Dernière modification le 16/09/2026.

A fearsome Gorgon, Medusa turns anyone who meets her gaze to stone.

Introduction

Medusa (Μέδουσα) is one of the three Gorgons. She is one of the daughters of the primordial sea deities Phorcys and Ceto. Like her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, she was born with a human appearance. Thus, while her sisters are immortal sea monsters with hair made of snakes, Medusa is a beautiful young woman—a mortal with magnificent hair.

Description

During the Archaic period of antiquity, which preceded the Classical period, Medusa was depicted as the Gorgoneion. This depiction served as protection against the evil eye. Thus, Medusa is depicted from the front, with the face of a wild boar, bulging eyes, fangs, a hanging tongue, and snakes in her hair. It was not until later that she took on more human features.

In 2000, the gorgoneon was adopted as one of the emblems on the flag of Sicily.

History

Poseidon’s Advances

Her beauty earned her the attention of Poseidon, the god of the sea, but she rejected his advances. However, Poseidon is not the kind of god to give up on those he has set his sights on. Taking the form of a bird, he pursued her, and Medusa had no choice but to flee as far as she could. Her flight led her to a temple of Athena, where she found refuge. She thought she was safe there, but that did not stop Poseidon, who entered the temple and raped her.

Athena’s Revenge

Athena was enraged by this insult directed at her. Her anger could have been directed at Poseidon, but it was Medusa who bore the brunt of it. Athena transformed her into a monster like her sisters, adding that anyone who met her gaze would be turned to stone. Thus, she was also nicknamed Gorgon (or Gorgo) because of her appearance and origins.

Perseus

Medusa had no choice but to isolate herself not far from the Land of Shadows, and many tried to kill her. But none survived, for all eventually met her deadly gaze. This continued until Perseus came to confront her; he was able to defeat her thanks to the help the gods provided for his quest, including Athena’s shield. With it, he could keep an eye on Medusa’s movements without having to look at her directly. This allowed him to catch her off guard and behead her.

Descendants

From the blood flowing from her, her two children were born: the winged horse Pegasus and the winged boar Chrysaor. However, in order to complete his quest, Perseus kept Medusa’s head, which retained its powers. Once his quest was over, he gave Medusa’s head to Athena, who attached it to her shield. Athena also recovered Medusa’s blood, the effects of which differed depending on which side it was taken from. For on the left side it was poisonous, while on the right side it could bring the dead back to life. The goddess kept it until she gave it to the god Asclepius.

References

Painting: The Head of Medusa (Caravaggio)

Comic Book: Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa (L. Ferry), The Wisdom of Myths: Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa (C. Bruneau, L. Ferry)

Movies: Clash of the Titans (D. Davis), Clash of the Titans (L. Leterrier)

Anime and Manga: Fate/stay night (Type-Moon)

Role-playing games: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (Wizards of the Coast), Agone (Multisim)

Video Games: DOTA 2 (Valve), Fate/Grand Order (Type-Moon), Castlevania (Konami), SMITE and SMITE 2 (Titan Forge), Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft), Hades (Supergiant Games), Omniheroes (OmniDream Games), Motto Immortal (GOAT Games)

External links (fr): This character who transcended Greek mythology (The Daily Geek Show), one of the three Gorgons (Scriiipt.com), from monster to feminist icon (France Culture), monstrous yet a savior (RTBF)

External link (en): In Ancient Greek Art (MET Museum)

Images: Wikipedia, image 2 and image 3 (Pixabay)