How to Make a Medusa Costume (with Pictures) - wikiHow The Outfit 1 Wear a Grecian-style dress. For the simplest approach, buy a Greek goddess costume from the store or wear a Greek-inspired white dress. A Grecian-style dress is traditionally very long, straight and column-like, but it is made from fabric that drapes well and appears very “flowy”. The dress may come over both shoulders or over one shoulder, and it may or may not have sleeves. It usually has some sort of band across the waist. For a more modern, attractive twist, opt for a one-shoulder dress made of draping, flowing fabric that stops just above the knee. [4] 2 Create a no-sew "peplos" dress. [5] A peplos gown is a type of ancient Greek gown that was long and worn only by women. Fold a white sheet or large piece of material in half. The width should be a little less than twice the length of your arm span, and the length of the material should be equal to your height plus 18 inches (46 cm). Fold it in half so that it reaches from elbow to elbow.

Fold the top 18 inches (46 cm) over. Wrap the fabric around you. The folded portion should be just below your arms, and one side should be open. Fasten the fabric at your shoulders. Bring up enough of the fabric on both sides so that it overlaps on each shoulder. Hold it in place by knotting it or by fastening it with decorative brooches or safety pins. Fasten together the open side. Bring the material together so that it overlaps, and hold it in place with safety pins or by knotting it in several places along the side. If desired, you could also tack it in place with a needle and thread. Tie a belt around your waist. You can either use a white sash or a decorative gold metal belt. Pull extra material up so that it hangs gently and loosely over the belt. 3 Sew an easy "chiton" dress. The ancient Greek chiton was worn by men and women, and it could be short or long. Use white material, like a sheet, that is twice the length of your arm span and equal to your height. For a shorter chiton, use material that is a little shorter than your height. Fold the material in half.

Fold the width of the material in half so that it extends from fingertip to fingertip. Do not alter the height. Sew along the open seam at your side. Turn the fabric inside-out and use a straight stitch or backstitch to create a sturdy seam along the open side of the garment. Then turn the fabric right-side-out again. Slip it on and secure the open top. While the top is still open, the garment should fall just below your arms. Leave enough of a gap for your arms and head to fit through, but join the rest of the top edge together with brooches, safety pins, or knots. You could also tack the top edge together with a needle and thread at various points. The points at which the top edge come together should be connected to each other by draping arches of fabric, revealing the skin of your shoulders and arms in between each spot. Do not overlap the fabric into a single straight, solid line over your arms. Tie a belt around your waist. Use a white sash or gold metal belt. Pull a little extra material over the belt so that it hangs over slightly. Part 4 The Make-Up and Accessories 1 Highlight your eyes and lips.

You can use heavy make-up for this outfit, covering your entire face with thick coats of gray and green greasepaint. Apply large black circles around your eyes, insert yellow fright-contact lenses, and stage blood to your mouth. Keep in mind that Medusa should be as beautiful as she is horrifying. Apply make-up so that it looks freaky, scary, and very morbid. Use green foundation, As one who lived in relative darkness, Medusa would not have had bronze skin or rosy cheeks. Instead, she would have been fairly pale, with cracked skin that is peeling from her face. Draw attention to your eyes by applying more heavy black eyeliner and black mascara. You can use dark eyeshadow to make your eyes look gaunt, or you could use a bolder metallic shade of green or purple for something a little more subdued and crazy. Use either black lipstick or red lipstick. Go for black lipstick if you want something spooky. To emphasize the more alluring aspect of Medusa, use bright red or deep red lipstick. Apply tooth black out to make your teeth look authentic and decayed. 2 Add horrifying scales.

Use facial paint to draw small scales around the top of your forehead, the edges of your face, and along the sides of your hands and feet. You could also use black or green eyeliner to draw the scales, or for 3D effect, cut scales from colored construction paper, and apply with water and flour mixture, or cellophane tape. Note that this is strictly optional. Even without the use of scales, you should still clearly resemble Medusa. 3 Carry around other snakes. You could wear a large rubber snake around your shoulders or waist, or weave a smaller one around your fingers. Hold a rubber snake in each hand, or glue using skin-adhesive squares. If wrapping a large snake around you, make it large enough so that it coils around you without needing to be held in place. 4 Opt for simple footwear. Flat, gold or beige sandals work best. Paint all exposed skin with green tempera paint (non-toxic). 5 Use a lot of jewelry. Antique-looking earrings, bracelets, or brooches can be worn, but don't worry about getting too fancy or too gaudy because the Medusa was a hedonistic demon. Community Q&A How do I get rubber snakes?

wikiHow Contributor During the Halloween season you can often find them anywhere costumes are sold, grocery or dollar stores, specialty Halloween stores, etc. If not, you can order them online. Amazon has them. Medusa in Myth and Literary History Medusa in Myth and Literary History In Greek Myth M edusa, one of the three Gorgons, daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. She was the only one of the Gorgons who was subject to mortality. She is celebrated for her personal charms and the beauty of her locks. Neptune became enamoured of her, and obtained her favours in the temple of Minerva. This violation of the sanctity of the temple provoked Minerva, and she changed the beautiful locks of Medusa, which had inspired Neptunes love to serpents. According to Apollodorus, Medusa and her sisters came into the world with snakes on their heads, instead of hair, with yellow wings and brazen hands. Their bodies were also covered with impenetrable scales, and their very looks had the power of killing or turning to stones. Perseus rendered his name immortal by his conquest of Medusa.

