Medusa (Gorgon) - Mythical Creature | Greek Mythology Pantheon Greek Mythology Pantheon Greek Mythology Pantheon > Mythical Creatures > Medusa (Gorgon) – Mythical Creature Medusa (Gorgon) – Mythical Creature Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Ironshod Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Ironshod Medusa – Gorgon is one of the oldest and most popular ancient myths. Medusa in Greek mythology is referenced as one of the three Gorgons. Of these three sisters, Medusa was the mortal one. Her other name was Gorgon, meaning "tough glance". Daughter or the ancient marine deities Phorcys and Ceto, sister of the Gorgons Stheno (means vigor) and Euryale (means far roaming), and sister also of the three Graeae's, Deino (means dread), Enyo (means horror) and Pemphredo (means alarm). In ancient Greece, the image of Medusa was very scary throughout the mythology, but she was not always a monster.

Medusa was a beautiful and charming woman and many men were longing for her. Nevertheless, she was a priestess in the temple of Athena and like all priestesses so she was bound by an eternal oath of chastity. According to a Greek myth, the god Poseidon was captivated by her beauty and wanted to mate with her. He was transformed into a horse and joined with her into the sanctuary of Athena, an act of sacrilege, an abhorrent practice throughout the ancient world. Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Rob Shields Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Rob Shields The goddess enraged by the fact, could not harm Poseidon and so she unleashed her rage on Medusa. Athena transformed her into a hateful monster, which had snakes instead of hair. The ugliness was such that anyone looking at her face immediately turned to stone. In this myth, Medusa was transformed into a kind of monster called Gorgon, a horrible monster. Gorgon was symbolizing the physical embodiment of death. Since then, Medusa is the Gorgon, the mythical figure of death.

After that, Medusa became the supreme goal of many warriors, because anyone who managed to decapitate her would have an absolute advantage in the battlefield. The Medusa's severed head still had the power to petrify humans. Many men have tried to accomplish this goal with no success, except one, Perseus. Perseus Hero - Art Picture by Raymond Minnaar Perseus Hero - Art Picture by Raymond Minnaar Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danae. His grandfather was Acrisius, king of Argos. Acrisius always wanted to have a son as successor to his throne. After Danae's birth, the king tried again to get a son but did not succeed. He decides to go to the Pythia oracle and learn if he will ever get a boy. Pythia announces that Acrisius will acquire a grandson from Danae and that he will be killed by him. Returning back at Argos, the king is very upset and locks Danae in a basement room to avoid the oracle's verification. Danae communicates only with her nanny and her only understanding of the outside environment is through an elevated window.

Zeus was fascinated by the beauty of Danae, who decided to visit her, through the window, in the form of golden rain. From their union, Perseus was born. Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Diablera Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Diablera Acrisius learning about the birth of his grandson, because he could not kill him, he decides to shut Danae and her son in a wooden box. Then he instructs to leave the wooden box on the sea and let the gods decide about their fate. After many days of journey, the wooden box washed ashore on the shores of the island Serifos, where it is found by an angler named Dictys. Dictys, brother of the king of the island, Pollux (Polydektis), hosted at his home the two people that suffered so much and made them members of his family. Perseus grew at Serifos and became a strong lad. Pollux wanted a long time to make Danae his wife. In the beginning, he faced the objection of both Danae and his brother.

Now, however, he had a major obstacle, her son, Perseus. Wanting to get rid of Perseus, he promises him that he will give him a large boat, so he can return to his homeland Argos, if Perseus achieves a glorious feat. The feat is to cut and bring back the head of Medusa. Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Tamplierpainter Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Tamplierpainter Another version of the Greek myth is that Polydektis designates marriage with Danae and asks each resident of the island for a wedding gift and specifically a horse. Perseus, being a fisherman like Dictys, had no horses. In front of the king's arrogant style, he promises that he will not bring a horse, but the head of Medusa. Polydektis accepts this commitment and decides to keep Danae into the palace until Perseus fulfils his obligation. Perseus leaves the Serifos Island with a boat in order to find the Gorgon Medusa. In route, he meets the goddess of wisdom and war Athena and the god of boundaries Hermes.

