On an eerie night, all the way in the ancient world of Greece, an impossible task was asked of Perseus, the son of Zeus. Perseus was asked to behead the dreadful monster of Medusa. He was asked to do this impossible task because everyone knew how dangerous and terrifying Medusa was. Therefore, Polydectes asked Perseus to carry out this mission because he wanted Perseus gone.1
There was no doubt about how dangerous the gorgon Medusa was, and all of Greece believed that whoever got close to her would turn to stone. Perseus’ mission was expected to be a failure due to these dangerous conditions. Medusa had a deadly power of turning those who looked into her eyes to stone. When Perseus was asked to behead her, Polydectes and the other gods didn’t believe Perseus could make it out with Medusa’s head and not be turned to stone. However, Perseus succeeded in his mission and beheaded the dreadful gorgon Medusa. The Greeks were ecstatic that this nightmare of a woman was dead and that the wonderful demi-god Perseus had Medusa’s fatal power in his hands. After this, Perseus used Medusa’s head to turn many into stone and it kept the people of Greece in fear of Medusa even after she was dead.2 However, Medusa was not always the feared monster that everyone knew her to be.
Before Medusa was known as a terrifying monster, she was a beautiful maiden who was very kind and pious. Medusa was the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. Phorcys was a sea god and Ceto was the goddess of sea monsters. Ceto gave birth to all three of the gorgons; Sthenno, Euryale, and Medusa. Medusa was the only one of the gorgons who was mortal, while the other two were immortal. Medusa was a beautiful young woman who was a priestess for the goddess of wisdom and war, Athena. Medusa was a very good priestess, as she made a vow to the goddess that she would swear her life to celibacy and servitude. However, while Medusa was praising and serving Athena, she caught eye of the god Poseidon. What caught his attention most were the gorgeous, golden locks of hair Medusa had. Because Poseidon took such a liking to Medusa, he charmed her and swayed her off her feet. The two were caught having a love affair in Athena’s temple. Once Athena found out about this affair, her jealousy raged and she became furious! She then decided to put a nasty curse on Medusa for breaking her promise of celibacy. This curse turned Medusa’s beautiful locks into venomous snakes and made it so that whenever someone looked at Medusa, they would turn to stone.3
This curse completely turned Medusa’s life around. Once given this curse, Medusa fled her home, never to return. On her journeys, she was shunned, feared, and loathed by all she encountered. These awful experiences turned Medusa’s kind, pious personality into one that matched her new appearance. It’s a shame the goddess Athena had the power to turn Medusa’s entire life around; however, Medusa was not just a feared monster to the ancient Greeks. Medusa’s severed head eventually became a symbol that scared away evil. Many warriors used the symbol of Medusa’s head on shields and breastplates during battle to aid them in winning. Other than aiding in battle, the symbol of Medusa is also seen on ancient coins from Greece that are now ancient artifacts.4 Although Medusa came to be hated by all, she was still an important part of the culture and became a key symbol in ancient Greece.
- Stephen R. Wilk, Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008): 20. ↵
- Carolyn Springer, “Medusa The Reader,” Women’s Art Journal 28, no. 1 (2007): 63-64. ↵
- Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender, 2007, s.v. “Medusa,” by Paolo Fasoli. ↵
- G. K. Jenkins, “Some ancient coins of Libya,” Libyan Studies 5, no. 1 (March 2015): 29-35. ↵
103 comments
Kailan Pena
Wow, I had no idea that Medusa’s story on her origins was so tragic. I figured Medusa was born with the curses that she has, I had no idea that she was cursed later in life, especially by a goddess. Although the story is tragic, it’s also very interesting to learn about and it was really great to learn a little more about Greek mythology, a subject I find to be very interesting.
Regina De La Parra
I love reading about Greek mythology and the dramatic encounters that happened between gods and goddesses. I knew part of the story of Medusa, but this article gave me the information that I needed to know more about Medusa. I think that this story can teach us a lot about how the Greeks viewed life and how they thought of their own lives. This article provides good information about this and it is enjoyable to read. Good job!
Nathan Hudson
I did not know the extent of the story behind medusa. The only parts I knew, were that of Perseus slaying her. It is interesting to read about how she was gorgeous and caught the eye of one of the most known gods, Poseidon. This article provided a depth in detail of this story and I enjoyed it very much.
Evian-loren Salgado
Before reading this article I already knew the story of medusa and how she was cursed by Athena. Although most people are familiar with the greek hero Perseus and how he killed medusa many aren’t familiar with medusa before she came the monster everyone knows her as. This was a very well written article and I’m glad the author also included how soldiers would have the head of medusa on their shields for protection In battle.
Vanessa Tombo
This article was very enlightening. many people have heard of the name Medusa but they are unfamiliar with how she came to be what she is known for ” the woman who turns people into stone if looked in the eyes” at least I was. I found this article to be very educational and very well written. The storyline was captivating from the begging to the end
Natalia Flores
Medusa’s story is a lot sadder than I thought it was. It makes me feel bad for her considering that she was a kind person before she got cursed by Athena. I wonder where Poseidon was in all of this mess considering that he was the one who swayed Medusa into breaking her promise. What did he do to help her during her struggle with her curse?
Destiny Flores
Medusa is definitely one of the iconic images of ancient Greece. I’ve heard her story many times many different ways, books, movies, video games you name it. But no matter how it’s told its sad story. I really liked the part thrown in about how her image was used on shields and coins. It’s ironic to think when she was alive, she was revolted and shunned. But in her death, she had a little bit of legacy to her story.
Derek Esquivel
Medusa is likely one of the most known figures during the ancient Greek times. Everyone knew who she was and what she was able to accomplish when she would give her dreaded stare at someone. But, I never knew anything about the background of Medusa at all, I had always assumed that she was born with the terrible curse of turning people into stone. I would have never thought that she was looked upon as the most beautiful girls and was one of Athena’s priestess. It is a shame that Medusa did not even do anything besides be charmed by Poseidon and have her whole life changed.
Arianna Kennet
The name Medusa is one which is popular among many, but the story behind it is not. Only now after reading the article have I found out that Athena is the one who is responsible for Medusa’s curse. I wonder how the story would have turned out if Medusa never had gotten cursed, what a different scene it would have been.
Julian Aguero
I love mythology of all kinds especially Greek. The origins of these stories really impact us today. Medusa has always been a fascinating story to me. I’m not sure why but Medusa always caught my attention and still does to this day. Its compelling to think that a story written during ancient Greek still fascinates us to this day and how the character of medusa is still very influential. Medusas severed head is probably one of my most favorite sculptures to look at a museum not only because of the beauty that surrounds the art but because of her infamous story of turning people to stone really makes me want to looks straight into her eyes. Great Article!