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| | [[Category:Politics and social sciences]] | | [[Category:Politics and social sciences]] |
| | [[Category:Anthropology]] | | [[Category:Anthropology]] |
| | + | [[Category:Mythical creatures]] |
| | + | [[Image:Medusa_by_Caravaggio.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Baroque Medusa combined beauty and horror: ''Medusa,'' after 1590, by [[Caravaggio]]]] |
| | + | In [[Greek mythology]], the '''Gorgons''' were three vicious female [[mythical creature]]s that lived on an [[island]] and possessed the ability to turn a person to [[stone]] by looking at them. They possessed both beautiful and hideous traits, the most famous being their head of coiled [[snake]]s instead of [[hair]]. Of the three, [[Medusa]] is perhaps the most famous of the Gorgons, being the only one of the three who was [[mortality|mortal]]. Also, many references are made to her specifically in [[literature]] and [[film|movies]]. She, like many such creatures, met her doom at the hands of a [[hero]] aided by the [[polytheism|god]]s. |
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| | + | While the tales of Gorgons were and still are considered fictitious, they continue to have meaning for us today. Their [[beauty]] attracted all people to look at them, despite the presence of the snakes in their hair which could readily be seen as an indication of their [[evil]] nature. A mere glance by a person at a Gorgon was sufficient to kill a person. In metaphorical resonance, [[human being]]s readily succumb to temptation when they act out of selfish desire for immediate gratification while disregarding the guidance and warnings of the [[conscience]], and through such actions they may well "die" in some way. |
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| | + | The most beautiful Gorgon, Medusa, was also mortal, and so could be killed by the one who did not look directly at her. The lesson here could be that victory can be gained by avoiding even the sight of evil. |
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| | + | ==Etymology== |
| | + | The word '''Gorgon''' comes from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word '''γογύς''' which roughly translates as "terrible." The [[Latin]] form, '''Gorgonem''', is the origin of the [[English language|English]] word. From Latin also comes the words '''Gorgoneion''', which means the representation, usually an artwork, of a Gorgon's head; '''Gogonia''', someone that has been petrified by a Gorgon; '''Gorgonize''', the act of petrifying someone; and '''Gorgonian''', which is a resemblance to a Gorgon.<ref>''The Oxford English Dictionary'' (Oxford Press, 1971). ISBN 019861117X)</ref> The name of the most famous Gorgon, ''Medusa'', comes directly from the Greek ''Μέδουσα''. |
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| − | In [[Greek mythology]], the '''Gorgons''' ("terrible" or, according to some, "loud-roaring") were vicious female [[monster]]s with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes.
| + | ==Description== |
| | + | [[Image:Gorgones Cdm Paris 277.jpg|thumb|right|200 px| Gorgons. Attic black-figure lekythos, ca. 530 B.C.E.]] |
| | + | Generally, the Gorgons are identified as female, with scaly golden bodies, a human if not hideous face, hair of coiled, live [[snake]]s, and the [[tusk]]s of [[boar]]s. They also are said to possess wings of [[gold]], but it is not said if they can fly. Beyond their ability to turn anyone into stone by simply looking at them, the snakes on their head were believed to be [[poison]]ous and they sometimes were depicted as having sharp claws that could easily rip and tear flesh. |
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| − | ==Classical tradition== | + | ==Origins== |
| − | [[Image:Medusa_by_Caravaggio.jpg|thumb|240px|left|Baroque Medusa combined beauty and horror: ''Medusa,'' after 1590, by [[Caravaggio]]]]
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| − | Gorgons are sometimes depicted as having wings of [[gold]], brazen claws, and the [[tusk]]s of [[boar]]s. According to the myths, seeing the face of a Gorgon turned the viewer to stone. | + | As with many [[Greek mythology|Greek myths]], the legend of the Gorgons cannot readily be traced to an original source. While the roots of many [[mythological creature]]s seem to lie in an attempt to understand nature and the world, the Gorgons seem to represent ugliness and [[fear]]. The Gorgons' ability to kill their opponents with a look renders nearly all human abilities useless, thus making even the most skilled warriors impotent. In many cultures, [[snake]]s are regarded with fear, so it is justifiable that such a dark creature would have them covering her head. Furthering this idea is the body of scales, suggesting a more [[reptile|reptilian]] connection, but there is just enough [[human being|humanity]] mirrored in the face to make the Gorgon recognizable to humans. Thus the Gorgons may represent the ugliest and most demented aspects of humankind. |
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| − | [[Homer]] speaks of only one Gorgon, whose head is represented in the [[Iliad]] as fixed in the center of the [[aegis]] of [[Zeus]]: | + | Stephen Wilk has argued that the myth actually resulted from [[astronomy|astronomical]] phenomena: the variable brightness given off by a [[star]] in the [[Perseus constellation]] seems to mimic the mythical battle between Medusa and [[Perseus]], in which the hero decapitated the Gorgon. To support his thesis that the myth derived from the constellation (as opposed to the generally accepted reverse scenario) Wilk also noted that a similar myth was common in many different cultures.<ref> Stephen Wilk. ''Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon'' (Oxford University Press, 2000). </ref> |
| − | :"About her shoulders she flung the tasselled aegis, fraught with terror...and therein is the head of the dread monster, the Gorgon, dread and awful, a portent of Zeus that beareth the aegis."(5.735ff)
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| − | Its earthly counterpart is a device on the shield of [[Agamemnon]]:
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| − | :"...and therein was set as a crown the Gorgon, grim of aspect, glaring terribly, and about her were Terror and Rout."(11.35ff)
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| − | In the ''[[Odyssey]]'', she is a monster of the underworld:
| + | As with many other Greek legends, successive generations and authors re-told the stories, and with each re-telling changed the story somewhat. |
| − | :"...and pale fear seized me, lest august [[Persephone]] might send forth upon me from out of the house of [[Hades]] the head of the Gorgon, that awful monster..."(11.635)
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| − | [[Hesiod]] ([[Theogony]], [[Shield of Heracles]]) increases the number of Gorgons to three—[[Stheno]] (the mighty), [[Euryale]] (the far-springer) and [[Medusa]] (the queen), and makes them the daughters of the sea-god [[Phorcys]] and of [[Ceto|Keto]]. Their home is on the farthest side of the western ocean; according to later authorities, in [[Ancient Libya|Libya]]. The [[Attica, Greece|Attic]] tradition, reproduced in [[Euripides]] ([[Ion (play)|Ion]]), regarded the Gorgon as a monster, produced by [[Gaia (mythology)|Gaia]] to aid her sons the giants against the gods and slain by [[Athena]]. Of the three Gorgons, only Medusa is mortal.
