Rape Culture – Medusa has been stigmatized and has unjustifiably been blamed for the consequences of male lust.She was unfairly blamed for “provoking” a god with her beauty.
In Western culture, strong women have historically been imagined as threats requiring male conquest and control. Silencing Powerful Women – The beheading of Medusa can be seen as symbolic of silencing powerful women who voice their sentiments.Nowadays, there are even more interpretations that draw the connection between Medusa and the still problematic stance to the issues women face even in today’s age.Īs pointed out by, there are several perspectives of the story: This type of revisionism can be seen in many other mythical creatures, like dragons and mermaids. In the Classical period, her features started to become increasingly feminized, smoother shapelier.Īll this brought a change to how artists portrayed her and featured her it in their works, making the images of Medusa more human. With times, the appearance of Medusa started changing, as did the interpretation of the story. Whatever the exact reason, Athena turned her wrath towards Medusa and punished her by turning her into a hideous monster, with snakes growing out of her head, and a deadly stare that would immediately turn anyone to stone if they looked into her eyes. Why Ovid rewrote it that Athena chose to punish the victim is unclear, but there is an interpretation beside the disgrace to the temple that it could be that Athena was jealous of Medusa’s beauty. The goddess was awakened with anger by what had happened inside her hallowed halls. The beauty of Medusa, as great as it was, was used in the myth as her later demise.Īs per the Ovid’s version in the Roman mythology, disputed by many Greek mythology lovers, she was the love interest of Poseidon, but since she didn’t reciprocate his love, she got raped by him in Athena’s temple. Medusa is also portrayed on the famous Versace logo, surrounded by the meander pattern. It is rare in Greek art for a figure to face directly out, but in almost all representations of Medusa, despite style and medium, she stares ahead and uncompromisingly confronts the viewer. Regardless of the change of appearance throughout centuries, she is always recognizable due to her striking frontality. If we take a close look at her role in Greek mythology and art, we will discover that she is a nuanced and complex character with multiple iterations and implications. In Christianity later all serpent depictions have become a symbol of evil, something that God needs to conquer ( think dragons, too). She represents a dangerous threat meant to deter other dangerous threats, an image of evil to repel evil. The Met Museum further details, the most common interpretation of Medusa suggests she is an apotropaic symbol used to protect from and ward off the negative, much like the modern evil eye. In some interpretations, her face is shown as fierce and grotesque, in others it can be feminine and composed. Medusa is an instantly recognizable figure from ancient Greek art. Perseus did everything he did to protect his mother.
He wanted Perseus out of the way, so he told him that he’d leave Danae alone if Perseus slayed Medusa and brought him her head. Later, Perseus slayed her in the original Greek myth was because a king wanted to force Danae (Perseus’ mother) into marrying him. Strangely enough, Medusa’s story doesn’t end with her death. Some poets claimed that she had a great boar-like tusk and tongue lolling between her fanged teeth. She suffered the wrath of Athena, who transformed her into a vicious monster with snakes for hair and a stare that could turn people to stone. In the later version of the myth done by Ovid, Medusa refused his intentions, but he still pressured her and raped her in Athena’s temple.įor this, Medusa had to endure the misfortune of being turned into the most hideous of her sisters. So beautiful that the great Poseidon got infatuated with her and tried to seduce her. However, unlike her sisters, she was a beautiful mortal. Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, sisters of the Graeae, Echidna, and Ladon – all dreadful and fearsome beasts.
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