Medusa is seen by some today as the first example of victim blaming. In Buddhism, naga were often depicted as protectors of Siddhrtha Gautama, the Buddha, and the dharma (Buddhist teachings), but they were also seen as powerful, and potentially dangerous when angered. Apollo and Artemis. The gods often carried their lovers away or used deceit to get their way. According to various sources, Medusa was the only Gorgon who was mortal, so she was able to be beheaded by the Greek hero, Perseus. . Carved stones depicting a seven-headed cobra are commonly found near the sluices of the ancient irrigation tanks in Sri Lanka; these are believed to have been placed as guardians of the water. All Rights Reserved. Horned Serpents were major components of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex of North American prehistory. Some stories say that there was one more unnamed Gorgon who was older than the others. The Medusa in Greek Mythology. By the 5th century BC this was well-established in art and literature, but the appearances of Medusas sisters were still unknown. In northern Europe and West Asia, snakes were associated with healing whilst in parts of South Asia, snakes are regarded as possessing aphrodisiac qualities. She has been a frequent contributor to History.com since 2005, and is the author of Breaking History: Vanished! While her sisters killed men with their fangs and claws, Medusas power was passive. Even after this terrible punishment, Athena had not finished the punishment Medusa. And very often in mythology, as in life, the victim paid the price. Although those details arent always included in Perseuss legend, the writers do agree on what he did when he returned to his home in Greece. Like many pretty young women in Greek legend, she attracted the attention of a god. In ancient Greek mythology, Medusa is a Gorgon, one of three hideous sisters whose appearance turns men to stone. A man. Sarah Pruitt is a writer and editor based in seacoast New Hampshire. Some versions of the story claim that Medusas sisters underwent the same change from beautiful to horrible, reconciling the disparity of showing only Medusa herself in that way. Watch. The circle was particularly important to Dahomeyan myth where the snake-god Danh circled the world like a belt, corseting it and preventing it from flying apart in splinters. As a virgin goddess, the act was particularly loathsome. Though outsiders (notably Theodore Roosevelt) have been able to witness some aspects of the Snake Dance, much of the lengthy ceremony takes place in underground chambers called kivas, allowing its most sacred aspects to remain mysterious. The Norns of Norse mythology, the Morrigan and Brigid in Ireland, and the Hindu Tridevi are examples of this motif. But their children had work to do first. The first was a strong bag in which to hold his trophy, the head of the Gorgon. 15) Hel. Perseus used the same stealth he had practiced with the Graeae to sneak close. My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) When Perseus laid the head on a bed of seaweed, its magic caused the plants to harden. Seeking a way to get her grown son out of the way, sent Perseus on a seemingly impossible quest. She and her sisters, Sthenno and Euryale, were daughters of the sea gods Phorcys and Keto. In Norse mythology, few stories are as dramatic as that of Jormungand, the powerful sea serpent. His first mission was to find and defeat the Graeae. Although men may have found her name synonymous with monotonousness, in Medusa women could find a reflection of their own fury. Medusas last scream in death woke the sleeping Gorgons, and the two sisters chased after the man who had killed her. The only difference between Medusa and a human, or even a goddess, was the snakes that crowned her head. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Perseus, therefore, with Athena guiding his hand, kept his eyes on the reflection in a bronze shield as he stood over the sleeping Gorgones, and when he saw the image of Medousa, he beheaded her. In Egypt the snake has healing abilities. Although Homer and Hesiod lived at roughly the same time, they were from different parts of the Greek world. While she always retains the power to petrify her enemies, now she scratches, poisons, and grapples as well. Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating 882,061 ratings. The story of Medusa is such a famous Greek myth told in today's world, both to kids and adults alike. Snakes were associated with wisdom in many mythologies, perhaps due to the appearance of pondering their actions as they prepare to strike, which was copied by medicine men in the build-up to prophecy in parts of West Africa. Hesiod said they flicked their tongues, much like snakes. Like her immortal sisters, she had snakes for hair, and one look at her face could turn any . The presiding deity here is Nagaraja - a five-headed snake god born to human parents as a blessing for their caretaking of snakes during a fire. Despite her family connection to monsters, she fit the mould of many beautiful young human women in mythology. This was the last mention of Sthenno and Euryale in mythology. One day, a witch and a wolf met and fell in love. These were the creations of Hesiods stories and the legend of Perseus. Yeti. In the Norse era, Kratos abandons his chained blades in favor of his late wife's Leviathan Axe, which was forged by the dwarves Sindri and Brok. Medusa did nothing wrong. The good guy sometimes doesn't win and innocent people are sometimes harmed. The truth was somewhere between those and is still continually reinterpreted. 