Medusa: The Mistress of the West Gate of Death
Medusa was once a fair maiden with captivating locks; but she had fallen victim to her own stunning beauty. Medusa had once been a priestess in Athena's temple but was sentenced to be a guard at the west gate of death. This was due to unfortunate circumstances between Neptune and herself. The west gate of death would become her new home until her untimely death at the hands of Perseus. Still, in today's society the Myth of Medusa carries much symbolism.
As the story goes, Athena and Medusa were once equal beauties. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, was jealous of the idea that Medusa attracted the attention of both men and gods. Neptune was the god who fell in love with Medusa. When he found her alone in Athena's temple he raped her. When Athena found out that her temple had been violated, she was furious. Athena took out her anger on Medusa because she was not strong enough to fight against Neptune (Marks, 2006). Medusa, who was previously gorgeous, was changed into a hideous gorgon. Her locks of hair that had been envied by many were changed into slithering serpents. Medusa's soft skin became rough and scaly. She had once been treasured by men, and now no man could look at her or her ugliness would surely cast them to stone (Brunel, 1996). Medusa was then sentenced to become the "Mistress of the West Gate of Death" at the guard of the Underworld (1998).
In the children's book Medusa, written by Niz in 2005, we learn of Perseus' motive to kill Medusa. Long ago, Zeus, with much desire for Danea, came to her as a stream of gold and had intercourse with her. It was at that time that she became impregnated with Perseus. When King Acrisius learned of Danea's child, he cast both Danea and Perseus out to sea. King Acrisius feared Perseus because of the prophecy that Danea would give to birth to a son who would kill him. The chest that Danea and Perseus were cast to sea in landed on the shore of an island called Seriphus. There, King Polydectes befriended Danea and Perseus. Polydectes fell in love with Danea and wanted to marry her but knew that he could not be with her because of her son Perseus. Polydectes wanted Danea to marry him so much that he held Danea captive. Once Perseus was all grown up and hoping that Perseus would die, Polydectes challenged Perseus to fight the gorgons and bring back the head of Medusa. He was sure that Perseus would die a dreadful death while battling to accomplish the task. Polydectes would then be free to marry Danea as he wished.
After accepting the dare, Perseus received gifts from Athena and Hermes to help him in his combat. Athena gave Perseus a shield that he could use as a mirror and Hermes gave Perseus magical flying sandals. In combat, Perseus used his shield to glance at a reflection of Medusa to avoid looking directly at her. This enabled Perseus to behead Medusa without turning to stone (Marks, 2006). Fleeing from Medusa's ragging gorgon sisters, Perseus used the magical sandals to help him escape. According to some versions of the myth (Brunel, 1996), when Perseus flew over Africa, drops of blood dripped from Medusa's head and were transformed by Gaia into many poisonous snakes. This is said to be the reason that continent of Africa is infested with several snakes (Brunel, 1996). Perseus used the head of Medusa to help him kill the sea monster, Cetus the seam monster during his struggle. Perseus then presented Medusa's head to Athena as a trophy. Athena placed Medusa's head on the center of her Aegis shield which she used during the Trojan War (1998).
The story of Medusa is truly fascinating. It is crammed with irony and symbolism. Medusa had once been a mesmerizing, beautiful mortal that men and gods alike could not keep their eyes off of. By a mishap not of her own fault, Medusa was changed into a creature so hideous that no one could look at her without being transformed instantly to stone. Perhaps more intriguing than that, is the notion that Athena, the one to cause such remarkable sorrow to Medusa, was then further protected by Medusa's head once Medusa had perished.
The vision of Medusa's hair being serpentine can be interpreted in many ways. Serpents are low to the ground, and slither on their bellies. According to about.com serpents symbolize "base desires and material entrapment". This could be symbolic of the idea that Medusa, being an outcast, desires contact from the outside world. Also, Medusa is prisoner to the west gate of death and does not possess anything. Snakes also are symbolic of sexual energies. Ironically Medusa became hideous due to the sexual energy of Neptune and then was forced to wear that symbol as tresses of hair. In the Greek culture, there is a snake in the shape of a circle that swallowed its own tail; it is a "symbol of eternity, rebirth, and resurrection". Medusa, in a sense was reborn when Athena transformed her. In reference to Medusa's story; she was sentenced to guard the west gate of death where spirits would spend eternity. However horrible it may sound, Medusa was resurrected by her death from Perseus. After all, she was freed from her doomed life as a lonely gorgon to become a powerful talisman on Athena's shield.
What we all think of when we hear her name is a monster. Athena is to blame for that. Just because a slug is ugly and slimy doesn't mean it will try to attack you. As unsightly as Medusa was, she had once won people over with her beauty and charming personality. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, appeared so graceful and loving on the outside. In fact, she was full of hatred and envy. Maybe that is how she earned the nickname "instigator of wars" (1998).
In this paper I hope to present the true story of Medusa so that it can be passed on from one generation to another. The name Medusa should not be cause for ridicule and revulsion, but rather present an emotion of sorrow and a feeling of injustice. The Myth of Medusa is full of irony and tragedy. Medusa was a victim of Athena's vengeance that evoked fear in many hearts, but she was not evil.
References
Brunel, P. (1996). Medusa in Myth and Literary History. Retrieved December 12, 1996, from Modern American Poetry. Web Site: Http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/bogan/med usamyth.htm
Marks, T. (2006). Medusa in Greek Mythology. Retrieved December 15, 2006, from Torrey's Greek Mythology Site. Web Site: http://www.windweaver.com/as/index.htm
Niz, X. (2005). Medusa. Minnesota: Capstone Press.
(1998). Medusa. Retrieved December 15, 2006, from Monstrous.Web Site: http://monsters.monstrous.com/medusa.htm
(2006). Serpent (symbolism). Retrieved December 19, 2006, from Wikipedia.Web Site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpent_(symbolism).