. When they did this, Perseus snatched them from the hands of the gray and promised to return them only in exchange for showing the way to the Gorgons. The grays hesitated for a long time, but there was nothing to do - they told the hero where the gorgons were. Perseus went further and arrived at the nymphs. They gave him three gifts: Hades' helmet, winged sandals, and a magic bag. He put on sandals and quickly flew to the Gorgon Island. And he sees: all three sisters are sleeping on the coastal stone. Perseus was confused: which of them is the Gorgon Medusa. The answer was whispered in his ear as Hermes flew up. Looking at the mirror shield and not turning his head to the Gorgons, so as not to turn to stone, Perseus swung his sword and cut off her head. The blood of Medusa poured into the sea in a stream, the giant Chrysaor and the horse Pegasus flew out of it. The hero quickly put the head of the gorgon into the bag, put on the helmet of Hades and climbed up on winged sandals. The noise woke her sisters. They saw that Medusa Gorgon was lying dead and in terrible anger rose over the island, trying to take revenge on the killer. But they did not find Perseus, who was invisible thanks to the helmet of Hades. And he flew farther and farther away.
Perseus and Atlas
Perseus flew across the sky for a long time and finally arrived in the country where the titan Atlas reigned. His greatest treasure was a tree with golden apples. The goddess Themis predicted to him that their son Zeus would be kidnapped. When a wanderer approached his gate and called himself Perseus, the son of Zeus, Atlas remembered this prediction and rudely ordered the hero, calling him a liar, to get out of his garden. Perseus got angry, quickly pulled out the head of the Gorgon Medusa and, turning away, showed it to the titan. Immediately Atlas turned into a mountain supporting the vault of heaven. And Perseus flew on.
Perseus frees Andromeda
Perseus reached the possessions of King Cepheus and saw that a girl was chained to a high rock standing above the sea. The hero asked who she was. The girl called herself Andromeda, the daughter of King Cepheus, chained to a rock because of the boasting of her mother Cassiopeia. She offended the nymphs, declaring that she was the most beautiful. For this, their father Poseidon sent a sea monster to Ethiopia, the country of Kefei, destroying the city and devouring people. And it will retreat only if Andromeda is sacrificed to it. As soon as the girl told Perseus about this, the sea began to seethe and the waves rose - this monster rose from its bottom. Immediately, Perseus pulled out the head of the Gorgon Medusa and showed it to the monster, and immediately he turned to stone. Perseus cut the chains holding Andromeda with the sword of Hermes, and together they went to the house of her father Cepheus. They were joyfully greeted there and soon played a noisy wedding.
Return to Serif
Taking Andromeda with him and flying to Serif, Perseus saw his mother in the temple of Zeus. Danae told him that she was hiding there from the persecution of Polydectes. Perseus got angry, went to the king's palace and found him with friends at the banquet table. When the hero said that he brought the head of the Gorgon Medusa, they did not believe and began to mock him. Insulted, Perseus pulled out of her bag and showed it to those present. And King Polydekt with his friends turned into stone.
Arrival in Argos
Together with Andromeda and Danae, Perseus returned to the kingdom of his grandfather. Acrisius, having learned about this, fled far to the north. And Perseus began to rule happily in Argos. After some time, Perseus organized magnificent sports games. Many came to see them. Among the spectators was Acrisius. During one of the competitions, Perseus threw a heavy disk that hit the former king. Frustrated, Perseus buried his grandfather and, not wanting to rule in the kingdom of Acrisius, whom he had killed, went to Tiryns, where he ruled for many more years.
Conclusion
That's the whole legend. Now you know that the story of the battle in which Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa participated is a myth that describes only one of his many exploits.
Name: Medusa Gorgon (Medusa)
A country: Greece
Creator: ancient Greek mythology
Activity: monster with a woman's face and snakes instead of hair
Family status: Single
Medusa Gorgon: Character Story
Ancient Greek mythology was reflected in culture: ancient painters depicted gods, monsters and titans with oil paints on canvas, and sculptors carved heroes from marble. Modern creators continue to admire the culture of the inhabitants of the southeastern state. And, of course, the terrifying Gorgon Medusa still continues to inspire artists and directors to new feats.
History of appearance
Medusa is one of the Gorgon sisters, monsters who had poisonous snakes instead of hair. In the later version of the myth, which he conveyed in a work called "Metamorphoses", the reason for the appearance of mystical creatures was.