21st century morals would see Medusa as a victim who was deserving of sympathy instead of punishment. Zeus: Zeus is one of the most popular Greek mythology baby boy names. Poseidon did not seduce or charm Medusa in the later myths. Even in the stories that came before descriptions of her beauty, Medusas tale was bound to the god Poseidon. Additionally, the famous snakes on her head gave the artists a chance to display their skills with shape and texture. Daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, Hel rules the realm of the dead in Norse mythology. You say my hair is like the serpent locks of Medusa, that . When Heracles was sent there, all the souls of Hades fled from him. More than ever before, the popular view of Medusa is a complex one. Being punished for her own victim hood made Medusa an emblem of the discrimination and violence faced by real women. Rape was often a feature of Greek mythology, as much as the stories hide it in terms of seduction and marriage. While some later writers claimed that Sthenno had a scream that was as deadly as Medusas gaze, this does not seem to fit the legend of how Perseus escaped by becoming invisible. However, Zeus turned into a gold shower and got Danae pregnant. During the multi-day ritual, which is aimed at encouraging rainfall and fertility for the land, male dancers from the Snake Clan put live snakesranging from small garter snakes to rattlesnakesin their mouths and around their necks. With the help of the gods, the hero was able to kill one of the most terrifying monsters in the world. While the tradition of there being three Gorgon sisters was established early on, they and their abilities were not fully explained until much later. According to most sources, she had two sisters that lived alongside her. When Athena heard the cries of the Gorgons as they cried for their sister, she sought to emulate their mournful sounds. The Odyssey - loyalty & vengeance. Pegasus (Greek: , translit. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. At the start of Ragnarok, the final battle that would end in the earths destruction, Jormungand left the sea and rolled across the land wreaking havoc. [22] A dragon-like creature with horns, the body and neck of a snake, the forelegs of a lion, and the hind-legs of a bird appears in Mesopotamian art from the Akkadian Period until the Hellenistic Period (323 BC31 BC). According to Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, the Aegis is Zeus' breastplate, and was "awful to behold." Perseus and Medusa. Snakes were called upon by the creator of Kerala, Parasurama, to make the saline land fertile. Others claim he threw the eye into the depths of Lake Tritonis. In most Norse texts, Odin is depicted as a long-bearded, one-eyed man wearing a broad hat and a cloak. The story of Medusa from Greek mythology is perhaps less well known than Medusa herself. Their other siblings included the monsters Echidna, Scylla, and Ladon. By the time of Ovid, she was one of the worlds great beauties. They had in their possession other items belonging to the gods that would help Perseus survive an encounter with the monster and her sisters. With their mortal sister gone, the other two Gorgons faded out of legend. Irish culture is brimming with myths and legends, perhaps none so prevalent as that of St. Patrick, Irelands patron saint, banishing every last snake from the Emerald Isle. Hod is a son of Odin. Unlike Medusa, Sthenno and Euryale could not be killed. Some nymphs in Greek mythology were famous, but others were only known in a certain time Did Archaeologists Find the Minotaurs Labyrinth? She made humans one at a time with clay. He would return their eye when they revealed to him the location of the Hesperides. Depending on the source, Medusa has different origins. Myths often relate the creation of the world and sometimes its future destruction as well. These were: Muspelheim, the realm of the fire giants. Despite reinterpretation by feminists and revolutionaries, Medusas name retains its connotations of monotonousness and deformity. Agamemnon has a similar shield that shows the image of the Gorgon to inspire fear and dread. The classical symbol of the Ouroboros depicts a snake in the act of eating its own tail. [2], The West African kingdom of Dahomey regarded snakes as immortal because they appeared to be reincarnated from themselves when they sloughed their skins. Phineus himself was the last of his army to be killed in this way. But a myth is not just a made-up story. The Gorgons are mentioned in some of the earliest works of Greek literature. [5][6][7][8] Like their Serer counterparts, the Dogon people of Mali also have great reverence for the serpent. Behemoth and Leviathan, by William Blake. Medusa is one of the spirits often said to lurk at the gates of the underworld, lifeless but unable to fully pass into the next realm. The story of Perseus seems to have already been known by the time Hesiod wrote in about 700 BC. The Curse of Medusa From Greek Mythology. A snake. Fahai later kidnaps Xu, and traps Bai under his lakeside pagodabut not before she gives birth to her son with Xu, who will eventually free his mother. These were Medusa's sisters, who were dangerous monsters in their . Fighting the Ethiopian king Phineus, Perseus used the head against his enemies. Until recently, some northern European communities held well dressing ceremonies to appease the snake-spirits which lived in village wells and told legends of saints defeating malevolent lake-snakes e.g. Hymns and offerings were made to it since it was believed that the Goddess could manifest through the snake. The second treasure was the magical helmet of Hades, given to him by the Cyclops in the Titanomachy. Today. Perseus hid, waiting in the dark until two of the Graeae were passing the eye between each other. Their union was unprecedented and was to shape the course of history forever. There are Many Norse and Greek Gods. But later depictions tell a much darker tale. Medusas body was often shown as abnormally large and disproportionate. One of the most popular monsters of Greek Mythology is Medusa. Either way, the Book of Job employed both Leviathan and Behemoth to demonstrate to Job Gods power of creation, and the futility of questioning Him. The image of the brave hero slaying the hideous beast endures in art, poetry, and song. Snakes taken from stories of mythology are expressed throughout the use of language. What Were the Hamadryads in Greek Mythology? Medusa is seen by some today as the first example of victim blaming. In Egyptian myth, the state of existence