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| − | According to [[Ovid]] (''[[Metamorphoses (poem)|Metamorphoses]]''), Medusa alone had serpents in her hair, and this was due to [[Athena]] (Roman [[Minerva]]) cursing her. Medusa had copulated with [[Poseidon]] (Roman [[Neptune (god)|Neptune]]), who was aroused by the golden color of Medusa's hair, in a [[temple]] of Athena. Athena therefore changed the enticing golden locks into serpents. [[Aeschylus]] says that the three Gorgons had only one tooth and one eye between them (see also the [[Graeae]]), which they had to swap between themselves.
| + | It was [[Hesiod]] ([[Theogony]], [[Shield of Heracles]]) who increased the number of Gorgons to three—[[Stheno]] (the mighty), [[Euryale]] (the far-springer), and [[Medusa]] (the queen), and claimed they were the daughters of the sea-god [[Phorcys]] and of [[Ceto|Keto]]. Medusa was believed to be the only mortal of the three, and coincidentally she was also the only one to become pregnant. |
| | + | [[Image:Rubens Medusa.jpeg|thumb|300px|left|''Tête de Méduse'', by [[Peter Paul Rubens]].]] |
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| − | Other sources claim that each of three Gorgon sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, had snakes for hair, and had the power to turn anyone who looked at them to stone. [[Apollodorus]] (11.2.6, 2.4.1, 22.4.2) provides a good summary of the Gorgon myth, while [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] (5.10.4, 8.47.5, many other places) supplies the details of where and how the Gorgons were represented in Greek art and architecture.
| + | The [[Attica, Greece|Attic]] tradition, reproduced in [[Euripides]] ([[Ion (play)|Ion]]), regarded the Gorgons as monsters, produced by [[Gaia (mythology)|Gaia]] to aid her sons, the giants, against the gods, and slain by [[Athena]]. According to [[Ovid]] ''([[Metamorphoses (poem)|Metamorphoses]])'', Medusa alone had [[serpent]]s in her hair, and this was due to Athena (Roman [[Minerva]]) cursing her. Medusa had copulated with [[Poseidon]] (Roman [[Neptune (god)|Neptune]]), who was aroused by the golden color of Medusa's hair, in a [[temple]] of Athena. Athena therefore changed the enticing golden locks into serpents. |
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| | ==Perseus and Medusa== | | ==Perseus and Medusa== |
| − | [[Image:The_Gorgon_at_Corfu_Museum.JPG|thumb|350px|left|The Gorgon just before being beheaded by [[Perseus]], as depicted on a [[pediment]] from the Atremis Temple on display at the Archaeological Museum of [[Corfu]].]]
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| − | Medusa was the only one of the three who was mortal; hence [[Perseus (mythology)|Perseus]] was able to kill her by cutting off her head while looking at her in the reflection in a mirrored shield he got from the [[Graeae]]. Some authors say that Perseus was armed with a scythe by [[Hermes]] ([[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]]) and a mirror by [[Athena]] ([[Minerva]]). Whether the mirrored shield or the scythe, these weapons allowed him to defeat Medusa easily. From the blood that spurted from her neck sprang [[Chrysaor]] and [[Pegasus]] (other sources say that each drop of blood became a snake), her two sons by [[Poseidon]]. He gave the head, which had the power of turning into stone all who looked upon it, to Athena, who placed it in her shield; according to another account, Perseus buried it in the marketplace of [[Argos]].
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| − | [[Image:Hydria gorgon BM B58.jpg|thumb|240px|Archaic fanged goggle-eyed gorgoneion flanked by [[sphinxes]] on a ''[[hydria]]'' from [[Vulci]], 540-530 B.C.E.]]
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| − | ==Protective and healing powers==
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| − | In Ancient Greece a ''Gorgoneion'' (or stone head, engraving or drawing of a Gorgon face, often with snakes protruding wildly and tongue sticking out between the fangs) was frequently used as an [[Apotropaic magic#Apotropaic symbols|Apotropaic symbol]] and placed on doors, walls, coins, shields, breastplates, and [[tomb stone|tombstone]]s in the hopes of warding off evil. In this regard ''Gorgoneia'' are similar to the sometimes grotesque faces on Chinese soldiers’ shields, also used generally as an amulet, a protection against the [[evil eye]]. In some cruder representations, the blood flowing under the head can be mistaken for a beard.
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| − | In Greek mythology, blood taken from the right side of a Gorgon could bring the dead back to life, yet blood taken from the left side was an instantly fatal poison. [[Athena]] gave a vial of the healing blood to [[Asclepius]], which ultimately brought about his demise.
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| − | [[Heracles]] is said to have obtained a lock of Medusa’s hair (which possessed the same powers as the head) from Athena and given it to [[Sterope]], the daughter of [[Cepheus]]{{dn}}, as a protection for the town of [[Tegea]] against attack. | + | [[Image:Medusa.jpg|thumb|right|''Medusa'', by [[Arnold Böcklin]] (1878).]] |
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| − | According to the later idea of Medusa as a beautiful maiden, whose hair had been changed into snakes by Athena, the head was represented in works of art with a wonderfully handsome face, wrapped in the calm repose of death. | + | The most famous legend involving the Gorgons was the story of how [[Perseus]] killed [[Medusa]]. According to the story, [[Polydectes]] secretly planned to kill Perseus and conceived a plan to trick him into obtaining the head of Medusa as a wedding gift, knowing that Perseus would more than likely die trying to complete the task. However, Perseus was aided in his endeavors by the gods [[Hermes]] and [[Athena]], who not only guided him to the Gorgons' island, but also equipped him with the tools necessary to slay Medusa. Hermes provided him with a sword strong enough to pierce Medusa's tough scales and Athena presented Perseus with a finely polished, bronze shield, in which he could look at her reflection in the shield as he guided his sword, that way avoiding her deadly stare. While the Gorgons slept, Perseus crept into their lair and decapitated Medusa. From the [[blood]] that spurted from her neck sprang [[Chrysaor]] and [[Pegasus]] (other sources say that each drop of blood became a snake), her two sons by [[Poseidon]].<ref> Edith Hamilton. ''Mythology'' (1942).</ref> |
| | + | [[Image:Perseo Cellini.jpg|thumb|left|200 px| Perseus and Medusa by Cellini, Loggia dei Lanzi, Firenze.]] |
| | + | Instead of presenting the head to Polydectes, Perseus decided to use to his own advantage. He flew to his mother's island where she was about to be forced into marriage with the king, warned his mother to shield her eyes as he withdrew the severed head from the bag in which he had placed it. Everyone present except Perseus and his mother was turned into stone by the gaze of Medusa's head. Knowing that whoever possessed the head had a weapon of cataclysmic potential, Perseus decided to give the Gorgon's head to Athena, who placed it on her shield, the [[Aegis]]. |
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| | + | There are other, lesser told stories involving Medusa. Some say the goddess gave Medusa's magical blood to the physician [[Asclepius]]—some of which was a deadly poison and the other had the power to raise the dead—but that the power was too much for one man to possess and ultimately brought about his demise. |
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| | + | [[Heracles]] is said to have obtained a lock of Medusa’s hair (which possessed the same powers as the head) from Athena and given it to [[Sterope]], the daughter of [[Cepheus]], as a protection for the town of [[Tegea]] against attack. |
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| − | ==Origins== | + | == Gorgons in art== |
| | + | [[Image:Hydria gorgon BM B58.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Archaic fanged goggle-eyed gorgoneion flanked by [[sphinx]]es on a ''[[hydria]]'' from [[Vulci]], 540-530 B.C.E.]] |
| | + | Since ancient times, Medusa and the Gorgons have often been depicted in [[art]]works. In [[Ancient Greece]] a ''Gorgoneion'' (or stone head, engraving or drawing of a Gorgon face, often with snakes protruding wildly and tongue sticking out between the fangs) was frequently used as an [[Apotropaic symbol]] and placed on doors, walls, [[coin]]s, shields, breastplates, and [[tomb stone|tombstone]]s in the hopes of warding off [[evil]]. In this regard ''Gorgoneia'' are similar to the sometimes grotesque faces on Chinese soldiers’ shields, also used generally as an [[amulet]], a protection against the [[evil eye]]. |
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| − | The concept of the gorgon is at least as old in mythology as Perseus and Zeus. The name is Greek, being from gorgos, "terrible." There are a few cognates: Old Irish garg, "wild," Armenian karcr, "hard." Hoffman's suggested root is *gragnis; [[Émile Boisacq]]'s, *greg-. The root would not be a commonly used one.
