Medusa was a beautiful woman who was raped, killed and beheaded by various gods. However even in the face of tragedy and disgrace, the Medusa was portrayed as meaningful. Following the moment her head was removed, a Pegasus flew out of her body, representing the birth of beauty.
Such a violent act resulted in the birth of Medusa's children, the winged horse Pegasos and the giant Chrysaor, who sprung from her neck. The two immortal sisters pursued Perseus with fury, but the hero escaped with his prize using Hermes' winged boots and Hades' helmet of invisibility.
However, when she was killed, Medusa was still pregnant from her liaison with Zeus. When Perseus cut off Medusa's head, her two children sprang out of her severed neck: Pegasus and Chrysaor. Pegasus took the form of a winged horse, while Chrysaor had the form of a golden giant.
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.
As soon as her head was severed there leaped from her body the winged horse Pegasos and Khrysaor (Chrysaor), the father of Geryon.
So, when Poseidon raped Medusa she became pregnant. When her head was chopped off by Perseus, her children came to be. Pegasus and Chrysaor sprung from the severed neck of Medusa. Pegasus is also one of the most famous characters in Greek mythology, the winged white horse.
Since Medusa was the only one of the three Gorgons who was mortal, Perseus was able to slay her; he did so while looking at the reflection from the mirrored shield he received from Athena. During that time, Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon.
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.
Medusa and Poseidon engaged in a love affair and would have two children together, but not before Athena discovered the illicit affair. When Athena discovered the affair, she was enraged and immediately cursed Medusa by taking away her beauty.
In this popular version the Medusa is a monster with hair of a thousand snakes. She is under a curse which causes everything she looks at to turn to stone.
Fact #1: Poseidon had Children with Medusa
Medusa was once a beautiful woman. Medusa was a maiden who served Athena in her temple. As Medusa was in Athena's temple, Poseidon raped her and impregnated her with two children.
According to the Roman poet Ovid's version of the myth, Medusa, as a mortal had taken an oath of chastity, however Poseidon, lusting after her, forced himself upon her and raped her inside the temple of Athena.
Gazing into Medusa's eyes could turn a person into stone, so she was very dangerous to be around. People wanted her destroyed, and a man named Perseus promised to do just that. But first he had to figure out how to approach Medusa without looking at her for even a moment.
Throughout history, Medusa got the bad reputation as a scornful, evil woman who turns people into stone with a mere glance. However, much like most women of ancient mythology, she was a victim of patriarchal societal norms.
Curiously, in many Greek myths Medusa is described as being mortal, while her two sisters Stheno and Euryale are immortal and entirely indestructible. Stheno, in particular was said to be the deadliest of the three, killing more men alone than the other two sisters combined.
Medusa was raped by Poseidon, but instead of being defended by her patron goddess, Athena, she was punished for being raped. This makes Medusa a victim.
Gorgon Medusa Was Raped by Poseidon
Before turning into the monster that she was, Medusa was a beautiful young woman. To her bad luck, she was beautiful enough to become Poseidon's object of desire. The god of the sea raped Medusa inside the temple of Athena, according to the Roman poet Ovid.
In fact, Athena was jealous of Medusa's beauty and lustrous hair. Poseidon ravaged her and took what she held dearly, her purity. Athena, outraged by this incident, cursed Medusa and turned her wonderful hair into venomous snakes, her beautiful face turned so ugly that any man who gazed upon would turn to stone.
There is a version of Medusa's story that states she was cursed by Athena as a punishment for being raped by Poseidon in the temple. As Athena could not confront Poseidon, she held Medusa accountable for bringing dishonor to her temple despite the fact that it was not her fault.
She was lovely, according to the poem—until she was raped in Athena's temple by Poseidon. Athena then punished her for this violation, by turning her into the monstrous, stony-glanced creature that we know.
Today Medusa, with her snake hair and stare that turns people to stone, endures as an allegorical figure of fatal beauty, or a ready image for superimposing the face of a detested woman in power.
Medusa is portrayed in most tattoo art as a “symbol used to protect and defend against dangerous elements” and “to ward off evil with one evil image after another. But for others, her reptilian skin and hair may also symbolize the cycle of life.
History. Medusa was a daughter of Phorcys and Keto, and was once a priestess of Athena. Poseidon was bitter at Athena for recently turning his beloved Koroneis into a raven, so he decided to get back at her by becoming obsessed with the beautiful girl.
The earliest version of Medusa's death is from Hesiod's Theogony, which details her decapitation and describes her children Pegasus, the winged horse, and the great Chrysaor, who sprung from her neck.