In greek mythology, medusa was a monster, a gorgon, generally described as a winged. Nevertheless he had himself looked at the dread form of medusa reflected in a circular shield of polished bronze that he carried on his left arm. The story of medusa and the greek goddess athena a myth submitted to the site by shainuja many years ago there was a beautiful women called medusa. For years i have found freuds reflections fascinating and fertile, even if at points they seem weak anthropologically and excessively ideological. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. Harding, published in 1906 by scott, foresman and company. King acrisius of argos was warned by an oracle that he would be killed in time by a son born to his daughter danae. Medusa s excessive pride or insolence in the face of the divine was ultimately her downfall and something that minervaathena was, by her own honor, obligated to act upon. The user submitted story below is similar to one version of the medusa myth.
As soon as perseus was inside the room, phineas called to his men. He presented the head of the medusa to his divine protector athena, who placed it in the center of her shield. Without it, the symbolic significance of medusa would no longer make sense. The first one is a protoindoeuropean myth of a thunder god killing a dragoness. The graiai, who combine youth and age in a hideous mix, have only one eye. In this popular version the medusa is a monster with hair of a thousand snakes.
In the british writer iris murdochs novel a severed head 1961, the heroine is a medusa figure. Modern american poetry medusa in myth and literary history. The three gorgons, of whom only medusa was mortal, were of terrifying aspect, and those who looked upon their faces were turned to stone. In another version of the myth, minervaathena retaliated by changing the young woman who had been medusa into a gorgon.
Perseus turning phineas and his followers to stone, early 1680s long ago in greece there lived a king called acrisius who had just one daughter, a beautiful girl named danae. The main character in this epic, who is sent to kill medusa. Medusa a suspicion, a doubt, a jealousy grew in my mind. And in a flash the goddess athena and the god hermes appeared before him. Perseus and medusa greek, issue 1 thors stolen hammer norse, issue 3 the hero twins mayan, issue 4. As night came on, he reached the western limit of the earth, where the sun goes down. Along with his siblings, poseidon then helped zeus overthrow their father. The pythia smiled knowingly through the swirling vapours that rose. In ancient greek mythology, medusa is the most famous of three monstrous sisters known as the gorgons. The anthology traces medusas evolution from a beauty turned monster into a feminist. Medusa, the daughter of phorcys and ceto is a famous gorgon in greek mythology. All three were so hideous, the shock of seeing them would turn anyone to stone. Just as the medusa was powerless to fight against the repressive actions forced upon her, so too was she powerless against the continual metamorphosing of the myth which resulted in the more popular medusa myth commonly known today. Poseidon was the ancient greek god of the sea, earthquakes and horses.
Word eventually got to percius that the gorgon medusa was terrorising. In the medusa file the reader will learn the hidden secrets of the highest levels of government. Their teeth were giant boar tusks, their hands were made of bronze and they had wings of gold. Fearing that, he hid his daughter danae in a chamber underground. Perseus, in greek mythology, the slayer of the gorgon medusa and the rescuer of andromeda from a sea monster. Perseus was born to the god, zeus, and mortal woman, danae, making him a demigod with great strength and intelligent ingenuity. He received help from athena and hermes who gave perseus a sword, a mirrored shield, and winged sandals, these gifts were used to escapes medusas sisters.
The earliest known record about the story of medusa and the gorgons can be found in hesiods theogony. Perseus turned to atlas for help and when denied the guest friendship bond, perseus turned atlas into stone. In classical antiquity the image of the head of medusa appeared in the evilaverting device known as the gorgoneion. Perseus study mod pdf arts for learning connecticut. The story of perseus long ago, king acrisius of argos learned from an oracle that he would one day be killed by his grandson. The editors of encyclopaedia britannica this article was most recently revised and updated by adam augustyn, managing editor, reference content. The courtiers looked at each other in stunned surprise and then started to titter. Some of them settled in the land we now call greece, taking with them their quaint stories of the sky and the clouds, of father dyaus. The myths team many years ago there was a beautiful women called medusa. Sep 10, 2008 this video is based on the greek myth of medusa the gorgon.
To free the one man she trusts, she must work more. Vickers, is a comprehensive anthology of excerpted references to medusa in literature and art, beginning with homer in books 5 and 11 of the iliad and concluding with gianni versaces selection of her image as the symbol for the house of versace. According to legend, anyone who looked directly at medusa would turn to stone. In ancient greek mythology, medusa is the most famous of three monstrous sisters, known as the gorgons. Medusa, who represented female wisdom, was the eldest of two other gorgon sisters, stheino, who represented strength, and the last sister, euryale as universality.
You will read his case files on such subjects as the japanese devil unit 731 who experiments on american pows in wwii with germ warfare weaponsand what happened when the war ended and the commanding officer was hired by the. Mingle with myth the story of perseus long ago, king acrisius of argos learned from an oracle that he would one day be killed by his grandson. Many of the ancient myth stories, like the legend of medusa, incorporate tales with morals that provided the old storytellers with short examples of exciting tales for kids and children of how to act and behave and reflected important life lessons. The tale of perseus and medusa free stories online. The three female gorgons were monstrous and deadly creatures that guarded the entrance to the underworld.