| + | In some cruder representations, the blood flowing under the head can be mistaken for a beard.<ref> Frederick Thomas Elworthy. [http://www.sacred-texts.com/evil/tee/tee07.htm "Chapter V: The Gorgoneion"] (1895). Retrieved August 11, 2007.</ref> On shields, pots, and even in large carvings and [[statue]]s, the epic defeat of Medusa by Perseus has been depicted, usually in celebration of Perseus' triumph over the Gorgons. |
| − | [[Image:Douris cup Jason Vatican 16545.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Athena wears the primitive form of the ''Gorgoneion''; cup by [[Douris (vase painter)|Douris]], early 5th century B.C.E..]]
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| − | The name of the most senior "terrible one," Medusa, is better Greek, being the feminine present participle of medein, "to rule over." The masculine, Medon, "ruler," is a Homeric name. The Indo-European root, *me-, "measure," generates a large number of words.
| + | Medusa is a well-known mythological icon throughout the world, having been portrayed in works of art as well as popular media over the ages. [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Benvenuto Cellini]], [[Antonio Canova]], [[Salvador Dalí]], and [[Arnold Böcklin]] are a few of the more famous painters who have depicted Medusa, often in battle with Perseus, over the years. |
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| − | The name of "queen" and the magical powers indicate Medusa was a bronze-age deity, and yet deities are not beheaded by mortals and terrible ones are not really terrible if they ward away enemies. The snakes are reminiscent of the Cretan [[Snake Goddess|snake goddess]]. It is possible that the story represents the subordination of a pre-Greek religious infrastructure by new Greek superstructures able to attribute the power of life and death to themselves.
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| − | On the other hand, [[Marija Gimbutas]] ("Language of the Goddess") believed she saw the prototype of the ''Gorgoneion'' in [[Neolithic]] art motifs, especially in anthropomorphic vases and [[terra cotta]] masks inlaid with gold. The gorgon descends from the pre-Indo-European goddess of life and death, represented in various forms, of which the ''Gorgoneion'' is one.
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| − | The motif is an accretion of motifs. The large eyes, as well as Athena's flashing eyes, are a symbol termed "the divine eyes" by Gimbutas (who did not originate the perception), appearing also in Athena's bird, the owl. They can be represented by spirals, wheels, concentric circles, and other ways. They radiate the sun's rays and weep the spring rains.
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| − | Snakes also possess the eyes. The fangs of the gorgoneion are snakes' fangs. Snakes are a symbol of appeasement and increase. The round face is the moon. Sometimes ''Gorgoneia'' are endowed with birds' feet or bee wings, more symbols of regeneration. The mouth is open so that streams may flow from it. The lolling tongue is a symbol of death.
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| − | It cannot be said that these motifs belong exclusively to the European Neolithic and not to the Indo-Europeans. They appear among the [[Celts]] and [[Germans]] as well. The [[Balts]] kept snakes as household pets. As Gimbutas points out, masks with staring eyes are portrayed in [[Paleolithic]] cave art. Very likely, the goddess precedes any Indo-European/non-Indo-European distinction.
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| − | At [[Mycenae]], traces of the ancient religion are found in elements considered characteristically Greek. A [[tholos]] tomb, there or elsewhere, is a symbol of the [[uterus]]. Solar discs studded the walls of some. The "death masks" of the shaft graves should probably more aptly be called life masks. In Paleolithic art, the dancer, who puts on a reindeer head with staring eyes, very likely became the reindeer in the dance. Similarly, a masked corpse overcame death by putting on the mask of life, a different concept from our [[death mask]].
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| − | Gimbutas cites ''Gorgoneia'' with bees' heads on some classical [[Attica|Attic]] pottery and with bees'heads, snake heads or owl faces on some [[Cycladic]] pottery. She regards them as transitional between the ancient and classical ''Gorgoneia''. As for the name, it is not from a solid Indo-European root. It could have been from a more ancient language, or could have translated a word in another language.
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| − | In Greek myth, only Perseus and Zeus (through Athena) own the ''Gorgoneion''. The two must be tied together in some way; that is, the king of Mycenae was the earthly counterpart of Zeus from whom he derived his authority. The Iliad clearly expresses this divine right of bronze-age kings, which the wrath of [[Achilles]] undermined. By assuming the ''Gorgoneion'', [[Perseus]] put on as a mask the power of life and death personified by Medusa, the cosmic queen.
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| | ==Gorgons in modern culture== | | ==Gorgons in modern culture== |
| − | [[Image:Achilles's shield (Corfu Achilleion).JPG|thumb|250px|Gorgon decorates the shield of [[Achilles]] at the [[Corfu]] [[Achilleion (Corfu)|Achilleion]]]]
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| − | :''See also [[Medusa#Medusa in popular culture|Medusa in popular culture]]''
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| − | Like [[cyclops]], [[harpies]], and other beasts of Greek mythology, gorgons have been popularized in modern times by the fantasy genre such as in books, comics, role-playing games, and video games. Although not as well known as [[dragons]] or [[unicorns]], most popular lore concerning gorgons derives from [[Medusa]] and the [[Perseus]] legend. Images of gorgons and Medusa are commonly mistaken to be the same. According to most of the original Greek myths, Medusa was the only one of the Gorgon sisters to be beautiful; the others being hideous beasts. Over time, however, and possibly even in their original day, both gorgons and Medusa came to be seen as evil monsters.
