Are Any of Medusa's Family Members God or Goddesses
Medusa was one of 3 sisters built-in to Phorcys and Ceto known as the Gorgons. According to Hesiod'due south Theogony, the Gorgons were the sisters of the Graiai and lived in the utmost place towards the night by the Hesperides beyond Oceanus. Later authors such as Herodotus and Pausanias place the Gorgons' abode in Libya. The Gorgon sisters were Sthenno, Euryale, and Medusa; Medusa was mortal while her sisters were immortal.
Beyond the Gorgon'southward birth, there is little mention of the Gorgons every bit a group, but Medusa has several myths about her life and death. The about famous of these myths concern her death and demise. In Hesiod's Theogony, he recounts how Perseus cutting off the head of Medusa and from her blood sprang Chrysaor and Pegasus, Chrysaor existence a golden behemothic and Pegasus the famous white winged-horse.
Perseus & Medusa
The myth of Perseus and Medusa, according to Pindar and Apollodorus, started with a quest. Perseus was the son of Danae and Zeus, who came to Danae in the grade of a aureate spring. It was foretold to Danae'due south father, Acrisius the King of Argos, that Danae's son would kill him. Then Acrisius locked his daughter away in a statuary chamber, but Zeus transformed into a shower of gold and impregnated her anyway. Acrisius, non wanting to provoke Zeus, hurled his girl and grandson in a wooden chest into the sea. The mother and son were rescued by Dictys on the island of Seriphos. It was Dictys who raised Perseus to manhood, just information technology was Dictys' blood brother Polydectes, the king, who would transport him on a life-threatening quest.
Polydectes brutal in love with Perseus' mother and wished to marry her just Perseus was protective of his mother since he believed Polydectes to be dishonorable. Polydectes contrived to trick Perseus; he held a large banquet under the pretense of collecting contributions for the union of Hippodamia, who tamed horses. He requested that his guests bring horses for their gifts but Perseus did non accept 1. When Perseus confessed that he had no gift, he offered any gift the king would proper noun. Polydectes seized his opportunity to disgrace and even go rid of Perseus and asked for the head of the but mortal Gorgon: Medusa.
Medusa was a formidable foe, since her hideous advent was able to render any onlooker into rock.
Medusa was a formidable foe, since her hideous appearance was able to render whatsoever onlooker into stone. In some variations of the myth, Medusa was built-in a monster similar her sisters, described equally girded with serpents, vibrating tongues, gnashing their teeth, having wings, brazen claws, and enormous teeth. In later myths (mainly in Ovid) Medusa was the only Gorgon to possess snake locks, because they were a penalty from Athena. Appropriately, Ovid relates that the once beautiful mortal was punished past Athena with a hideous appearance and loathsome snakes for hair for having been raped in Athena's temple by Poseidon.
Perseus, with the aid of divine gifts, plant the Gorgons' cave and slayed Medusa by beheading her. Most authors assert that Perseus was able to behead Medusa with a cogitating bronze shield that Athena gave to him while the Gorgon slept. At the beheading of Medusa, Pegasus and Chrysaor (Poseidon's and her children) sprang from her severed neck. Simultaneously with the birth of these children, Medusa's sisters Euryale and Sthenno pursued Perseus. However, the gift bestowed upon him by Hades, the helmet of darkness, granted him invisibility. It is unclear if Perseus took Pegasus with him on his following adventures or if he continued to utilize the winged sandals Hermes gave him. Pegasus' adventures with both the hero Perseus and Bellerophon are classic tales from Greek mythology.
Medusa Mosaic
Perseus now flew (either by Pegasus or winged sandals) with Medusa'south caput safely bagged, ever potent with its stony gaze. Perseus, on his journeying dwelling, stopped at Ethiopia where the kingdom of Rex Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia was being tormented by Poseidon's bounding main monster, Cetus. Poseidon'southward vengeance was being exacted on the kingdom for Cassiopeia's hubristic claim that her daughter, Andromeda, (or she herself) was equal in beauty to the Nereids. Perseus slew the beast and won Andromeda's hand. Andromeda was already betrothed, though, which caused a contestation to pause out, resulting in Perseus using Medusa'south head to turn her previous betrothed to stone.
Earlier his return to his habitation of Seriphos, Perseus met the titan Altas, who he turned to rock with Medusa'southward head after some quarrelsome words, thus creating the Atlas Mountains of N Africa. As well during the journey home, Medusa'southward caput spilled some blood on the world which formed into Libyan vipers that killed the Argonaut Mospos.
Perseus returned home to his mother, condom from Male monarch Polydectes' advances, but Perseus was infuriated with Polydectes' trickery. Perseus avenged himself past turning Polydectes and his court to stone with Medusa's head. He, then, gave the kingdom to Dictys. Afterward Perseus was finished with the Gorgon's head, he gave it to Athena, who adorned her shield and breastplate with information technology.
Perseus and Medusa
Etymology
The give-and-take Gorgon derives from the aboriginal Greek word "γοργός" meaning "fierce, terrible and grim." The Gorgons' names each accept a particular meaning that helps to further describe their monstrousness. Sthenno from the aboriginal Greek "Σθεννω", is translated as "strength, might, or forcefulness," since it is related to the Greek word: σθένος. Euryale is from the ancient Greek "Ευρυαλη" pregnant "broad, broad-stepping, wide threshing;" however her name may likewise hateful "of the broad briny ocean." This would be an appropriate proper noun since she is the daughter of aboriginal ocean deities, Phorcys and Ceto. Medusa's proper noun comes from the ancient Greek verb "μέδω" which is translated as "to guard or protect." Medusa'south name is extremely plumbing equipment every bit it is synonymous with what a Gorgon's head became representative of on Athena's shield.
Representations in Art
The Gorgon image appears in several pieces of art and architectural structures including the pediments of the Temple of Artemis (c. 580 BCE) in Corcyra (Corfu), the mid-6th century BCE, larger-than-life marble statue (that is now in the archaeological museum of Paros) and the historic cup by Douris. The Gorgon became a pop shield blueprint in antiquity forth with being an apotropaic (warding off evil) device. The goddess Athena and Zeus were oftentimes portrayed with a shield (or aegis) depicting the caput of a Gorgon, who is typically believed to be Medusa.
There are also several archaeological examples of the Gorgon's confront beingness used on breastplates, in mosaics and even equally bronze end pieces on ship beams in the Roman period. Maybe the about famous example of Medusa in art in antiquity was the Athena Parthenos statue from the Parthenon which was made by Phidias and described by Pausanias. This statue of Athena depicts a Gorgon's face on the goddess' breastplate. In Greek mythology in that location is, besides, Hesiod's clarification of Hercules' shield which describes the events of Perseus and Medusa.
This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication.
Source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Medusa/
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