6/20/2023 0 Comments Poseidon and medusa![]() ![]() The reason why Athena did this was that Medusa was raped by Poseidon in her temple but she got mad at her for disrespecting the Goddess. The curse turned any man that looked at her into stone due to her hideous face and piercing gaze. Many believed that Medusa’s petrifying gaze was a power she had but in reality, it was a curse given to her by the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, for defiling her Temple. Why Did Medusa’s Eyes Turn Humans to Stone? Needless to say that the King’s plans were foiled when Perseus returned with Medusa’s head. Unfortunately for Polydectes, Perseus enlisted the help of Athena who gave him a reflective shield which prevented Perseus from looking directly at Medusa. He asked Perseus to bring him Medusa’s head in hopes that the Gorgon would petrify him and remove the hero out of the King’s way. Polydectes decided on a task that he believed was impossible to get rid of Perseus. Perseus couldn’t do so but promised the King that he could bring anything else in the world to him. To do so, Polydectes pretended to propose to Hippodameia and asked every citizen of Seriphos to bring him a horse as a gift. Perseus was a hero and was very protective of his mother so Polydectes had to get rid of him before doing anything to her. Polydectes, the King of Seriphos, wanted to marry Perseus’ mother, Danae, who insisted on rejecting the King’s advances onto her. The fact that Perseus decapitated her in her sleep proves this. In truth, the Gorgon never wielded a weapon as she was never a violent being in Greek mythology. Modern depictions often show Medusa wielding a bow against the hero, Perseus. Medusa was never said to be strong or powerful as a Gorgon, so her strength was as normal as any woman. The only weakness she had was that anyone with a reflective surface could easily approach her without being petrified themselves. Her gaze was said to only have affected men so it would not petrify her. This is actually false as Greek mythology never stated that she died to her own petrifying gaze but Perseus did indeed decapitate her. Many people believed that Medusa’s weakness was her own petrifying gaze as modern depictions usually show the Gorgon petrifying herself due to Perseus reflecting her sight with Athena’s bronze Aegis. Modern portrayals of Medusa tend to show her as a half-serpent half-human but the only part that turned into snakes, literally, was her hair. Contrary to popular belief, Medusa never had a snake body and retained use of her legs. After her transformation into a monster, her form changed dramatically into a human-snake hybrid.Īthena’s curse turned her luscious locks of hair into snakes while retaining most of her humanoid form except for her prolonged fangs, gigantic eyes, protruding tongue, and two wings sprouting from her back.Īccording to some sources, Medusa was said to have bronze hands and golden wings and her face was extremely hideous. The Gorgon was once a beautiful woman that looked like a normal human though she descended from the Gods. This made her a cousin to the Titans and a predecessor to the Olympians but she was the only one among the direct family to be a mortal for unknown reasons. Medusa was related to the Primordial Gods by her parentage as she was the daughter of Phorcys and Keto. She and her sisters were so hideous that their gaze alone could turn any man into stone. The only “powers” she had was her petrifying gaze which was actually a curse given to her by the Goddess, Athena. She was still mortal and was never depicted as a powerful being. Was Medusa Powerful/Dangerous?Ĭontrary to the belief, even though Medusa was a monster after her transformation into a half-snake half-human hybrid, she wasn’t any strong nor any more powerful. She was in-fact a cousin to the Titans, who were immortal themselves, and a priestess to Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom. It was never explained why Medusa was not immortal but it was known that she wasn’t a God either as she was never worshipped as one. Oddly enough, Medusa herself was mortal and was killed by the hero, Perseus, on his mission given by the King of Seriphos. Medusa was born to the Primordial Gods, Phorcys and Keto, and her sisters were the siblings were immortals. Here are the 13 most frequently asked questions about Medusa that you probably can’t find an answer to. ![]() Never fear though as we’ve got your back. Her story may be well known across the world but she wasn’t featured much in anything else which makes the information on her incredibly scarce. Many people have heard about Medusa and her tragic tale but not much is known about the Gorgon herself.
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