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| − | ===Film===
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| − | *In the 1964 film ''[[The Gorgon]]'' [[Peter Cushing]] plays Professor Karl Meister that investigates the circumstances of numerous ''petrification'' incidents in a British village.
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| − | *In the movie ''[[Small Soldiers]]'' (1998), Gorgon is the home planet of the Gorgonites, a toy design of an alien race.
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| − | *The character Celia in the 2001 [[animation|animated feature]] ''[[Monsters, Inc.]]'' is a gorgon-like creature who contemplates getting a haircut, panicking her snake-hairs.
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| − | *In the 1961 film ''[[Gorgo (film)|Gorgo]]'', the circus owner names the beast "Gorgo" after the gorgon (though it actually looks nothing like a gorgon, instead resembling [[Godzilla]]).
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| − | ===Games===
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| − | *In ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', from which many games like ''[[Heroes of Might and Magic]]'' take inspiration, Gorgons are giant bulls with iron-like hides that have a petrifying breath. There are monsters which resemble traditional Gorgons, however, called Medusas.
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| − | *In the game ''[[Age of Mythology]]'', gorgons are snakelike creatures armed as archers who work as your allies, petrifying and shooting enemies at range. They can be upgraded from [[Medusa]] to Medusa Matriarchs.
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| − | *The video game series ''[[Castlevania]]'' has included Medusa monsters since its inception as statue heads with snakes as hair, and later as monsters who had a snake body in place of legs, a female torso and head with snakes as hair such as in ''[[Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse|Castlevania: Dracula's Curse]]''. The game also employed the "stoning motif" of Medusa by having the creatures fire arrows of snakes at the player, turning them into stone if they were hit. In more recent Castlevania games, Gorgon, along with [[Catoblepas]], are often portrayed as bulls of which breaths can petrify. One weird exception is in ''[[Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow]]''; the still-bull-like Gorgon instead breathes poisonous gas. These images follow the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' depictions rather than the more culturally prevalent humanoid with snake hair motif.
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| − | *In the game ''[[Titan Quest]]'', Gorgons are found in Greece and resemble greenish females with red serpents as hairs and green snake bodies. First, the hero must kill the three Gorgon Queens, Medusa, Stheno and Euryales, then, through Greece, he must kill gorgons. They are last seen in the [[Knossos]] [[labyrinth]], in Crete.
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| − | *In the game ''[[Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones]]'', gorgons are snakelike creatures born of eggs, who use very powerful dark magic and can turn units into stone.
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| − | *In the [[Playstation 2]] game ''[[God of War (video game)|God of War]]'', the player, Kratos, encounters Medusa and fights gorgons as enemies. The gorgons appear as large snakes with female torsos and a head of snakes as hair. Kratos also uses the head of Medusa as a weapon in turning enemies into stone. Also collecting multiple gorgon eyes throughout the game gives Kratos a larger life meter. Gorgons return as enemies in the sequel, [[God of War II]]. Medusa's sister [[Euryale]] also appears in the sequel as a boss seeking to avenge her sister's death at the hands of Kratos in the first game. Kratos defeats her and uses her head as a similar weapon to the Head of Medusa in the first game.
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| − | *In the game ''[[Star Fox 64]]'', there is a colossal planet-killer battle satellite called Gorgon.
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| − | *In the game "[[World of Warcraft]]," a evil creature named 'the Naga' resembles the look of a gorgon. These are serpent-like creatures living underwater, sometimes with snakes on their head.
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| − | ===Television===
| + | Like [[cyclops]], [[harpy|harpies]], and other beasts of [[Greek mythology]], Gorgons have been popularized in modern times by the [[fantasy]] genre such as in books, comics, [[role-playing game]]s, and [[video game]]s. Although not as well known as [[dragon]]s or [[unicorn]]s, most popular lore concerning Gorgons derives from [[Medusa]] and the [[Perseus]] legend. |
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| − | *In the [[Disney Channel Original Series]] ''[[American Dragon: Jake Long]]'', the Season 2 premiere episode ("Bring It On" ) featured the Gorgon Sisters (they later returned in the episode "Furious Jealousy"). However, ''Stheno'' was renamed ''Fury'' (she was quite infuriating) because of the difficulty to pronounce the name, and she was the most named, since she was the first to make an appearance. To give them a modern flavor, they were depicted as [[arrogance|arrogant]], [[self-conscious]], and very [[airhead (slang)|air-headed]], losing focus for something as trivial as a single split-end.
| + | Images of Gorgons and Medusa are commonly mistaken to be the same. According to most of the original Greek myths, Medusa was the only one of the Gorgon sisters to be beautiful; the others being hideous beasts. Over time, however, and possibly even in their original day, Medusa too came to be seen as an evil monster. |
| − | *"Gorgon" is one of The Infershia Pantheon in ''[[Mahou Sentai Magiranger]]'' as well as her ''[[Power Rangers: Mystic Force]]'' counterpart, Serpentina.
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| − | *In ''[[Star Trek]]'' Episode 59, ''[[And the Children Shall Lead]]'', bellicose bogeyman Gorgon is portrayed by [[Melvin Belli]].
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| − | *The heroes come face to face (or rather, eye-to-protective goggles) with [[Mythological creatures of Class of the Titans#Gorgons|Medusa and her Gorgon sisters]] in Episode 1.9: "Sibling Rivalry" of [[Teletoon]]'s ''[[Class of the Titans]]''.
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| − | *A gorgon image with moving snakes for hair appears on an ancient Roman wall in the opening credits sequence for the [[HBO]] series ''[[Rome (TV series)|Rome]]'', although the face itself is neither ugly or menacing.
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| − | ===Miscellaneous===
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| − | *Reliefs and sculptures of Gorgon heads have traditionally been used to decorate gardens and the exteriors of churches and other older structures.
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| − | *In [[Oscar Wilde]]'s ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'', Jack refers to Lady Bracknell as being a Gorgon.
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| − | *In ''A Tale of Two Cities'', by Charles Dickens, the Gorgon is alluded to in the description of the Marquis St. Evremonde's stone chateau.
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| − | *[[Charles Stross]]'s novella ''[[The Concrete Jungle]]'' features a "scientific" explanation for the ability of a Gorgon to turn people to stone, which is then used as the basis for technological devices which play a central role in the story.
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| − | *In the manga ''[[Air Gear]]'' by [[Oh! great|Oh! Great]], the storm rider Mimasaka Ryō is known as the "Gorgon Shield" due to her ability to paralyze her opponents.