He cut off her head, and the blood that dropped from the wound produced the innumerable serpents that infest Africa. The conqueror placed Medusa's head on the shield of Minerva, which he had used in his expedition. The head still retained the same petrifying power as before, as it was fatally known in the court of Cepheus. . . . Some suppose that the Gorgons were a nation of women, whom Perseus conquered. From Lempri�res Classical Dictionary of Proper names mentioned in Ancient Authors Writ Large. Ed. J. Lempri�re and F.A. Wright. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Camille Dumouli� Medusa's head, an apparently simple motif linked to the myth of Perseus, was freed through being severed and cut loose from its 'moorings' by the hero in the remote depths of the world. There is something paradoxical about the story since the monster was all the more indestructible because it had been killed.

Indeed, the figure of Medusa is characterized by paradox, both in terms of the actual mythical stare, which turned men to stone, and in the interpretations that have been given to it. The fascination that she exerts arises from a combination of beauty and horror. Her head was used, in Ancient times, as an apotropaic mask -- a sort of talisman which both killed and redeemed. As well as being the very symbol of ambiguity, Medusa's head is also one of the most archaic mythical figures, perhaps an echo of the demon Humbaba who was decapitated by Gilgamesh. Everything implies that it is a 'representation' of the most meaningful aspect of the sacred. Insofar as it is the role of literature to assume responsibility for the sacred, each era, when confronted with the mystery of the 'origins', has re-examined Medusa's head with its mesmerizing stare as something which conceals the secret of the sacred. THE OTHER AND THE MONSTER If ambiguity is the hallmark of the sacred, the role of myths, as Ren� Gerard purports in his La Violence et le Sacr� (1972) is to generate differences and contrasts, to distinguish between the two faces of the sacred.

Therefore, from the viewpoint of the oldest texts which are true to the spirit of the myth, Medusa is a representation of the Other by virtue of her absolute and terrifying difference. At first sight, her monstrous ugliness and her petrifying stare certainly bear this out. In La Mort dans les Yeux (1985), Vernant demonstrates that, for the Greeks, Medusa represented the face of the warrior possessed by battle frenzy. In The Shield of Heracles (232-3), Hesiod describes the wide-open mouth, the fearsome hair and the Gorgons' shrill cries which conjure up her terrifying aspect. Thus Medusa's mask frequently appears within the context of a battle. It is present in the Iliad on the shields of Athena (V, 738) and Agamemnon (XI, 36), and also during the Renaissance, e.g. on Bellona's helmet described by Ronsard in the 'Ode � Michel de l'Hospital' (Premier Livre des Odes, 1560). The Gorgon also represents what cannot be represented, i.e.

death, which it is impossible to see or to look at, like Hades itself. In Hesiod's Theogony (275 et seq.) and in the Odyssey (XI, 633-5), Medusa is the guardian of terrifying places, either the nocturnal borders of the world or the Underworld. She reappears in this role in Dante's Divine Comedy (Inferno, IX, 55-7) and Milton's Paradise Lost (II, 611). Guarding the doorway to the world of the dead, she prevents the living from entering. In Christian symbolism, Medusa represents the dreaded enemy and death, and thus becomes an embodiment of the Devil. She appears in this guise in a passage in the Book of Arthur which belongs to the cycle of the Holy Grail (Vulgate version of Arthurian romances, Vol. VII, Washington, 1913). In fact, this is a female monster, the 'Ugly Semblance', who lives at the bottom of a river. She does not exercise her powers by turning people to stone, but by causing the waters to swallow them up.

Similarly, a play by Calder�n, which tells of the adventures of Andromeda and Perseus (Fortunas de Andromeda y Perseo), has the hero, a new incarnation of the Saviour, defeating Medusa who is the personification of Death and Sin. At first glance, therefore, Medusa's head is very much a representation of the terrifying Other, of absolute negativity. She continues to fulfil this function in the twentieth-century trilogy by the Greek writer Pandelis Prevelakis, The Ways of Creation, which comprises The Sun of Death (Athens, 1959; Paris, 1965), The Head of the Medusa (Athens, 1963) and The Bread of the Angels (Athens, 1966). In the trilogy, the Gorgon represents both 'Nietzschian nihilism' and the foreign ideologies which threaten Hellenism. The hero sets out to free Greece once again from the monster, but he fails and realizes that there is no longer a single piece of untaited land in his country.