The fact is that the angry goddess of organized war turned Medusa and her sisters into monsters after the lord of the sea waves, who turned into a bird, took possession of Medusa in the temple of the goddess - there Medusa was hiding from persecution. Before the "reincarnation" Medusa was an attractive girl with beautiful hair.
However, there is another variation of the legend, according to which the sisters of the unfortunate snake-haired girl - Euryale and Stheno - themselves wanted to become monsters because of compassion for a relative. They were immortal, while Medusa died from the sword of her son -. According to another version, the Gorgons were the children of Typhon and Echidna.
In addition, some researchers have presented their own hypotheses about monsters. Scientists believe that the Gorgons are the spirits of the storm and cold winter, which periodically visits Boreas, located in the north of Ancient Greece.
However, this is not surprising, because from the look of Medusa and her sisters, even the water is covered with thin ice, and the Gorgons themselves fly through the air faster than the wind. The otherworldly nature of the relatives is indicated by the fact that they were born by Forkis and Keto, that is, the foremother of sea monsters and the personification of the stormy sea. This means that the Gorgons are chthonic monsters - creatures that initially personify the natural power of the earth, the embodiment of the hostile elements of water and air.
Others find a certain "dragon-like" appearance in the appearance of the Gorgon. The entire body of the sisters was covered with scales as strong as steel, which only a sword can cut; their mouths were adorned with sharp fangs, and their fingers were long claws. No luck for a person who met these monsters on the way: they tore the flesh of the unfortunate and drank his blood. Some believed that the Gorgons killed only men. Scientists point to the similarity of Medusa with such characters as the old snake, which appeared in Slavic myths.
The Russian and Soviet philosopher Yakov Golosovker believed that the Gorgons, along with the Grays and other mystical creatures, were the remnants of the pre-Olympic pantheon, but in the minds of the Greeks they gradually turned into monsters, which was facilitated by the influence of the "Olympians". The ancients believed that the Gorgons embodied the danger emanating from the far West.
Medusa Gorgon in myths
Of the three sisters, only Medusa Gorgon could turn all living things into stone. She literally enchanted with her own eyes. Perhaps the heroine of ancient Greek myths would have lived a quiet life in the Far West near the banks of the Ocean River and ate people, but Perseus killed the mortal Gorgon.
The son of Zeus was unlucky from birth. His grandfather King Acrisius received a prediction from an oracle that he was destined to fall at the hands of his own grandson. Therefore, initially he did not allow potential suitors to approach his daughter Danae, and when the girl had a son from the cunning Zeus, the owner of the crown imprisoned his daughter and grandson in a box and threw them into the sea.
The wooden box sailed to the island of Seriphos, which was ruled by Polydectes. The king fell in love with the beautiful Danae, who did not reciprocate his feelings. Then the ruler wished with all his might to achieve the attention of the woman, and in her young son Perseus the king saw an obstacle that prevented him from accomplishing his plan. Once Polydect allegedly doubted the divine origin of the young man, so he asked him to perform, like, a feat and bring the head of Medusa. Perseus, who wants to prove to the ruler his blood connection with the Thunderer Zeus, set off.
The ancient Greek hero would not have coped with the monsters alone, so Athena and Hermes contributed to his heroic deed. The goddess of war gave Perseus a polished copper shield, in which everything was reflected, as if in a mirror, and the young man received a curved sword from the patron of trade.
On the advice of his allies, Perseus went to the prophetic old women Grays (Gorgon sisters), who have one tooth and one eye for three. By cunning, the young man stole their secret things from them and then exchanged the booty for an invisibility cap, winged sandals and a magic bag. Among other things, the old women showed him the way to the Gorgons.
Passing through the terrible and dense forests, Perseus found the refuge of Medusa and her sisters. Using his enchanted attributes, he cut off the head of Medusa, put it in a bag and fled from the angry Gorgons. Since Perseus looked at the monster with a shield, he did not turn to stone.
It is worth noting that the abilities of Medusa were preserved even after her death: everyone who looked at her severed head turned into a lifeless marble block. Perseus took advantage of this, saving Andromeda and destroying the kingdom of Polydect.
According to legend, during the duel with Perseus, Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon. Therefore, when she was beheaded, her children came out with a stream of blood - the winged horse Pegasus and the giant Chrysaor. The hero hid the head of the Gorgon in a sack, and while traveling through Libya, the blood seeped through the fabric and turned into poisonous snakes that destroyed all life in this hot place. And from the flow of blood that fell into the waters, corals appeared - this is what the local legend says.
