Who was Medusa before she was cursed?

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.

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What is the original story of Medusa?

In the original story, the Medusa was a beautiful woman who held a very positive role. Tragedy fell upon her when she was confronted with endless hardships brought upon by male actions. Medusa was a beautiful woman who was raped, killed and beheaded by various gods.

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Was Medusa a human before she was cursed?

Medusa is known as a winged Gorgon monster with snakes for hair who could turn anyone to stone just by looking into the person's eyes, but Medusa wasn't always this despicable monster that she became known as. Believe it or not, Medusa was a beautiful mortal before she was transformed into a monster.

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What happened to Medusa before she was cursed?

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. Yes: punished for being raped.

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What was Medusa's real name?

In Greek mythology, Medusa (/mɪˈdjuːzə, -sə/; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα, romanized: Médousa, lit. 'guardian, protectress'), also called Gorgo, was one of the three Gorgons.

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The Punishment of Medusa: The Story of The Cursed Priestess - Mythological Comics - Greek Mythology

28 related questions found

Who took Medusa's virginity?

However, that all changed when she caught Poseidon's eye. Instead of honor the fact that Medusa took a vow of chastity in service to Athena, Poseidon, the god of the sea, he rapes her. Now that she is rapes, she can no longer serve Athena.

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What ethnicity was Medusa?

Medusa is a figure from Greek mythology, the only mortal of the three Gorgons, along with her immortal sisters, Stheno and Euryale.

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Was Medusa pregnant?

However, when she was killed, Medusa was still pregnant from her liaison with Zeus. When Perseus cut off Medusa's head, her two children sprang out of her severed neck: Pegasus and Chrysaor. Pegasus took the form of a winged horse, while Chrysaor had the form of a golden giant.

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Did Medusa get pregnant?

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.

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Was Medusa assaulted by Poseidon?

Medusa had to swear to an eternal vow of chastity and be recognized as a symbol of purity. Along comes the god of the sea – Poseidon who rapes Medusa in Athena's temple – the Parthenon. In doing this Medusa is no longer eligible to serve the goddess or legitimately marry.

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Why did Medusa turn men to stone?

Medusa. The Medusa we know was raped by Poseidon in the goddess Athena's temple. Athena then punished her for desecrating her sacred space by cursing Medusa with a head full of snakes and a gaze that turns men to stone.

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Was Medusa a victim?

The last is the version that the Romans wrote of Medusa as a victim. 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.

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Did Athena actually help Medusa?

Medusa was cursed as a punishment for bringing dishonor to the goddess Athena and her temple. Athena intentionally turned Medusa into a monster and changed her for Medusa protection. The curse was Medusa's snake hair and her ability to turn any living man into stone to protect her from harm.

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Is Medusa story true or fake?

The short answer is no, medusa was not real. For someone who has been depicted as a monster with poisonous snakes for hair, having the ability to turn men into stone, it may seem evident that Medusa was not a real historical figure.

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What does a tattoo of Medusa mean?

In general, however, Medusa tattoos are a symbol of survival, often from sexual abuse, sexual assault or rape. For some, the significance of Medusa is simply meant to ward off evil and negativity in general.

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What does the Medusa symbolize?

The myth of Medusa also offers insights into the human relationship with nature and the cosmos. As a Gorgon, Medusa represents a primordial force of chaos and destruction, embodying the untamed and unpredictable aspects of the natural world.

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How did Poseidon impregnate Medusa?

Fact #1: Poseidon had Children with Medusa

Medusa was once a beautiful woman. Medusa was a maiden who served Athena in her temple. As Medusa was in Athena's temple, Poseidon raped her and impregnated her with two children.

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Was Medusa forced to marry Poseidon?

He also happened to be an enemy of Athena. So, to spite his foe, he decided to rape her priestess right inside her temple – humiliating the priestess, and breaking the vow of celibacy she had taken in service to Athena. The Gods took their lovers as life partners, and that's how Medusa came to be Poseidon's wife.

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Did Medusa have a child with Poseidon?

Medusa was the only Gorgon who was mortal; hence her slayer, Perseus, was able to kill her by cutting off her head. From the blood that spurted from her neck sprang Chrysaor and Pegasus, her two sons by Poseidon.

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Did Zeus impregnate Medusa?

Medusa was born a beautiful mortal woman with long flowing hair. Medusa was a temptress among the gods, and Poseidon had impregnated the mortal while in the temple of Athena.

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Did Zeus get Medusa pregnant?

According to ancient Greek mythology, in Medusa's early days, she was so beautiful she caught the interest of Zeus, the most powerful of all the Greek gods. Zeus impregnated Medusa in a temple of Athena, a powerful Greek goddess.

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Was Medusa married to a woman?

She was probably the sister of Diocles and Dorodoche, said by some to be the wife of Icarius. Medusa married Polybus, king of Corinth and thus, adopted mother of Oedipus.

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Was Medusa's hair really dreadlocks?

It's thought that when the Greeks came to Africa, they encountered a people who had a goddess depicted with locks. The original, real life Medusa, supposedly had dreads and the origin of dreads through ancient discoveries existed before the fictional Medusa character was recreated.

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What religion was Medusa?

To the Greeks, Medusa is the leader of an ancient, older matriarchal religion that had to be obliterated; in modern culture, she represents vital sensuality and a power that is threatening to males.

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What color was Medusa's skin?

She turned Medusa into an ugly creature by making her eyes bloodshot and raging and her face haglike. The once lovely hair was morphed into poisonous, dangerous snakes. Her pure white milky skin turned a scary green hue. From then on she roamed, shamed, shunned and loathed by everyone.

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