by Tony Narloch

Created on: June 14, 2009   Last Updated: June 16, 2009

Spiteful, wrathful, vindictive and petulant...the gods of Mount Olympus were as dysfunctional and childish as the mortals that they were supposedly better than. It is interesting to note that the vast majority of creatures within the Greek mythological tales were the direct result of a disagreement of a god, and even gods which were renowned for being more even-tempered than the others, were often just as culpable.

The Medusa was an especially terrifying creature within the world of Greek legends, in brief, a creature that was so hideous and vile that her very gaze would turn a person to stone for eternity. But, as monstrous as a beast as she was, Medusa was not always like this, and when we read her tragic backstory it is hard not to feel just the smallest of stirrings of pity, and even the most stony hearted person would be hard pressed to casually dismiss her tragic fate.

The Roman poet and scholar described in length, the beauty of Medusa, and sadly, as is all too common within the realms of Greek mythology, she was to pay a heavy price for such luck. Medusa was originally a devoted priestess involved in the temple of Athena, the Warrior Goddess who was renowned for her patronage of soldiers as well as the arts. One day, the lustful god Poseidon, renowned the world over for his debauchery and lustful ways then proceeded to rape Medusa right within the confines of the temple, and it should be noted that the god in this case, exerted his dominance over Medusa and the encounter was by no means, invited nor consensual. Despite this, Athena was enraged at Medusa not Posiedon (and one cannot help but wonder whether such anger did not, in part at least, stem from a jealous streak) and so decided to exact a fitting revenge: to spoil her beauty, so that no man would ever look upon her. Medusa's hair, an asset that she prized above all else, was quickly transformed into hissing and poisonous serpents, which would never sleep and warn of intruders nearby. Her face was rendered so hideous that even the merest gaze upon it would render a man to stone.

Eventually, Medusa's own strength served to be her downfall, when Perseus used a highly polished shield to reflect her gaze upon herself. Athena then subsequently took the head of the now slain Medusa, and had it installed into her shield as a sacred emblem, and Perseus who was the pet of Athena commented that the Medusa's punishment at the hands of Athena was just and deserved.

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