It was known to show great power and was even thought to imply divine lineage or protection. However, she is also reclusive and does not leave her island often. Elizabeth Johnston's November 2016 Atlantic essay called Medusa the original 'Nasty Woman.' There are no recorded instances of Medusa turning a woman to stone. From this point on, the sisters are known to be vicious monsters that take their vengeance on any man that sets foot on their island. After all the trouble that has been caused by Athena’s betrayal of Medusa, the two are finally symbolically reunited when Perseus gives Medusa’s head to Athena after he has completed his journey. [9] In a similar manner, the corals of the Red Sea were said to have been formed of Medusa's blood spilled onto seaweed when Perseus laid down the petrifying head beside the shore during his short stay in Ethiopia where he saved and wed his future wife, the lovely princess Andromeda who was the most beautiful woman in the world at that time. The terror of Medusa is thus a terror of castration that is linked to the sight of something. Last, though certainly not least, many see the story of Medusa as a reminder of the many dynamics that come into play when the greater forces of the world (in this case, the gods of Mount Olympus) are at work. In one interview after another we were told that Medusa is 'the most horrific woman in the world' ... [though] none of the women we interviewed could remember the details of the myth. The sisters are enraged, but unable to do anything but mourn. In both Greek and Roman mythology, Perseus, attempting to rescue his mother Danae from the coercive King Polydectes, needed to embark on the dangerous venture of retrieving Medusa's head. The Gorgoneion was an amulet that bore the head of a Gorgon. The reason for this varies. Medusa is a native of the planet Caltos. Together, they were known to have birthed some of the most fearsome creatures in Greek mythology. Available from. She claims "we must kill the false woman who is preventing the live one from breathing. Since Medusa was the only one of the three Gorgons who was mortal, Perseus was able to slay her while looking at the reflection from the mirrored shield he received from Athena. He believed that the viewing of a woman’s genitals (especially a mother’s genitals) in their adult state would have posed a real terror for young men and thought that the story of Medusa could have been created to symbolize this idea. They scour the island for Medusa’s killer but they are unable to find Perseus because of the gifts that were offered to him by the gods. Less powerful ones, such as Hitomi Ishigamimust first "bite" an opponent with one of her snake-like appendages. The most influential depiction of Medusa in film is arguably the stop motion animation created by Ray Harryhausen for Clash of the Titans (1981). Medusa’s blood is also credited with creating the Amphisbaena – a fearsome creature that resembled a dragon and had a snake’s head on the end of its tail. As years go by, she becomes more and more vicious and vengeful. Medusa’s family is known for their fierce features and impressive power. [citation needed]. However, unlike her other sisters (Sthenno and Euryale), Medusa was a mortal and therefore vulnerable to the perils of the human world. Of the three Gorgons, Sthen… Many authors claim that the corals were created when drops of blood spilled onto seaweed in the waters below. Energy Slash: The Medusa Beastmate can generate energy slashes from the Krisgon Blade. These sisters comprised a race of monsters known as Gorgons and Medusa was the only one of them that could be killed, she was said to be able to turn people to stone with a glance: her hair was said to be made of snakes and she has become one of the most iconic Grecian monsters of all time. Arsenal. The maiden turned monster has inspired many great works of art and philosophy – and has experienced a reemergence in popularity in modern day. Medusa also has very sharp claws and move attack very swiftly and aggressively. Even though it is implied otherwise, Medusa's power is that of a regular Gorgon. During that time, Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon. A story of victim blaming, one that she says sounds all too familiar in a current American context. The three Gorgon sisters—Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale—were all children of the ancient marine deities Phorcys (or "Phorkys") and his sister Ceto (or "Keto"), chthonic monsters from an archaic world. Andromeda is being sacrificed as a punishment to Cassiopeia (her mother), who was foolish enough to boast that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids. However, her time as a beautiful maiden was not to last forever. Similarly to the above powers, one drop of blood had the cure to any disease or poison, while the other drop of blood was the most deadly power in the world. Stephen Wilk, author of Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon, questioned Medusa's enduring status among the feminist movement. She has difficulty reconciling with her new identity, but eventually comes to embrace her role and begins to take her vengeance on men as this is one of the only ways that she can attempt to get even with Poseidon. From Athena he receives a mirrored shield. Combine that with her wicked personality and she was such a threat that the gods Zeus, Hermes and Athena all equipped Perseus with divine objects, the Adamantine Sword, … In Greek mythology, Medusa also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. an actual historic rupture, a sort of sociological trauma, which has been registered in this myth, much as what Freud terms the latent content of a neurosis is registered in the manifest content of a dream: registered yet hidden, registered in the unconscious yet unknown or misconstrued by the conscious mind. Perseus then flew to Seriphos, where his mother was being forced into marriage with the king, Polydectes, who was turned into stone by the head. "[15] In this perspective the "ravishingly beautiful" Medusa (see above) is the mother remembered in innocence; before the mythic truth of castration dawns on the subject. Inspired by the #metoo movement, contemporary figurative artist Judy Takács returns Medusa's beauty along with a hashtag stigmata in her portrait, #Me(dusa)too. This is one of the first instances that Medusa’s powers have been used to show the protective nature of the Gorgons. 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. This power was given to Asclepius who used it accordingly. This presented Poseidon with a unique opportunity – he would be able to pursue Medusa as a love interest and assert his superiority as a more powerful deity. Perseus knew that he would be unable to fight of Atlas on his own, but with quick thinking realizes that he can use Medusa’s head to his advantage. Medusa is transformed into a terrible beast that has bronze hands and wings. Updated March 7, 2020. 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