01/01/2021
Medusa’s back story, before all of her other written stories making her the villain because of her hideous looks, petrifying gaze and hissing locks, is a devastating story and probably still very relatable to this age.
This story is from a Roman poet Ovid’s Methamorphoses (4.794–803) circa 8 A.D. 📖
In this work, Ovid describes Medusa as originally being a beautiful maiden sworn to serve the goddess Athena for as long as she lived. She was the only mortal of the three sisters known as the Gorgons. Her beauty caught the eye of the sea God, Poseidon. He desired her and proceeded to ravaged her in Athena’s shrine.
When Athena discovered the sea god had r***d Medusa in her shrine, she was furious at the desecration of the temple.
Athena could not simply punish Poseidon for the fact that he is an immortal god, no matter how much he deserves it. He gets a free pass. Medusa, however, was mortal and took the punishment of Athena’s anger even though she was disrespected, violated and r***d; and since it was Medusa’s beauty that attracted Poseidon.
Athena sought vengeance by transforming Medusa’s hair into snakes. Anyone who gazed at her directly would be turned into stone. No can look at her and no one would ever want her. Athena turned her into a monster. 🐍🐍🐍
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References:
Ovid’s Metamorphoses IV (A. S. Kline’s Version)
Ovid’s Metamorphoses (translates by S. Garth, J. Dryden)
C. Hastings, Vice, 2018
B. Garcia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2013