Was Medusa beautiful or ugly?
One of the most popular monsters of Greek Mythology, Medusa was a beautiful maiden with golden hair. She vowed to be celibate her entire life as a priestess of Athena until she fell in love with Poseidon.
Who did Medusa think she was prettier than?
While Medusa was gazing the figure changes. The figure changed into goddess Athena. “Vain and foolish girl,” Athena shouted angrily, “You think your a prettier girl than me.
What does Medusa’s body look like?
During this time, Medusa is depicted as a monster; she has a round face, wide eyes, a beard, and a gaping mouth with an extended tongue and gnashing, sharp teeth (39.11. 9). Medusa remains a popular image on later architectural components, but her form is more specifically human and female.
What happens if you look at Medusa’s face?
The answer is: You turned to stone Interesting Information: Medusa was a gorgon with snakes for hair. To gaze upon her face would cause a man to turn to stone.
What happens if a woman looks at Medusa?
Upon the realization that the myths are nothing more than a facade, women endow themselves with personal power. Cixous explains that if women do this, if they dare to “look at the Medusa straight on,” female explorations will result in the discovery that the Medusa “is not deadly, she’s beautiful and she’s laughing.”
What was Medusa’s real name?
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.
Did Medusa wear a mask?
According to Joseph Campbell: The legend of Perseus beheading Medusa means, specifically, that “the Hellenes overran the goddess’s chief shrines” and “stripped her priestesses of their Gorgon masks”, the latter being apotropaic faces worn to frighten away the profane.
Can Medusa look at her own reflection?
Medusa is known for being so ugly that if men even look at her face, they would immediately be turned into stone statues. Perseus was somehow able to overcome this challenge of killing her by looking at her reflection in a mirror.
What is Medusa’s real name?
Was Athena jealous of Medusa?
Medusa was a beautiful young woman who was a priestess for the goddess of wisdom and war, Athena. Once Athena found out about this affair, her jealousy raged and she became furious! She then decided to put a nasty curse on Medusa for breaking her promise of celibacy.
Does looking at Medusa turn you to stone?
Medusa was beheaded by the Greek 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….
Medusa | |
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Children | Pegasus and Chrysaor |
Can Medusa look in a mirror?
Why Athena cursed Medusa?
Ovid is credited with creating the Medusa cursed by Athena version of the myth, in response to a sexual encounter between Medusa and Poseidon in her temple, a punishment he states is “just and will deserved.” This of course dates from the Roman period.
Is Medusa a real story?
Medusa :: The Real Story of the Snake-Haired Gorgon . Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, sisters of the Graeae, Echidna, and Ladon – all dreadful and fearsome beasts. A beautiful mortal, Medusa was the exception in the family, until she incurred the wrath of Athena, either due to her boastfulness or because of an ill-fated love affair with Poseidon.
Is Medusa good or bad?
While Medusa is usually considered to be ugly, one myth states that it was her great beauty, not her ugliness, that paralyzed all observers. Her “monstrous” form is believed by some scholars to represent a partially-decomposed human skull with teeth beginning to show through the decaying lips. The image of Medusa was thought to be protective.
Why Medusa was cursed?
Medusa is the daughter of Phorkys and Keto. She is the only one of the three sisters known as Gorgons that was born a mortal. Medusa was once very beautiful but she was cursed by Athena. The godess Athena gave her snakes for hair ,and made her so ugly that anyone that stared at her turned to stone.