He is informed by the gods that in order to kill Medusa he should be supplied with the following items: Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by GenzoMan Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by GenzoMan First item is the helmet of Hades (Pluto). Wearing this helmet will make him invisible and he will safely approach Medusa. Second item is the magic bag that he will use to put inside the terrible head. Third item is the winged sandals of Hermes because the Gorgon – Medusa remained at a rock in the middle of the sea. Fourth item is the glittering shield, which would use to see the head of Medusa's reflection (because anyone who saw Medusa face to face was petrified). Last item is the sharp sword with which he would be able to cut the Gorgon's hard neck. Goddess Athena particularly protected him and lent her knowledge to him on how to win the head of the Gorgon. The goddess of wisdom recommended that when he found the Gorgon, Perseus should not look at her face, but at the reflection on the shiny shield.

Athena gives him the glittering shield and Hermes the winged sandals. Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Mike Nash Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Mike Nash According to another Greek myth, the helmet Cynnea of Hades, the winged sandals and the magic bag are given to him by the Nymphs, to whom Perseus arrived being guided by gods – patrons. The sharp sword that Perseus will wield to cut the Medusa's head is crafted and donated by god Hephaestus. The only thing left now is to learn the residence of the mortal Medusa – Gorgon. So once again, goddess Athena helps him, indicating the way to the three Graeae. The Three Graeae - Art Picture by Smolin The Three Graeae - Art Picture by Smolin The Graeae were relatives of the Gorgon and the only ones who knew where Medusa resided. They were beings with repulsive appearance. Three old women who had a tragicomic element, because they had only one eye and a tooth, they exchanged those between them.

Perseus, wearing the Hade's helmet approached them invisible and taking advantage of the time of the exchange grabbed their eye. The Graeae with great difficulty and under the threat of losing their one and only eye witnessed to the hero the way to the place where Medusa was living. When Perseus approached Medusa, invisible and looking into her reflection in his shield, with Athena's help cut her head and put it in his backpack. At that time, Medusa was pregnant by the god Poseidon. From the neck of Medusa sprang the winged horse Pegasus. In the same way came Chrysaor, the hero whose name means "the one with the golden sword." Perseus vs Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Graffiti_Freak Perseus vs Medusa Gorgon (Mythical Creature) - Art Picture by Graffiti_Freak To avoid being tracked by Medusa's sisters, he flew rapidly using the winged sandals. According to another version of the Greek myth, he rode on Pegasus and left Medusa's place flying into the air.

Henceforth, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, wore the mask of the Medusa's head, the "Gorgoneion". Even after she was dead, her head maintained its ability to turn to stone anyone who looked at it. The goddess Athena then brought it over to her shield, either as a feature to infuse fear to her enemies, or attached to her chest, the sacred that protective goatskin, called "Aegis" (Aegis means protection). In the absence of Perseus, Polydektis tried to make Danae his wife using force. Her rigid stance angered him and he took her by force to the temple of Athena to sacrifice her. At that crucial moment, Perseus arrived. Polydektis, not accepting the accomplishment of the feat, provokes the hero to show him Medusa's head. Perseus warns his own people not to look and pulls out of the bag the head of Medusa. Those who looked at it, and among them Polydektis, were petrified at once. This confirmed the power of the head, even dead, and filled Serifos Island of stones that looked like people.

After that, Perseus dedicated Medusa's head to goddess Athena, who picked it up and pinned it in front of her shield. Please leave a comment if you liked this article 🙂 All pictures are also uploaded in Albums on the Greek Mythology Pantheon page on Facebook, visit us at : You may also like: Who Killed Medusa Who Killed Medusa ? Who Killed Medusa ? As per Greek mythology medusa was a monster called gorgon. Unlike the other mythical monsters, her story was very different. It is a story with the moral to the humans that the situation they will face when they make gods angry. It is believed by the Greeks that when gods get angry they take decisions which are painful and quick. The story starts with the beautiful maiden, medusa praying in the temple of Athena. Medusa was a beautiful maiden with long silky hair which added to her beauty and tempted the god of water Poseidon to seduce her. When Poseidon starts kissing Medusa Athena sees and gets angry. Since Athena could not punish Poseidon, she punished Medusa. She turns the beautiful locks into serpents and she also gives a destructive power which turns anyone into stone as soon as they look at Medusa directly.

