Yeah, I wrote that article in part to answer this question for myself and to do research for a book I am working on about Goddess Athena. Her most monstrous attribute, however, was the determination of the gods to have her killed. Medusa's main characteristics are snakes for hair and that people turn to stone just by seeing her face. Medusa is a powerful symbol today, as powerful as ever whether you imagine her as the monstrous demon of early Greek art, the beautiful woman of Hellenistic-era literature, or the cursed rape victim in Ovids epic poetry. In the very earliest sources, she lived on an island in the Atlantic. Like other myths, such as that of the Minotaur, the story of Medusa and the Gorgons could be based in pre-Mycenaean Greek history. Classic Medusa, in contrast, is an Oedipal/libidinous symptom. Looking at forbidden mother (in her hair-covered genitals, so to speak) stiffens the subject in illicit desire and freezes him in terror of the Father's retribution. There are no recorded instances of Medusa turning a woman to stone. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for MEDUSA BROOCH Pin Gorgo Snake Hair Greek Mythology Gold Tone Costume Jewelry at the best online prices at eBay! This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. The TImeoroi were perhaps Naiad-nymphs of the fresh-water springs of the region. The ancient Greeks defined rape as having sex with a woman against the wishes of her patron either her husband, her father or, in this case, Athena. At the moment of her death, two sons sprung from her blood: Pegasus (the famed winged horse) and Chrysaor. Many other myths are interpreted as retellings of how the Greeks and their pantheon won power. You know how looking at a math problem similar to the one you're stuck on can help you get unstuck? In Statius' version, the monster had a woman's face and breasts, and a hissing snake protruding from the cleft of her rusty-colored forehead, and it would slide into children's bedrooms to snatch them. Engraged, Athena, unable to punish Poseidon, banished Medusa to an island and cursed her to have snakes for hair and a face so revolting it would turn the onlooker to stone. Herodotus, Histories 4. Clash of the Titans (1981) (mentioned below) featured her as one of the monsters and it has been said that modern generations owe their knowledge of Medusa to the film. : Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. [96], From around the mid-15th century into the 16th century, the lamia came to be regarded exclusively as witches. Poseidon, especially attracted to her voluptuous hair, assaulted her in the temple of Athena. This framework slots all European and African people into either black or white pigeonholes. She was considered the destroyer aspect of the Great Triple Goddess also The Cyprias island of Sarpedon may be purely imaginary though I do wonder if it may reflect a very early awareness of the Canary Islands (just over 100 km from the mainland, and inhabited in antiquity, most likely by Berber people). Some of the Gorgons' depictions make them Snake People. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. [63] According to a scholiast to Ovid, it had a serpent's body carrying a human face. [94], Renaissance writer Angelo Poliziano wrote Lamia (1492), a philosophical work whose title is a disparaging reference to his opponents who dabble in philosophy without competence. When Medusa is used in fiction as a unique being rather than as a species, she is typically given either one of these two origins, or no origin at all. An anonymous commentator on the passage states this is a reference to the Lamia, but muddlingly combines this with Aristotle's subsequent comments and describes her as a Scythian of the Pontus (Black Sea) area. Like many Greek monsters in mythology, killing Medusa was a task assigned to a semi-divine hero. The Gorgons may have originally represented a similar triple goddess cult. Coral, anything serpentine, menstrual blood stained pads or garments. They think that Medusa was a goddess. Let us know! Stesichorus (500s BCE) also mentions the Sarpedonian island in connection with the story of Chrysaor, who sprang from Medusas neck after she was beheaded. The first daughter accidentally killed the second in a mock battle. [38] The last statement has led to the surmise that this lamia/empusa was a sort of blood-sucking vampiress. 2. Algol, usually considered a star of ill-fortune, is traditionally perceived as representing Medusas eye. Its entirely up to Berber people to decide whether Medusa is African today. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : Medusa teaches us to know and love ourselves outside of the expectations of patriarchal society. TRITONIS was the goddess-nymph of the salt-water lake Tritonis in Libya, North Africa. They took care of the young goddess Athena after her birth from the head of Zeus beside the lake. Snakes are traditionally associated with menstruation. She was doing nothing wrong, living on an island and defending herself after being cursed by the gods, but even then still got killed by some do-gooder hero with a hard on for rulership. Unlikely, it is possible that the character of Medusa may have derived from some form of early snake goddess worship, with possible relations to an In his 9th-century treatise on divorce, Hincmar, archbishop of Reims, listed lamiae among the supernatural dangers that threatened marriages, and identified them with geniciales feminae,[74] female reproductive spirits. While Medusa could be killed, her sisters could not. She resides in the Petrified Temple in the middle of a petrified forest on Lesbos. The monster in the heroic story could symbolize a pre-Greek religion. The examples are Aristophanes's reference to the "lamia's testicles", the scent of the monsters in the Libyan myth which allowed the humans to track down their lair, and the terrible stench of their urine that lingered in the clothing of Aristomenes, which they showered upon him after carving out his friend Sophocles's heart. They are not strictly speaking "witches", but they are referred to as such by convention. It can be used to destroy or overwhelm any other power. It was assumed, among other godlike attributes, as a royal aegis to imply divine birth or protection, by rulers of the Hellenistic age, as shown, for