Her design has been used in branding, logos, protests, and more. In more modern times, Medusa has become somewhat of a feminist icon! As well as this, her story has been reinterpreted by several companies and movements in several different ways.

One of the most famous Greek myth iconographies is Perseus wielding the still-dangerous severed head of Medusa against his enemies to turn them to stone. Medusa eventually became such a dangerous monster that Perseus was aided by the gods – especially Athena and Hermes – in slaying her by removing her head. Her gaze could sometimes cause people to turn to stone, but her power was in the loud cries and wails she could release from her mouth. Some sources have her as a hideous tusked monster, while most have her as a monstrous woman with red snakes for hair.Įuryale – Also cursed for objecting to Medusa’s punishment, Euryale was also snake-haired. She became the deadliest Gorgon of them all, killing more men than her sisters combined. Stheno – After objecting to her sister’s curse, Stheno was also transformed by Athena. Though she was often still portrayed as beautiful except for these traits, many other sources portray her as becoming hideous and monstrous, with scales, red eyes, sharp bronze claws, and metallic wings. Medusa – Her lovely long hair turned to green snakes, and her gaze could turn someone to stone. Though all three were beautiful before, Athena’s curse made the Gorgons into hideous monsters. Stheno and Euryale were cursed simply for standing with their sister. Although the older sisters – Stheno (“forceful”) and Euryale (“far-roaming”) were immortal, the youngest, Medusa (“female guardian”), was not.Īll three were lovely and humanoid before the curse of Athena, which turned them into hideous monsters. What Were the Consequences of the Curse on Medusa?Īs the stories go, the three Gorgons were the children of the primordial god and goddess of the sea, Phorcys, and Ceto. In this way, she is bound to Zeus more fully than the other Olympians, even his other children, and she has the least sense of her own freedom. She was born fully grown from her father’s forehead because Zeus swallowed her mother. Some read it as a reflection of the complex relationship between Athena and the other Olympians, especially her father, Zeus.Īthena herself was a virgin goddess who never had a childhood.

This is often analyzed as another form of jealousy. Some Classicists note how the usually competitive and wise Athena blamed Medusa for an act which, whether rape or consensual, was clearly an insult to her by Poseidon. According to some myths, this was the real head of Medusa. The goddess’s shield has a gorgon head in the center. After Perseus removed Medusa’s head, some stories claim that he gifted it to Athena. She also aided Perseus in later killing Medusa once and for all. While this is an inspiring story and speaks wonders for the feminist idol that Medusa has become, it is somewhat flawed when examining the other aspects of the tale!Īthena did not only curse Medusa but also her sisters. After being raped by Poseidon, Athena, the protectress, made it so that no man could hurt Medusa again. Some modern readings like to reinterpret Athena’s transformation of Medusa as not a curse but protection and strength. The human Paris chose Aphrodite, and the angry runners up retaliated. Indeed, this interpretation has some roots in other stories the entire Trojan War began when Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera competed over the apple of Eris (Discord) to see who was most beautiful. Athena’s actions are often considered based on jealousy of Medusa’s beauty. Jealousy is a driving force in Greek myth, as is pride, and none are more jealous and prideful than the Olympians. What Were the Consequences of the Curse on Medusa?.

Medusa before curse