The god of medicine and healing Asclepius used the blood of Medusa. According to legend, the one that flowed from the left side of the head was poisonous and killed all living things in the blink of an eye, while the other, flowing from the right hemisphere, saved people's lives.
Screen adaptations
Eminent directors also admire the myths of Ancient Greece, which migrated from the works of writers to the big screens. Consider the popular cinematic works with the participation of Medusa Gorgon.
Director Chris Columbus, whose track record includes films about, transferred the writer's book to the screens
Medusa is one of the three daughters of Forkus and Keto (her sisters are Stheno and Euryale), also known as the Gorgon. According to Hesiod's Theogony, the Gorgons were the sisters of Graia and lived in a dark place, beyond the night, somewhere outside the Ocean.
Very little is known about the birth of the Gorgon Medusa, but there are several versions of stories about her death. The most famous of them is the legend of the murder of Medusa at the hands of Perseus (this moment is described in detail in Ovid's Metamorphoses).
In his work, Ovid describes Medusa as a very attractive girl. Once, with her beauty, Medusa captivated Poseidon and the god, using his power, deprived the girl of innocence in the temple of Athena.
The goddess was so angry with her brother, the god of the seas, that she turned Medusa's hair into terrible snakes, and endowed the unfortunate girl with a terrible property: everyone who stared into Medusa's eyes turned into stone.
Medusa in mythology and legends
Hesiod, in his Theogony, tells how Perseus cut off Medusa's head and the Theogonia escaped from it. (He talks about how Perseus cut off the head of Medusa, and Chrysaor escaped from her blood - a giant born with a golden sword in his hands, and - a winged horse).
In the myth of Perseus, the hero was sent by Polydectes, king of Serif, to retrieve the head of Medusa. The king knew about the abilities of the Gorgon to turn people into stones and thus wanted to get rid of Perseus, who became a serious obstacle to the conquest of the heart of Danae, the mother of the hero, by Polydectes.
The king was sure that his order would doom Perseus to certain death, however, throughout the journey, the gods of Olympus helped the hero (recall that Perseus was a son).
Perseus receives a gift from Hades - a cap of invisibility, from Hermes - flying sandals, from Athena - a bronze shield with a mirror surface, and from Hermes - a sword.With these gifts, he easily defeats the Gorgon Medusa and returns to Serif with her severed head.
Legends say that every drop of blood from the head of Medusa fell on the plains of Libya and turned into a poisonous snake.
Even the severed head of Medusa had tremendous power: for example, Perseus, asking for shelter from the titan Atlas and being refused, takes the head of the Gorgon out of the bag and turns the inhospitable titan into a mountain.
The head of Medusa also came in handy for the hero when saving Andromeda, the daughter of King Eivopia Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia.
Andromeda was supposed to be sacrificed to the sea monster Ketheus, in the name of fulfilling the punishment for the fact that the girl's mother was more beautiful than the Nereids.
Mentions of the head of Medusa and its properties to turn everything into stone are found in myths more than once.
Eventually the Gorgon's head goes to Athena, who "arms" it with it every time she goes into battle.
Medusa Gorgon in art
Despite the fact that Medusa is considered a terrible monster, her head often protects and saves people, endowed with the functions of some kind of amulet. That is why the image of the Gorgon is quite often found on Greek and Roman artifacts: shields, breastplates, mosaics (Medusa was depicted on the breastplate).
She was also depicted on coins. In the modern world, the most famous image of the Gorgon belongs to the fashion house Versace (fashion designers are sure that the head of Medusa symbolizes the synthesis of beauty, art and philosophy).
The image of the Gorgon appears in several artistic and architectural structures, including the pediments of the Temple of Artemis (ca. 580 BC). A marble statue of Medusa has been preserved in Korca (now in the archaeological museum of Paros).
Very often, Medusa was depicted on the end parts of ships. It was believed that her image protected sailors from the violence of the elements and the wrath of the gods (this plot was typical of the Roman period).
A little later, the head of Medusa can be found in Roman mosaics, and during the French Revolution she was often depicted on swords - she symbolized freedom.
The image of the Gorgon is found in the cinema (in 1964, the monster's head became the central image in the British film "Gorgon").
Also, the head of Medusa appears on the flag of Sicily and the flag of a small village in the Czech Republic - Dohalice. Many artists also turned to the image of the Gorgon Medusa: the most famous canvases depicting a mythical monster belong to Rubens, and.
