Lucan: The epic Civil War (60s CE) describes how the venomous vipers of the Sahara were born from Medusas blood (9.624ff). WebPerseus was one of the oldest out of all of the Greek mythological heroes. Webchapter 6. chapter 7. chapter 8. chapter 9. book 3. Then he grew to an immense height in every part (so you gods determined) and the whole sky, with its many stars, rested on him.. Pseudo-Hyginus states, By Joves [Zeus] will, it was borne to the island of Seriphos, and when the fisherman Dictys found it and broke it open, he discovered the mother and child. Percy trains as a god at Camp Half-Blood and travels America on adventures. They lived together in a remote part of the world. Angry at Perseus (instead of the gods that wished her to be sacrificed) he took up arms and started a great fight. She was the daughter of Zeus, produced without a mother, so that she emerged full-grown from his forehead. In this myth, the vipers emerged from the droplets of Medusas blood as Perseus flew over the Sahara with the Gorgons severed head. Athena took things a step further. She further claimed that the womans head simply served as a mask for those who later wielded it. Herodotus also records that when Xerxes, the Persian king, came to conquer Greece, he attempted to convince the people of Argos that he was the descendent of Perseus, and, therefore their rightful king already. It came out in 2013 as part of a limited edition series.-Many people use an image of her head because they believe it will protect them from others. Afterward, locked in a wooden chest, both were thrown into the sea by Danaes father Acrisius, who had known from the The goddess was so upset over what she saw and the issues she had with Zeus who was her father that she flew into a rage. Hades gave Perseus the helmet of invisibility, Hermes his winged sandals, Hephaestus a mighty sword, and Athena a reflective bronze shield. This series is often compared to the British Harry Potter series, and the first book was adapted into a film in 2010. Next time there is a trivia night, it might be more interesting to choose questions about Perseus than Hercules, and there are some fun facts that make perfect questions. The Perseus Constellation was cataloged in the 2nd century by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy and has been the source of great study ever since. However, according to multiple sources, she was a particularly beautiful woman and did not go unnoticed by the gods. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Romans identified her with Minerva. In one of his poems, Pindar applied the epithet euparaos (fair-cheeked) to Medusa. Medusa is one of the most famous characters of Greek mythology. It is not Perseus fault, Hermes told Dionysus, but Hera, who convinced him to fight. During the height of the #metoo movement, many women began using images of Medusa. Gorgo. In A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. According to Athenaeus, a Greek author who lived during the late second and early third centuries CE, the Gorgons were long-haired beasts, so terrifying that all who looked upon them were paralyzed and killed. The other Greek hero, Bellerophon, tamed the magical beast. A woman in the midst of an unsavory, unrequested task, she stands naked, her hair a tangle of serpents, a sword in one hand, a severed head in the other. The myths of Medusa are addressed in Book 3. Her superpower was simple gazers upon her face would turn to stone. Pegasus, the famous horse with wings, arose from her dead body. However, instead of it being in battle or any form of murder, death came only as an accident. Her birth and her contest with Poseidon, the sea god, for the suzerainty of the city were depicted on the pediments of the Parthenon, and the great festival of the Panathenaea, in July, was a celebration of her birthday. She has been featured in movies, books, cartoons and even video games. 4 (Zurich: Artemis, 1988), 288345. We love art history and writing about it. The London: Nutt, 189496. After Perseus had beheaded Medusa and put her head into his satchel, he used his winged sandals to quickly fly away from the other two vengeful Gorgons. Herbert Weir Smyth. Though many of these pieces made her more beautiful, they also showed that she was terrifying. Interestingly, in all other cultures, including Hebrew and Arabic, it is a head (sometimes Ras Al-gol or demons head). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Being the favourite child of Zeus, she had great power. Accessed April 4, 2021. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DG%3Aentry+group%3D9%3Aentry%3Dgorgo-bio-1. More importantly, he was the grandson of Acrisius and Eurydice. 2023. After their wedding, he headed to Seriphos for his mothers wedding. 1600. Rhianna chose to dress as the Greek mythological figure when she dressed like her on the cover of GQ in 2013. Mythopedia. Several authors working on a book interviewed hundreds of women to find out what they knew about the myth. How old is the United States of America? When Perseus beheaded her, Pegasus, a winged horse, and Chrysaor, a giant wielding a golden sword, sprang from her body. The man who stole her mask then used the story to frighten others. Atlas immediately turned to stone, thus becoming the Atlas Mountains. She personified, or represented, fairness, the laws of the gods, the laws of human nature, the laws made by man and customs (or tradition). After her death, Perseus immediately left to fight Atlas. However, those myths which mention three women call them sisters, and say that the other two were punished simply because of Medusas transgressions. Perseus had been sent to fetch Medusas head by Polydectes, a cruel king who wished to have Perseus