Everything points to the fact that the malady specific to modern Greece, and the country's inability to accommodate, change, have provoked this monstrous 'representation' of the Other. Medusa's head does indeed seem to be a mask which serves to justify her absolute and evil strangeness. The fact that Medusa is a mask and that this mask hides a more human face, is borne out by the way in which her portrayal is developed from the pre-Classical era to the Hellenistic period. There is a dual transformation i.e. the disappearance of both facial quality and ugliness (see Images de la Gorgone, Biblioth�que Nationale, 1985). Beneath the mask lies what could be called Medusa's 'tragic beauty'. THE MIRROR AND THE MASK Many elements of the myth suggest, through its basic ambiguity, the tragic nature of Medusa. One of the most revealing of these is the gift from Athena to Asclepius of two drops of the Gorgon's blood, one of which has the power to cure and even resurrect, while the other is a deadly poison.

Medusa's blood is therefore the epitome of the 'pharmakon', while she herself -- as is shown by the apotropaic function of her mask -- is a 'pharmakos'. As has been demonstrated by Ren� Girard, the 'pharmakos' is the scapegoat whose sacrifice establishes the dual nature of the sacred and reinforces the separation of the monster and the god. However, it is for literature and the arts to reveal the close relationship between opposites and the 'innocence' of the victim. In this respect, the myth of Medusa is revealing. In his study The Mirror of Medusa (1983), Tobin Siebers has identified the importance of two elements, i.e. the rivalry between Athena and the Gorgon, and the mirror motif. According to Ovid (Metamorphoses, IV. 779ff), the reason for the dispute lay in Poseidon's rape of Medusa inside the temple of the virgin goddess. The goddess is supposed to have punished Medusa by transforming her face, which therefore made Medusa an innocent victim for the second time.

However, another tradition, used by Mallarm� in Les Dieux antiques (1880), stressed a more personal rivalry: Medusa had boasted that she was more beautiful than Athena. Everything points to the face that the goddess found it necessary to set herself apart from her negative double in order to assert her 'own' identity. Common features are numerous. For example, snakes are the attribute of Athena, as illustrated by the famous statue of Phidias and indicated by certain Orphic poems which refer to her as 'la Serpentine'. Moreover, the hypnotic stare is one of the features of the goddess 'with blue-green eyes', whose bird is the owl, depicted with an unblinking gaze. Finally, because she has affixed Medusa's head to her shield, in battle or in anger she assumes the terrifying appearance of the monster. Thus, in the Aeneid (11, 171), she expresses her wrath by making flames shoot forth from her eyes. These observations are intended to show that Athena and Medusa are the two indissociable aspects of the same sacred power.

A similar claim could be made in respect of Perseus, who retains traces of his association with his monstrous double, Medusa. Using her decapitated head to turn his enemies to stone, he spreads death around him. And when he flies over Africa with his trophy in a bag, through some sort of negligence, drops of blood fall to earth and are changed into poisonous snakes which reduce Medusa's lethal power (Ovid, op. cit., IV. 618). Two famous paintings illustrate this close connection between the hero and the monster. Cellini's Perseus resembles the head he is holding in his hand (as demonstrated by Siebers) and Paul Klee's Lesprit a combattu le mal (1904) portrays a complete reversal of roles -- Perseus is painted full face with a terrible countenance, while Medusa turns aside. In this interplay of doubles, the theme of reflection is fundamental. It explains the process of victimization to which Medusa was subjected, and which falls within the province of the superstition of the 'evil eye'.

The way to respond to the 'evil eye' is either to use a third eye -- the one that Perseus threw at the Graiae - or to deflect the evil spell by using a mirror. Ovid, in particular, stressed the significance of the shield in which Perseus was able to see the Gorgon without being turned to stone, and which was given to him by Athena. Everything indicates that the mirror was the real weapon. It was interpreted thus by Calder�n and Prevelakis, and also by Roger Caillois in M�duse et Cie (1960). Ovid was responsible for establishing the link with Narcissus, a myth that he made famous. It seems that the same process of victimization is at work here. The individual is considered to have been the victim of his own reflection, which absolves the victimizer (Perseus, the group) from all blame.

This association of the two myths (and also the intention of apportioning blame) appears in a passage in Desportes' Amours dHyppolite (1573) where the poet tells his lady that she is in danger of seeing herself changed 'into some hard rock' by her 'Medusa's eye'. Even more revealing is Gautier's story Jettatura (1857) in which the hero, accused of having the 'evil eye', eventually believes it to be true and watches the monstrous transformation of his face in the mirror: 'Imagine Medusa looking at her horrible, hypnotic face in the lurid reflection of the bronze shield.' Medusa's head is both a mirror and a mask. It is the mirror of collective violence which leaves the Devil's mark on the individual, as well as being the image of death for those who look at it. Both these themes -- violence rendered sacred and death by petrifaction -- are found in Das Corgonenhaupt (Berlin, 1972), a work by Walter Kr�ger about the nuclear threat. However, when considered in terms of archetypal structures, Medusa's mask still retains its secret.

