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What did Medusa do for Athena?
In later myths (mainly in Ovid) Medusa was the only Gorgon to possess snake locks, because they were a punishment from Athena. Accordingly, Ovid relates that the once beautiful mortal was punished by Athena with a hideous appearance and loathsome snakes for hair for having been raped in Athena’s temple by Poseidon.
What is Medusa good for?
Medusa is best known for having hair made of snakes and for her ability to turn anyone she looked at to stone, literally to petrify. According to Hesiod’s Theogony, she was one of three Gorgon sisters born to Keto and Phorkys, primordial sea gods; Medusa was mortal, while the others, Stheno and Euryale, were immortal.
What did they do with Medusa’s head?
Medusa was beheaded by the Greek hero Perseus, who then used her head, which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone, as a weapon until he gave it to the goddess Athena to place on her shield.
What did Medusa do to get killed?
Medusa was the only Gorgon who was mortal; hence her slayer, Perseus, was able to kill her by cutting off her head. From the blood that spurted from her neck sprang Chrysaor and Pegasus, her two sons by Poseidon.
Did Athena punish Medusa or protect her?
Most writers credit Athena with laying a curse on Medusa. Thus, transforming Medusa was not an act of rage, rather, it was an act of protection. Athena could not punish Poseidon for what he did to Medusa. As a result, the goddess did the only thing she could do, which was to protect her former priestess.
Is Medusa good or bad?
While Medusa is usually considered to be ugly, one myth states that it was her great beauty, not her ugliness, that paralyzed all observers. Her “monstrous” form is believed by some scholars to represent a partially-decomposed human skull with teeth beginning to show through the decaying lips. The image of Medusa was thought to be protective.
Why Athena cursed Medusa?
Ovid is credited with creating the Medusa cursed by Athena version of the myth, in response to a sexual encounter between Medusa and Poseidon in her temple, a punishment he states is “just and will deserved.” This of course dates from the Roman period.
Is Medusa a real story?
Medusa :: The Real Story of the Snake-Haired Gorgon . Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, sisters of the Graeae, Echidna, and Ladon – all dreadful and fearsome beasts. A beautiful mortal, Medusa was the exception in the family, until she incurred the wrath of Athena, either due to her boastfulness or because of an ill-fated love affair with Poseidon.
Is Medusa evil or not?
Medusa is an incredibly sinister and evil individual, as well as a very powerful witch. Her greatest skill is her ability to manipulate almost anyone, due to her unbelievably high skills in acting. In her true personality, Medusa has a view of the entire world as a place of stasis, where nothing evolves or changes.