• OVERVIEW
    The Gorgons were three monsters in Greek mythology, daughters of Echidna and Typhon, the mother and father of all monsters respectively. Their names were Stheno, Euryale, and the most famous of them, Medusa. Although the first two were immortal, Medusa was not. Strangely, Medusa was also not considered the child of Echidna and Typhon, but of Phorkys and Keto. Their faces were ugly and their hair was replaced by snakes; anyone who would gaze at their faces would be so repulsed that they turned to stone instantly – also known as petrification.

    They represent a dangerous threat meant to deter other dangerous threats, an image of evil to repel evil. 

    ETYMOLOGY
    The name derives from the Ancient Greek word gorgós, which means 'grim or dreadful', and appears to come from the same root as the Sanskrit word garjana, which means a guttural sound, similar to the growling of a beast, thus, possibly originating as an onomatopoeia – a word which is like the word's sound (think: drip).

    MEDUSA
    Medusa – the only mortal among the Gorgon sisters – was also distinguished from them by the fact that she alone was born with a beautiful face. Ovid especially praises the glory of her hair, “most wonderful of all her charms.” The great sea god Poseidon seems to have shared this admiration, for once he couldn’t resist the temptation and impregnated Medusa in a temple of Athena. Enraged, the virgin goddess transformed Medusa’s enchanting hair into a coil of serpents, turning the youngest Gorgon into into a hideous hag, making her hair into writhing snakes and her skin was turned a greenish hue. Anyone who locked gaze with Medusa was turned into stone.

    Soon after this, trying to get rid of Perseus, Polydectes, the king of Seriphos, sent the great hero on a quest which he believed must be his final one. “Fetch me the head of Medusa,” commanded Polydectes.

    Perseus was brave and strong, but he was woefully ill-equipped to complete the quest. He had no weaponry and no idea where to find Medusa. Luckily, Athena and Hermes flew down from Mount Olympus to point him in the right direction. Athena gave him a beautiful shiny shield, and Hermes lent him his winged sandals to help him on his journey.

    He flew to the cave where the Grey Sisters lived, hoping to gain information from them about Medusa. The Grey Sisters were so wizened and haggard that their skin drooped from their bones, and they had only one eye between them. As Perseus arrived, the sisters squawked and squabbled over the eye, grabbing it from each other roughly, until it dropped onto the floor. Quick as lightning, Perseus picked it up, knowing he could use it as a bargaining chip.

    When the sisters realized that he had their one eye, they quickly agreed to tell him what he needed to know. They instructed him to go and visit the Nymphs of the West, who would be able to equip him with the weaponry he needed to complete his quest. They also reluctantly revealed the location of their sister, Medusa. Not one to be unkind, Perseus thanked the sisters and returned their eye, before flying to find the Nymphs of the West.

    In the distant west, Perseus found the nymphs. Exhausted, he sat down with them to explain his story. The nymphs were good and kind and were eager to help him achieve what he’d set out to do. They gifted him a special bag to put Medusa’s head in, along with an impressive adamantine sword for the battle. They also gave him a magical cap, which could make the wearer invisible. Knowing he couldn’t stay and rest for too long, he thanked them and flew off again to confront Medusa and make his stand.

    Medusa lived on a secluded island in the sea, where she hid in a dark, dingy cave. Once, she’d been a beautiful young woman, but now she was twisted and ugly, and instead of long golden curls, her face was framed by venomous snakes. Donning the nymph's cap, Perseus became enveloped in darkness and crept inside the cave. He hoisted his shield high, realizing that he could see reflections in the gleam of the metal. It hit him that this was why Athena had given him such a highly polished shield; by using it as a mirror, he had no need to look directly at Medusa and could avoid the fate that had befallen so many others.

    Tiptoeing through the cave, Perseus passed a series of eerie statues of men and women - the previous victims of the Gorgon. As quiet as he tried to be, Medusa heard his footsteps and rushed out to attack him. But emerging into the mouth of the cave, she couldn’t see anyone.

    Perseus caught her reflection in the shield and tried not to shudder. Knowing this was his chance, he crept closer, before swinging his sword down on Medusa. With a cry, she was killed. Still taking care not to look directly at her, Perseus gathered her head into his bag and fled the island, heart beating fast.

    However, Medusa was pregnant at the time of her death, and when Perseus severed her head, her two unborn children, Chrysaor and Pegasus, suddenly sprang from her neck. The Gorgons were awoken by the noise and did their best to avenge the death of her sister, but they could neither see nor catch Perseus, for he was wearing Hades’ Cap of Invisibility and Hermes’ winged sandals. So, they went back to their secluded abode to mourn Medusa. Pindar, a great Ancient Greek poet, says that upon hearing their gloomy lament, Athena was so touched that she modeled after it the mournful music of the double pipe instrument: the aulos.

    Now that Perseus had Medusa’s head in his bag, he went back to Seriphos. However, while flying over Libya, drops of Medusa’s blood fell to the ground and instantly turned into snakes; it is because of this that, to this day, Libya abounds with serpents. When Perseus arrived in Seriphos, he used Medusa’s head to turn Polydectes and the vicious islanders into stones; the island was well-known long after for its numerous rocks.

    After this, Perseus gave Medusa’s head to his benefactor Athena, as a votive gift. The goddess set it on Zeus’ aegis (which she also carried) as the Gorgoneion. She also collected some of the remaining blood and gave most of it to Asclepius, who used the blood from Medusa’s left side to take people’s lives and the blood from her right side to raise people from the dead. The rest of Medusa’s blood – a vial containing two drops – Athena gave to her adopted son, Erichthonius; Euripides says that one of the drops was a cure-all, and the other one a deadly poison.

    Always the protector of heroes, Athena put aside, in a bronze jar, a lock of Medusa’s hair for Heracles, who subsequently gave it to Cepheus’ daughter, Sterope, to use it to protect her hometown Tegea. Supposedly, even though it didn’t have the power of Medusa’s gaze, the lock could still cast terror into any enemy unfortunate enough to even accidentally behold it.