What is the reason for the viperine hair, the wide-open mouth with the lolling tongue, and, in particular, why is Medusa female? What relationship is there between violence, holy terror and woman? THE DISCONCERTING STRANGENESS OF THE FEMININE Robert Graves (Greek Myths, 1958) believes that the myth of Perseus preserves the memory of the conflicts which occurred between men and women in the transition from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society. In fact the function of the Gorgon's mask was to keep men at a safe distance from the sacred ceremonies and mysteries reserved for women, i.e. those which celebrated the Triple Goddess, the Moon. Graves reminds us that the Orphic poems referred to the full moon as the 'Gorgon's head'. The mask was also worn by young maidens to ward off male lust. The episode of Perseus' victory over Medusa represents the end of female ascendancy and the taking over of the temples by men, who had become the masters of the divine which Medusa's head had concealed from them. Although it may have become less intense, the battle of the sexes was not resolved.

The feminine continued to remain a source of fear for men, and the association of women with Medusa, evoked an aspect of the sex which was both fascinating and dangerous. Medusa often appeared in Renaissance poetry, e.g. Ronsard's Second Livre des Amours (S. 79, 1555), but the stare which turned men to stone was often only a conventional metaphor for the lover's 'coup de foudre'. The comparison took on a deeper meaning during the nineteenth century. Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal (1857) and 'decadent' literature such as Lorrain's M. de Phocas (1901), provide illustrations of the dangerous fascination exerted by woman, with her deadly stare and mysterious hair. But it was Goethe's Faust Part I (1808) which supplied the real significance of this connection. During the 'Walpurgis night, Faust thinks he sees Margarita but Mephistopheles warns him that it is Medusa and explains that 'magic deludes every man into believing that he has found his beloved in her'.

This terrible woman, the paragon of all women, whom every man simultaneously fears and seeks and for whom Medusa is the mask, is in fact the mother, i.e. the great Goddess Mother whose rites were concealed by the Gorgon's face. Countless texts illustrate Medusa's affinity with the depths of the sea and the terrible power of nature, e.g. Hugo's Les Travailleurs de la Mer (1864), Lautr�mont's Chants de Maldoror (1869) and Pierre Lou�s' Aphrodite (1896), but the most explicit example is probably the text written by Freud in 1922: Das Medusenhaupt -- 'Medusa's Head'. He presents her as the supreme talisman who provides the image of castration -- associated in the child's mind with the discovery of maternal sexuality -- and its denial. The snakes are multiple phalluses and petrifaction represents the comforting erection. From this point onwards, the myth of Perseus takes on a new psychological meaning.

It tells of the exploit of the hero who, because he has conquered castrating' woman and armed himself with the talisman of Medusa's head (seen here in its comforting, phallic role), is able to conquer Andromeda, the terrifying virgin, and kill the sea monster which represents the evil aspect of woman. This motif is also found in the Christian legend of St George (Jacques de Voragine, La L�gende dor�e, (1264) as well as in the anthropological legends concerning the fear of the 'dentate vagina'. A 'sacred' man must perform the first sexual act with a woman. Two texts illustrate this aspect of the myth. One is, the Book of Arthur (op. cit). in the passage devoted to the 'Ugly Semblance'. The monster occupies the lands of a maiden who not only asks the king for the assistance of a knight but also for a husband whom she describes as though he had always been intended for her. The task that he performs seems to have been the necessary requirement for his union with the Virgin.

The story stresses the association of the monster with the element of water and, in particular, with the sea into which it has to be driven back. The second text is a short story by D�blin, Der Ritter Blaubart -- the 'Knight with the Blue Beard' (1911). Because the hero has had mysterious and intimate relations with a primitive monster -- a giant medusa -- he is forced to either kill all the women he loves or allow them to be killed. However, one of them, because of her purity, confronts the monster in the secret chamber where it lurks. In this last example, the character seems to have been unable to free himself from the maternal influence and fear of the feminine. Finally, this association of Medusa with castrating woman is very evident in a passage in Ch�ne et Chien (1952) by Queneau: 'Severed head, evil woman/ Medusa with her lolling tongue/So it was you who would have castrated me?' However, the myth reveals -- and this seems to be obscured by the Freudian interpretation -- that woman's 'castration' is a result of the violence imposed on her by the original hero.

Woman only appears in the story divided by separative decapitation, casting off the feminine in the remote depths of the world. Cast down, the feminine remains unrecognized within its innermost recess and it is this 'abject' void which maintains the theatre of the world and the logic of the talisman. In this theatre, woman occupies the two opposite extremes of evil (castration, sorcery) and their cure (the phallus, the Virgin), i.e. of the abyss and the Ideal. That is why, despite her terrifying power, she is fascinating. 'Fascinum' means 'charm' and 'evil spell', but also 'virile member'. Between the 'emptiness' and the Idol represented by the division of woman, yawns the gulf of male Desire. This persistent ambiguity can be found in the classification of the creature called the medusa. It owes its name to its resemblance to Medusa's head (Apollinaire, Bestiaire, 1920), but is included in the Acephelan category. Medusa keeps her secret behind the ambiguous mask. Although she is 'representable', she is never 'presentable' and even Perseus only sees her reflected in his shield.