Turning the beautiful medusa into a monster is not the end of the story. In other myth, it is told that Perseus went to kill Medusa to save his mother Danae. Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danae. King Polydectes falls in love with the mortal Danae. The king wants Perseus to stay out of it so he sends him to get medusas head which would lead to Perseus’s death. Perseus asks god to aid him. So the goddess Athena and Hermes helps him out to kill medusa. Athena aids him with the winged shoe, a mirror like shield and a sword. The winged shoe helped Perseus to reach medusa quickly. The mirror like shield helps him to see the reflection of Medusa because if he sees her directly, he would have turned into stone. He cuts the head of Medusa and takes it to Athena. More Articles : 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. Gorgon Medusa in Greek mythology-Medusa and Perseus Greek Monsters » Medusa Medusa, the frightful opponent of Perseus The Gorgon Medusa was a monstrous, yet mortal creature that had the power to turn anyone who looked at her into stone.

Medusa and two sisters of hers, Stheno and Evryale, were Gorgons, with frightful eyes, brass hands and living snakes on their head instead of hair. Medusa was the only Gorgon who was mortal, however she was more powerful than her sisters. Medusa got finally killed by Perseus , the founder of Mycenae. Her head was given to Athena , the goddess of wisdom and the goddess took the head and placed it on her aegis. Medusa: Facts About the Ancient Greek Gorgon | Primary Facts Medusa: Facts About the Ancient Greek Gorgon Posted on by James • 27 Comments Here are some facts about Medusa. Medusa was a monster in Greek mythology, known as a Gorgon. She had the face of a hideous woman, but had poisonous snakes on her head, instead of hair. She was the daughter of Phorcys, a God of the sea, and Ceto, a female sea God. Phorcys is said to have had claws for legs and skin covered with red spikes. Medusa was originally a beautiful woman with long golden hair. She was punished by the Gods for falling in love with Poseidon .

Medusa spent some time wandering in Africa. According to legend, some baby snakes fell from her head, which is why there are so many snakes in Africa. Anyone looking directly at Medusa would be instantly turned to stone. She was killed by Perseus who saw her reflection in a mirror, to avoid looking at her. Perseus is one of the most famous of the Greek heroes. He was sent to kill the Gorgon, armed with a mirrored shield, winged-sandals, and a cloak of darkness. Medusa was killed when Perseus cut her head off. From her neck emerged a winged horse, Pegasus, which has become one of the most well known mythological creatures. The head of Medusa was often seen to be a protective symbol. She can be seen on roman mosaics excavated in Pompeii , and during the French Revolution she was seen as a symbol of freedom. She has been featured in several films, including two versions of Clash of the Titans. She was the star of a 1964 British horror film, called The Gorgon. Medusa appears on the flag of Sicily, as well as on the flag of a village in the Czech Republic.

She has been depicted in paintings by many well known artists, including Pablo Picasso , Rubens and Caravaggio. What next? Discover more about the Ancient Greeks by visiting our resources page. love the facts so helpful thz Perseus Perseus See More Perseus Pictures > According to the myth, there once was a king named Acrisius , who had a beautiful daughter named Danae . The Oracle of Apollo told Acrisius that there would come a day when Danae 's son would kill him; so he locked Danae in a bronze tower so that she would never marry or have children. The tower had no doors, except for one very small window. Danae was very sad, until one day, a bright golden light came through the small window; a man appeared holding a thunderbolt in his hand and although Danae knew he was a god, she didn't know which one. The man said, "Yes, I am a god and I wish to make you my wife.

I can turn this dark prison into a wonderful, sunny and blooming land." Indeed, the horrible prison turned into fields as beautiful as the Elysian Fields themselves, but one day Acrisius saw light coming out of the small window. He told his men to tear down one of the walls. When he entered, he saw Danae smiling and holding a baby on her lap. This was Perseus . Acrisius was furious, so he locked Danae and baby Perseus in a large chest and cast them out to sea. Somehow, they managed to arrive safely to the island of Seriphos, where Polydectes ruled. The king's brother, Dictys, who was a fisherman, caught the chest in his net and pulled it to shore, freeing Danae and her son. Perseus grew up to become a strong young man. Polydectes heard about Danae and asked her in marriage, but she rejected him. If it wasn't for Perseus , Polydectes would have married Danae by force; so the king decided to create a plan to get rid of the young man. Polydectes pretended to marry the daughter of his friend.