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| − | *The character [[Rider (Fate/stay night)|Rider]] in the [[visual novel]] ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' is really the Gorgon Medusa; in the sequel ''[[Fate/hollow ataraxia]]'', Euryale and Stheno additionally appear in a flashback.
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| − | *"Ancient Gorgon" is [[Monster in My Pocket]] #60. It has wings, claws and snaky hair. Medusa is #26, but she appears as a beautfiul woman, albeit with snaky hair. Which Gorgon Ancient Gorgon is supposed to be is unclear.
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| − | *In the [[Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game]], there is a trap card known as Gorgon's Eye, which features a large yellow eye surrounded by snakes. In the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! (second series anime)|Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters]]'' anime, it turns any monster played in Defense Mode to stone, and if the petrified monster is then attacked, half of the monster's defense points would be deducted from the controller's life points.
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| − | *In traditional [[Jamaican]] culture, a dragon is called a Gorgon. In [[Rastafarian]] culture, however, Gorgon is a term used for an "outstanding dreadlocks," or righteous [[Rastaman]]. The expression can be heard in many [[roots reggae]] songs, including [[Bob Marley]]'s "Rat Race," [[The Gladiators]]' song "Bellyfull," and Cornel Campbell's "Gorgon rock" series of singles ("The Gorgon," "The Conquering Gorgon," "The Gorgon Is the Ruler," and "The Gorgon Is Back").
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| − | *In the web comic "Earthsong" the character K'Thonya was based on the myth of the Gorgon.
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| − | | |
| − | ==Medusa==
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| − | | |
| − | | |
| − | [[Image:Medusa.jpg|thumb||''Medusa'', by [[Arnold Böcklin]] (1878)]]
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| − | In [[Greek mythology]], '''Medusa''' (Greek: Μέδουσα, Médousa, "guardian, protectress"<ref>The verb ''medein'' "to protect, rule over," has given the name of another dangerous protectress, [[Medea]].</ref>), was a monstrous [[chthonic]] female character, essentially an extension of an [[apotropaic]] mask, gazing upon whom could turn onlookers to stone. Secondarily, Medusa was tripled into a trio of sisters, the [[Gorgon]]s.
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| − | | |
| − | ==Medusa in classical mythology==
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| − | Some classical references multiply her<ref>"The triple form is not primitive, it is merely an instance of a general tendency... which makes of each woman goddess a trinity, which has given us the [[Horae]], the [[Charites]], the [[Semnai]], and a host of other triple groups. It is immediately obvious that the Gorgons are not really three but one + two. The two unslain sisters are mere appendages due to custom; the real Gorgon is Medusa " (Harrison 1903:187).</ref> into three [[Gorgon]] sisters: Medusa, [[Stheno]], and [[Euryale]], monsters with goggling eyes, sharp protruding fangs and lolling tongues, brass hands, and hair of living, venomous snakes. The Gorgons were children of [[Phorcys]] and [[Ceto]], or sometimes, [[Typhon]] and [[Echidna (mythology)|Echidna]], in each case chthonic monsters from an archaic world. Their genealogy is shared with other sisters, the [[Graiae]], as in [[Aeschylus]]' ''[[Prometheus Unbound]]'', who places both trinities of sisters far off "on [[Kisthene]]'s dreadful plain":
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| − | | |
| − | :"Near them their sisters three, the Gorgons, winged
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| − | :With snakes for hair— hated of mortal man—" [[Image:PerseusSignoriaStatue.jpg|thumb|238px|''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', by [[Benvenuto Cellini]].]]
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| − | | |
| − | While ancient Greek vase-painters and relief carvers imagined Medusa and her sisters as beings born of monstrous form, sculptors and vase-painters of the later fifth century began to envisage her as a being beautiful as well as terrifying. In a late version of the Medusa myth, related by the Roman poet [[Ovid]] (Metamorphoses 4.770), Medusa was originally a beautiful [[nymph]] , but when she had intercourse with [[Poseidon]] in Athena's temple, the goddess transformed her hair to serpents and she made her face so terrible to behold that the mere sight of it would turn a man to stone.
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| − | | |
| − | In all the versions, while Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon, she was beheaded in her sleep by the hero [[Perseus]], who was sent to fetch her head by King [[Polydectes]] of Seriphus. With help from Athena and [[Hermes]], who supplied him with winged sandals, Hades' cap of invisibility, a sickle, and a mirrored shield, he accomplished his quest. The hero slew Medusa by looking at her reflection in the mirror instead of directly at her to prevent being turned into stone. When the hero severed Medusa's head, from her neck two offspring sprang forth: the winged horse [[Pegasus]] and the giant [[Chrysaor]] who later became the hero wielding the golden sword. [[Jane Ellen Harrison]] notes that "her potency only begins when her head is severed, and that potency resides in the head; she is in a word a mask with a body later appended ... the basis of the [[Gorgoneion]] is a [[cult (religion)|cultus object]], a ritual mask misunderstood." (Harrison 1922:187). In ''[[Odyssey]]'' xi, Homer does not specifically mention the Gorgon Medusa,
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| − | :::"lest for my daring Persephone the dread
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| − | :From Hades should send up an awful monster's grizzly head"
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| − | in the translation of Jane Ellen Harrison, who notes "the Gorgon was made out of the terror, not the terror out of the Gorgon (Harrison 1922: 187, note 3).
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| − |
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| − | According to [[Ovid]] Perseus flew past the Titan [[Atlas]] in North-West Africa who stood holding the sky aloft, and transformed him into stone. The story was an [[etiology|aetiological]] myth describing origins of the Atlas Mountains. In a similar manner, the [[coral (precious)|coral]]s of the Red Sea were said to have been formed of Medusa's blood spilled onto [[seaweed]] when Perseus laid down the petrifying head beside the shore. Furthermore the poisonous vipers of the Sahara, in the ''[[Argonautica]]'', were said to have grown from spilt drops of her blood.
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| − | | |
| − | Perseus then flew to his mother's island where she was about to be forced into marriage with the king. He cried out "Mother, shield your eyes," and everyone but his mother was turned into stone by the gaze of Medusa's head.
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| − | | |
| − | Then he gave the Gorgon's head to Athena, who placed it on her shield, the [[Aegis]]. Some say the goddess gave Medusa's magical blood to the physician [[Asclepius]], some of which was a deadly poison and the other had the power to raise the dead.
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| − | <br style="clear: both"/>
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| − | | |
| − | == Medusa in art and legend==
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| − | [[Image:Rubens Medusa.jpeg|thumb|300px|''Tête de Méduse'', by [[Peter Paul Rubens]].]]
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| − | | |
| − | Medusa is a well-known mythological icon throughout the world, having been portrayed in works of art as well as popular media over the ages.