He painted an oil painting on canvas dedicated to Medusa. Benvenuto Cellini created in 1554 the bronze sculpture "Perseus with the Head of Medusa", and in 1590 Hubert Gerhard repeated the mythological motif in his bronze statue "and Medusa".
Jellyfish is also often found in modern culture: video and computer games, cartoons, etc. In addition, the character has been immortalized in songs by UB40, Annie Lennox and Anthrax.
The myths of ancient Greece have a huge number of legendary creatures inhabiting the expanses of forests and seas. Gorgon Medusa is a terrible monster with snakes for hair and a terrible scaly body.
Description of the creature
Medusa Gorgon - a fantastic creature from the legends of ancient Greece, is the daughter of Phorky and Keto.
The mythology of the ancient Greek world tells of Phorky, the father of the three Gorgons, the patron of the seas, as well as his wife Keto, who was the deity of the deep sea. Medusa is the most famous of the sisters. Her terrifying appearance and ability to turn people to stone have ruined more than one generation of brave warriors.
Origin legend
The legend tells of the marine origin of Medusa, who was the youngest in the family and did not have immortality. The girl was young and beautiful, her magnificent hair streamed down to her waist. Once she was spotted by the god of the seas Poseidon. He tricked Medusa into intimacy by committing an outrage in the temple of Athena, in which the girl wanted to hide.
The goddess of war and wisdom did not help Medusa, but, on the contrary, became angry. Gorgon's beautiful hair was turned into terrifying hydra snakes, and her body was mutilated, only her face remained girlish.
External features
The appearance of Medusa after the curse of Athena became frightening, there was not a trace left of the sweet and harmless maiden. She looks like a sea monster, her appearance:
- the head is covered with poisonous snakes that make terrible sounds;
- the body of the creature is covered with shiny scales;
- the upper limbs are copper, on the fingers are sharpened claws made of steel;
- the monster has wings made of steel with golden feathers.
Medusa had tremendous power, both physical and magical. One glance of the monster was enough to turn a person to stone, take away the gift of speech or hearing, and kill on the spot. Legend has it that even the blood of the Gorgon had a miraculous effect. Blood taken from the left side of the creature could revive the dead or heal the sick, but blood from the right side of Medusa's body could instantly kill anyone.
The head of Medusa, even after death, carried a danger, it retained all the properties that it possessed during life.
The myth of death
Reincarnated as a monster, Medusa instilled fear in those around her, no one dared to invade the lands belonging to her. Then, to fight against the atrocities of the angry Gorgon, Perseus, the son of Danae and Zeus, was equipped on the way. The goddess of wisdom, Athena, and the son of Zeus, Hermes, decided to help the brave young man, they equipped him for battle, giving him their sword and shield. The shield given by Athena had a mirror surface, which was supposed to reflect the look of the Gorgon, and the Hermes sword, thanks to its crescent shape, was indispensable in the battle with the monster.
After long wanderings, Perseus came to the house of the Gorgon sisters, who, according to legend, personified old age, they were already born old: gray hair, decrepit body. All the sisters had only one whole tooth, which was used by each old woman in turn. They were the guards of the Gorgon and reliably knew the way to her dwelling. Perseus managed to find out the path to the monster, which passed through the forest nymphs. The beauties equipped the young man, giving him:
- winged sandals;
- linen bag;
- a helmet that allows you to be invisible.
Armed Perseus found all the Gorgon sisters sleeping. With a quick movement, he cut off the head of Medusa and, using a mirror shield, quickly put the chopped head into a bag, he knew that even a decapitated Gorgon was a danger. At the time of her death, Medusa was in demolition, so Pegasus and Chrysaor, whose father was Poseidon, came out of her body.
Not having time to finish the deal with Medusa, Perseus was attacked by her sisters. In order not to engage in battle and get rid of the persecution, he put on an invisibility helmet and winged sandals. The legend of the flight from persecution tells that during the flight over Libya from the bleeding head of Medusa, a few drops fell to the ground and since then poisonous echidnas have been living there. With a stream of wind, the young man was carried more and more to the west to the kingdom of Atlanta, where he decided to stop for the night.
Having asked the great Atlas for shelter for the night, Perseus received a sharp refusal, because of his relationship with the Thunderer. Atlas wanted to drive Perseus out by force, but the young man took out the severed head of the Gorgon to show the titan. At the same moment, Atlas began to transform into a high mountain: the beard and hair turned into dense forests, the head lifted the sky, and the shoulders became mountain spurs.
