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Medusa, whose name in Greek means “she who dominates”,
was a beautiful woman with wonderful hair. Poseidon fell in love with her,
turned into a bird and kidnapped her. He seduced her in the temple of
Athena and Medusa hid her face behind the shield of the goddess. Athena,
offended both for having discovered them in her temple and because the
Gorgon had dared to claim her hair was more beautiful than that of the
goddess, punished her. She turned Medusa into a fiery-eyed monster with
a dangling tongue and huge fangs. She turned her hair into snakes which
petrified whoever was looking at her.
Although Medusa is commonly considered a monster, her head is
mythically framed as a protective amulet, able to ward off evil and do
justice to the hero. The image of the Gorgon’s head can be found in
numerous Greek and Roman finds such as shields, cuirasses and mosaics.
The Myth of Medusa