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| − | | |
| − | Examples of Medusa and the Perseus legend in the arts:
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| − | *[[Medusa (Leonardo da Vinci)|''Medusa'']] (oil on canvas) by [[Leonardo da Vinci]];
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| − | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:PerseusSignoriaStatue.jpg ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa''] (bronze sculpture) by [[Benvenuto Cellini]] (1554);
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| − | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Persus-with-the-head-of-med.jpg ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa''] (marble sculpture) by [[Antonio Canova]] (1801);
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| − | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dal%C3%AD.Perseo.JPG ''Perseus''] (bronze sculpture) by [[Salvador Dalí]];
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| − | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Medusa1.jpg ''Medusa''] (oil on canvas) by [[Arnold Böcklin]]
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| − | *[[Medusa (Caravaggio)|''Medusa'']] (oil on canvas) by [[Caravaggio]].
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| − | | |
| − | ==Medusa in popular culture==
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| − | | |
| − | {{spoiler}}
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| − | ===Film===
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| − | *Perseus encounters Medusa in a climactic sequence of the 1981 film ''[[Clash of the Titans]]''. In the film it is said that she had been caught by Aphrodite herself, making love to Poseidon in one of Aphrodite's temples. Medusa was cursed by being turned from beautiful to ugly, with snakes for hair and a snake-like lower body. In addition to turning people to stone with her gaze, this Medusa also used arrows, and unnerved enemies with the rattle on the tip of her tail. Her blood was able to dissolve a metal shield, and drops of it later transformed into fearsome giant scorpions. Medusa's decapitated head also retained its power to turn creatures to stone.
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| − | *The myth was updated and used as the basis of the Hammer horror film ''[[The Gorgon]]'', released in 1964. The character Magaera is clearly based on Medusa.
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| − | *Madame Medusa is the name of the villainess from [[Walt Disney Feature Animation|Disney]]'s popular animated film, ''[[The Rescuers]]'' (1977).
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| − | *The character Celia in the 2001 [[animation|animated feature]] ''[[Monsters, Inc.]]'' is a Medusa/gorgon-like creature who contemplates getting a haircut, panicking her snake-hairs.
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| − | *The switch that turns people to stone in the 1975 film ''[[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]]'' is labelled "Medusa."
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| − | | |
| − | ===Games===
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| − | *Medusas are monsters in the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' [[role-playing game]]s.
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| − | *Medusa appears as a character in numerous computer games, among them ''[[Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars|Heroes of Might and Magic II]]'', ''[[Heroes of Might and Magic III]]'', ''[[Phantasy Star|Phantasy Star I]]'' and the ''[[Castlevania]]'' series. In ''Castlevania'', creatures known as Medusa Heads are extremely common.
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| − | *The Medusa appears as an unique monster in ''[[Nethack]]'' on her own level, complete with a statue of Perseus.
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| − | *In the [[Playstation 2]] game ''[[God of War (video game)|God of War]]'', the player, Kratos, encounters Medusa and fights gorgons as enemies. The gorgons appear as large snakes with female human torsos and a head of snakes as hair. Kratos also uses the head of Medusa as a weapon in turning enemies into stone. Also collecting multiple gorgon eyes throughout the game gives Kratos a larger life meter.
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| − | *[[Medusa (Kid Icarus)|Medusa]] is the main antagonist in the ''[[Kid Icarus (series)|Kid Icarus]]'' series of video games. She is a god in the series.
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| − | *In the video game ''[[Karnov]]'', the player battles a monster, supposedly "Medusa," who appears with a centipede like body, a female torso and head with wiggling snakes as hair.
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| − | *In the game ''[[Age of Mythology]]'', gorgons are snakelike creatures armed as archers who work as your allies, petrified and shooting enemies at range. They can be upgraded from Medusa to Medusa Matriarchs.
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| − | *Medusa is a new "Harbinger" in the ''[[Nightmare (game)|Nightmare/Atmosfear]]'' series. She replaced [[Khufu]] in his version of the DVD Board Game, and it is presumed she will replace all other characters when they host.
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| − | *Medusa is also one of the main enemies in the game ''[[Spartan: Total Warrior]]''. She has been tight up and is able to shoot a vertical beam with a ''[[radius]]'' of -/+ 20 feet which will turn enemy's inside the radius into a temporary stone form.
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| − | *Medusa is a hero in ''[[Defense of the Ancients]]'', a popular [[Warcraft 3#Custom maps|custom map]] for ''[[Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne]]''.
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| − | *Medusas can be found as monsters wandering the Giran Territory in the [[MMORPG]] ''[[Lineage II]]''.
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| − | *Medusa is one of the bosses fought in the video game ''[[Wonder Boy in Monster Land]]'' for the [[Sega Master System]].
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| − | | |
| − | ===Music===
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| − | *"Medusa" is a song by the thrash metal band [[Anthrax (band)|Anthrax]] from their classic 1985 album ''[[Spreading the Disease]]''.
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| − | *''[[Medusa (Annie Lennox album)|Medusa]]'' is the name of the second solo album by [[Annie Lennox]], released in 1995.
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| − | *"Medusa" is a song by the American indie rock band [[Helium (band)|Helium]], from their 1995 album ''[[The Dirt of Luck]]''.
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| − | *"Medusa" is a song by the band [[Sweet (band)|Sweet]] from the European version of their classic 1974 album ''[[Desolation Boulevard]]''.
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| − | *[http://www.myspace.com/medusauk Medusa] is the name of a hard rock band from the UK.
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| − | *"Medusa's Path" is a song by [[The Prodigy]], from their 2004 album ''[[Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned]]''.
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| − | *"(I Used To Make Out With) Medusa" is the name of a song entirely about Medusa by British [[metalcore]] band [[Bring Me the Horizon]], taken from their debut album ''[[Count Your Blessings (Bring Me the Horizon album)|Count Your Blessings]]'' (2006).
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| − | *Medusa features in the title and lyrics of a song by black metal band [[Cradle of Filth]] called "Medusa and Hemlock," on their 2004 album ''[[Nymphetamine]]''.
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| − | *Medusa is referenced in the song "The Eyes of Medusa" by the progressive metal band [[Symphony X]]; it is the sixth track on their third album, ''[[The Divine Wings of Tragedy]]'' (1997).
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| − | *"A Glance From Medusa" is a song by new age artist Bekki Williams from her 1996 album ''[[Elysian Fields]]''.
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| − | | |
| − | ===Television===
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| − | *In the short lived FOX cartoon series ''[[Siegfried and Roy: Masters of the Impossible]]'', one of the monsters that the cartoon Siegfried and Roy faced was the Medusa.
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| − | *One of the monstrous teenagers in the cartoon series ''[[Gravedale High]]'' is a [[valley girl]] version of Medusa, usually referred to as "'Dusa."
