Is Medusa evil or good? There are no stories that tell us of Medusa turning people to stone, nor any tales of her harassing or killing people (unlike other Greek monsters such as Scylla and Charybdis). Although she had the power to kill, she was not inherently evil.
Throughout history, Medusa got the bad reputation as a scornful, evil woman who turns people into stone with a mere glance. However, much like most women of ancient mythology, she was a victim of patriarchal societal norms.
Medusa is a monster; she kills everyone, the one who ever gets looked upon by her turns into a stone, she is cursed, people of her time never ever like her, never want to see her.
Before turning into the monster that she was, Medusa was a beautiful young woman. To her bad luck, she was beautiful enough to become Poseidon's object of desire. The god of the sea raped Medusa inside the temple of Athena, according to the Roman poet Ovid.
Legend states that Medusa was once a beautiful, avowed priestess of Athena who was cursed for breaking her vow of celibacy. She is not considered a goddess or Olympian, but some variations on her legend say she consorted with one. When Medusa had an affair with the sea god Poseidon, Athena punished her.
The snake-haired Medusa does not become widespread until the first century B.C. The Roman author Ovid describes the mortal Medusa as a beautiful maiden seduced by Poseidon in a temple of Athena. Such a sacrilege attracted the goddess' wrath, and she punished Medusa by turning her hair to snakes.
Medusa was a beautiful woman who was raped, killed and beheaded by various gods. However even in the face of tragedy and disgrace, the Medusa was portrayed as meaningful. Following the moment her head was removed, a Pegasus flew out of her body, representing the birth of beauty.
According to the Roman poet Ovid's version of the myth, Medusa, as a mortal had taken an oath of chastity, however Poseidon, lusting after her, forced himself upon her and raped her inside the temple of Athena.
Medusa and Poseidon engaged in a love affair and would have two children together, but not before Athena discovered the illicit affair. When Athena discovered the affair, she was enraged and immediately cursed Medusa by taking away her beauty.
She was lovely, according to the poem—until she was raped in Athena's temple by Poseidon. Athena then punished her for this violation, by turning her into the monstrous, stony-glanced creature that we know.
So, when Poseidon raped Medusa she became pregnant. When her head was chopped off by Perseus, her children came to be. Pegasus and Chrysaor sprung from the severed neck of Medusa. Pegasus is also one of the most famous characters in Greek mythology, the winged white horse.
A ccording to ancient Greek myth, Medusa was one of the three Gorgons. Feared as a deadly monster, her hair consisted of writhing snakes, and she would turn to stone every man who gazed into her eyes.
In fact, Athena was jealous of Medusa's beauty and lustrous hair. Poseidon ravaged her and took what she held dearly, her purity. Athena, outraged by this incident, cursed Medusa and turned her wonderful hair into venomous snakes, her beautiful face turned so ugly that any man who gazed upon would turn to stone.
Medusa was originally a very beautiful young girl, especially renowned for the beauty of her hair. Her tragedy began with her rape in the temple of Athena. Accounts of who raped her vary, some saying it was Zeus, others Poseidon, god of the seas and Zeus's brother.
Medusa is portrayed in most tattoo art as a “symbol used to protect and defend against dangerous elements” and “to ward off evil with one evil image after another. But for others, her reptilian skin and hair may also symbolize the cycle of life.
Medusa's story is inextricably tied to Perseus and, as if by eternal punishment, is always told through the young hero's eyes. She was a monster, so she deserved to die. As the perpetual villainess of olde, she has become indispensable, a ready reminder of the comeuppance owed to vile creatures.
Eventually, Medusa was beheaded whilst pregnant (carrying Poseidon's offspring, Pegasus and Chrysaor) by Perseus, who took her head and continued to use it as a weapon, turning enemies who looked upon it to stone — until he eventually returned the head to Athena, and went on to marry the princess Andromeda, who just so ...
History. Medusa was a daughter of Phorcys and Keto, and was once a priestess of Athena. Poseidon was bitter at Athena for recently turning his beloved Koroneis into a raven, so he decided to get back at her by becoming obsessed with the beautiful girl.
Hercules loves Medusa so much that he gave his last remaining link to his father to Circe for exchange for Circe making Medusa love him.
Medusa and Poseidon engaged in a love affair and would have two children together, but not before Athena discovered the illicit affair.
From the blood that spurted from her neck sprang Chrysaor and Pegasus, her two sons by Poseidon.
According to Apollodorus' version of the myth, Athena was angry with Medusa because she had claimed to be more beautiful than the goddess. In both cases, however, the result was the same. In the end, Athena turned Medusa into a figure of horror, a Gorgon with venomous snakes instead of hair.
Just as a person who has extra-acute hearing can be more easily overwhelmed by very loud noises, so too is Medusa particularly prone to psychic attacks. Her openness to others also leaves her open to attack. Medusa refers to this as a 'weakness.
Discover. Meet Perseus, a demigod of Greek mythology who was famous for killing Medusa by cutting off her head, which he displays in one hand. Medusa had live, hissing snakes for hair, and anyone who looked at her face instantly turned to stone.