Everybody had to bring a wedding present, including Perseus . However, Perseus , being poor, had not brought anything, and Polydectes pretended to be furious. After a heated discussion, Perseus said he would bring him anything the king would ask; so Polydectes asked for the head of the Gorgon Medusa . Perseus set forth on his adventure; he wandered for days, searching for the Gorgons lair. One night, in an unknown country he realized how hopeless things were. Medusa was a horrible creature, who had snakes growing out of her head instead of hair, and a terrifying gaze that literary petrified anyone who would look into her eyes. In his despair, a tall woman and a young man with winged sandals appeared and introduced themselves as goddess Athena and god Hermes . Hermes said that they were all siblings as Perseus was in fact the son of Zeus , so they would help him in his quest; so Hermes offered him his winged sandals and the sickle that was used by Cronus to castrate Uranus ; while Athena gave him her shield, so that Perseus would not have to look straight into Medusa 's eyes.

They also gave him further information on how to find the lair of Medusa . So Perseus went to the cave of the Graeae , who would lead him further in his adventure. The Graeae were three women who shared a single eye among them. So, when one of them was about to give the eye to one of the others, Perseus grabbed it and blackmailed them to aid him. So, the Graeae informed him that he should find the Nymphs of the North to get the Cap of Darkness which would make him invisible, as well as a magic bag. After getting these two items, Perseus eventually went to the lair of Medusa and her sisters, whom he found sleeping. He wore the Cap of Darkness, and unseen managed to kill Medusa using the sickle; he then used the shield to carry the head and place it into the magic bag, for even though it was dead, the head still have the potential to turn someone into stone. Medusa 's sisters woke up and attacked Perseus , but he flew away using his winged sandals.

On his way back to Seriphus, he had many adventures; in one of them, he came across the Titan Atlas , who was condemned to carry the heavens on his shoulders. To release him of his pain, Perseus turned him into stone using Medusa 's head, so that he would no longer feel the weight of his burden. Later on, he saw what looked like a statue chained to a rock, so he went to investigate. He saw that it was not a statue, but a woman, and asked her why she was chained to the rock. "My name is Andromeda", she replied, "and I have been punished because of my vain mother. She boasted that I was more beautiful than the Nereids . Poseidon was angered and said that I must be sacrificed to a sea monster," she said. Even as she spoke a monster rose from the sea. Perseus pulled Medusa 's head out of the bag; the sea monster turned to stone and crumbled to pieces. Perseus cut Andromeda 's chains and took her to her father, King Cepheus of Phoenicia. When Perseus asked Andromeda 's hand in marriage, Cepheus gladly agreed.

So, Perseus and Andromeda set off for Seriphus. On the way they stopped at Larisa, so Perseus could compete in some games that were held at that time; however, when he threw a discus, it hit an old man who instantly died. The man was Acrisius and therefore, the prophecy became true; after mourning, Perseus and Andromeda set off again. When they arrived at Seriphus, the first person they met was Dictys, the fisherman who had brought Danae and Perseus ashore many years ago. Dictys told them how Polydectes had never really married, but since Danae wouldn't marry Polydectes , he forced her to be his handmaiden. Perseus was furious, so he asked Dictys to take care of Andromeda , in order to avenge for his mother's mistreatment. Perseus stormed to the palace, walked in and said, "Let all who are my friends shield their eyes!" So saying he raised Medusa 's head and Polydectes and his courtiers were immediately turned to stone.

Perseus and Andromeda lived happily for many years and their descendants became great kings, the greatest of them all being Heracles , the strongest man in the world. Eventually, Perseus was killed by Dionysus . To be immortalised, Perseus and Andromeda were turned into stars and would live together in the sky. Clash of the Titans (the movie) Clash of the Titans is a 2010 fantasy film (remake of the 1981 film of the same name), loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus . (CAREFUL, SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!) The film begins with a narration describing how the Olympians managed to overthrow their own creators, the Titans , through the aid of the Kraken , Zeus 's creation. After their fierce struggle, Zeus (Liam Neeson) became the King of the Gods, his brother, Poseidon (Danny Huston), the Lord of the Seas, and their brother, Hades (Ralph Fiennes), tricked by Zeus to rule the sickening Underworld in chaos and terror.

