Medusa
Also called Gorgo.
In Greek and Roman mythology, Medusa is the mortal Gorgon whose serpent hair and petrifying gaze made her the most famous monster of the Perseus myth.
At a glance
- Tradition
- Greek mythologyRoman mythology
- Region
- Edge of the World (mythic) (habitat)
- Trait family
- The Stone-Gazers
- Kin
- Pegasus (derived from this figure)
Kinship
Lines of descent added by hand and approved one at a time.
- Pegasus derived from this figure
why
The Pegasus, a creature of unparalleled grace and divine origin, emerged from the blood of Medusa when Perseus severed her head.
Near this figure
Symbols
Judged against the description by a model. Meanings are our own paraphrase.
- Hair bears image-domain Hair denotes vitality and the state of the head it grows from, ordered or wild, shorn in renunciation, and red for ardour and suspicion alike.
why
In Greek and Roman mythology, Medusa is the mortal Gorgon whose serpent hair and petrifying gaze made her the most famous monster of the Perseus myth.
- Snake bears Snake is a broad serpent symbol of creation and guardianship; South American traditions name Snake a primordial earth-maker and giver of hunting arts.
why
Medusa is depicted with living, venomous snakes in place of hair, and her face is so monstrous that any mortal who looks directly upon it turns to stone.
- SNAKES bears Snakes carry opposed meanings of creation and chaos, poison and protection, while skin-shedding signifies renewal; some ancient images may have no religious meaning.
why
Medusa is depicted with living, venomous snakes in place of hair, and her face is so monstrous that any mortal who looks directly upon it turns to stone.
- Tongue bears image-domain The tongue denotes eloquence and the power to persuade or wound, tasting and licking into life, and lolling from a devouring goddess to show doubleness.
why
Archaic Greek art shows her with a broad grinning face, tusks, a lolling tongue, and a round staring visage meant to ward off evil, a type known as the Gorgoneion; later Classical and Hellenistic art, and especially Ovid, softens her into a beautiful woman with serpentine hair, emphasizing tragedy over grotesquerie.
- woman is Woman denotes a complex feminine principle linked to moon, earth, water, instinct, nourishment, protection, and destruction; folklore also embeds patriarchal creation anxieties.
why
Archaic Greek art shows her with a broad grinning face, tusks, a lolling tongue, and a round staring visage meant to ward off evil, a type known as the Gorgoneion; later Classical and Hellenistic art, and especially Ovid, softens her into a beautiful woman with serpentine hair, emphasizing tragedy over grotesquerie.
Traits
Read from the figure's description, which a model wrote. Open "why" for the sentence a trait came from.
Form
- Deadly gaze
why
her face is so monstrous that any mortal who looks directly upon it turns to stone
- Snake hair
why
Medusa is depicted with living, venomous snakes in place of hair
- Cursed into monstrous form
why
Medusa was once a beautiful maiden whose hair was transformed into snakes by Athena as punishment after Poseidon violated her in Athena's temple
- Born from slain monsters blood
why
From her severed neck spring the winged horse Pegasus and the warrior Chrysaor, said to be offspring of her union with Poseidon.
- Tusked dog-like face
why
Archaic Greek art shows her with a broad grinning face, tusks, a lolling tongue, and a round staring visage meant to ward off evil
Offensive powers
- Petrifying gaze
why
Medusa's signature power is her petrifying gaze, which turns any living being who meets her eyes to stone.
Roles
Judged from the works' own entries, not from the description. Carries: the figure holds the role. Meets: the role is in its stories, held by something it meets.
- Anima carries
4 citations
- Timothy Gantz, Early Greek Myth, p. 20.
- Ad de Vries, Dictionary of Symbols and Imagery, s.v. "Medousa."
- Apollodorus, translated by J. G. Frazer, The Library, p. 508.
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Medousa."
- Shadow carries
4 citations
- Timothy Gantz, Early Greek Myth, p. 20.
- Ad de Vries, Dictionary of Symbols and Imagery, s.v. "Medousa."
- Apollodorus, translated by J. G. Frazer, The Library, p. 508.
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Medousa."
- Death meets
4 citations
- Timothy Gantz, Early Greek Myth, p. 20.
- Ad de Vries, Dictionary of Symbols and Imagery, s.v. "Medousa."
- Apollodorus, translated by J. G. Frazer, The Library, p. 508.
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Medousa."
- Hero meets
4 citations
- Timothy Gantz, Early Greek Myth, p. 20.
- Ad de Vries, Dictionary of Symbols and Imagery, s.v. "Medousa."
- Apollodorus, translated by J. G. Frazer, The Library, p. 508.
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Medousa."