In the myth, medusa is a heartless, dangerous gorgon who turns men to stone. Use library books or the internet to help you match these gods and goddesses to their duties. Here are some famous myths weve featured in storytime magazine. In duffys poem, however, medusa becomes something altogether more human. She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of hair consisting of snakes. The gorgon medusa from the perseus legend exhibits a remarkable evolution from. Both father and son had curly golden hair and sparkling bright eyes.
Perseus, a slayer of monsters, beheaded medusa with a mirror given to him by the greek gods so that he would not have to look at her. First, build the control by joining the two strips of wood at right angles as. Aug 20, 20 medusa was a formidable foe, since her hideous appearance was able to render any onlooker into stone. Just as medusa herself, an innocent beautiful maiden from ovids story. Medusa is a deadly and cryptic other, but she is also ubiquitous, with an undeniable. Edith hamilton students who enjoy reading greek and.
When athena denied her request, she angrily accused athena of being jealous of her medusa s beauty. Mar 17, 2017 medusa was a monstrous being in greek mythology, with a mass of snakes coming out of her head. Medusa, in greek mythology, the most famous of the monster figures known as gorgons. In the fields and along the paths, here and there, he saw the shapes of men and animals changed from their natures to hard stone by medusas gaze. While her sisters stheno and euryale were immortals medusa was a. Many great heroes were descended from perseus and andromeda, including heracles, their greatgrandson.
Medusa and athena, a greek play to perform at your school. After the slaughter of medusa, perseus, bearing with him the head of the gorgon, flew far and wide, over land and sea. Mytholoy dot project zeus midas poseidon odysseus helen of troy orion heracles paris medusa perseus achilles aphrodite apollo persephone pandora athena ares artemis demeter hermes hecate daedalus iris nike icarus hades please choose a greek god or goddess from the list for your project. Whispers ran through all the people in the temple who quickly began to leave for everyone knew that athena enjoyed watching over the people of athens and feared what might happen if the goddess had overheard medusa. The adventures of perseus have been told, and retold, over the millennia, and even today his story regularly appears on the big screen. Medusa was asleep and perseus, using the reflection in athenas bronze shield as a guide so as to not look directly at the gorgons and be turned into stone, managed to cut off her head with his sickle. Medusa s head retold by olivia coolidge 1 king acrisios of argos was a hard, selfish man. Greek mythology and medusa essay topics, sample papers. The adventures of perseus 2 story of the play in pageant, verse and fearsome argument the gods on olympus present themselves. So acrisius straightaway stuck daughter and infant into a chest and pushed it out to sea. Medusa is one of the gorgon sisters, but unlike her two sisters stheno, eeryale medusa was born mortal. Pdf the character of medusa shifts meaning from the origins of her myth. Government, 1996, craig roberts, 0963906240, 9780963906243, consolidated press international, 1996. This article is within the scope of wikiproject womens history, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of womens history and related articles on wikipedia.
They were daughters of the ancient pretitan gods phorcys and ceto. The story and myth of medusa features pictures from mythology and legend. Some myths try to explain how the universe or natural world was created. Pocahontas to mock her native american heritage, joining the medusalike image. Surrounded by spears, swords and shields, perseus stood quite still.
David tee depending on the myth version you read, medusa was not always a monster. The medusa reader, edited by marjorie garber and nancy j. Oct 27, 2016 an examination, from a feminist perspective, of the myth of the medusa and her true story. Medusa was one of the three gorgons, daughters of phorcys and ceto, sisters of the graeae, echidna, and ladon all dreadful and fearsome beasts. During the period of 1940 to the present power brokers, working from positions of trust, have committed and covered up the most heinous crimes known to man. However, psychoanalytic writings on the myth of medusa do not. Polydectes had taken perseuss mother and told perseus the only w. Surely this ignorant young man had no idea what he was taking on, they thought. C this article has been rated as cclass on the projects quality scale.
The story of medusa as a world renowned beauty says she offended athena, the beautiful goddess. Antonio canova, benvenuto cellini, edward burne jones, paul reubens, and more have created paintings or sculptures based on the story of perseus and medusa. To this selfeffacing, mergertype bisexuality, which would conjure. Perseus and the legends of argos 549 gorgon and came bearing the head with hair of writhing snakes, for the islanders a stony death. Perseus and the legends of argos oxford university press. Medusa was one of three gorgon sisters born from ancient marine gods phorcys and ceto, the offspring of oceanus and gaia. But the god zeus got in, disguised as a shower of gold, with the result that perseus was born. Their bodies were covered with impenetrable scales. In this way, the beheading of medusa becomes a fundamental element for the constitution of her. Pdf the head of medusa in paintings and symbols roly. Its fairly clear that the culture from which the myth of medusa derives was. As the next item in our list of mythical creatures, medusa is another addition from greek mythology. Medusa in ancient greek art essay the metropolitan museum of.