A coffin is then seen drifting through the sea before it is rescued by a fisherman, Spyros (Pete Postlethwaite). When Spyros opens it, he discovers the baby Perseus and his mother, Danae , inside and raises the boy as his own. Perseus does not know who his real father and mother are, and worries that he will be neglected when his adoptive parents have a child of their own, but Spyros reassures him of his love. Years later, Perseus (Sam Worthington) and his family are fishing when they witness a group of soldiers from Argos destroying a massive statue of Zeus , effectively declaring war on the gods. Immediately following the fall of the statue, Zeus rises from the ocean, killing most of the soldiers and then destroying the boat Perseus and his family are on. Perseus attempts to save his family from the sinking boat, but is unable to, and passes out on driftwood from the wreckage. The surviving soldiers find him and take him back to Argos .

When King Cepheus (Vincent Regan) and Queen Cassiopeia (Polly Walker) of Argos , at a feast for the returning soldiers, compare themselves to the gods and compare the beauty of their daughter, Andromeda (Alexa Davalos), to that of Aphrodite , Zeus appears again, killing the remaining soldiers. When Perseus is unaffected by his attack, Zeus realizes he is a demigod, and tells him of his true father, himself. Zeus kills the queen, and demands that Argos further pay for its insolence and vanity; in 10 days, the Kraken will be released, and if the princess Andromeda is not sacrificed, then Argos will be destroyed. Zeus then seeks out the gods on Mount Olympus and convinces Zeus to agree to his plan in order to punish mankind for their lack of love. Initially, the Argives see Perseus as an agent of the gods and imprison him, but the king later seeks his help.

A woman named Io (Gemma Arterton), who has been watching over Perseus his entire life, advises him that the only way to avenge the death of his family is to agree to the king's wishes and attempt to defeat the Kraken . He is sent out with a small group of soldiers, led by Draco (Mads Mikkelsen), along with Io to seek the Stygian Witches, while Zeus visits Acrisius (Jason Flemyng), a disfigured man who was married to Danae when Zeus impregnated her with Perseus . When Acrisius planned to kill his wife and the newborn Perseus , Zeus sent down a thunderbolt from Olympus, badly scarring and disfiguring Acrisius ' entire body. To help him achieve his goals, Zeus imbues him with superhuman powers to enable him to kill Perseus . Acrisius attacks the Argive group, killing several, and even when his hand is severed in the fight, his blood falling on the sand causes giant scorpions to rise from the desert and continue the attack.

Perseus and the Argives manage to kill the first two scorpions, but are surrounded by three more, even larger than the first. As they are about to attack, the scorpions are suddenly calmed by a group of Djinn, gentle and benevolent Sand-Demons with magical powers. There is initially mistrust between the two groups, until the chief heals Perseus of grave injuries sustained during the fight, and the two sides agree to cooperate. Perseus and his group, via the scorpions, arrive at the barren, rocky "Garden of Stygia", the site where the Gods ended the Great War and defeated the Titans . They find the three Stygian Witches, who are hideous and share one eye. They tell Perseus , after he threatens to throw their eye off the mountain, that Medusa 's head will be able to kill the Kraken , but that he will die in the process. The soldiers go to the Underworld, where Medusa lives in seclusion in a temple, and only the soldiers enter (Io cannot because she is a woman).

Medusa turns all the remaining soldiers into stone, the Djinn destroys himself with his heart, weakening Medusa , and Draco, who is gravely injured by one of Medusa 's arrows early in the fight, rescues a cornered Perseus by skewering Medusa with a stone pillar from the ceiling and allows himself to be turned to stone in order to give Perseus a clear shot at Medusa 's head. Perseus , eyes shut, kills Medusa . As he exits the temple, Acrisius returns and stabs Io . Perseus fights him again and, this time, successfully kills him, which turns Acrisius back to human form. Io dies, telling Perseus "this is the part of the journey you do alone..." Perseus finds Pegasus and flies back to Argos as the Kraken is being released, thus destroying the city. As a priest is about to sacrifice Andromeda , Zeus appears, and has his creatures attack Perseus and steal Medusa 's head. Perseus defeats the creatures and regains the head, as well as successfully turning the Kraken to stone before it consumes Andromeda .