Later, the head of the Gorgon became the property of Athena, she wore it on her shield and successfully fought with enemies. After that, the goddess was nicknamed "Gorgopa", which means "with a terrible look."
The image of the Gorgon in art
In mythology, Medusa Gorgon is presented as a terrible monster that kills people, but among the people her image is very popular and is a talisman. Often the image of the head of a monster serves as protection from the evil eye and damage. No wonder the image is widespread on found artifacts: shields, coins, sword hilts. Among the navigators of Ancient Rome, there was a belief that the image of the head of the Gorgon on the cape of the ship would bring good luck and protect against a crash during a storm.
In France, the image of a monster on the hilt of a sword meant a symbol of freedom and equality. To date, the image of Medusa has become the logo of one of the most famous fashion houses "Versace", which considers her a mixture of beauty, philosophy and art.
Often the image is used as an emblem.
- Legends attribute the possession of the head of Medusa to A. Macedonian - the emblem was located on the armor that protected the chest.
- It is an adornment of the administrative region in Italy - Sicily, which is the birthplace of the Gorgon and her sisters.
- In the aesthetic directions of classicism and imperial style, the Gorgon Medusa became a traditional element of decor, which was used in the decoration of fences. In the cultural capital of Russia, St. Petersburg, you can see the image of the Gorgon on the fence of the bridge and the Summer Garden.
Image in culture
The image of the Gorgon was used by the Austrian psychoanalyst Freud for psychoanalysis. The image of Medusa is also becoming significant for modern girls fighting for the freedom and rights of women. Feminists oppose the Versace company, which uses the face of an innocent girl who died as a logo.
At the end of the 19th century, astrologers named the asteroid "149 Medusa" in honor of the murdered Gorgon. In the modern interpretation, the image of Medusa is used with some distortion.
- In the novel "Stay night", presented as a visualization, the Gorgon is a rider on a snow-white Pegasus.
- In the literary art of contemporaries, the image of Medusa is a girl from the book series "Tanya Grotter" in the title role - Medusia Gorgonova, who works as an assistant professor at the Department of Unliving Studies.
Often the mythological image is used in modern cinema.
- In the fantasy science series Doctor Who, Gorgon appears in season 6.
- Animation "Perseus" in 1973, where Medusa is credited with the image of a seductress, luring young men to her island to turn into stone.
- In 2010, the movie Clash of the Titans was released, where there is a creature with a snake tail and the torso of a woman, on whose head there are poisonous snakes.
Conclusion
Gorgon is one of the 3 daughters of the lord of the seas Forkla and his sister Keto. The beauty, turned into an evil monster, brought a lot of trouble to mere mortals.
Medusa was one of three sisters born of Phorcys and Ceto, known as the Gorgons. According to Hesiod's Theogony, the Gorgons were the sisters of Graiae and lived in the terminal place by the night of the Hesperides beyond the Ocean. Later authors such as Herodotus and Pausanias place the Gorgons' home in Libya. The Gorgon sisters were Shtenno, Eurya and Medusa; Medusa was mortal, while her sisters were immortal.
Beyond the birth of the Gorgon, there is little mention of the Gorgons as a group, but Medusa has several myths about her life and death. The most famous of these myths concerns her death and death. In Hesiod's Theogony, he talks about how Perseus cut off the head of Medusa, and Chrysaor and Pegasus escaped from her blood, Chrysaor is a golden giant, and Pegasus is the famous white winged horse.
PERSEUS & MEDUSA
The myth of Perseus and Medusa, according to Pindar and Apollodorus, began with a quest. Perseus was the son of Danae and Zeus, who came to Danae in the form of a golden spring. It was foretold to Danae's father, Arisius, king of Argos, that Danae's son would kill him. So, Acrisius locked his daughter in a bronze chamber, but Zeus turned into a shower of gold and impregnated her anyway. Acrisius, not wanting to provoke Zeus, threw his daughter and grandson into a wooden chest into the sea. Mother and son were rescued by Dictis on the island of Serifos. It was Dictys who raised Perseus to manhood, but it was Dictys' brother Polydectes, the king who would send him on a life-threatening quest.
Polydectes fell in love with Perseus's mother and wanted to marry her, but Perseus defended his mother, as he considered Polydectes dishonorable. Polydectes managed to catch Perseus; he held a large banquet under the pretense of collecting dues for the marriage of Hippodiamia, who had tamed horses. He asked his guests to bring horses for their gifts, but Perseus had none. When Perseus admitted that he did not have a gift, he offered any gift that the king would name. Polydectes seized his opportunity to dishonor and even get rid of Perseus and asked for the head of the only mortal Gorgon: Medusa.