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| − | *The heroes come face to face (or rather, eye-to-protective goggles) with [[Mythological creatures of Class of the Titans#Gorgons|Medusa and her Gorgon sisters]] in Episode 1.9: "Sibling Rivalry" of [[Teletoon]]'s ''[[Class of the Titans]]''.
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| − | *In the 1996 episode "Heroes" of ''[[The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest]]'', Jonny's enemy [[Jeremiah Surd]] creates a virtual Greek temple in Questworld, where he transforms himself into Medusa with the ability to turn anyone he sees into stone. Both Race and Jessie Bannon are turned into stone, but Jonny defeats Surd by turning the villain himself into stone with a reflective search device.
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| − | *Comedienne [[Julie Brown]] starred as the title character in her 1992 [[Showtime]] [[television movie]] ''[[Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful]]'', a [[parody]] of celebrity [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] and her backstage [[documentary film|documentary]] ''[[Madonna: Truth or Dare]]''.
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| − | *In the episode "Hercules and the Gorgon" of ''[[Hercules: The Animated Series]]'', Medusa ([[Jennifer Love Hewitt]]) falls in love with [[Hercules_(Disney_character)|Hercules]], and in order to meet him, allies with [[Hades (Disney)|Hades]] to become human.
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| − | | |
| − | ===Miscellaneous===
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| − | *Former [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]] [[Debra Miceli]] used the name "Madusa" while she was in [[World Championship Wrestling]].
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| − | *Medusa is used as one of the many symbols of the haute couture house [[Versace]].
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| − | *The character [[Rider (Fate/stay night)|Rider]] in the [[visual novel]] ''[[Fate/stay night]]'' is really the Gorgon Medusa; in the sequel ''[[Fate/hollow ataraxia]]'', Euryale and Stheno additionally appear in a flashback.
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| − | *In the [[Disneyland]]/[[Disney World]] ride, the [[Haunted Mansion]], there is a morphing painting of a beautiful woman in a temple turning into Medusa.
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| − | *[[Medusa (comics)|Medusa]] is the name of a [[Marvel comics]] fictional character.
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| − | *Medusa is [[Monster in My Pocket]] #26, appearing as a beautiful woman with snaky hair. "Ancient Gorgon" is #60, and has wings, claws and snaky hair.
| |
| − | *"Medusa" is the name of a poem by [[Carol Ann Duffy]].
| |
| − | *"Medusa" is the Greek word for [[Jelly fish]].
| |
| − | *"Medusa" is a roller coaster ride in [[Orlando, FL]].
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| − | *The character Alisa Southerncross in the graphic novel Sgt Frog (aka Keroro Gunso) is moddled after a Gorgon.
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| | | | |
| | ==Notes== | | ==Notes== |
| − |
| |
| − | <div class="references-small">
| |
| | <references /> | | <references /> |
| − | </div>
| |
| | | | |
| | ==References== | | ==References== |
| − | *[[Jane Ellen Harrison]], (1903) 3rd ed. 1922. ''Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion'',: "The Ker as Gorgon" | + | * Elworthy, Frederick T. [http://www.sacred-texts.com/evil/tee/tee00.htm ''The Evil Eye: An Account of this Ancient and Widespread Superstition''] London: J. Murray, 1895. Retrieved December 26, 2022. |
| − | {{1911}} | + | * Hamilton, Edith. ''Mythology''. Boston, MA: Back Bay Books, 1998 (original 1942). ISBN 0316341517 |
| | + | * Harrison, Jane E. ''Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion'', 1922 (original 1903). |
| | + | * Wilk, Stephen R. ''Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon''. Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0195124316 |
| | + | * {{1911}} |
| | | | |
| − | ''Additional material has been added from the 1824 Lempriere's Dictionary.''
| |
| | ==External links== | | ==External links== |
| − | | + | All links retrieved June 26, 2017. |
| − | * [http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Gorgones.html Theoi Project, Medousa & the Gorgones] References to Medusa and her sisters in classical literature and art
| + | * [http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/bogan/medusamyth.htm Medusa in Myth and Literary History] |
| − | * [http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/bogan/medusamyth.htm Medusa in Myth and Literary History] | + | * [http://rg.ancients.info/medusa/ Medusa Coins] Ancient coins depicting Medusa. |
| − | * [http://www.infoplease.com/t/lit/shelley/2/5/18.html ''On the Medusa of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Florentine Gallery''], by [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]] | + | * [http://www.infoplease.com/t/lit/shelley/2/5/18.html ''On the Medusa of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Florentine Gallery''], by Percy Bysshe Shelley. |
| − | * [http://rg.ancients.info/medusa/ Medusa Coins] Ancient coins depicting Medusa
| + | * [http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Gorgones.html Theoi Project, Medousa & the Gorgones] References to Medusa and her sisters in classical literature and art. |
| − | * [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/classes/finALp.html Women in Antiquity] An Essay on Medusa | |
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| | {{Credits|Gorgon|116158409|Medusa|116243996|}} | | {{Credits|Gorgon|116158409|Medusa|116243996|}} |
Baroque Medusa combined beauty and horror:
Medusa, after 1590, by
CaravaggioIn Greek mythology, the Gorgons were three vicious female mythical creatures that lived on an island and possessed the ability to turn a person to stone by looking at them. They possessed both beautiful and hideous traits, the most famous being their head of coiled snakes instead of hair. Of the three, Medusa is perhaps the most famous of the Gorgons, being the only one of the three who was mortal. Also, many references are made to her specifically in literature and movies. She, like many such creatures, met her doom at the hands of a hero aided by the gods.
While the tales of Gorgons were and still are considered fictitious, they continue to have meaning for us today. Their beauty attracted all people to look at them, despite the presence of the snakes in their hair which could readily be seen as an indication of their evil nature. A mere glance by a person at a Gorgon was sufficient to kill a person. In metaphorical resonance, human beings readily succumb to temptation when they act out of selfish desire for immediate gratification while disregarding the guidance and warnings of the conscience, and through such actions they may well "die" in some way.
The most beautiful Gorgon, Medusa, was also mortal, and so could be killed by the one who did not look directly at her. The lesson here could be that victory can be gained by avoiding even the sight of evil.
Etymology
The word Gorgon comes from the Greek word γογύς which roughly translates as "terrible." The Latin form, Gorgonem, is the origin of the English word. From Latin also comes the words Gorgoneion, which means the representation, usually an artwork, of a Gorgon's head; Gogonia, someone that has been petrified by a Gorgon; Gorgonize, the act of petrifying someone; and Gorgonian, which is a resemblance to a Gorgon.[1] The name of the most famous Gorgon, Medusa, comes directly from the Greek Μέδουσα.
