The myth of Medusa originated in Greece. Medusa’s first introduction into literature was in 1940 in Sigmund Freud’s Das Medusenhaupt (Medusa’s Head). She has also appeared in Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief. Mythology is always a changing story that is passed down orally from generation to generation so no one really knows the whole story of Medusa. She has been featured in the television show, Blood Ties, films such as Clash of the Titans, music by British band UB40 with a song called Madame Medusa and she has also been featured in numerous video games.
Medusa has 2 sisters named Stheno and Euryale that are immortal and Medusa is the only mortal one. Medusa and her sisters are known as Gorgons because of their head of venomous snakes and wings. Most sources claim Medusa’s parents are Phorcys and Ceto but author Hyginus makes her parents Gorgon and Ceto. She was raped by Poseidon and together they have two children Pegasus, the winged horse and Chrysaor, the hero of the golden sword. According to Hesiod and Aeschylus, she lived and died on an island named Sarpedon, somewhere near Cisthene.
Even though Medusa is most known for her head of snakes, she also had the ability to turn people into stone if they looked her in the eye. Medusa was very jealous, especially of couples because no one really wanted her. She was …show more content…
She was known to turn her male lovers into stone and put them in her garden. She was chthonic deity, which means that she lived underground, representing fertility, death and rebirth. While Medusa is considered to be ugly, one myth states that it wasn’t her ugliness, but her beauty that paralyzed all her observers. Her “monstrous” form is believed by some scholars to represent a partially-decomposed human skull, when the teeth begin to show the decaying lips. There is a legend that says Medusa wandered into Africa and baby snakes fell from her head which is why Africa had myriads of
Medusa has 2 sisters named Stheno and Euryale that are immortal and Medusa is the only mortal one. Medusa and her sisters are known as Gorgons because of their head of venomous snakes and wings. Most sources claim Medusa’s parents are Phorcys and Ceto but author Hyginus makes her parents Gorgon and Ceto. She was raped by Poseidon and together they have two children Pegasus, the winged horse and Chrysaor, the hero of the golden sword. According to Hesiod and Aeschylus, she lived and died on an island named Sarpedon, somewhere near Cisthene.
Even though Medusa is most known for her head of snakes, she also had the ability to turn people into stone if they looked her in the eye. Medusa was very jealous, especially of couples because no one really wanted her. She was …show more content…
She was known to turn her male lovers into stone and put them in her garden. She was chthonic deity, which means that she lived underground, representing fertility, death and rebirth. While Medusa is considered to be ugly, one myth states that it wasn’t her ugliness, but her beauty that paralyzed all her observers. Her “monstrous” form is believed by some scholars to represent a partially-decomposed human skull, when the teeth begin to show the decaying lips. There is a legend that says Medusa wandered into Africa and baby snakes fell from her head which is why Africa had myriads of