Zeus appears once more and boasts that he cannot die because he is immortal; but Perseus throws his sword, charged together with Zeus 's lightning at him which banishes him to the Underworld. Perseus then saves Andromeda from drowning when the apparatus used to restrain her falls into the ocean, but refuses to become king of Argos . In the final scene, Perseus stands at the broken statue of Zeus seen at the beginning. Zeus appears and offers to make Perseus a god on Olympus; but he refuses. Zeus notes that Zeus will return one day for revenge when mankind is in fear. Zeus states that if Perseus is still intent to stay on earth then he might give him a gift since he is the son of Zeus after all. A resurrected Io appears before Perseus , and the two begin to embrace while Pegasus flies above 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 - definition of medusa by The Free Dictionary Medusa - definition of medusa by The Free Dictionary Related to medusa: Greek mythology Me·dus·a n. Greek Mythology The Gorgon who was killed by Perseus. [Middle English Meduse, from Latin Medūsa, from Greek Medousa, from feminine present participle of medein, to protect, rule over; see med- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] me·du·sa (mĭ-do͞o′sə, -zə, -dyo͞o′-) n. pl.

me·du·sas or me·du·sae (-sē, -zē) A body form of certain cnidarians such as jellyfish, consisting of a dome-shaped structure with a mouth underneath surrounded by tentacles, and in most species constituting the free-swimming sexual stage of the organism. [Latin Medūsa, Medusa (from the Medusa's snaky locks); see Medusa.] Medusa (mɪˈdjuːzə) n (Classical Myth & Legend) Greek myth a mortal woman who was transformed by Athena into one of the three Gorgons. Her appearance was so hideous that those who looked directly at her were turned to stone. Perseus eventually slew her. See also Pegasus 1 Meˈdusan, Meˈdusal adj n, pl -sas or -sae (-ziː) 1. (Animals) another name for jellyfish 1, jellyfish 2 2. (Zoology) Also called: medusoid or medusan one of the two forms in which a coelenterate exists. It has a jelly-like umbrella-shaped body, is free swimming, and produces gametes.

Compare polyp [C18: from the likeness of its tentacles to the snaky locks of Medusa] meˈdusan, meˈdusal adj (məˈdu sə, -zə, -ˈdyu-) n., pl. -sas, -sae (-sē, -zē). the free-swimming body form in the life cycle of a jellyfish or other coelenterate, usu. dome-shaped with tentacles. [1750–60; after Medusa , alluding to the Gorgon's snaky locks] me•du′soid, adj. the only mortal of the three Gorgons: decapitated by Perseus. [< Latin < Greek Médousa] me·du·sa (mĭ-do͞o′sə) A cnidarian in its free-swimming stage. Medusas are bell-shaped, with tentacles hanging down around a central mouth. Jellyfish are medusas, while corals and sea anemones lack a medusa stage and exist only as polyps. Compare polyp . ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Noun 1.

Medusa - (Greek mythology) a woman transformed into a Gorgon by Athena; she was slain by Perseus Greek mythology - the mythology of the ancient Greeks Gorgon - (Greek mythology) any of three winged sister monsters and the mortal Medusa who had live snakes for hair; a glance at Medusa turned the beholder to stone 2. medusa - one of two forms that coelenterates take: it is the free-swimming sexual phase in the life cycle of a coelenterate; in this phase it has a gelatinous umbrella-shaped body and tentacles Cnidaria , Coelenterata , phylum Cnidaria , phylum Coelenterata - hydras; polyps; jellyfishes; sea anemones; corals cnidarian , coelenterate - radially symmetrical animals having saclike bodies with only one opening and tentacles with stinging structures; they occur in polyp and medusa forms Translations Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content .

Link to this page: View in context They ferry over this LETHEAN Sound Both to and fro, thir sorrow to augment, And wish and struggle, as they pass, to reach The tempting stream, with one small drop to loose In sweet forgetfulness all pain and woe, All in one moment, and so neer the brink; But fate withstands, and to oppose th' attempt MEDUSA with GORGONIAN terror guards The Ford, and of it self the water flies All taste of living wight, as once it fled The lip of TANTALUS. View in context It is only the headless body of a man, clad in a coat of mail, with a Medusa head upon the breast-plate, but we feel persuaded that such dignity and such majesty were never thrown into a form of stone before. View in context WHILE bathing, Antinous was seen by Minerva, who was so enamoured of his beauty that, all armed as she happened to be, she descended from Olympus to woo him; but, unluckily displaying her shield, with the head of Medusa on it, she had the unhappiness to see the beautiful mortal turn to stone from catching a glimpse of it.

