Medusa Gorgon - a creature from Greek myths, the origin of which preserved several legends. Homer calls her the keeper of the kingdom of Hades, and Hesiod mentions three sisters-gorgon at once. The legend says that the beauty overtook the revenge of the goddess Athena, turning into a monster. There are also assumptions, supposedly Medusa of the Gorgon and Hercules gave birth to the Scythian people.
Gorgona - who is this?
Myths of the ancient Greeks brought to us descriptions of many amazing creatures, the most striking of which are the gorgons. According to one of the hypotheses, the gorgon is a dragon-like creature, on the other - the representative of the pre-Olympic gods, whom Zeus ousted. The most popular is the myth of Perseus' victory, there are 2 versions explaining the origin of the Gorgon Medusa:
- Titanic . The mother of Medusa was the ancestress of the Titans, the goddess Gaia.
- Poseidonic . The god of the stormy sea Forquis and his sister Keto were born three beauties, who later disfigured the spell.
What does the Gorgon Medusa look like?
Some myths describe Gorgon as a woman of amazing beauty that fascinated everyone who would look at her. Depending on the mood of Medusa, a person could lose speech or become a stone. Her body was covered with scales, which could only be cut by the sword of the gods. The head of the gorgon had special power even after death. According to other legends, Medusa was already born an ugly monster, and did not become so after the curse.
Gorgon Medusa - the symbol
The legend of Medusa Gorgon has so fascinated people from different countries that its images are preserved in the art of Greece, Rome, the East, Byzantium and Scythia. The ancient Greeks were sure that the head of Medusa Gorgon protects from evil, and began to produce amulets-gorgonejony - a symbol of protection from the evil eye. Face and hair gorgons minted on shields and coins, the facades of buildings, in the Middle Ages even appeared guards castles - gargoyles - female dragons. People believed that, in case of danger, they come to life and help to overcome their enemies.
The image of the Gorgon was used by many writers, artists and sculptors from different countries. This creature is called the personification of horror and charm, a symbol of chaos and order in the man himself, the struggle of consciousness and subconsciousness. Since ancient times, there are two versions of the faces of the Gorgon Medusa:
- A beautiful woman with a terrible look and snakes on her head.
- An ugly half-dragon woman, framed by hair-vipers.
Medusa Gorgona - Mythology
According to one version, the daughters of the gods of the sea Sfeno, Euryada and Medusa were born beauties, and only later became ugly, with snakes instead of hair. According to another version, snake hair was only in the younger, Medusa, whose name was translated as "guardian". And she was one of the sisters mortal and knew how to turn people into stone. In the account of other Greek prophets, it appeared that all three sisters allegedly had such a gift. Ovid also said that the two older sisters were born old and ugly, with one eye and one tooth for two, and the youngest gorgon - a beauty, for which caused the wrath of the goddess Pallas.
Athena and the Gorgon Medusa
According to one of the legends of Medusa Gorgon before the transformation was a very beautiful sea maiden, whom the god of the sea Poseidon desired. He lured her to the temple of Athena and dishonored, for which the goddess Pallada was very angry with them. For the desecration of her temple, she turned a beautiful woman into an eerie creature, with a scaled body and hydra instead of hair. From the experience of suffering, Medusa's eyes turned to stone and began to turn others into stone. The sisters of the sea maiden decided to share the fate of her sister and also turned into monsters.
Perseus and Gorgon
Myths of Ancient Greece retained the name of the one who defeated Medusa Gorgon. After the curse of Athena, the former sea maiden began to take revenge on people and destroy all living things with a glance. Then Pallas instructed the young hero Perseus to kill the monster and gave his shield to help. Due to the fact that the surface was polished to a mirror finish, Perseus was able to fight, looking at Medusa in reflection and not getting under the influence of a deadly look.
Hiding the head of the monster in the bag of Athena, the winner of Medusa Gorgona safely delivered it to the place where the beautiful Andromeda was riveted to the rock. Even after the death of the body, Gorgon's head retained the power of a glance, with her help, Perseus passed through the wilderness, and was able to take revenge on the king of Libya, Atlas, who did not believe his story. Turning a sea monster into stone, which encroached on Andromeda, the hero dropped his terrible head into the sea, and the look of Medusa began to turn seaweed into corals.
Hercules and the Gorgon Medusa
The myth about the gorgon's view is one of the most common, it is associated with the name of the goddess Tabithi, whom Scythians honored more than other gods. In the legends of Hellenes, the researchers still found a legend about how, from the Gorgon, met with another hero of the myths of Hercules, gave birth to the Scythian people. Modern directors gave their version in the film "Hercules and Medusa Gorgon", in which the hero of antiquity fights with Gorgon and other supporters of Evil.
Medusa Gorgona - the legend
The myth of Medusa Gorgon preserved not only the version about its destructive view, which became symbolic for centuries. According to the legend, after the death of the Gorgon, a magical horse Pegasus, a winged creature, came out of her body, and creative individuals began to associate with Muza. The head of Medusa was adorned with her shield by the warrior of Pallas, which even more frightened her enemies. On the magical properties of the blood of the cruel Gorgon, there are 2 versions:
- When Perseus cut off the head of Medusa, the blood, falling to the ground, turned into poisonous snakes and was disastrous for all living things.
- The blood of the Gorgon told the storytellers special properties: taken from the right side of the body animated people, from the left - killed. Therefore Athena collected blood in two vessels and gave the doctor Asclepius, which made him a great healer. Asclepius is even depicted with a staff that wraps the snake-the blood of the Gorgon. Today, this saint is revered as the founder of medicine.