Happy Monday, Missians! So glad you could join us for our first 2018 May Mythical Beast post. Before we get started, I just want to remind everyone that we don't have any Missy Show episodes scheduled for the month of May, but we will return with all new shows in June. With that out of the way, let's get into today's Monday May Mythical Beast--Medusa.
Out of all the mythical figures, Medusa may be one of the most well-recognized names. Even if you don't know her origin story, you are likely familiar with the basics of how she looks, from seeing her in various movies. You know, she's the hideously, ugly lady with writhing snakes for hair; and then of course, there's the other main characteristic of Medusa, the most deadly one--if you look at her head-on, you'll be turned to stone. But was she always this way? If not, what happened to her? To find out the answers to these questions, keep on reading below.
Medusa and her two sisters, Stheno and Euryale were Gorgons. Medusa was the only one of the three who was mortal, (which led to the her later demise at the hands of Perseus). Medusa's parents were Phorkys and Keto. Oddly, her sisters had different parents, (Echidna and Typhon). According to legend, Medusa had once been a beautiful, flaxen-haired woman, that many men were enamored with. She supposedly had devoted herself to a life of celibacy, in the role of high priestess for Athena. Medusa ran into trouble when according to one account, she and Poseidon fell in love and got married, (in other accounts, it's stated that Poseidon raped Medusa in Athena's temple). Because Medusa broke her vow of celibacy, she was punished by Athena and transformed into the hideous figure we've come to know her as today.
Living a life of such isolation and disconnection from everyone, (and having snakes writing on your head, 24-7) would of course, be torturous for anyone, and explain why she later went on to not be known as the nicest or most sympathetic of creatures. With such a fate, imposed upon her, and knowing that if anyone looked at her directly, they would be turned to stone, who would expect her to really be friendly? After being transformed, some of the legends state that she wandered around Africa, and eventually called Libya her home.
Medusa's wretched existence finally came to an end when Perseus killed her, (at the request of Polydectes). He able to do so with the help of Athena, Hermes, Zeus, the Hesperides, and Hades, who gave him a polished shield, winged sandals, a sword, a knapsack, and the helm of darkness, respectively. Perseus caught Medusa while she was sleeping, and used the polished shield to look at her reflection without having to look at her directly. Using the sword he got from Zeus, he cut her head off, and was able to kill her, and place her head in the knapsack.
Interesting tidbits: The flying horse known as Pegasus, and his brother Chrysaor were said to have sprang from the blood shed from Medusa's severed head. These were her sons with Poseidon. Freaky. Also Medusa and her sisters were said to be winged. Hmm. Don't ever recall seeing a winged version of her...
So, this was your breakdown of Medusa, today's Monday May Mythical Beast. For more in-depth information on Medusa check out these sources, (where I also obtained today's info):
Greek Mythology:
https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Medusa/medusa.html
Encyclopedia Brittanica:
https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Medusa/medusa.html
Greek Gods and Goddesses:
https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/myths/medusa/
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medusa
That's it for now. I'll see you back here later in the week. And be sure to check back next Monday, for another Mythical Beast.
Until then,
This is your host J,
signing off...
Out of all the mythical figures, Medusa may be one of the most well-recognized names. Even if you don't know her origin story, you are likely familiar with the basics of how she looks, from seeing her in various movies. You know, she's the hideously, ugly lady with writhing snakes for hair; and then of course, there's the other main characteristic of Medusa, the most deadly one--if you look at her head-on, you'll be turned to stone. But was she always this way? If not, what happened to her? To find out the answers to these questions, keep on reading below.
Medusa and her two sisters, Stheno and Euryale were Gorgons. Medusa was the only one of the three who was mortal, (which led to the her later demise at the hands of Perseus). Medusa's parents were Phorkys and Keto. Oddly, her sisters had different parents, (Echidna and Typhon). According to legend, Medusa had once been a beautiful, flaxen-haired woman, that many men were enamored with. She supposedly had devoted herself to a life of celibacy, in the role of high priestess for Athena. Medusa ran into trouble when according to one account, she and Poseidon fell in love and got married, (in other accounts, it's stated that Poseidon raped Medusa in Athena's temple). Because Medusa broke her vow of celibacy, she was punished by Athena and transformed into the hideous figure we've come to know her as today.
Living a life of such isolation and disconnection from everyone, (and having snakes writing on your head, 24-7) would of course, be torturous for anyone, and explain why she later went on to not be known as the nicest or most sympathetic of creatures. With such a fate, imposed upon her, and knowing that if anyone looked at her directly, they would be turned to stone, who would expect her to really be friendly? After being transformed, some of the legends state that she wandered around Africa, and eventually called Libya her home.
Medusa's wretched existence finally came to an end when Perseus killed her, (at the request of Polydectes). He able to do so with the help of Athena, Hermes, Zeus, the Hesperides, and Hades, who gave him a polished shield, winged sandals, a sword, a knapsack, and the helm of darkness, respectively. Perseus caught Medusa while she was sleeping, and used the polished shield to look at her reflection without having to look at her directly. Using the sword he got from Zeus, he cut her head off, and was able to kill her, and place her head in the knapsack.
Interesting tidbits: The flying horse known as Pegasus, and his brother Chrysaor were said to have sprang from the blood shed from Medusa's severed head. These were her sons with Poseidon. Freaky. Also Medusa and her sisters were said to be winged. Hmm. Don't ever recall seeing a winged version of her...
So, this was your breakdown of Medusa, today's Monday May Mythical Beast. For more in-depth information on Medusa check out these sources, (where I also obtained today's info):
Greek Mythology:
https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Medusa/medusa.html
Encyclopedia Brittanica:
https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Medusa/medusa.html
Greek Gods and Goddesses:
https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/myths/medusa/
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medusa
That's it for now. I'll see you back here later in the week. And be sure to check back next Monday, for another Mythical Beast.
Until then,
This is your host J,
signing off...
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| Medusa, by Caravaggio. Courtesy of Wikipedia |
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