Description
Gorgons. Attic black-figure lekythos, ca. 530
B.C.E.Generally, the Gorgons are identified as female, with scaly golden bodies, a human if not hideous face, hair of coiled, live snakes, and the tusks of boars. They also are said to possess wings of gold, but it is not said if they can fly. Beyond their ability to turn anyone into stone by simply looking at them, the snakes on their head were believed to be poisonous and they sometimes were depicted as having sharp claws that could easily rip and tear flesh.
Origins
As with many Greek myths, the legend of the Gorgons cannot readily be traced to an original source. While the roots of many mythological creatures seem to lie in an attempt to understand nature and the world, the Gorgons seem to represent ugliness and fear. The Gorgons' ability to kill their opponents with a look renders nearly all human abilities useless, thus making even the most skilled warriors impotent. In many cultures, snakes are regarded with fear, so it is justifiable that such a dark creature would have them covering her head. Furthering this idea is the body of scales, suggesting a more reptilian connection, but there is just enough humanity mirrored in the face to make the Gorgon recognizable to humans. Thus the Gorgons may represent the ugliest and most demented aspects of humankind.
Stephen Wilk has argued that the myth actually resulted from astronomical phenomena: the variable brightness given off by a star in the Perseus constellation seems to mimic the mythical battle between Medusa and Perseus, in which the hero decapitated the Gorgon. To support his thesis that the myth derived from the constellation (as opposed to the generally accepted reverse scenario) Wilk also noted that a similar myth was common in many different cultures.[2]
As with many other Greek legends, successive generations and authors re-told the stories, and with each re-telling changed the story somewhat.
It was Hesiod (Theogony, Shield of Heracles) who increased the number of Gorgons to three—Stheno (the mighty), Euryale (the far-springer), and Medusa (the queen), and claimed they were the daughters of the sea-god Phorcys and of Keto. Medusa was believed to be the only mortal of the three, and coincidentally she was also the only one to become pregnant.
The Attic tradition, reproduced in Euripides (Ion), regarded the Gorgons as monsters, produced by Gaia to aid her sons, the giants, against the gods, and slain by Athena. According to Ovid (Metamorphoses), Medusa alone had serpents in her hair, and this was due to Athena (Roman Minerva) cursing her. Medusa had copulated with Poseidon (Roman Neptune), who was aroused by the golden color of Medusa's hair, in a temple of Athena. Athena therefore changed the enticing golden locks into serpents.
Perseus and Medusa
Medusa, by Arnold Böcklin (1878).
The most famous legend involving the Gorgons was the story of how Perseus killed Medusa. According to the story, Polydectes secretly planned to kill Perseus and conceived a plan to trick him into obtaining the head of Medusa as a wedding gift, knowing that Perseus would more than likely die trying to complete the task. However, Perseus was aided in his endeavors by the gods Hermes and Athena, who not only guided him to the Gorgons' island, but also equipped him with the tools necessary to slay Medusa. Hermes provided him with a sword strong enough to pierce Medusa's tough scales and Athena presented Perseus with a finely polished, bronze shield, in which he could look at her reflection in the shield as he guided his sword, that way avoiding her deadly stare. While the Gorgons slept, Perseus crept into their lair and decapitated Medusa. From the blood that spurted from her neck sprang Chrysaor and Pegasus (other sources say that each drop of blood became a snake), her two sons by Poseidon.[3]
Perseus and Medusa by Cellini, Loggia dei Lanzi, Firenze.
Instead of presenting the head to Polydectes, Perseus decided to use to his own advantage. He flew to his mother's island where she was about to be forced into marriage with the king, warned his mother to shield her eyes as he withdrew the severed head from the bag in which he had placed it. Everyone present except Perseus and his mother was turned into stone by the gaze of Medusa's head. Knowing that whoever possessed the head had a weapon of cataclysmic potential, Perseus decided to give the Gorgon's head to Athena, who placed it on her shield, the Aegis.
There are other, lesser told stories involving Medusa. Some say the goddess gave Medusa's magical blood to the physician Asclepius—some of which was a deadly poison and the other had the power to raise the dead—but that the power was too much for one man to possess and ultimately brought about his demise.
Heracles is said to have obtained a lock of Medusa’s hair (which possessed the same powers as the head) from Athena and given it to Sterope, the daughter of Cepheus, as a protection for the town of Tegea against attack.
Gorgons in art
Archaic fanged goggle-eyed gorgoneion flanked by
sphinxes on a
hydria from Vulci, 540-530
B.C.E.Since ancient times, Medusa and the Gorgons have often been depicted in artworks. In Ancient Greece a Gorgoneion (or stone head, engraving or drawing of a Gorgon face, often with snakes protruding wildly and tongue sticking out between the fangs) was frequently used as an Apotropaic symbol and placed on doors, walls, coins, shields, breastplates, and tombstones in the hopes of warding off evil. In this regard Gorgoneia are similar to the sometimes grotesque faces on Chinese soldiers’ shields, also used generally as an amulet, a protection against the evil eye.
In some cruder representations, the blood flowing under the head can be mistaken for a beard.[4] On shields, pots, and even in large carvings and statues, the epic defeat of Medusa by Perseus has been depicted, usually in celebration of Perseus' triumph over the Gorgons.
Medusa is a well-known mythological icon throughout the world, having been portrayed in works of art as well as popular media over the ages. Leonardo da Vinci, Benvenuto Cellini, Antonio Canova, Salvador Dalí, and Arnold Böcklin are a few of the more famous painters who have depicted Medusa, often in battle with Perseus, over the years.
Gorgons in modern culture
Like cyclops, harpies, and other beasts of Greek mythology, Gorgons have been popularized in modern times by the fantasy genre such as in books, comics, role-playing games, and video games. Although not as well known as dragons or unicorns, most popular lore concerning Gorgons derives from Medusa and the Perseus legend.
Images of Gorgons and Medusa are commonly mistaken to be the same. According to most of the original Greek myths, Medusa was the only one of the Gorgon sisters to be beautiful; the others being hideous beasts. Over time, however, and possibly even in their original day, Medusa too came to be seen as an evil monster.
Notes
- ↑ The Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford Press, 1971). ISBN 019861117X)
- ↑ Stephen Wilk. Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon (Oxford University Press, 2000).
- ↑ Edith Hamilton. Mythology (1942).
- ↑ Frederick Thomas Elworthy. "Chapter V: The Gorgoneion" (1895). Retrieved August 11, 2007.
References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Elworthy, Frederick T. The Evil Eye: An Account of this Ancient and Widespread Superstition London: J. Murray, 1895. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston, MA: Back Bay Books, 1998 (original 1942). ISBN 0316341517
- Harrison, Jane E. Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion, 1922 (original 1903).
- Wilk, Stephen R. Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon. Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0195124316
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
External links
All links retrieved June 26, 2017.
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