Gorgon definition, any of three sister monsters commonly represented as having snakes for hair, wings, brazen claws, and eyes that turned anyone looking into them to stone. No pun intended. Then she was the crazy snake lady who turned people into stone because Perseus told her to. Gazers upon her face would turn to stone. Medusa is a mythical creature that can turn anyone to stone if you look into her eyes. In a later medieval legend, it is said that Saint Hilda of Whitby was empowered by God to turn a horde of snakes threatening her to stone. Definition directly from English manga: "Medusa Known from the myths of ancient Greece, a being with the hair of snakes … ; Fall-damage-negating accessories are disabled, fall damage is … L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt's Harold Shea : The heroes of Incomplete Enchanter at one point encounter an evil wizard who has punished his apprentice for spying for the good guys by paralyzing him into a nude, flesh and blood statue. Perseus had to look at the Gorgon Medusa’s image reflected in the mirroring shield given to him by Athena to avoid being turned into stone. She was the crazy snake lady who turned people into stone until she was stopped by Perseus. In the 18th episode of the animated series The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest , an avatar of Medusa (voiced by Frank Welker ) was created by Dr. Jeremiah Surd in an attempt to guard the remains of a statue to Apollo in the virtual world. Blaming Medusa for the temple’s defilement, Athena turned her into a monstrous gorgon capable of transforming those who looked at her into stone. Medusa is a Hardmode enemy found near Marble Caves.While being a relatively fast-moving melee attacker, Medusa also has the ability to inflict the Stoned debuff through her gaze. They turned whoever saw them into stone, so Perseus came to them as they slept.” Like Hesiodos and Aischylos, Pseudo-Apollodoros says nothing about Medusa being raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple or about her being cursed by Athena. It seems that Medusa’s fate was sealed once she was cursed. Medusa is known for being so ugly that if men even look at her face, they would immediately be turned into stone statues. Then Perseus gave the Gorgon’s head to Athena, who placed it on her shield, the Aegis. Stone Gaze: Her greatest power, as well as her greatest weakness, is her gaze that allows her to turn those who returns it into stone. Adding insult to injury, she becomes an adventuring foil for Perseus, who is heralded a hero when he cuts off her head. Unknown woman and her husband - In The Lightning Thief (film), a woman was with Annabeth Chase when they first encountered Medusa. She was later killed by the hero Perseus. The power of these myths comes from the very act of believing their validity- if women did not fear the myths, there would be nothing to fear. Sites and Resources She lived out her days in Africa, where she lets all the newborn snakes fall from her head and wander all over the Continent (That's the reason why there's so many snakes in Africa). She was punished for desecrating the temple, and was turned into a monster. However, much like most women of ancient mythology, she was a victim of patriarchal societal norms. Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon, was beheaded by Perseus. Medusa’s origins, her trauma, and her pain are conveniently forgotten when it comes to telling her story. Medusa was once a beautiful woman who was a lover of Poseidon.When Medusa and Poseidon desecrated Athena's temple, Athena cursed Medusa and her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, to turn into monsters with snakes for hair.Medusa alone was cursed to be so ugly that anyone looking at her would turn to stone. This is the power over all life, the ability to return life back to the earth from which it came. Athena, enraged at the desecration of her temple, turned her into a mortal Gorgon. Even though he was technically looking at her, just with a mirror, he did not turn into stone. Athena brandishes Medusa’s head as a medallion — the gorgoneion — upon her shield. The range of the ability varies, but seems to be extremely effective if she makes eye contact with her target. This debuff turns the player to stone: The player will be unable to move or use weapons for the duration of the debuff, similar to being frozen. (Exploring Your Mind) The myth of Medusa and Perseus put a series of very interesting symbols into play. Her features also changed and were so ugly, that whoever looked at her face was turned into stone. Word spread of the monster that Medusa had become, and she became the target of many warriors … 1 Bite Size Monster Dictionary 2 Appearance 3 Powers & Abilities 4 Notes 5 Known Medusa From Greek mythology, a fearsome monster with snakes as hair. Jean-Paul Vernant argues that the Medusa “represents in its grimace the terrifying horror of a radical otherness with which you yourself will be identified as you are turned to stone” (quoted in Garber and Vickers) and so signals how Sartre’s reading of Medusa may show how a kind of horror may in fact creep into our experience of the images in the swimsuit issue. Further, this Medusa curse also affects her appearance, giving her the iconic snake hair of the Gorgon. She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of hair consisting of snakes; unlike the Gorgons, she was sometimes represented as very beautiful. ... Medusa was a beautiful mortal woman who one day went to Athena's temple to worship. The head of Medusa is often … Anyone who looked into her eyes would be petrified and turned to stone. Medusa was the only Gorgon who was mortal; hence her slayer, Perseus, was able to kill her by cutting off her head. Medusa's ability to turn men