Greek Mythology · monster

Medusa

Μέδουσα
monsterthe Gorgonthe petrifying gaze

The Gorgon with snakes for hair whose gaze turned viewers to stone; slain by Perseus.

A gorgon (Medusa-type) with Herakles and Artemis — Gilded Silver Relief: Woman, Herakles, Artemis, and a Gorgon
Gilded Silver Relief: Woman, Herakles, Artemis, and a Gorgon · Unknown (Ancient Near Eastern / Levantine) · 7th–6th century BCE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)
The account

Who they are

Medusa is one of the three Gorgon sisters (with Stheno and Euryale), and the only one who was mortal; her hair was living snakes and her gaze turned any who met it to stone [S4]S4 · Homeric Hymnsc. 700–300 BCEtext[S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text. In the standard account (Ovid, building on earlier tradition) she was a beautiful maiden transformed into a monster (in Ovid, for her hubris and for an offense against Athena), and she was slain by Perseus, who used Athena's mirror-shield to avoid meeting her gaze [S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text. (In Hesiod's earlier Theogony the Gorgons are monstrous from the start, daughters of the sea-gods Phorcys and Ceto — the 'beautiful maiden' version is later, from Ovid.) [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text From her severed neck sprang the winged horse Pegasus and the giant Chrysaor [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text.
Worth knowing
  • Her gaze turned viewers to stone [S4]S4 · Homeric Hymnsc. 700–300 BCEtext[S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text.
  • Sln by Perseus using Athena's mirror-shield [S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text.
  • Pegasus and Chrysaor sprang from her blood [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text.
  • The 'beautiful maiden' version is later (Ovid); Hesiod's Gorgons are monstrous from birth [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text.
Uncertainties & variants
  • The 'transformed from a beautiful maiden' account is Ovid's (Roman, later); the earlier Greek account (Hesiod) has her as a monstrous Gorgon from birth. Both stored [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text.
Relationships (3)

Connections

Conflict & enmity

KILLEDPerseus — Perseus beheaded Medusa.[S5]
FOUGHTPerseus — Perseus slays Medusa; the Gorgoneion is set in the Aegis.[S1]

Artifacts

CONTAINSAegis — The Gorgoneion (Medusa's head) is set in the Aegis.[[S1]]
Local graph

Their corner of the divine world

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Overlays
FocusMedusaGreek
GREEK · 41variantvariant♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥AegisHelmet of HadesCaduceus of Her…Trident of Pose…Thunderbolt of …Alcmenamortalthe mortal mother of Heracles1 relationsAndromedamortalthe rescued princess2 relationsAphroditedeitylove7 relationsAtlasdeitythe sky (bore)1 relationsChaosprimordialorigin2 relationsDanaemortalthe mortal mother of Perseus1 relationsDemeterdeityharvest6 relationsEchidnamonsterthe monster-mother2 relationsGaiadeityearth6 relationsHadesdeitythe dead7 relationsHeradeitymarriage8 relationsHestiadeityhearth1 relationsLetodeitymotherhood (as mother of Apollo/Artemis)2 relationsMedusamonsterthe Gorgon3 relationsMetisdeitycounsel2 relationsOceanusdeitythe great world-river1 relationsOdysseusherocunning2 relationsPenelopemortalthe faithful wife of Odysseus2 relationsPoseidondeitythe sea6 relationsRheadeitymotherhood2 relationsSemelemortalthe mortal mother of Dionysus1 relationsTethysdeitythe primordial sea1 relationsTyphonmonsterthe great monster7 relationsCerberusmonsterthe guardian of the underworld3 relationsErosdeitylove2 relationsHebedeityyouth2 relationsHephaestusdeityfire6 relationsMaiadeitythe nymph2 relationsUranusprimordialsky6 relationsPersephonedeitythe underworld2 relationsTelemachusmortalthe son of Odysseus2 relationsCronusdeitytime (later association)9 relationsZeusdeitysky29 relationsApollodeitysun (later)4 relationsAresdeitywar (violence, bloodshed)3 relationsArtemisdeitythe hunt3 relationsAthenadeitywisdom4 relationsDionysusdeitywine3 relationsHeraclesherostrength7 relationsHermesdeitymessengers5 relationsPerseusheroheroism8 relations
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Myths featuring Medusa

1 story

Perseus and Medusa

Sent to fetch Medusa's head, Perseus was aided by Athena (mirror-shield) and Hermes (winged sandals, sickle); he beheaded the Gorgon, and Pegasus and Chrysaor sprang from her blood [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text.

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Artifacts of Medusa

Objects they wielded, forged, or were bound to

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Aegis
Aegis
S · DivineAssociated
Artworks

Depictions

A gorgon (Medusa-type) with Herakles and Artemis — Gilded Silver Relief: Woman, Herakles, Artemis, and a Gorgon
Gilded Silver Relief: Woman, Herakles, Artemis, and a Gorgon · Unknown (Ancient Near Eastern / Levantine) · 7th–6th century BCE · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (Met Open Access)
Gilded Silver Relief: Woman, Herakles, Artemis, and a Gorgon · 7th–6th century BCE
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