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.
Carole Raddato (CC BY-SA) Medusa is a figure from Greek mythology, the only mortal of the three Gorgons, along with her immortal sisters, Stheno and Euryale. The three Gorgons were born to the sea god of the dangers of the hidden deep, Phorcys, and the goddess of sea monsters and the dangers of the sea, Ceto.
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.
In the most famous Greek myths, the Gorgons were three sisters with coiling snakes for hair, who could turn unwitting onlookers to stone in an instant. Their names were Stheno, meaning the mighty or strong, Euryale, meaning the Far Springer, and Medusa, the Queen, or Guardian.
She was one of the Gorgons: three sisters with human bodies, large wings, and hair made of living snakes. The other two Gorgons were named Stheno and Euryale, and their parents were the sea gods Ceto and Phorcys.
The most common interpretation of Medusa suggests she is an apotropaic symbol used to protect from and ward off the negative, much like the modern evil eye. She represents a dangerous threat meant to deter other dangerous threats, an image of evil to repel evil.
Medusa and her story have been reclaimed as a symbol of strength and power, with her image also being used as a mark of protection against evils.
Echidna, (Greek: “Snake”) monster of Greek mythology, half woman, half serpent.
Medusa and the Gorgons
In Greek mythology, the Gorgons were snake women whose gazes would turn people to stone; they had serpents for hair, long claws, sharp teeth and scales covering their bodies. According to some myths, Medusa, the most famous of the Gorgons, was originally a beautiful woman.
Athena, angry at what had been done inside her sacred temple, turned Medusa into a monster with snakes for hair and a gaze that could turn a man to stone. In some cases, her sisters were also turned into monsters for their loyalty to their sister.
Within a week, it grew to the size of a man with the features of a man on its face, including long blond hair. At this point, the figure resembling this description was apparently a puppet that appeared in the temple. In some references, Glycon was a trained snake with a puppet head.
Echidna was a half-woman, half-snake creature in Greek mythology, also known as the "mother of all monsters", as she gave birth to most of the Greek mythical creatures. Echidna's Family She was the wife of Typhon, who was the "father of all monsters" and the most fearsome and dangerous monster in said mythology.
Why is Echidna the mother of all monsters? Echidna is the mother of all monsters because she is a horrible beast who gave birth to said monsters.
'guardian, protectress'), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those who gazed into her eyes would turn to stone.
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.
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.
Manasa. This anthropomorphic serpent goddess was worshipped to heal and prevent snakebites, as well as for fertility and prosperity. Her associations are depicted in various images of Manasa, which show her seated upon a lotus with a child in her lap.
Much later stories claim that each of three Gorgon sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, had snakes for hair, and that they had the power to turn anyone who looked at them to stone.
In Greek mythology, Echidna (/ɪˈkɪdnə/; Greek: Ἔχιδνα, "She-Viper") was a monster, half-woman and half-snake, who lived alone in a cave. She was the mate of the fearsome monster Typhon and was the mother of many of the most famous monsters of Greek myth.
A female snake is called a snake, or a female snake. There is no recognized term used to differentiate them from their male counterparts.
What does the Medusa tattoo mean? “The Medusa tattoo can mean many things, but it's generally a symbol of survival, strength, and overcoming assault,” says tattoo artist Ruby Rose. “Medusa has become a figure of protection to women who have experienced sexual assault or assault on some level, particularly by men.”
The Moral of Medusa
This myth is actually a warning to mortals. Don't believe yourself to be equal to the gods. Who was Medusa to reject the advances of Poseidon? A mortal should never do this.
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.
Discover. Meet Perseus, a demigod of Greek mythology who was famous for killing Medusa by cutting off her head, which he displays in one hand. Medusa had live, hissing snakes for hair, and anyone who looked at her face instantly turned to stone.