before creation was symbolized as Amduat; a many-coiled serpent from which Ra the Sun and all of creation arose, returning each night and being reborn every morning. Athena gave some of the Gorgons blood to the legendary surgeon Aesclepius. The serpent plays an active role in Dogon religion and cosmogony. As Perseus used the sandals to fly over the sands of Libya, the droplets of blood that fell to the ground created enormous vipers. Medusas famously beautiful hair was transformed into a writhing mass of snakes. Concept art: Medusa, Assassin's Creed. Medusa was a Gorgon, one of three sisters, who was cursed by Athena and became a monster. The earliest version of the story describes Poseidons seduction of the Gorgon as taking place in a meadow filled with flowers. For this reason, it is taboo in Serer culture to kill snakes. Only they knew the location of the Hesperides and their garden. Medusas severed head provided the shock factor of gore and violence. As shown in the images there are images of the sky serpent with its tail in its mouth, it is believed to be a reverence to the sun, for which Quetzalcoatl was also closely linked. Today the word myth is often used to describe something that is not true. Odin and the runes of power. Strong, Unique, Thinking. Even with the monster dead, Medusas true power lived on in her remains. She turned the young woman into a terrible monster. Many later versions of the myth claimed that she was once a beautiful maiden loved by . He waved his staff, driving all Irelands snakes into the sea. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. According to him, as the only mortal Gorgon, Medusa was also the only one not born a monster. [23] Details vary among tribes, with many of the stories associating the mystical figure with water, rain, lightning and thunder. After Bai falls in love with and marries a mortal man, Xu Xian, a Buddhist monk, Fahai, reveals her true identity to her husband. the secrets of herself). Keto was synonymous with sea monsters that her name was later used for the great serpents Poseidon conjured from the deep. Was the Griffin a Bird from Greek Mythology? The menacing face of the monster became a totem of protection. Midgard, the realm of mankind; it was made from Ymir's brow. They noted that in the myths there was never an instance of Medusa turning a woman to stone. Homosexuality in the Greek myth. Norse mythology is a source of inspiration for many art enthusiasts, particularly when it comes to tattoos. Acrisius threw Danae and Perseus into the sea in a wooden chest. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. Perseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda. . Snakes were regularly regarded as guardians of the Underworld or messengers between the Upper and Lower worlds, because they lived in cracks and holes in the ground. In ancient Mesopotamia, Nirah, the messenger god of Itaran, was represented as a serpent on kudurrus, or boundary stones. ; At the same time, their Greek counterparts number an even dozen (even more . In the original story she was killed in her sleep with no chance of fighting back, and most of the deaths caused by her powers were when she was used as a weapon by someone else. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. From a vicious monster to a symbol of justified rage, the changing interpretations of Medusas nature reflect the changing morals and views of culture itself. "Norse mythology hints at Odinic cults, with Odin being worshipped through a combination of ecstatic and seemingly shamanistic rituals. Homer was from mainland Greece, possibly Ionia, while Hesiod was born in Lydia in Asia Minor. "The snake dance is a prayer to the spirits of the clouds, the thunder and lightning, that the rain may fall on the growing crops.."[26] In the northwestern Indian city, Banaras, a festival called Naga Pancami is celebrated during the rainy season of Sravana (July/August) to pay homage to the supernatural snakes or deities. But the Medusa is a unique symbol - something strong. As a more sensual villain, Medusas snakes are, once again, linked to Biblical notions of sin and evil. Norse mythology is the body of mythology of the North Germanic people stemming from Norse paganism and . This symbol has many interpretations, one of which is the snake representing cyclical nature of life and death, life feeding on itself in the act of creation. 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. 12. Examples include they decided to migrate to flee Islamization and persecution, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Snakes_in_mythology&oldid=1144534248, This page was last edited on 14 March 2023, at 07:17. As Perseus fled the cave, however, he and the Gorgons were no longer alone. The Graeae represented sea foam, while the other children of Phorcys and Keto were monsters of the ocean. This myth, a later addition to the story of Atlas, explained the creation of the Atlas Mountain range in North Africa. There are various versions of the Legend of the White Snake, which has evolved over the centuries from a horror story, in which Fahai heroically battles the evil snake demon, to a romance, focusing on the thwarted but genuine love between Xu and Bai. She birthed 14 children, including a son named Strife. His roles took the form of everything from bringer of morning winds and bright daylight for healthy crops, to a sea god capable of bringing on great floods. Valhalla, Old Norse Valhll, in Norse mythology, the hall of slain warriors, who live there blissfully under the leadership of the god Odin. Healing and snakes were associated in ancient Greek myth with Asclepius, whose snake-familiars would crawl across the bodies of sick people asleep at night in his shrines and lick them back to health. When Perseus ran from the surviving Gorgons, he took their sisters head with him as proof of his deeds. Please like and share this article if you found it useful. 15. The favorite daughter of Zeus. With so many great entries, even that limitation only made it slightly easier!
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