She is the hidden presence, absent from the world, which enables the scene to be played out. In his 'heroic comedy' Le Naufrage de M�duse (1986), Ristat shows Perseus searching for the Gorgons and meeting Hermes, the 'Guardian of Resemblances', who proves to the terrified hero that 'Medusa herself is only a shadow'. However, the hero remains trapped in the interplay of images and the logic of the talisman, just as he remains fascinated by the Gorgon mask. Thus Medusa's head becomes, for the man who takes possession of it after severing it from the terrifying woman, and in accordance with the principle of the 'pharmakon', the complete opposite, i.e. the 'skeptron' -- the sun. O MEDUSA, O SUN' In the same way that there is a hidden similarity between Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, and Medusa, a similarity also exists between the sun, symbol of the Ideal and the Gorgon's mask. Although they are both objects of desire, Athena and the sun are unapproachable and terrifying for those who come too close.

This danger is illustrated by the Platonic myth of Phaedrus (247-8e) in which the downfall of souls is brought about by an overpowering desire to see the sun. Certain structural elements from the myth of Medusa also reappear in the myth of the Cave (The Republic, 514-7a), i.e. fascination, averted eyes, violence inflicted on the philosopher, etc. In his poem (op. cit.), Queneau maintains that the sun, like the Gorgon, is fearsome and castrating: 'The sun: O monster, O Gorgon, O Medusa/O sun'. In this way, Medusa herself can become an incarnation of the Ideal, i.e. of Virtue (Du Bellay, Epithalame, 1559), of Beauty (Baudelaire, op. cit., 'La Beaut�') and of Truth (Kosmas Politis, Eroica, Athens, 1938).

Surely the sun itself is the severed head that, like the head of St John the Baptist, only soars in the zenith: 'In triumphant flights/from that scythe' (Mallarm�, H�rodiade, 'Cantique de saint Jean', 1913). Whoever seeks Athena, finds Medusa's head. Whoever approaches too close to the sun discovers its castrating and castrated monstrousness (Bataille, LAnus Solaire, 1931). Although Nietzsche had embarked upon the destruction of all idols, he too, in this way, recognized the desire for death inherent in the desire for truth at any cost. The philosopher who wants to examine all things 'in depth', discovers the petrifying abyss. The destiny of the man whom Nietzsche refers to as 'the Don Juan of knowledge' will be paralyzed as if by Medusa, and will himself be 'changed into a guest of stone' (Morgenr�te i.e. the Dawn of Day, 327, 1881).

This is also the destiny of the 'lover of truth' who, in the Dionysos Dithyramben (1888) appears to be 'changed into a statue/into a sacred column'. Nietzsche, who was aware of the necessity 'for the philosopher' to live within the 'closed circuit of representation' (Derrida), to seek the truth even if he no longer believes in it, without ever being able to attain it, devised his own version of the 'truth', his Medusa's head, the Eternal Return: 'Great thought is like Medusa's head: all the world's features harden, a deadly, ice-cold battle' (Posthumous Fragments, Winter 1884-5). All thinkers who reflect upon the nature of representation, as well as on thought which pursues the 'eidos' are in danger of confronting Medusa's head. Thus, Aristotle, in The Politics (VIII) differentiates between instructive and cathartic music which is associated with Bacchic trances, whose instrument is the flute and which should be avoided. To prove his point, he refers to the myth of Athena.

When she played the flute, her face became so distorted that she abandoned the instrument. It was in fact she who had invented the flute to imitate an unknown sound, virtually unrepresentable, i.e. the hissing of the snakes on Medusa's head as she was decapitated (Pindar, The Pythian Odes, XII, 2-3). As she played, she noticed in a spring that her features were becoming distorted and assuming the appearance of the Gorgon's mask. This once more introduces the Narcissistic theme and the blurring of the difference between Athena and her rival, which here arises from tragic art. Therefore, in terms of philosophy, art should remain in the service of the 'eidos' by continuing to represent the image that arouses desire for the Object. But it is also condemned if it presents the object in such an obvious manner that the remoteness of desire degenerates into dangerous enjoyment. This partly explains Tourniers condemnation of image and photography in La Goutte d'Or (1985).