out of the way so he could marry his mother, Danae. For standing by their sibling, she did the same to the other two gorgons. The bronze tower has a single door at its base, which is guarded day and night, and at the top is a room fit for a princess, and one which Danae effectively finds herself a prisoner in. The gods were well aware of this, and Perseus got help. Perseus then decapitated her and took her head to use it as a weapon in battle. O Atlas, the oracle said, mark the day a son of Zeus shall come to spoil; for when thy trees been stripped of golden fruit, the glory shall be his. Worried that this son was Perseus, Atlas was always careful. In The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a Gorgon travels to Sabrinas town. Bremmer, Jan. Gorgo/Medusa. In The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 4th ed., edited by Simon Hornblower, Antony Spawforth, and Esther Eidinow, 62223. There was also a theory established by Helene Cixous in which she claims that the original story of Medusa was quite different. 2022 Wasai LLC. [23], Medusas blood was sometimes thought to have magical or medicinal properties. According to another tradition, however, the head was kept in the city of Athens, buried underneath a mound in the agora.[22]. A tepidarium from the Roman era has a mosaic floor with her head at the center. He handed the kingdom to Dictys, who had protected Danae from his brother. She believes that Medusa was originally a beautiful woman with power and that men adapted her story to turn her into a monster because they did not appreciate powerful women. Th. She turned Medusa into an ugly creature by making her eyes bloodshot and raging and her face haglike. Andromedas mother boasted that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, so Poseidon sent the monster to attack the city. According to Pseudo-Apollodorus, the king of the gods became a golden rain and seeped into the cracks of the chamber. Homer never named Medusa in the Odyssey but did talk about a monsters head that Hades could send o Persephone. Hephaestus also helped the young man with the gift of a sword. The subject of Perseuss quest, she is one of the most iconic monsters in Greek lore. Athena gave Perseus a shield with mirrors to deflect Medusas gaze, while Hades helped him remain invisible to her. deTraci Regula. Ovids Metamorphoses tells the story of how Perseus, traveling back from killing the Gorgon, came across the beautiful Ethiopian, Andromeda, and saved her from a vicious sea monster (Cetus). When Perseus found the Gorgons, he used the helmet of invisibility to sneak up on Medusa. She inspired three of Phidiass sculptural masterpieces, including the massive chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statue of Athena Parthenos once housed in the Parthenon; and in Aeschyluss dramatic tragedy Eumenides she founded the Areopagus (Athenss aristocratic council), and, by breaking a deadlock of the judges in favour of Orestes, the defendant, she set the precedent that a tied vote signified acquittal. A fellow child of Zeus, Perseus famously beheaded the snake-haired Medusa, fought a sea monster for Andromeda, and accidentally killed his grandfather while playing sport. He turned the king to stone. There are three different ways you can cite this article. Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica 4.828ff; Eustathius on Homers Odyssey 12.85; scholia on Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica 4.828; scholia on Platos Republic 9, 588c. Perseus is one of the few people besides Hermes to wear the winged sandals. He then used the mirrored shield to kill her, looking at Medusas reflection rather than directly at her so that he would not be turned to stone. Medusa. Athenas moral and military superiority to Ares derives in part from the fact that she represents the intellectual and civilized side of war and the virtues of justice and skill, whereas Ares represents mere blood lust. When Perseus sought a place to rest, Atlas refused him. Kapach, Avi. Many artists made Medusa into a work of art. Dionysus, in his rage, might very well have leveled Argos and killed Perseus if it wasnt for Hermes. She lost all of her looks and found snakes growing in her hair. Athena is associated with birds, particularly the owl, which became famous as the symbol of the city of Athens. The myths of Medusa and Perseus appear in Book 2. WebIn one version of the Medusa story, she was a gorgeous young woman who agreed to become one of Athenas priestesses. Artists of the Renaissance, including Titian, were also interested in the story of Perseus and Andromeda, and this subject gained popularity once again in the mid-19th century. A magazine from 1986 also used this idea and claimed that feminists could learn how to channel their rage through her story. In most versions of the story, she was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who was sent to fetch her head by King Polydectes of Seriphus because Polydectes wanted to marry his mother. Perseus was often represented in ancient times in the act of removing Medusas head. The BBC One series Atlantis (20132015) features Medusa before she became a monster. 