Medusa was a formidable foe, as her hideous appearance could turn any spectator to stone. In some variations of the myth, Medusa was born as a monster, like her sisters, who were girded with snakes, vibrating tongues, gnashing their teeth, with wings, brazen claws and huge teeth. In later myths (mainly in Ovid), Medusa was the only Gorgon to possess snake locks because they were a punishment from Athena. Accordingly, Ovid relates that on one occasion a beautiful mortal was punished by Athena with a disgusting appearance and disgusting hair snakes for being raped in the temple of Athena by Poseidon.
Perseus, with the help of divine gifts, found the cave of the Gorgons and killed Medusa, decapitating her. Most authors claim that Perseus was able to behead Medusa with a reflective bronze shield that Athena gave him while the Gorgon slept. When Medusa was beheaded, Pegasus and Chrysaor (Poseidon and her children) jumped out of her severed neck. Simultaneously with the birth of these children, Medusa's sisters Euryale and Stanno pursued Perseus. However, the gift given to him by Hades, the helmet of darkness, granted him invisibility. It is unclear how Perseus took Pegasus with him on his adventures, or if he continued to use the winged sandals that Hermes gave him. The adventures of Pegasus with the hero Perseus and Bellerophon are classic tales from Greek mythology.
Perseus was now flying (either Pegasus or winged sandals) with Medusa's head securely packed, ever powerful with a stone look. Perseus, on his journey home, stopped in Ethiopia, where the kingdom of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia was tormented by Poseidon's sea monster, Zet. Poseidon's revenge was to be exacted on the realm for Cassiopeia's arrogant claim that her daughter Andromeda (or herself) was equal in beauty to the Nereids. Perseus killed the beast and won the hand of Andromeda. Nevertheless, Andromeda was betrothed, which caused a dispute, leading to Perseus using Medusa's head to turn her previous betrothed to stone.
Before returning to his home of Seriphos, Perseus met the Titans of Alta, who he turned to the stone with the head of Medusa after some harsh words, thus creating the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. Also during the journey home, Medusa's head shed blood on the ground, which formed into Libyan vipers, which killed Argonaut-Moss.
Perseus returned home to his mother, safe from King Polydetex's advances, but Perseus was furious at Polydetex's deception. Perseus avenged himself by turning Polydectes and his court into stone with the head of Medusa. He then gave the kingdom to Dictys. After Perseus finished the head of the Gorgon, he gave it to Athena, who adorned her shield and breastplate.
ETYMOLOGY
The word Gorgon comes from the ancient Greek word "γοργός", which means "cruel, terrible and gloomy". Each of the Gorgon names has a special meaning that helps to describe their enormity. Stanno from the ancient Greek "Σθεννω" translates as "strength, power or strength", as it is related to the Greek word: σθένος. Euryale - from the ancient Greek "Ευρυαλη", which means "wide, wide stepping, wide threshing"; however, her name can also mean "from the wide sea of the sea". This would be an appropriate name, as she is the daughter of the ancient sea deities, Phorcys and Ceto. The name Medusa comes from the ancient Greek verb "μέδω", which translates as "to protect or protect." Medusa's name is very fitting as it is synonymous with the Gorgon's head becoming the representative on Athena's shield.
REPRESENTATIONS IN ART
The image of the Gorgon appears in several artistic and architectural structures, including the pediments of the Temple of Artemis (ca. 580 BC) at Korca (Corfu), in the middle of the 6th century BC, a marble statue of a larger size (i.e. now in the Archaeological Museum of Paros) and the famous Cup of Douris. The gorgon became a popular shield design in antiquity along with being an apotropaic (heinous evil) device. The goddess Athena and Zeus were often depicted with a shield (or aegis) depicting the head of the Gorgon, who is generally considered to be Medusa.
There are also several archaeological examples of the Gorgon's face being used on breastplates, in mosaics, and even as bronze end pieces on ship bundles during the Roman period. Perhaps the most famous example of Medusa in art in antiquity was the statue of Athena Parthenos from the Parthenon, which was made by Phidias and described by Pausanias. This statue of Athena depicts the face of the Gorgon on the breastplate of the goddess. In Greek mythology, there is also Hesiod's description of the shield of Hercules, which describes the events of Perseus and Medusa.