View in context ll 270-294) And again, Ceto bare to Phoreys the fair-cheeked Graiae, sisters grey from their birth: and both deathless gods and men who walk on earth call them Graiae, Pemphredo well-clad, and saffron-robed Enyo, and the Gorgons who dwell beyond glorious Ocean in the frontier land towards Night where are the clear- voiced Hesperides, Sthenno, and Euryale, and Medusa who suffered a woeful fate: she was mortal, but the two were undying and grew not old. View in context Almost, when he knew the blow had started and just ere the edge of steel bit the flesh and nerves it seemed that he gazed upon the serene face of the Medusa, Truth--And, simultaneous with the bite of the steel on the onrush of the dark, in a flashing instant of fancy, he saw the vision of his head turning slowly, always turning, in the devil-devil house beside the breadfruit tree. Meet Perseus, the Slayer of Medusa Home Perseus, the hero who killed the monstrous Medusa Could there be a hero more virtuous than Perseus?

A model of chivalry, he rescued his future bride, Andromeda, from a monster and his mother from a powerful king. A brave and resourceful adventurer, he ranks among the greatest monster-slayers of greek mythology. A paragon of fidelity, the hero remained true to Andromeda throughout their marriage. A beloved king, he not only ruled Tiryns for many years, but founded the neighboring city of Mycenae and fortified Midea as well. Little wonder then, that Homer called him "the most renowned of all men". Click on the following links to go directly to the relevant chapter: Conception, Birth and Youth The story of Perseus actually begins two generations earlier. His grandfather, Acrisius, king of Argos, had a twin brother named Proetus. The two brothers were supposed to grow up to rule Argos together. But as soon as they reached manhood, they fought for the throne of Argos. In this battle, Acrisius was the winner and forced his brother into exile. Proetus then became the king of Tiryns, a neighboring city in Argolis -the region surrounding Argos.

After many years of marriage to Aganippe, Acrisius had no male heir; instead he had an only daughter named Danae. Wanting a son to inherit his kingdom, Acrisius consulted an oracle, but to his disappointment got some bad news: He learned that not only he would he have no sons, but that his daughter's son would kill him. In an act of desperation, Acrisius tried to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy, by locking his daughter up in an underground chamber. Despite these measures, Danae conceived a child by Zeus. The god fell in love with Danae and appeared before her in the form of a gold shower, which poured through the roof of her cell and fell onto her. Thus Danae gave birth to a child, whom she called Perseus. When Acrisius found out about the birth of the child, he acted quickly: He placed both Danae and the baby into a large wooden chest and cast it into the Aegean Sea , convicting his daughter and her son to death. Fortunately, Zeus guided the chest across the sea to the island of Seriphus.

On this island, there lived two brothers: One was Polydectes (meaning "All Receiver"), king of Seriphus and the other was Dictys (meaning "Net Man") who was a poor fisher. These two brothers were not at all on good terms with each other. The chest that contained the two runaways was caught one day in the net of Dictys. After rescuing and releasing them, Dictys took the two refugees into his home, claiming that they were distant relatives. Dictys cared for Danae and her son for many years, until the hero reached manhood. The expedition to capture Medusa While Danae and her son were living in Dictys's home, king Polydectes fell in love with her and proposed to marry her. Danae rejected his offer, and the king, while seeming to accept her denial with grace, never ceased to scheme against her. After a while, Polydectes announced his intention to ask for the hand of Hippodameia, a daughter of king Oenomaus of Pisa, a city in southwestern Greece. Polydectes arranged for a banquet, in which each invited guest must traditionally bring a gift for the intended bride.

Polydectes demanded that each of his subjects bring a horse as a contribution. Perseus, having not the means to acquire a horse, was in a difficult position. He thus offered to bring to the king whatever else he desired, even the head of Medusa. Polydectes, knowing very well that this was an impossible feat, was very happy to accept the hero's offering. Medusa was one of three monstrous sisters called the Gorgons. Of the three, only Medusa could be killed; her sisters Euryale and Stheno were immortal. The hideous Gorgons had the following features: Serpents for hair. The Voyage Home According to Ovid alone, the hero first stopped in the land of Hesperides. He announced himself as a son of Zeus and asked the Titan Atlas, who ruled the Hesperides, if he could rest there for a while. Atlas recalled the prophecy of the Titaness Themis, who had warned him that a son of Zeus would one day steal the Golden Apples of the Hesperides. So the Titan, insulted Perseus, denied his godly descent and rudely attempted to expel him from the land.

