She took her revenge on the men that were sent to kill her. She was scared of her powers and angry at the gods for cursing her. She looked at them in fear and saw them turn to stone in front of her. She was alone and only saw men trying to kill her. Medusa was banished from her civilization and sent to an island by herself. However, despite her origins of beauty, Medusa’s name quickly became synonymous with malevolence, hatred, and monstrosity. Medusa devoted herself to a life of celibacy in the name of her goddess, Athena. As one of the Gorgon sisters, she was originally a golden-haired, fair maiden, beautiful and kind-natured. What we are rarely taught about is how Medusa was made to be “Medusa”. We see it every day: in the media, in politics, even in our own back yard. It’s no secret that the world we live in is structured by patriarchal values that uphold the power and heroism of men, and diminish the value of women. But what we never think is what history doesn’t teach us about Medusa? What if, instead of interpreting her as a monster who tormented people, we think about her in a new light? We have been told countless times about the tale of Medusa and Perseus, who defeated the Gorgon by severing her head.
We’ve all heard about the scary monster Medusa, with a head full of venomous snakes, and eyes that turn you to stone. In the version of the myth I was familiar with, Medusa was born a Gorgon and hated life until she had stopped living. It wasn’t until I watched a YouTube video where they discuss the story of Medusa, I realized how wrong I was. In a world where people can turn to trees, and goddesses are birthed from heads, this was low on the excitement scale. They pursued her for a different purpose – to kill her.Sorry Medusa, but that story was boring. Now, men no longer sought her out because they wanted to bask in her beauty. Her tale doesn’t end with her banishment, however. Athena banished her to a remote island where she would no longer have contact with the outside world. Medusa is BanishedĪfter her transformation was complete, Medusa was further cursed to spend the rest of her days in isolation. To make matters worse, all who gaze at Medusa would be forever turned into stone. Her hair, which was once smooth and silky, is transformed into poisonous snakes.
She tore at her flesh and screamed while she was transformed into a beautiful maiden with smooth, youthful skin into a monster whose flesh became cracked and withered. The myths depict her transformation into the monster as incredibly painful.
Her transformation began shortly after that. So how does Medusa become a monster? It happens shortly after Poseidon ravaged her. When Athena found out what had happened, she cursed Medusa. Worst still, she isn’t eligible to accept any of her suitors. Now that she is rapes, she can no longer serve Athena. Instead of honor the fact that Medusa took a vow of chastity in service to Athena, Poseidon, the god of the sea, he rapes her. However, that all changed when she caught Poseidon’s eye. Since she had taken a vow to serve Athena, she was considered off limits to the men who pursued her. Many of Medusa’s suitors remained content to simply admire her beauty from a distance.
The reason why her followers also needed to remain virginal is so they could pour all their energies into serving the goddess without worrying about their husbands and children. Since Athena was depicted a virgin goddess, the same had to be true for her priestesses. She needed to remain unmarried in order to stay devoted to the goddess. However, because she was a priestess, she wasn’t allowed to get married to any of her male suitors. During this time, she was also a priestess to the goddess of war, Athena. Her beauty was legendary, and men continually flooded her with attention. Beautiful Priestess to AthenaĪccording to the stories, there was a time when Medusa was considered to be one of the most beautiful women in Ancient Greece. Here are the details of who Medusa was, how she became a monster, and information about her downfall. Her story actually began before she became a monster. The stories often depict her victims as frozen in place, preserved as stone sculptures for all eternity.In fact, by reading the stories it is obvious that the Ancient Greeks were frightened of her. It has been said that her hair was made of venomous snakes and one glance into her eyes can turn anyone to stone. Medusa is one of the Gorgon Sisters in Greek mythology and is always depicted as being a monster. Written by in Greek Mythology Comments Off on How Medusa in Greek Mythology Turned Into a Monster