Both Aeschylus and Hesiod mention Medusa in some of their early stories. In a late version of the Medusa myth, related by the Roman poet Ovid, Medusa was originally a ravishingly beautiful maiden, the jealous aspiration of many suitors, but because Poseidon had raped her in Athenas temple, the enraged Athena transformed Medusas beautiful hair to serpents and made her face so terrible to behold that the mere sight of it would turn onlookers to stone. When a studio remade the film in 2010, she played a major role. This creature had a snake on the end of its tail and the body of a dragon. She was widely worshipped, but in modern times she is associated primarily with Athens, to which she gave her name. Medusa also appeared in multiple pieces of art from the Renaissance and later. Unfortunately for Acrisius, the oracles prophesy eventually came true. His entire body, including his head and hair, became part of a mountain range. WebIn one version of the Medusa story, she was a gorgeous young woman who agreed to become one of Athenas priestesses. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. She believes that the story relates more to Athena than others do. While the instrument itself was created by Pallas Athene, Pindar says that she wove into music the dire dirge of the reckless Gorgons which Perseus heard and imitate with musical instruments the shrill cry that reached her ears from the fast-moving jaws of Euryale. Yes, the high-pitched notes of the flute were the screams of the Gorgons as they mourned over the death of their sister. Medusas sisters were immortal but she was mortal. Ogden, Daniel. 4, 288345. In some stories, it was only then that he went and killed Proteus, but the chronology is different throughout history. Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. Being the favourite child of Zeus, she had great power. There was an alternative story that Zeus swallowed Metis, the goddess of counsel, while she was pregnant with Athena, so that Athena finally emerged from Zeus. In Homers Iliad, Athena, as a war goddess, inspires and fights alongside the Greek heroes; her aid is synonymous with military prowess. Aeschylus: The fifth-century BCE tragedian Aeschylus evoked the uniquely terrifying Gorgons in several of his plays, including the Libation Bearers (1048ff), the Eumenides (46ff) and Prometheus Bound (788ff). Legend says that when invaders attacked the city, Sterope used the hair to bring forth a storm that sent them running away in fear. In The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a Gorgon travels to Sabrinas town. Perseus was often represented in ancient times in the act of removing Medusas head. Others think that her story likely had roots in historical facts. Some historians believe that the story of Medusa has some basis in fact. The second version, shown here, is slightly bigger (6055 cm) and is not signed though often dated 1597. The head of Medusa is used as the logo of the Italian fashion company Versace. The bronze polished shield was quite reflective, which came in very handy. Themis is often seen holding a sword, which represents her ability to separate, or cut, the truth from the lies. Perseus Though both were marine deities, their children were chthonic monsters. Early artwork depicted both Medusa and her sisters as gruesome creatures capable of frightening any man. 2022 Wasai LLC. An Oracle of Delphi was a high priestess who served at the Temple of Apollo at the ancient site of Delphi. All die, but few get to die at the hands of a hero. Some say that Zeus and Themis created the Three Fates, or the Morai, while others say they already existed and even attended their divine wedding ceremony. Perseus Facts and Information on the Greek Hero Perseus This idea first appeared in a journal in 1978. They point out that she was a beautiful woman who turned into a monster but that all anyone remembers is that she is a monster. Medusa was a beautiful young woman, a virgin priestess of the goddess Athena. Essentially urban and civilized, Athena was probably a pre-Hellenic goddess later taken over by the Greeks. Themis was a Titaness (the female version of Titan), which was a generation of gods that came before the Olympians.This was the Golden Age, a time of peace when the Titan Kronos ruled over all others. The most famous story of Perseus is his quest to kill the famous monster, Medusa. Herodotus the historian said her home was Libya. Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.21.6, 5.12.2. In addition to being snake-haired and winged, she was often pictured with fangs and a wide, menacing face. Unlike other creatures who were mortal, Medusa was mortal and capable of death. According to the best-known traditions, the Hesperides were daughters of the Titan Atlas. Medusa followed the goddess for many years before she met and fell in love with Poseidon. An alternative story was that Zeus swallowed Metis, the goddess of counsel, while she was pregnant with Athena so that Athena finally emerged from Zeus. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. Medusa was the only Gorgon who was mortal; hence her slayer, Perseus, was able to kill her by cutting off her head. The French military created a special belt during World War I that had her face on it. [23], Medusas blood was sometimes thought to have magical or medicinal properties. In his work, he says that she was the queen of those around Lake Tritonis (modern-day Libya), and faced Perseus and his army in battle. Other sources gave Ladon different parents. There was also a theory established by Helene Cixous in which she claims that the original story of Medusa was quite different. Perseus is the Only Hero to Wear Items From Four Separate Gods. He is best known in Greek mythology as the slayer of Medusa, one of three female creatures, or Gorgons, Some vases have also been found that depict the story of the golden shower, in which Danae is locked away. Upon returning to Seriphos, Perseus showed the king Polydectes the head and turned him to stone, thus saving his mother. She was thought to have had neither consort nor offspring. The chief characters in the Perseus legend, Perseus, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, and the sea monster (Cetus), all figure in the night sky as constellations. