Medusa

“Some monsters are born that way and others, especially female monsters, are turned monstrous after a bruising encounter with a god.”

Natalie Haynes, Pandora’s Jar p. 87

Medusa is one of the most infamous villains in Greek Mythology and one of the most recognizable mythological characters in general. Most of the Western world could pick her out of a line-up, from her snake hair to her stone-afflicting stare. Yet, only some know her whole story. Before she became the snake-haired woman we know and love, she was a beautiful girl known for her gorgeous hair and a devotion to becoming a priestess for Athena.

The story of how Medusa went from a beautiful girl to a feared monster is not pretty. According to Ovid, Medusa was raped by Poseidon in the temple of Athena. Ovid uses the word vitiate -which translates to injure, defile, or damage- to describe the attack. Athena, known for her favoritism of men, blames and punishes Medusa. She turns her beloved hair into snakes, and her stare into stone. For much of the rest of her life, Medusa resides in an isolated cave with her sisters. She separates herself from society, which both protects them and her.

Next, we come to the part of her story where Perseus becomes involved. In much of the retellings of Medusa’s story, it seems that Perseus is there to explain and end her existence, instead of the other way around where she is just Perseus’ big ‘heroic’ break. However, according to Pseudo-Apollodorus, Perseus’ big break is much more pathetic than heroic. First, because he is the son of Zeus, the gods have aided him in his journey. Second, Perseus decapitates Medusa while she is asleep. A wild guess here, but I don’t think your opponent will put up much of a fight if they are unconscious.

Polygnotos, Terracotta pelike (jar), 450 BCE, The MET

The Pan Painter, Hydria, 460 BCE, The British Museum

The Tarporley Painter, Mixing bowl (bell krater) with Perseus, Athena, and Hermes, 400 BCE, MFABoston

However, we likely recall the version of the mighty fight from Clash of the Titans. For starters, Medusa is awake and fighting. The battle itself is much more dramatic and aggressive. Pursues also is portrayed as a modern hero. He is on a mission to save a beautiful woman but can only do so if he has Medusa’s head. Thus begin the perpetual objectification of Medusa’s head. She is more valuable as a weapon than she was alive. After Perseus has turned every one of his opponents into stone, he gifts Medusa’s head to Athena. How twisted it is that Athena reaps the benefits of the curse she inflicted on Medusa.

“It reveals what so much of the myth obscures: stripped of the monster / hero dynamic, all we see is a man beheading a woman.”

Natalie Haynes, Pandora’s Jar

Medusa, Caravaggio, c.1597

Clash of the Titans, 2010

The death of Medusa is commonly seen as a moment of triumph for Perseus. It is interesting how even today, thousands of tourists walk by Cellini's statue Perseus with the Head of Medusa and don't think twice. Yet Donatello's bronze sculpture of Judith and Holofernes makes folks uncomfortable. These two stories are very similar, yet the genders are swapped.

Benvenuto Cellini, Perseus with the Head of Medusa, 1545-1554