A close look at her role in greek mythology and art reveals a nuanced and. She was the beautiful one in a family of ugly monsters. Medusa s mother ceto was the daughter of gaia and pontus. There were pretty girls there, and medusa was one of them. In 1922 freud wrote a brief sketch that takes up only two pages in his collected papers for a longer essay on medusa, the greek version of the frightening female. Dangerous beauty medusa in classical art the metropolitan museum of art bulletin. She and her two sisters, sthenno and euryale, lived with their parents phorcys and. Perseus hid the medusas head in his leather bag and strode into the great hall. Of the three, only medusa was mortal and could be killed. Perseus is one of the greatest heroes spoken of in greek mythology, for perseus was the famed vanquisher of the gorgon medusa. Edith hamilton students who enjoy reading greek and roman mythology as part of their english classes have edith hamilton to thank.
How is perseus able to avoid the deadly gaze of medusa. This profound essay, fundementally calling women in order to bring. When the oracle tells the human king, acrisius, that his grandson will kill him, the old miser locks his daughter, danae, up in a tower guarded by savage dogs. The story of how medusa was killed by perseus is one of the most thrilling stories in greek mythology. Most myths have her as the black sheep of the family. In some variations of the myth, medusa was born a monster like her sisters, described as girded with serpents, vibrating tongues, gnashing their teeth, having wings, brazen claws, and enormous teeth. Helios thought his son was the brightest and bravest kid in the world. She was a very kind and she obeyed her greek gods and goddesses. Betterlessons unique formula allows us to bring you highquality coaching, a professional learning lab, and a learnbydoing process that. Mythology a to z greek and roman mythology a to z third edition 8 kathleen n. Medusa cursed by athena and killed by perseus ancient. Mythic warriors guardians of the legend perseus the search.
In a late version of the medusa myth, related by the roman poet ovid metamorphoses 4. Over the years, many famous artists have taken on the subject. The ancient greeks prayed to the gods and goddesses in times of need. These include his sexual relationships with medusa. A fisherman opened the box and out came percius and his mother. Dhianita kusuma pertiwi 110222406201 medusa, the victimized monster medusa, in modern and popular literature and culture is mostly represented as what susan. Mythical creatures the ultimate list of mythological.
In the oldest greek mythological tales, there were three gorgons, of which medusa was but one. Arguably medusa is the most famous villainess and monster of greek mythology, for medusa was the monster with hair of snakes and a stony gaze encountered by the hero perseus. This video i tried to keep as much to the myth as possible. The short story and myth of perseus and the medusa the myth about perseus and the medusa is featured in the book entitled greek gods, heroes and men by caroline h. At the age of sixtythree, hamilton began a second career retelling the ancient myths of greece and rome. She was then shut in a box with percius and thrown out to sea.
Medusa was a formidable foe, since her hideous appearance was able to render any onlooker into stone. Fascination with perseus battle with medusa continued long after ancient greek and roman times. Upon learning this, tessential monsterslayer of greek mythology. Perseus in greek mythology greek legends and myths. Sep 21, 2018 i believe there are at least three narrative layers overlapping in the myth of medusa. The imaginative narratives that myths provide have a significant place in.
Medusa 1854, marble sculpture by harriet hosmer, collection of the detroit institute of art. Olympus in the form of a stream of gold, which poured through the roof of the chamber, and soon danae had a baby named perseus. Hamiltons scholarly work singlehandedly renewed an interesting the classical world in american schools. Text only version acrisius eyes widened in horror as the ancient pythia priestess hissed, king of argos, listen well. As an infant he was cast into the sea in a chest with his mother by acrisius, to whom it had been prophesied that he would be killed by his grandson. He hated his brother, proitos, who later drove him from his kingdom, and he cared. Japanese mythology a to z greek and roman mythology a to z native american mythology a to z norse mythology a to z south and mesoamerican mythology a to z mythology a to z. She was a very kind and she obeyed her greek gods and. The gorgon medusa in the oldest greek mythological tales, there were three gorgons, of which medusa was but one. In this poem, duffy retells the story of theseus from the medusas perspective. The gorgons of ancient greek myth were three monsters, the sisters stheno, eurayle and medusa.
According to this ancient author, the three sisters, sthenno, euryale, and medusa, were the children of phorcys and ceto and lived beyond famed oceanus at the worlds edge hard by. Strangely enough, medusa s story doesnt end with her death. It was the realm of king atlas, whose bulk surpassed that of all other men. But acrisius had a streak of jealousy that ran through his soul and tainted everything that he touched. He was eaten by the father cronus at birth and it was his brother zeus who, after coming of age, tricked his father to disgorge him. Medusa was beheaded by the hero perseus, who thereafter 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. A time came when many tribes of this aryan race moved on to other lands. The legend of medusa also held that anyone who saw her face. Fearing that, he hid his daughter danae in a chamber undergroun. They washed up on the sandy shores of the isle of lemnos. Once upon a time, on the island of seriphus there was an evil king named polydectes.
Favorite greek myths the darkness of night was a serpent, slain by their sungods arrows. All the powers that constitute the character of medusa are born from her head. The archers drew back their bowstrings, men raised their spears ready to strike down perseus. In fact, one can argue that the most peculiar fragments of her biography are all posthumous.
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