He explicitly links their power to Medusa's petrifying fascination and contrasts them with the art of writing which is the art of education and the route to wisdom 'par excellence'. It would seem that the fear experienced at the sight of Medusa's head is the terror of discovering the secret behind the representation of the image. From Companion to Literary Myths, Heroes, and Archetypes. Ed. Pierre Brunel. Routledge, 1996. Copyright � 1996 by Routledge. Visual Representations of Medusa Medusa Greek Mythology Medusa Greek Mythology By Martha Leonard The stories of Medusa are often contradictory. Was she a victim or a villain? Was she always ugly or once beautiful? How did someone with the body of a dragon and a head of snakes become known as thy "guardian or protectress"? Just what was her role in the early Greek myths? The name Medusa first appears in early religious history, when goddesses represented birth and earth. It was a time before the advent of male gods. There are references to a Medusa among the Libyan Amazons. She was known then as the "serpent goddess".

Those who study Greek mythology believe the goddess was transplanted into the Greek tales at a later date. All tales seem to agree that she was a gorgon - a terrible monster. Some stories say she was born that way, the only mortal of three gorgon sisters born to Echidne, a half-woman, half-snake and Typhon, the worst monster in the world. Another story states she was a beautiful woman born to two earth people named Phorcys and Ceto. The story of Medusa as a world renowned beauty says she offended Athena, the beautiful goddess. One myth says Medusa lived in the far north and had never seen the sun. She asked permission of Athena to come south. When Athena denied her request, she angrily accused Athena of being jealous of her (Medusa's) beauty. Enraged, Athena not only removed her beauty, but even worse, made her so ugly people, especially men, turned to stone just looking at her. A different story also reports Medusa's beauty was so stunning that many men courted her, but she became a priestess in Athena's temple. Her golden hair and her beauty attracted the lustful eyes of the sea god, Poseidon.

They coupled in Athena's temple, a terrible violation of a sacred place. Stories differ as to whether he raped Medusa or she enticed him first. Either way, she got pregnant. When Athena learned what had happened she flew into a rage and cursed Medusa with snakes for hair, a body of a dragon and a face that turned those who looked at her to stone. Eventually, a Greek hero named Perseus promised to kill her. He borrowed (some stories say he stole) Hermes' winged sandals and Hades' cap of invisibility. He carried a powerful scythe and a mirrored shield. His speed and invisibility allowed him to get close to her. He used the mirror to "see" her without becoming a stone and beheaded her. Again, different versions tell that Athena assisted him. It turned out that the head continued, at least for awhile, to turn others to stone. Perseus used it to kill some of his enemies including King Polydectes who was forcing Persephus' mother to marry him. The story continues that when her head left her neck, her offspring sprang full grown from her blood.

They were the winged horse Pegasus (Poseidon was a great horse lover) and a giant warrior named Chrysaor. As Perseus transported the head, blood dripped onto the Sahara Desert and created poisonous serpents. When he laid the head down near the sea, the blood seeped onto the seaweed and created red coral. Afterward this water was known as the "Red Sea". It is also interesting to note that some species of coral are called medusa today. The eventual disposition of the head varies from tale to tale. Some say that Athena used it on her shield, the Aegis, for a while, and then gave it away. Others say Persephus buried it in the marketplace of Argos. Images of Medusa were found in the temples of Artemis, who also sometimes wore a Medusa mask at some rites. Her image was also found on doors, flags and in cups. It was used to scare evil spirits away. There are lessons to be learned from Medusa's stories. One is that beauty can either be a gift or a curse, depending on how a beautiful woman behaves. Her beauty certainly got Medusa into trouble.

The second lesson is that Medusa had more power as a gorgon than she did as a woman. This is how she became known as a guardian or protectress, especially for virgins. The curse of being able to turn men into stone proved to be a warning to all men who would force their unwanted attention on women. Finally, she continued to have power even after her death. Her head continued to kill and her blood spawned her children as well as snakes and coral. That power has continued even to modern times. Several books on women's rights and liberation have used Medusa's story along with her head as a symbol of rage. Perhaps every woman has a little of Medusa in her both as beauty and rage. Who is Medusa? (with pictures) Who is Medusa? Last Modified Date: 13 January 2017 Copyright Protected: 10 hilariously insightful foreign words Medusa is a well-known figure in Greek mythology who is perhaps most famous for her ability to turn men to stone and her hair made from snakes, which are often described as hissing entities with their own minds, rather than simple hair ornaments.

As one might imagine, many people view her as a monster, and she was not the sort of creature one wanted to encounter, for obvious reasons. The Greek hero Perseus ultimately defeated Medusa by cutting off her head, using her reflection as a guide for his sword. The myth has evolved greatly over the centuries. It is generally agreed that her parents were Phorcys and Ceto, and she had two sisters; the three sisters were collectively known as the Gorgons. Medusa, however, did not start out hideous. She was allegedly quite beautiful, and in many myths, she is described as a fresh-faced fair maiden, until she was violated by Poseidon in a temple of Athena . Athena was so angered by this that she punished Medusa by turning her into a horrifying monster, with hair made from snakes and the ability to turn onlookers into stone. Her name, incidentally, translates as “one who rules over,” or “protectress.” Her face often appears on talismans that are meant to protect people from evil by turning the evil away; such talismans are known as apotropes.