Being cunning and shrewd and knowing that Medusa's head still had the power to turn its beholder into stone, the hero before leaving, made an offer to the Titan to have a look at what he had in the pouch. After accepting his offer, Perseus lifted the head of Medusa, so that Atlas could have a glance. He was thus turned into mountain, later known as Mount Atlas. The Rescue of Andromeda As Perseus flew on winged sandals over the coast of Ethiopia, he saw the figure of a beautiful woman chained to a rock below. Enchanted, he descended to have a closer look. After gentle persuasion, the girl shared with the hero her tragic tale:Her name was Andromeda and she was the daughter of Cepheus, the king of Ethiopia, and Cassiopeia. Her mother had angered the sea god Poseidon, when she boasted that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea nymphs who served as the god's attendants. To punish Cassiopeia's vanity, Poseidon had flooded the kingdom and sent a sea monster to ravage Ethiopia.

Following the advice of an oracle, the king had chained Andromeda to a rocky cliff as a sacrificial offering to appease Poseidon and save his kingdom. The hero immediately fell in love with Andromeda. When she begged for his help, he promised he would, after securing a promise from her father the king that, if he rescued his daughter, he would reward him with Andromeda's hand in marriage and a kingdom. Cepheus eagerly accepted his demand. After killing the monstrous beast, Perseus freed Andromeda, brought her to her parents and demanded his reward. However, a complication emerged: Cepheus, in his eagerness to save Andromeda, forgot his earlier promise to his brother Phineus that he would give Andromeda to him, as a bride to be married. In the battle that ensued when Phineus crashed the couple's wedding demanding the bride to be given to him, Perseus emerged victorious, when he used Medusa's head to turn all of the army of Phineus into stone.

With Phineus out of the way, the hero married Andromeda and -unlike most of the gods and heroes of greek mythology-remained faithful to her for the rest of his life. The couple remained with Andromeda's parents for almost a year after their marriage, Andromeda giving birth to their first son, Perses. When Perseus finally resumed his journey back to Seriphus, he and Andromeda left the infant Perses with his grandparents. Since Cepheus had no other heir, Perses inherited his kingdom. The boy's descendants would travel east and rule Persia, the land that was named after Perses. Seriphus Revisited When he returned to Seriphus, Perseus found out that his mother Danae found refuge at the alter of the gods, where Dictys put her in order to escape the assault by Polydectes. The hero then immediately sought to meet with Polydectes to seek revenge for his mother. When he met him, he was provoked by him when he doubted that Perseus had brought back with him the head of Medusa.

Being careful to look the other way, the hero lifted the hideous head from the pouch, thus turning Polydectes and all his attendants into stone. Having rescued his mother, Perseus rewarded Dictys for his loyalty by giving him the throne of Seriphus vacated by his brother. He then returned the borrowed weapons to Hermes, who carried them back to the Naiads. In addition, to show his gratitude to Athena, he mounted his trophy, the head of Medusa, on the shield of the goddess. The head, surrounded by snakes' heads on the center of her aegis, became Athena's most distinctive emblem. His heroic quest completed, Perseus set out for Argos with Andromeda and Danae. There, in the kingdom of his birth, he hoped to make peace with his grandfather, Acrisius. Fulfillment of the Prophecy Fearing that his daughter and her son would soon return to Argos thus fulfilling the prophecy he so much dreaded, Acrisius fled to Larissa, a kingdom in Thessaly. But Perseus, having long forsaken his grandfather for his cruelty in the past, followed him to Larissa.

While attending funeral games held in honor of the father of king of Larissa who had recently died, Perseus decided to join the discus-throw competition. Unfortunately, a discus thrown by Perseus got away from him, accidentally striking and killing one of the spectators, who was no other than Acrisius. The prophecy was thus, after so many years, fulfilled. With the death of Acrisius, Perseus inherited the throne of Argos. Yet he felt so ashamed about killing his own grandfather that he vowed never to return to Argos. Instead, he resorted into trading kingdoms (Argos for Tiryns) with Megapenthes, the only son of Acrisius's twin brother Proteus. Perseus served as king of Tiryns for many years after. While ruling Tiryns, he established the city of Mycenae and fortified Midea. He remained faithful to Andromeda, who bore him six children. After his death, Perseus was worshipped both in Athens and Seriphus as a great hero. Athena herself honored both Perseus and Andromeda by making constellations in both their names, after they died.

Question: In Greek mythology who killed the gorgon Medusa?
Answer: Perseus