Mythology & Folklore Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [medusa]

For questions about one of the Gorgons, three monster sisters with hair made of serpents whose gaze could turn people to stone.

Medusa was a priestess of Athena, whose beauty attracted the attention of god Poseidon. Poseidon had sex with her in Athena's temple, and for this offense Athena transformed Medusa in a monster with serpents for hair and which gaze would turn men to stone. Medusa, unlike her two sisters, was mortal, and was eventually killed by Perseus.

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Why does looking at Medusa with a mirror work?

Medusa is known for being so ugly that if men even look at her face, they would immediately be turned into stone statues. Perseus was somehow able to overcome this challenge of killing her by looking at her reflection in a mirror. Even though he was…
Anthony Pham
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How did Athena keep from being turned into stone by her shield?

After Perseus killed Medusa, he gifted her head to Athena, who mounted it on a shield and used it in battle to turn her enemies into stone. How did she keep herself from being turned into stone by looking at the shield?
Mr. Bultitude
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Why was Medusa the only mortal of the Gorgons?

As far as I understood the myth of Medusa, she was punished by Athena (either for letting herself being raped by Poseidon or for succumbing to Poseidon's woes). Her sisters, Euryale and Stheno (all daughters of Phorcys and Ceto) stood with Medusa,…
Kreann
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What happened to Medusa's sisters?

It is fairly well known that Medusa, the snake-headed Gorgon, had two sisters, Stheno and Euryale. While the story of Medusa is concluded when Perseus beheads her, in modern retellings and versions, we don't hear about her sisters. What happens to…
Luna
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Hephaestus and Medusa had a son named Cacus. How was Hephaestus shielded from being turned to stone?

Hephaestus and Medusa had a son named Cacus. Cacus was the son of Hephaestus and Medusa. Inheriting the properties of fire from his father and monstrousness from his mother, Cacus was a fire-breathing monster who was sometimes described as a…
user28
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Why was Medusa's hair made of snakes?

Medusa was a mythical creature that could turn all living beings into stone. However why was her hair made into snakes? Was it Medusa's eyes that turned people or the snakes'?
Young Guilo
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Could all three Gorgons turn people to stone, or just Medusa?

I've come across conflicting information about Medusa's sisters and whether or not they could turn people to stone like Medusa can. A lot of places online say that all three can; but some other places I've seen claim that only Medusa can, and I…
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Does Medusa's head turn one's clothing to stone together with its wearer?

Medusa and her two triplet Gorgon sisters, Sthenno and Euryale, are monsters from Greek and Roman mythology notorious for their ability to turn whoever looked upon them (or directly into their faces) into stone. Is there any ancient (or even…
Adinkra
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What kind of snakes were the Gorgons' hair made of?

So, the Gorgons had hairs of the snakes. Was it ever recorded what kind of snakes they were? I have a couple of quotes The spattered desert gave them life as snakes, smooth snakes of many kinds, and so that land still swarms with deadly serpents to…
bleh
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Why does Athena not hold Poseidon responsible for desecrating her temple with Medusa?

In Greek mythology, Medusa was raped by the sea god Poseidon in the Temple of Athena. Athena found no fault in Poseidon, but was furious with Medusa. My question is why would Athena not find any fault with Poseidon?
user1025
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What is the historical origin of Medusa?

I read a short paragraph on Medusa's wikipedia page about the myth representing a historical event. A number of early classics scholars interpreted the myth of the Medusa as a quasi-historical - "based on or reconstructed from an event, …
Fred the John
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Could you look at Medusa's head through a distorted surface?

So in Yannis' Awesome Answer It was looking directly into Medusa's eyes that would turn a mortal to stone, not the whole of her face. Using the shield as a mirror meant that even if Medusa's gaze fell upon Perseus, it would be at an angle. So what…
bleh
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Was King Polydectes the last petrified by Medusa?

After beheading Medusa, Perseus uses her head to turn the Titan Atlas, the sea monster Cetus, and King Polydectes of Seriphos to stone. Perseus then gives the head of the Gorgon to the goddess Athena, who places it on her shield. Was this petrifying…
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What is the source of the idea that Medusa was a priestess of Athena?

Medusa is a monster in Greek mythology known for being associated in some way with the gods Poseidon and Athena. By Poseidon she conceived a pair of twin sons, namely the winged horse Pegasus and some other kind of creature called Chrysaor. Her…
Adinkra
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What is the significance of Medusa having hands of bronze?

I was reading Ritchie's Fabulae Faciles, and it says of the Gorgon Medusa, Manus etiam ex aere factae erant. ("Indeed, her hands were made out of bronze.") What is the significance or symbolism of this? Note that according to Apollodorus in the…
Tyler Durden
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