Medusa is the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto (even though some say Gorgon is her father). She was born on an island named Sarpedon. Medusa was one of the Gorgon sisters, although, unlike Euryale and Stheno, she was a mortal. There are various accounts of the way Euryale and Stheno have become the dreaded Gorgons we see in literature, even though many resources claim that the 2 sisters were changed into monsters for the perceived ‘crime’ of standing alongside Medusa because of being non-compliant with Athena’s choice to punish Medusa for being ravished in her temple. The tale of Medusa and her sister’s transformation into the Gorgons is both tragic and perceptive. While Medusa is known to be one of the most famous monsters in Greek mythology, there's particularly little that is recorded of her existence earlier than when she was beheaded by Perseus.
Most of what we know of Medusa comes from her short time serving in Athena’s temple and the way in which her head was used after she was beheaded by Perseus. Though her life itself hasn’t been given much attention in ancient records, the various things that came from her death would cross on to effect historic mythology in endless ways. Though Medusa was recognized to be a perfect young maiden, she decided to pledge herself to Athena – the goddess she considered to be the most powerful of all who resided on Mount Olympus. Her fondness of Athena became reciprocated for a time. It changed into a high-quality compliment for Medusa to pledge herself to Athena because of her exquisite beauty, especially since one of the necessities to be a temple priestess was to stay a virgin. However, Medusa would no longer serve as a priestess for long. Soon after Medusa became a priestess for Athena, she caught the eye of Poseidon. There are several versions with what happened next.
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Some variations declare that Medusa was convinced by Poseidon’s advances and developed emotions for him as well. Others declare that she remained dedicated to Athena. Regardless of which version is told, Medusa decides not to leave Athena’s temple because of her loyalty. This is when Poseidon comes to a decision to ravage Medusa in Athena’s temple. Medusa becomes pregnant and is both angered and confused. After being violated by Poseidon, Medusa is devastated. She doesn’t recognize what to do. She had planned on devoting the rest of her life to Athena. She appeals to her goddess and asks for assistance in moving forward. Because Medusa’s virginity was taken by Poseidon and is now pregnant, she is technically his wife, according to the legal guidelines of the day. Athena is enraged that her temple has been desecrated. She doesn’t have any sympathy for Medusa. In fact, she places all blame for the incident on Medusa and comes to a decision to punish her by changing her into a monster so that she is undesirable. Medusa is converted into a horrible beast that has bronze hands and wings. In some variations, her face is disfigured with a beard and fangs, and her hair is converted into a venomous nest of snakes. This is where her sisters are additionally transformed. They are acknowledged to be vicious monsters that take their vengeance on any man that comes onto their island. There are many guys that try however fail to hunt Medusa, until Perseus.
The King wishes to marry Perseus’ mother, however, Perseus won’t allow it. As a trick, the King tells Perseus to bring him the head of Medusa, which is basically a suicide mission. Perseus complies and is turns to the gods to help him on his journey. The gods supply him with tools to assist him. He uses these gifts to kill Medusa. From Athena, he gets a mirrored shield. From Hermes, he gets winged sandals. From Hephaestus, he gets a sword. From Hades, he receives a helm of invisibility. He travels and gathers information that is important to his quest. He then sneaks onto the island of Sapharose and beheads Medusa as she sleeps by using Athena’s mirrored guard to guide his movements so that he doesn’t have to stare at Medusa directly. He tries to sneak off the island, however, Medusa’s body is found by her sisters before he can leave. He is able to escape unseen due to his helm of invisibility.
The sisters are enraged, however not able to do anything but mourn her demise. While Medusa was wrongfully punished by way of Athena and pressured to live the rest of her life as a horrible monster, she experiences some redemption in the loss of life. Because her head was put on Athena’s shield, Medusa’s head became a symbol of protection. In fact, her head went on to encourage one of the most powerful talismans of its time, an amulet. The Gorgoneion is an amulet that bore the head of a Gorgon. This image was notion to hold evil away from folks who invoked its safety through wearing it as a pendant. It became known to show excellent strength, divine lineage, and protection. This is likely due to Zeus and Athena, who had each been acknowledged to wear a Gorgoneion. Throughout time, the story of Medusa has long gone on to inspire many thinkers and artists. The maiden grew to become a monster has inspired many excellent works of artwork and philosophy, and has skilled a reemergence in reputation of the modern day. Among the various historic figures to be excited about Medusa’s story was Sigmund Freud. He took interest in the story of Medusa and what it may represent in phrases of the psychology of youthful men. Feminists additionally like to factor to the situation of Medusa’s descent into the monster world as the criminalization of rape victims that is also seen in modern-day society. Interestingly enough, Medusa’s tale has also been adopted by way of Nihilists (those that believe life is meaningless). They use the symbolism of being not able to see Medusa’s eyes as a symbol of human beings navigating the world. It is their notion that human beings hold their eyes down to keep away from facing reality. Although Medusa changed into a devout priestess to Athena, she became a criminal for being violated by Poseidon and is unjustly punished for a situation she had no manage over. This part of Medusa’s tale gives clear insight at the gods’ angle of mortals, that they are meaningless pawns in a game that existed earlier than their birth, and will continue to even when they're long gone. Medusa is a story of the notable injustice that is suffered by those who have done nothing wrong and the importance of these injustices to the greater powers of the world.
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