Ad Various versions of her history state that she was pregnant when killed by Perseus, and perhaps even asleep. In any case, Perseus had help; Hermes and Athena helped him figure out how to kill the infamous Gorgon , and as a payment, Perseus brought her head to Athena, who used it as an ornament on her shield. In some stories, Medusa's blood served as the seed of Pegasus , the winged horse god of Greek mythology . Her blood also apparently gave birth to all of the venomous snakes in Africa, and in some tales, it was transformed into a powerful medicine with the ability to wake the dead. She lives on, however, as an image of terrible womanhood, and in some parts of the West, angry women are described as Gorgons or Medusas. Ad Medusa - Ancient History Encyclopedia Medusa by Brittany Garcia published on 20 August 2013 Medusa was one of three sisters born to Phorcys and Ceto known as the Gorgons. According to Hesiod 's 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's birth, there is little mention of the Gorgons as a group, but Medusa has several myths about her life and death. The most famous of these myths concern her death and demise. In Hesiod's Theogony, he recounts how Perseus cut off the head of Medusa and from her blood sprang Chrysaor and Pegasus , Chrysaor being a golden giant and Pegasus the famous white winged-horse. Advertisement 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 form of a golden spring. It was foretold to Danae's father, Acrisius the King of Argos , that Danae's son would kill him.

So Acrisius locked his daughter away in a bronze chamber, but Zeus transformed into a shower of gold and impregnated her anyway. Acrisius, not wanting to provoke Zeus, hurled his daughter 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, but it was Dictys' brother Polydectes, the king, who would send him on a life threatening quest. Polydectes fell in love with Perseus' mother and wished to marry her but 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 marriage of Hippodamia, who tamed horses. He requested that his guests bring horses for their gifts but Perseus did not have one. When Perseus confessed that he had no gift, he offered any gift the king would name.

Polydectes seized his opportunity to disgrace and even get rid of Perseus and asked for the head of the only mortal Gorgon: Medusa. Medusa was a formidable foe, since her hideous appearance was able to render any onlooker into stone. Medusa was a formidable foe, since her hideous appearance was able to render any onlooker into stone. In some variations of the myth, Medusa was born a monster like her sisters, described as 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 punishment from Athena . Accordingly, Ovid relates that the once beautiful mortal was punished by Athena with a hideous appearance and loathsome snakes for hair for having been raped in Athena's temple by Poseidon . Remove Ads Advertisement Perseus, with the aid of divine gifts, found the Gorgons' cave and slayed Medusa by beheading her.

Most authors assert that Perseus was able to behead Medusa with a reflective 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 . Perseus now flew (either by Pegasus or winged sandals) with Medusa's head safely bagged, ever potent with its stony gaze. Perseus, on his journey home, stopped at Ethiopia where the kingdom of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia was being tormented by Poseidon's sea monster, Cetus.

Poseidon's 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 break out, resulting in Perseus using Medusa's head to turn her previous betrothed to stone. Before his return to his home of Seriphos, Perseus met the titan Altas, who he turned to stone with Medusa's head after some quarrelsome words, thus creating the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. Also during the journey home, Medusa's head spilled some blood on the earth which formed into Libyan vipers that killed the Argonaut Mospos. Medusa Hair | Martha Stewart Rubber snakes steps Buy three hair extensions and braid them. If you have long hair, separate it into ponytails and braid them, too. For short hair, just pin up ends. Wrap braids (real and extensions) into a bun; pin, and weave in small snakes.

Use bobby pins to secure larger snakes that dangle: Thread a needle with wire and poke it through a snake's underside, and tie wire around a pin; slide pin into hair. Reviews Versace Medusa Head Logo Newsletter Headlines Story of the Versace Medusa Head Logo Gianni Versace Gianni Versace was a fashion rock star. The degree to which fashion and pop culture have become synonymous is due in great part to his work: he was a true innovator who masterfully spun fashion into a form of artistic performance, glamorous and theatrical, sexy and celebrity driven. Versace’s superstar image, however, wasn’t guided solely by a taste for unconventionality. He was indeed a master designer, fueled by fearless passion for his craft and an appreciation of classical art and architecture, which he used to redefine the fashion world. Greek Influence Hellenic heritage and mythology were among Gianni Versace’s muses. He was born, after all, in Reggio di Calabria in Southern Italy, part of the region once known as Magna Graeca or Great Greece.

The Greeks colonized Magna Graeca many centuries ago, and in doing so left an indelible imprint of Greek culture and tradition, much of which endures to this day. Those early years in Reggio di Calabria may be where Versace first became aware of the Medusa head: it is featured on the flag of neighboring Sicily in a silhouette that bears semblance to Versace’s own portrayal of the mythical character. But it was the deeper symbolism of Medusa that compelled Versace to adopt the figure as the central image of the Versace logo. Sicilian Flag Click to Enlarge Image Who Was Medusa? Medusa was one of the three Gorgons in classical Greek mythology, and the only one who was mortal. The most familiar rendition of her story is this: the young, golden-haired and beautiful Medusa caught the eye of the god Poseidon who, on impulse, decided to ravish the maiden in the temple of another god, Athena. Unfortunately for Medusa, Athena caught them in the act. In a fit of rage and jealousy, Athena turned Medusa into a hideous monster with serpent hair. So ghastly was Medusa that anyone who looked upon her face turned to stone.

