Why Was Medusa Cursed? The Two Sides of the Story on Medusa’s Look
Why was Medusa cursed? It was either to punish or to protect. However, since she was a mere mortal and her violator was a god, even if she was the victim, she still suffered the consequences of the curse. These two versions of the story of why Medusa was cursed both involved Poseidon and Athena.
Keep reading to find out the reason for the curse and its consequences!
Why Was Medusa Cursed?
Medusa was cursed as a punishment for bringing dishonor to the goddess Athena and her temple. Athena intentionally turned Medusa into a monster and changed her for Medusa protection. The curse was Medusa’s snake hair and her ability to turn any living man into stone to protect her from harm.
How Medusa Got Curse
According to ancient Greek literature, Medusa was born with a monstrous appearance, but if the Roman version is to be considered, she was once a beautiful young woman. In fact, her beauty was the reason why Medusa cursed.
In other written accounts, she was described as a very beautiful woman who captured hearts everywhere she went. Her beauty was admired not only by men but even by the god of the sea, Poseidon.
The story of Medusa and Poseidon reveals the root cause of the change in Medusa’s appearance. Ever since Poseidon saw Medusa’s beauty, he fell in love with her and pursued her. However, Medusa was a devoted priestess to Athena and continued to reject the sea god. Given that Poseidon and Athena already had a personal feud, the fact that Medusa was serving Athena only added to the bitterness that Poseidon felt.
Tired of being rejected, Poseidon decided to take Medusa by force. Medusa desperately ran to the temple to seek protection, but Poseidon easily caught up with her, and right there, inside the sacred place where Athena was being worshipped, her most devoted priestess was raped.
Athena was enraged, but since she could not confront Poseidon as he was a more powerful god than her, she blamed Medusa for seducing Poseidon and bringing dishonor to her and her temple. As Athena heard this, she cursed Medusa and turned her into the gorgon Medusa we know—with a head full of snakes as her hair, a green-colored complexion, and a gaze that can turn a man into a stone.
The Consequences of the Curse and Medusa
After Athena cursed her, she changed from what she was turning into a monstrous creature.
Before the curse that Athena placed on her, Medusa was exceptionally beautiful. She was one of the loyal priestesses of the temple of Athena. She even used to be considered the odd member of her family due to her looks, and gracefulness. Coming from a family of sea monsters and nymphs, Medusa was the only one with striking beauty.
She had magnificent hair that was said to be more beautiful than Athena’s. Even though she was being admired and pursued by many admirers, she stayed pure and chaste.
Medusa was turned into a monstrous creature. Unfortunately, when Medusa was cursed by Athena, the goddess of wisdom, she was transformed from being the most beautiful in her family to having the worst appearance and looking hideous, especially when compared to her two Gorgon sisters, in addition to her previous self who was beautiful and chaste.
Her hair was changed to heads of poisonous snakes, that would have killed anyone who got close to her. She had the strength to match its endurance. It was armed with tentacles as well as a gaping maw loaded with numerous pointed fangs. The creatures on her hair had numerous tentacles that allowed her to swim with incredible speed.
After she was cursed, Medusa, together with her sisters, lived on a remote island away from humankind, because she was constantly chased by warriors as she became a prized target. Nevertheless, none of the warriors who tried to kill her succeeded, all of them were eventually turned into stone.
The tentacles were powerful enough to easily destroy cities and pull entire ships under the water. However, some people think that the writhing snakes on her head were protection from men.
FAQ
Who Killed Medusa?
Perseus was a young man who succeeded in killing Medusa. He was the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and a mortal woman named Danae. Because of this, when he was tasked to bring the head of the only mortal Gorgon, many of the gods helped him by giving him gifts and weapons he could use to kill Medusa.
In order to find Medusa’s location and obtain the tools necessary to kill her, Perseus was advised by Athena to travel to the Graeae. In addition to the winged sandals lent to him, Perseus received the invisibility cap, the adamantine sword, the reflective bronze shield, and a bag.
When Perseus finally reached Medusa, he discovered her sleeping. He silently crept up to Medusa to cut off her head using the reflection on his bronze shield. Perseus immediately put the head inside the bag. He became famous in Greek mythology as Medusa’s slayer.
From the blood on her neck, Medusa’s children with Poseidon were born—Pegasus and Chrysaor. Even after her death, Medusa’s head was still powerful, and her killer utilized it as his weapon before giving it to Athena, his benefactor. Athena placed it on her shield. This served as a visual representation of Athena’s ability to defeat her foes by killing and destroying them.
How Did Medusa Die?
She was killed by decapitation. Even though Medusa had all the protection she needed from the writhing snakes on her head, which served as her protection for any man who was able to come close to her—that is, if that man has not yet been turned to stone by her gaze—she was still a mortal and still possessed vulnerability.
Medusa was killed by a man who owned special weapons and tools from the gods. He used them to come close to a sleeping Medusa and swiftly cut off her head. Even Medusa’s two sisters, who were suddenly awoken from their sleep, could not take revenge on their sister’s killer as they could not see him.
Is Medusa a God?
For the Greeks, Medusa was not directly mentioned as a god or a goddess. Even though she was the daughter of two primordial gods of the sea, and even if she later possessed a powerful gaze that can turn any man into stone, she was still a mortal. In fact, she was known to be the only mortal in the group of three Gorgon sisters. Being mortal is considered Medusa weakness.
The closest that Medusa ever came to being a god is her being a mother to the children of Poseidon. Upon her death, she birthed two unique creatures, a white-winged horse named Pegasus and the other, Chrysaor, the owner of the golden sword or what he called “Enchanted Gold.” However, some worshipped her and even composed a prayer to Medusa, especially those who considered her a symbol of feminine rage.
Conclusion
Medusa was known as the snake-haired Gorgon who had the capability to turn any man into stone. However, there are various versions of her narrative that explain why she looks the way she does. Let us summarize what we have learned from this article:
- There is a version of Medusa’s story that states she was cursed by Athena as a punishment for being raped by Poseidon in the temple. As Athena could not confront Poseidon, she held Medusa accountable for bringing dishonor to her temple despite the fact that it was not her fault.
- In a different interpretation, Medusa benefits from Athena’s curse. It was viewed as a gift of protection rather than a means of punishment. The premise of the storytelling will determine this. Medusa was always the infamous monster to the Greeks, but to the Romans, she was just a victim who was punished rather than given justice.
- Since Medusa practiced celibacy, she had no intention of being touched. Her head full of venomous snakes and her gaze that could petrify any man was meant to make sure she would not be harmed by any man ever again.
- However, she remained mortal. She was decapitated by Perseus, a demi-god son of Zeus. Perseus used her sliced-off head as a weapon before giving it to Athena, who mounted it on her shield as it retained the ability to turn any man into stone.
There were no references to determine whether there were any women turned into stone; therefore, whatever the reason for her transformation, Medusa is unquestionably one of the figures in Greek mythology who symbolize feminism. Because of this, pagan believers continue to adore her today.