2. Most legends claim that the hero Perseus killed her with help from Hermes and others. When Elana Dkyewomon released a series of poems and short stories written by and for lesbians, she chose the Gorgon for the cover. o /; Ancient Greek: ) was, in Greek mythology, one of the mortal lovers of Zeus.An Argive princess, she was an ancestor of many kings and heroes, such as Perseus, Cadmus, Heracles, Minos, Lynceus, Cepheus, and Danaus.The astronomer Simon Marius named a moon of Jupiter after Io in 1614.. Because her brother was Phoroneus, Io is also WebIn one version of the Medusa story, she was a gorgeous young woman who agreed to become one of Athenas priestesses. When she found them together, Athena transformed her into a woman with serpents in her hair and a cold stare. Medusa wandered Africa for some time. While Athena, the goddess of women and knowledge, was often portrayed as holding a shield, the story of Perseus is the only surviving account of it being used. Her pure white milky skin turned a scary green hue. Medusa was the only Gorgon who was mortal; hence her slayer, Perseus, was able to kill her by cutting off her head. As such, the helmet would have been Hades most important object, and to offer it to Perseus was a great symbol of the underworld gods care for his nephew. Medusas head was finally given to the goddess Athena, becoming part of the armor she wore into battle. Hesiod, Theogony 280ff; Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.784ff, 6.119ff; Apollodorus, Library 2.4.2; Hyginus, Fabulae 151. Themis was one of the first twelve Titans, direct descendants of Gaea (Mother Earth) and Uranus (Father Sky), the first beings to ever In 1782, Leonardo da Vincis biographer Luigi Lanzi discovered a depiction of Medusas head which he erroneously attributed to Leonardo, based on a description of Leonardos painting done by Giorgio Vasari. Feeling as though his work was done, Perseus tracked down Athena and presented her with the head. It was interpreted both as a triumph of stoic reason over the foes of virtue and as the possibility of controlling passions and exercising stoical equanimity through implacable realism. Zeus came to her in the form of a s The Death of Medusa I by Edward Burne-Jones (1882). Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.1515; Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.770; Lucan, Civil War 9.820. Pausanias, Description of Greece: A second-century CE travelogue; like Strabos Geography, an important source for local myths and customs. Freud simply stated that the myth is part of the Odepial Complex. Dionysus could not be turned to stone, however. Aeschylus: The fifth-century BCE tragedian Aeschylus evoked the uniquely terrifying Gorgons in several of his plays, including the Libation Bearers (1048ff), the Eumenides (46ff) and Prometheus Bound (788ff). The French military created a special belt during World War I that had her face on it. While no longer as famous as Heracles or Odysseus, the Argive king and Greek hero Perseus has just an interesting story. Caravaggio painted two versions of Medusa, the first in 1596 and the other around 1597. Perseus was gone before they ever understood what had happened. All Rights Reserved. In order to keep Dana childless, Acrisius imprisoned her in a bronze chamber, open to the sky, in the courtyard of his palace: This mytheme is also connected to Ares, Oenopion, Eurystheus, and others. The venomous vipers of the Sahara were also sometimes said to have been born from Medusas blood. Knowing that Polydectes forced her into marriage, Perseus forced him to look at the head and turned him into stone to free his mother. Wilk, Stephen R. Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon. In the Iliad, Athena is the divine form of the heroic, martial ideal: she personifies excellence in close combat, victory, and glory. Some legends say Themis created this oracle position while others credit Gaea, who then gave it to her. Athena was customarily portrayed wearing body armour and a helmet and carrying a shield and a lance. Medusa had promised to keep her chastity in honor of her deity, and took this vow seriously. Priestesses took a vow of chastity and devoted their lives to her. In Homers Iliad, Athena, as a war goddess, inspires and fights alongside the Greek heroes; her aid is synonymous with military prowess. Her blood also led to the creation of the venomous vipers that roam the Sahara. Herodotus, Histories 2.91; Diodorus of Sicily, Library of History 3.52.4; Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.21.6. His mother was Danae (pronounced DAN-uh-ee), daughter In a strange little side-note, an interesting fact about Medusa and her sisters were integral to the invention of the flute. While it was Zeus that fathered Helen and Pollux by sleeping with Leda while in the form of a Swan, Tyndareus was considered their mortal father. Krauskopf, Ingrid. Medusa. Mythopedia, 11 Mar. One was the Giant Chrysaor, who became the father of the monster Geryon. Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.47.4; Apollodorus, Library 2.7.3. In his work, he says that she was the queen of those around Lake Tritonis (modern-day Libya), and faced Perseus and his army in battle. Euryale could leap with ease, while Stheno was stronger than her sisters. Joseph Campbell was one historian who believed this theory. The bronze polished shield was quite reflective, which came in very handy. However, classical and renaissance artists loved depicting the creature being ridden by the better-known hero, so the two myths are often confused. Atlas attempted to fight but saw her head and turned to stone. Perseus, upon saving his mother, returned to Argos. The priestess was able to foretell divine prophecies once filled with the spirit of Apollo. Strabo, Geography: A late first-century BCE geographical treatise and an important source for many local Greek myths, institutions, and religious practices from antiquity. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. It is pronounced P AH R-Siy-ahS in English . Perseus is of Old Greek origin. Perseus is a form of the English and Greek Persis. See also the related category greek. Perseus is uncommon as a baby girl name. It is not in the top 1000 names.
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