This is how Medusa is most commonly portrayed and remembered, and why she is most often associated with anger and evil. Gianni Versace’s Medusa Gianni Versace’s incarnation of Medusa is based on a more alluring representation of the legendary mortal, where Medusa is suggestive of power, strength and beauty that constitutes a propitious sense of the mythology. The Versace Medusa head, as it appears in the brand’s logo, is an expression of Versace’s vision: she encompasses Versace’s taste for tradition and classical nuance along with his desire to astonish audiences with designs that are striking in their brilliance, originality and style. Ancient Greek Art – Poseidon Click to Enlarge Image Versace Medusa Head Logo The Versace Medusa head logo features the head of Medusa at its center portrayed as a beautiful woman with a supernatural aura. Rather than snakes for hair, the Versace logo depicts Medusa at a time when her golden hair overflowed. Her beauty is apparent in her proportional features and fulsome lips, but her eyes remain hollow, her intentions ambiguous.

Medusa’s head is encircled by a ring of Greek keys –- decorative patterns based on single lines that twist like a maze – another quintessential Versace design motif. The name “Versace” is usually printed below the image, although the logo is among the most recognizable in the world, with or without the name. The Medusa head logo appears on all sorts of Versace items including Versace sunglasses, Versace pendants, Versace writing instruments and Versace timepieces . Versace Sunglasses With Medusa Logo Versace Medusa Head Pendant Click to Enlarge Image Donatella Versace Gianni’s younger sister, Donatella Versace , took over the brand’s creative direction after Gianni’s death in 1997. A creative and strategic powerhouse in her own right, Donatella wanted to ensure the Versace brand was poised to flourish in the 21st century. She streamlined certain areas of Versace design while expanding and diversifying the overall product line. Donatella rejuvenated the Versus Versace line to fulfill the yearnings of Versace’s younger audience and she expanded the Versace reach in accessories, including Versace timepieces and Versace writing instruments.

Versace Timepieces Watches, Donatella believed astutely, were an important form of self-expression and an important accessory for both men and women. The first watch the brand introduced, and the most iconic, was the DV One , a mainstay in the collection to this day. Versace watches combine Italian style with innovative materials and Swiss made components. The current Versace watch collection for men and women includes a wide array of styles containing either quartz or mechanical movements. Click to Enlarge Image Versace Writing Instruments Pens were also on Donatella’s list of important fashion accessories, and an area in which she believed Versace could deliver inspiring designs worthy of the Versace name. The refined Versace pen collections include ballpoints and rollerballs in stainless steel, gold or lightweight resin. Gianni Versace 18k Gold Medusa Pen Click to Enlarge Image Every Versace timepiece and Versace writing instrument features classic Versace embellishments such as the Medusa head logo and Greek keys. On the pens and watches, the Medusa head usually appears on its own without the surrounding ring of Greek keys, which is a more subtle and elegant quality.

Versace, A New Mythology As a creative force, Gianni Versace drew heavily on the inspirations of his upbringing and surroundings, which were permeated with Greek art and mythology. The mythical Medusa became a perfect symbolic figure to represent the Versace brand. She was Gianni’s paradox –- beautiful but frightening, shocking yet enchanting. Donatella Versace controls the Versace brand with this same spirit of innovative multi-dimensionality, further broadening the definition of Medusa to new and younger audiences as well clientele who grew up with Versace. The Versace Medusa head logo is a fashion icon that is recognized the world over, enough so that lore of Medusa requires a new definition, outside of Greek mythology, and instead as part of the Versace legend. Gevril Group Agent for Versace Timepieces and Writing Instruments Gevril Group is the sole US and Caribbean agent for Versace watches and Versace pens . Contact us by email or at 845-425-9882. Join the conversation! Follow Gevril Group on Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn . Please subscribe to the Gevril Group newsletter and blog. greek - Why was Medusa's hair made of snakes?

- Mythology Stack Exchange Why was Medusa's hair made of snakes? up vote 13 down vote accepted It was an especially cruel and specific punishment for Medusa as she was known for her beautiful golden hair Medusa's transformation from a beautiful golden haired priestess of Athena to not-so-beautiful Gorgon snake-lady was not instant, is was a gradual and drawn out punishment: She was originally a golden-haired, fair maiden, who, as a priestess of Athena, was devoted to a life of celibacy; however, after being wooed by Poseidon and falling for him, she forgot her vows and married him. For this offence, she was punished by the goddess in a most terrible manner. Each wavy lock of the beautiful hair that had charmed her husband was changed into a venomous snake;

Question: What was Medusa's hair made of?
Answer: Snakes