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn. Seneca, Medea 828ff; Nonnus, Dionysiaca 44.198ff. This star is approximately 92 light years from earth. In ancient Greek religion, Athena was a goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason. Percy trains as a god at Camp Half-Blood and travels America on adventures. Diodorus of Sicily, Library of History: A work of universal history, covering events from the creation of the cosmos to Diodorus own time (mid-first century BCE). Parthenon After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. Themis Goddess of Order and Justice Modern literary experts also point to the legend as one of the first times in history when men blamed a victim for her rape. It is bordered by Taurus and Ares to the south, Andromeda to the west, Cassiopeia to the north, and Auriga to the east. Thus, it seems that Medusa was depicted differently in art than she was in literature. Perseus When I asked why Perseus appeared only to them, and why, unlike all other Egyptians, they celebrate games, they told me that Perseus was by lineage of their city. Dionysus could not be turned to stone, however. These children of Poseidon would go on to have their own stories in Greek mythology. In feminism Medusa is known as a symbol of rage even though she was originally exceedingly beautiful. Gorgo. In A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Athena was probably a pre-Hellenic goddess and was later taken over by the Greeks. The bronze tower has a single door at its base, which is guarded day and night, and at the top is a room fit for a princess, and one which Danae effectively finds herself a prisoner in. The terrible monster beheaded by Perseus wasnt always so horrifying or deadly. And sometimes, shes holding a scale, a symbol for justice and balance. Caravaggio, Medusa, 1595-1596, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. The Legend of Perseus. Alcmenes husband, the hero Amphitryon, was from an important family, too, also tracing his lineage to Perseus through his father, Alcaeus. Detail. Perseus, realizing he had been tricked by Hera, changed his ways and supported the Dionysian mysteries. According to many sources, however, Medusa was beautiful as well as terrifying. Athena removed a lock of the womans hair and gave it to Hercules. Here are the five most famous paintings depicting Medusa. In most versions of the story, she was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who was sent to fetch her head by King Polydectes of Seriphus because Polydectes wanted to marry his mother. It isnt one hundred percent clear if Perseus was against the worship of Dionysus; mythology texts say that the King of Argos was, but some versions mean Proteus. Of this, Ovid said, Now his hair and beard were changed into trees, his shoulders and hands into ridges. There is no evidence that Poseidon was angry about this action, however, and the god appears to play no other role in the story of the Grecian hero. Freud simply stated that the myth is part of the Odepial Complex. Medusa spent the rest of her days wandering the earth alone. Dionysus, in his rage, might very well have leveled Argos and killed Perseus if it wasnt for Hermes. There are also references to Medusa in the Fabulae. By looking at the bronze shields reflection, he never had to gaze directly upon the monster. By the fifth century BCE, however, Medusa and the Gorgons were increasingly depicted as beautiful women in the visual arts as in literature.[8]. Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica 4.828ff; Eustathius on Homers Odyssey 12.85; scholia on Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica 4.828; scholia on Platos Republic 9, 588c. Poseidon took special interest in her, and one day came down to Athenas shrine and raped the poor woman. In book 47 of the text, Perseus kills Ariadne by turning her into stone, while a disguised Hera warns the hero that, to win, he would also need to kill all the Satyrs. Perseus Mythopedia H. G. Evelyn-White. It was said that anyone who looked directly at her was immediately turned to stone. Her emergence there as city goddess, Athena Polias (Athena, Guardian of the City), accompanied the ancient city-states transition from monarchy to democracy. This shows that the island has protection from Athena. Perseus is a godly Greek hero (he was a son of Zeus) whose ancient name just might have modern possibilities along with other so-old-they're-new-again names such as Atticus and Orion. He handed the kingdom to Dictys, who had protected Danae from his brother. Its hard to tell anything about this Medusa painting other than what you see. This he gave to Perseus, and it was only ever used once. Danae was the firstborn child of King Acrisius, and he was concerned that he would not have a son to take over his kingdom. Accessed April 4, 2021. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DG%3Aentry+group%3D9%3Aentry%3Dgorgo-bio-1. Bremmer, Jan. Gorgo/Medusa. In The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 4th ed., edited by Simon Hornblower, Antony Spawforth, and Esther Eidinow, 62223. Sigmund Freud, Das Medusenhaupt (Medusas Head). Perseus was eventually the person to kill his grandfather. Athena was customarily portrayed wearing body armour and a helmet and carrying a shield and a lance. In the 20th century, Bernard Berenson and other leading critics argued against Leonardos authorship of the Uffizi painting. Both Proetus and Megapenthes were King of Argos, and Magapenthes was the cousin of Danae. 2023. Perseus | Encyclopedia.com Polydectes had fallen in love with Danae. The sisters convince her to change her mind before the Gorgon can slaughter the men. Medusa also appears on television. Caravaggio painted two versions of Medusa, the first in 1596 and the other around 1597. After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. (2023, March 11). Euryale could leap with ease, while Stheno was stronger than her sisters. In the Iliad, Athena is the divine form of the heroic, martial ideal: she personifies excellence in close combat, victory, and glory. deTraci Regula. Athena became the goddess of crafts and skilled peacetime pursuits in general. For some examples, such as the winding snake in the right foreground, Rubens probably also used casts made from nature, which were particularly popular in northern Italy. Medusa Corrections? Medusa, the daughter of the sea gods Phorcys and Ceto, was the most feared of the Gorgons.