What goddess is Medusa?

What goddess is Medusa?

Legend states that Medusa was once a beautiful, avowed priestess of Athena who was cursed for breaking her vow of celibacy. She is not considered a goddess or Olympian, but some variations on her legend say she consorted with one. When Medusa had an affair with the sea god Poseidon, Athena punished her.

What is the real story behind Medusa?

The snake-haired Medusa does not become widespread until the first century B.C. The Roman author Ovid describes the mortal Medusa as a beautiful maiden seduced by Poseidon in a temple of Athena. Such a sacrilege attracted the goddess’ wrath, and she punished Medusa by turning her hair to snakes.

What is the story of Perseus and Medusa?

Because the gaze of Medusa turned all who looked at her to stone, Perseus guided himself by her reflection in a shield given him by Athena and beheaded Medusa as she slept. He then returned to Seriphus and rescued his mother by turning Polydectes and his supporters to stone at the sight of Medusa’s head.

Was Athena jealous of Medusa?

The Goddess of wisdom, Athena, is jealous of Medusa’s beauty. Because of this, she summons Perseus, the son of the god Zeus and the mortal Danae, for a mission. The mission seems simple enough: to behead the monster that is Medusa.

Is Medusa real person?

Medusa, in Greek mythology, the most famous of the monster figures known as Gorgons. She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of hair consisting of snakes; unlike the Gorgons, she was sometimes represented as very beautiful.

Who did Medusa worship?

Medusa in myth Among those was Poseidon, God of the Sea. One day, as Medusa was worshipping in a shrine of Athena, Poseidon surprised and ravaged her – an outrage against the sacred location.

Is Medusa still alive?

Medusa, one of the three monstrous Gorgons, was a snake-haired female who turned anybody who looked upon her to stone. She was finally killed by the hero Perseus, who used her severed head as a weapon against his enemies.

What is the moral lesson of Perseus and Medusa?

The story of Perseus and Medusa is a story of perseverance, bravery, and dignity. Perseus personifies the length one would go to in order to save the ones you love. Perseus shows the authenticity of his character when he rescues the helpless Andromeda from the Cetus and the attachment to the rock.

Why was Medusa killed by Perseus?

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 Perseus’s mother. The gods were well aware of this, and Perseus received help.

How was Medusa killed?

Medusa was the only Gorgon who was mortal; hence her slayer, Perseus, was able to kill her by cutting off her head.

What are Medusa’s special powers?

Medusa possesses prehensile hair, and she can not only control the growth and movement of it, but can maneuver each strand individually. Uncontrolled, her tougher-than-steel hair is naturally more than six feet long. She maintains this control even when the hair has been cut from her head.

What was Medusa’s weakness?

Just as a person who has extra-acute hearing can be more easily overwhelmed by very loud noises, so too is Medusa particularly prone to psychic attacks. Her openness to others also leaves her open to attack. Medusa refers to this as a ‘weakness.

What is Medusa’s theme?

The Destructive Nature of Jealousy and Rage. The poem uses the myth of the Medusa—a fearsome, snake-haired woman from Greek mythology who could turn people to stone simply by looking at them—to illustrate the devastating effects of jealousy and rage.

Why did god punish Medusa?

The Medusa we know was raped by Poseidon in the goddess Athena’s temple. Athena then punished her for desecrating her sacred space by cursing Medusa with a head full of snakes and a gaze that turns men to stone.