into stone is an important facet of her feminine power. She looked at them in fear and saw them turn to stone in front of her eyes. From there, it’s become a ubiquitous symbol. In Greek mythology, the Gorgons were snake-women whose gazes would turn people to stone; they had serpents for hair, long claws, ... who turned Medusa into a Gorgon as punishment. Medusa and Perseus . She was scared of her powers and angry at the gods for cursing her. Unlike in the Greek myth, though, it appears that it is the snakes that turn people to stone in this Supergirl story. Stronger ones can turn anyone who simply looks at them into stone. Medusa was banished from civilization. Again, this is similar to Athena’s anger toward Arachne, which becomes compassionate after Arachne tries to kill herself. What happened to her then? Nah it was not Hera who turns medusa into dat way.it was Athena.She was jealous bcoz medusa is prettier and all the male gods love medusa so she turn her into a snake head beast.poor Medusa!She have no friends.every living things dat look at her and when she look at it even a cute stag infront of her,she turns it into a statue.So,That concludes that Athena was an evil demon,not a … “In mythology the Medusa can petrify people with a look – which is a good thing, I think. Athena, jealous of her beauty, condemns her form to a monstrosity whose gaze would turn onlookers into stone. She also claimed that her husband was turned into stone before her. The fact that Medusa’s gaze turns men into stone is a protection so that Medusa cannot be attacked again, although we must point out that it should not be the woman’s eternal obligation to thwart men’s attacks. In a world where people can turn to trees and goddesses are birthed from heads, this was low on the excitement scale. Perseus killed Medusa and cut off her head, ... a man and a woman, were traversing the fjord with their cow when they were surprised by the bright rays of daybreak. She opened her eyes and was turned to stone while holding Annabeth's hand. They coiled up and their heads fell off. Ovid’s popularity in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. See more. Here, Athena is portrayed to be someone ‘evil’ for cursing someone. Sorry Medusa, but that story is boring. She turned the seer Rosalind and the Witch Dorcas into stone, they were later turned back into flesh and Rosalind beheaded Nagaina with a sword. “When Medusa looks in the mirror, she sees the Lady of Sorrows” Mason Cooley. Yet before she could be betrothed to a husband, Poseidon (Neptune) found her worshipping in the temple of Athena (Minerva) and ravished her. History. Medusa was now a monster woman. “Turn thou from their sight, Risk no glance. When she turns twenty-one, she will become a full-blown Gorgon and will be able to turn people into stone by looking into their eyes, just as Medusa did. If women can move past their fears and change their perception of both the Medusa and the vaginal orgasm, they will subsequently remove the fearful power of these myths. As a result of exposure to daylight, all three were turned into stone. Perseus was somehow able to overcome this challenge of killing her by looking at her reflection in a mirror. Medusa, originally a beautiful young woman whose crowning glory was her magnificent long hair, was desired and courted by many suitors. While she was there, Poseidon saw her and either seduced her or raped her, and she became pregnant. Medusa represents a woman cornered by the feminine power and Perseus is the symbol of a person who manages to overcome fear by projecting it in a mirror. Petrification: Medusa is cursed to be a Gorgon and has the ability to turn beings into stone by just looking at them. Ovid’s story may not have taken off in the Greek-speaking east, but it did eventually … What did Even when the head to severed it is still capable of turn you to stone. Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, sisters of the Graeae, Echidna, and Ladon – all dreadful and fearsome beasts. A famous Greek example is Medusa, a creature whose appearance was so hideous that all who looked upon her turned to stone. Even after Perseus, with Athena's help, separated Medusa from her head—an act that allowed her unborn children, Pegasus and Chrysaor, to emerge from her body—the head maintained its lethal power. Viper Hair: Medusa has snakes instead of ordinary hair, and can use both her snakes and her eyes to petrify beings. Medusa’s Famous Encounter With Perseus. Perseus then flew to Seriphos, where his mother was being forced into marriage with the king, Polydectes, who was turned into stone by the head. Realms and Powers: The great Ocean, can turn men to stone with a glance . While she believes she is simply incapacitating the villains, she looks back to see that they have been turned into stone. This is the power which must be reigned in by the patriarchal Greek gods, for it represents a total control over the natural cycle. As always, blaming the mortal woman, she got revenge by turning Medusa into a monster so horrible that a single glance at her face would turn a man to stone. Medusa, in Greek mythology, the most famous of the monster figures known as Gorgons. They have the power to turn living things into stone. While little is written of her life, probably because no one survived an encounter with her, we do have the story of her death. Throughout history, Medusa got the bad reputation as a scornful, evil woman who turns people into stone with a mere glance. The sight of Gorgon, if she cometh, would bring thee night from which were no returning.” – Dante, “Inferno”, Canto IX, vv. 51-57 . In summary, she was raped by Poseidon in the temple of Athena—thus, enraging the goddess into cursing Medusa with a head full of snakes and eyes that turns you into stone.