Was Medusa Real? The Real Story Behind the Snake-Haired Gorgon
Was Medusa real? Is her character based on a real-life story? We will discover the reason behind Medusa’s one-of-a-kind appearance and whether there is anything from her story that is based on fact.
One of the most recognizable and famous monsters from Greek mythology is Medusa, the Gorgon with the most hideous appearance—a head covered with snakes and capable of turning men to stone. There are many versions, but the real story, according to a Roman poet named Ovid. Read on and you’ll know all about her.
Was Medusa Real?
The short answer is no, medusa was not real. For someone who has been depicted as a monster with poisonous snakes for hair, having the ability to turn men into stone, it may seem evident that Medusa was not a real historical figure.
Origin of Medusa
The origin of Medusa’s tale is deeply rooted in Greek mythology, particularly in the Theogony, written by the eighth century BC poet Hesiod. There was no exact birthdate, written but it was estimated that her birth year may have ranged from 1800 to 1700.
She is one of the few monsters of ancient Greece whose parents were almost universally agreed upon. All the versions of her narrative, even the ones that claimed she was not born a monster but a beautiful maiden, had the same names for her parents.
Medusa is the daughter of two ancient gods who were also horrifying sea monsters – Phorcys and Ceto. Aside from her two immortal Gorgon sisters, Stheno and Euryale, she is related to numerous terrifying monsters and nymphs.
The list of her relatives includes the Graeae (a trio of women who share a single eye between them), Echidna (a half-woman, half-serpent who lived alone in a cave), Thoosa (Cyclops’ mother), Scylla (a sea monster that stalked the rocks next to Charybdis), and the guardians of the golden apple tree—the Hesperides (also known as the Daughters of the Evening)—and Ladon, a creature who was serpent-like and wrapped around the golden apple tree.
Despite being a beautiful mortal, Medusa was the odd one out in the family until she incurred Athena’s anger. Even though she was not a monster at birth, Medusa endured the terrible ordeal of being transformed into the worst of all her Gorgon sisters. Among them, she was the only mortal who possessed a vulnerability that her immortal sisters did not.
Medusa Before She Was Cursed
Gorgon Medusa, as the snake-haired Gorgon, and her sisters were always viewed as hideous monsters by the ancient Greek, but the Romans described Medusa as a lovely maiden.
There are numerous variations on the Medusa myth, with some legends depicting Medusa with real hair, showing that her hair has not always been made of snakes. It is key to know that she was said to have been born extremely beautiful and to have won hearts wherever she went, which is why she was known to be pure and chaste, this beautiful maiden was admired the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom. She took the decision to serve as a priestess in a temple dedicated to Athena, where virginity and chastity were the requirements.
She was the perfect priestess, and because she was very beautiful, the number of visitors who came to the temple just to admire her grew every day. It made the goddess Athena very jealous of her. One visitor even remarked that Medusa’s hair was prettier than the hair of the goddess Athena.
The Story of Medusa and Poseidon
According to several accounts and those who assert that this is Medusa’s real story, Poseidon is the main reason for Medusa’s horrifying appearance. It comes from the legend in which Medusa was depicted as a stunning priestess in Athena’s temple.
Poseidon, the sea deity, first saw Medusa when she was walking along the shore and fell in love with her. However, Medusa consistently rejected Poseidon because she was committed to serving as Athena’s priestess. Poseidon and Athena were at odds, and the fact that Athena owned Medusa only served to further inflame his resentment.
Poseidon decided to take Medusa by force because he was fed up with her continual rejection. Medusa desperately ran to Athena’s temple for protection, but Poseidon caught up with her and raped her inside the temple in front of Athena’s statue.
Athena suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She was furious about what had transpired, and since she couldn’t blame Poseidon because he was a god more powerful than her, she accused Medusa of seducing Poseidon and dishonoring the goddess and the temple.
Medusa After the Curse
According to Greek myth, as a form of retribution, Athena changed Medusa’s appearance, turning her magnificent hair into writhing snakes, making her complexion green, and turning everyone who gazed at her into stone. Hence, Medusa was cursed.
From the moment Medusa’s physical appearance changed, warriors pursued her, but every single one of them turned to stone. Every warrior regarded her as a trophy to be killed. However, none of those warriors succeeded in killing her; all of them did not return.
After being transformed into the monster we know her to be, Medusa fled with her sisters to a faraway land to avoid all of humanity. She was then sought after by heroes who wanted to kill her as a trophy. Many came to confront her, but none ever returned. Since then, nobody has attempted to kill her because doing so would be considered suicide.
Medusa and Perseus
Killing Medusa was considered a suicide mission because as one looked across her direction, and if she looked back, the snakes would have killed the person with one glare. A brave person aiming to kill her would have ended up dead.
King Polydectes knew about the suicidal risk of killing this monster, hence that was why he sent Perseus on a quest to bring her head. Overall, the mission was to behead her and bring the victorious head as a gesture of bravery.
Perseus was a demi-god, the son of the god Zeus and a mortal woman named Danae. Perseus and Danae were cast away and ended up on the island of Serifos, where Polydectes was the king and the ruler. To ensure that Perseus would not overpower him, King Polydectes devised a plan to send Perseus on a deadly mission.
However, Perseus, being the son of the supreme god Zeus, and he wasn’t going to go on this mission without being prepared to have with him the best shield in order to accomplish this mission, hence Perseus received help from other Greek gods.
He was given the helmet of invisibility from Hades, the deity of the underworld. He also got a pair of winged sandals from the god of travel, Hermes. Hephaestus, the god of fire and forging, gave Perseus a sword, whereas Athena, the goddess of war, gave him a shield made of reflective bronze.
Bearing all the gifts that the gods gave him, Perseus proceeded to Medusa’s cave and found her sleeping. Perseus made sure not to gaze at Medusa directly, but rather at the reflection on the bronze shield that Athena had given him. He quietly approached her, and he was able to cut off her head and immediately place it in his satchel before returning home.
However, Perseus was unaware that Medusa was carrying Poseidon’s offspring. Hence, from the blood on her neck, her children—Pegasus, the winged horse, and Chrysaor, the giant—were born.
Conclusion
Medusa was once a beautiful maiden with hair so magnificent that it was said to be more beautiful than Athena’s. Let us further summarize what we have learned about Medusa and her story.
Medusa came from a family of monsters. Her parents were both sea monsters, Phorcys and Ceto. She is also related to several monsters and nymphs: the Graeae, Echidna, Thoosa, Scylla, the Hesperides, and Ladon.- With her beauty and being mortal, she was the odd one out in her family, especially compared to her two Gorgon sisters, Stheno and Euryale, who were both immortals.
- Poseidon, who was the god of the sea, fell in love with Medusa and, after several rejections, decided to take her by force. She was raped inside the temple where she served as a priestess to Athena.
- Athena was enraged and accused Medusa of seducing Poseidon and punished her by turning her magnificent hair into writhing snakes, making her complexion green, and turning everyone who gazed at her to stone.
- Medusa became a prized target for warriors, but none succeeded in killing her except Perseus, Zeus’ son with a mortal woman. Perseus succeeded in cutting off Medusa’s head using all the gifts the other Greek gods gave him. Soon after, Medusa’s children, Pegasus and Chrysaor, sprang from the blood on her neck.
As there are no written accounts proving that Medusa was real, it is worthwhile to discover the story behind her one-of-a-kind appearance. It is shocking to find out that behind her viciousness as a monster, she was once the victim of a harsh action from a god, but despite being a victim, she was the one who suffered punishment. This makes her story much more tragic.