instance, on the Alexander Mosaic and the Gonzaga Cameo. Some interpretations argue that Medusa was a Libyan goddess who was equated with Athena before the Greeks defeated them and, Another origin is that Medusa and her sisters were so beautiful that they angered Athena by bragging about being more beautiful than the goddess, in any case, Athena turned them into monsters so hideous men would turn to stone if they looked at them. There are two different such prequel myths regarding the origins of the original Medusa. Percy also confronts the forgotten other son Chrysaor, embittered at being ignored in legend, who honors his heritage as a son of her and Poseidon by becoming a fearsome pirate. Medusa and her family are no exception. Myths are malleable, after all. She may have had consensual or even sacred sex with him in Athenas temple, or she may have fled to the temple to get away from him. To protect Perseus from this danger, the gods gave him special items to help him on his quest to kill the monster. "They say that after Athene's birth, she was reared by Triton [and presumably Tritonis], who had a daughter named Pallas. [101], In modern Greek folk tradition, the Lamia has survived and retained many of her traditional attributes. Another double of the Libyan Lamia may be Lamia, daughter of Poseidon. Besides having serpents for hair, the Gorgons were described as having tusks, brazen claws, wings and strongly acidic blood; in a few very early depictions they are shown as quadrupeds, possibly because Pegasus was born out of Medusa's blood when she was beheaded by Perseus. They saw parallels between the punishment and isolation the Gorgon faced for her own assault and the way women are so often maligned for the mistreatment they endure. 6 (trans. Other packaging types available at checkout. Medusa (Metis) was the destroyer aspect of the Great Triple Goddess also called Neith, Anath, Athene or Ath-enna in North Africa and Athana in 1400 c. BC Minoan We'll take a look right away. WebTHE GORGONES (Gorgons) were three powerful, winged daimones named Medousa (Medusa), Sthenno and Euryale. Strong parallel with the Medusa has also been noted. Kibin, 2023. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu. The Traditional Story of Medusa. Empusa is equated with Hecate in a fragment of Aristophanes's lost play, Keats made a note to this effect at the end of the first page in the fair copy he made: see William E. Harrold, "Keats' 'Lamia' and Peacock's 'Rhododaphne'". The sisters Sthenno and Euryale were immortal but the third, Medusa, was mortal. edd., Strabo. Because they were immortal, Perseus had to flee from them instead of fight. Historian Herodotus also stated that she was in Libya. 1495.). "), "The Views on Medusa Goddess in Mythology." Athena was sent to a foundry in North Africa to be raised by a Cyclops. Goddess Medusa. There was a time long ago when Medusas people worshiped Her as a Goddess. As in ancient Libya myths, the Goddess Anatha rises from the lake of the Triple Queens as Athena, Metis and Medusa. Athena, a New Moon Warrior Maiden who inspires courage, strength, and valor, the Sea Goddess Metis, a Full Moon Mother of wisdom who, Medusa heads were traditionally carved as coral cameos for an extremely powerful protective amulet. The one part about Reddit I love is the mix of opinions. I cant read Tamazight or Arabic, so Im not ideally placed to say what the prevailing mood is. [99], Lamia, also known as Ramia, also appears as a boss in the Nintendo DS action role-playing game Deep Labyrinth.[100]. Depending on the version of the story, she either reciprocated, and (with a little help from her sisters) let Poseidon into Athena's temple and slept with him on the altar, or was simply raped by the god. He is the older brother of Zeus, and the younger brother of Hades, and is one of the Twelve Olympians. Her face is a Gorgons mask, but her body is that of a woman dressed and girded for battle. Other myths say that Medusa retained her mortal beauty, as a cruel Irony. WebMedusa was one of the three Gorgons ("the Terrible Ones"), the daughters of Keto ("Whale," daughter of Gaea and Pontos, the outer sea) and her brother Phorkys (also a Poseidon courted her. And either way, she can still become Berber any time. [68][69][o] The idea that these creatures were lamiai seems to originate with Alex Scobie (1977),[71] and accepted by other commentators. The Makhlyes wear their hair long behind, the Auseans in front. And, incidentally, Gorgon snake hair in Morocco certainly isnt derived from Maasai dreadlocks in Kenya. The heads of both figures are inhuman, which is used to convey their monstrousness. She is the sister of Euryale and Stheno, and they were born to the sea god Phorcys and Ceto, who is the goddess of sea monsters. Thanks for the comment and the Quora link. Poets and scholars of all ages knew Her as the Goddess Neith. Medusa, to me, is the monstrous version of a heroic mortal. Her image was used in Byzantine Greece to protect pregnant women and newborns. After IF IT'S PERSONAL GNOSIS, THERE IS NO REVIVAL. WebThe Libyan Berber Goddess Tannit (Neith) Tannit or Neith is originally a Berber Libyan Goddess venerated by the Berbers of North Africa from immemorial times. [35], In later classical periods, around the 1st century A. D.,[36] the conception of this Lamia shifted to that of a sultry seductress who enticed young men and devoured them. She vowed to be celibate her entire life as a priestess of Athena until she fell in love with Poseidon. When she's defeated, Medusa herself is turned to stone. Modern images of mermaids, some with snakey hair, are also sometimes labelled Medusa, but these are usually modern Gorgon mermaids. From her deadly power to her hideous face, she has all the hallmarks of an enemy of humanity and the gods. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. She may also be accessed as a living goddess by those seeking menstrual, serpentine mysteries. A complete bibliography of the translations quoted on this page. The sisters [21][d] This was later incorporated into Edward Topsell's 17th-century envisioning of the lamia. There are also people who worship people from the Arthurian legends. Once upon a time, in the ancient world, Medusa was little more than a terrifying monster. 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