By Diana Ton
When one imagines the infamous Medusa of Greek Mythology what often comes to mind is a hideous and demented creature. A being of whom is capable of turning any man to stone with a mere glance. But is the perception of this mythological deity all that accurate? Could her tale have been falsely portrayed by years of patriarchal societies? In this blog, we will uncover the true origins of Medusa and what she may represent in today’s social climate of feminism.
Thus, to begin this fascinating exploration, it is important to first understand who this goddess is and, more specifically, how she came to meet the cursed fate she did. Let me proceed by clarifying that Medusa was not always the sinister beast we so often hear about in stories. In reality, she was once an innocent, young girl who possessed extraordinary beauty; a beauty of which many—including her own sisters—envied.
Moreover, she also served as “a priestess to her sister Athena [and] vowed to her sister to remain pure” (Donohue). Unfortunately, this purity would later be stripped from Medusa by a lust-hungry Poseidon who rapes her within her own sister Athena’s temple. But, rather than blaming her sister’s rapist, an enraged Athena chooses to punish Medusa for falling victim to the sea god, cursing her with the hair of venomous serpents and eyes of a petrifying nature.
No longer able to live an ordinary life, the bewildered Medusa shuns herself from Athens and flees to the secluded island of Sarpedon, hoping to isolate herself from society. This island, however, would not be her safe haven as countless status-seeking warriors trail after her in hopes of obtaining her monstrous power for themselves. While many fail and turn to stone, there is one hero by the name of Perseus who succeeds in the decapitation of Medusa, and of whom uses her head to aid him in his later adventures throughout Greece.
With these incidents taken into consideration, it would certainly be sensible to recognize how “Medusa was not so much the predator, but the prey” in these Greek tales (Ekall).
Moreover, while Medusa has quite the traumatic origin story, it contains various hidden messages. One intriguing message, in particular, was suggested by Susan R. Bowers when she suggests how “there is a painful recognition in the fact that Medusa’s head—the center of her knowledge—is taken from her in order to empower a man and to fight his battles for him” (Bower).
This approach is considerably thought-provoking as it gets oneself reflecting upon the fact that so many men tear down powerful women, only to later use them as stepping stones for their own success. Similar to how Perseus killed an intimidating and powerful goddess like Medusa, only to use her head/power for himself, many men in today’s society tear down powerful women, only to later use them and their discoveries or knowledge for their own personal gains.
As this blog draws to a close, it is important to recognize that Medusa is often wrongfully portrayed as this ruthless beast when in reality she is merely a victim of toxic masculinity; from selfish men abusing their power upon her to selfish men desiring hers.
Despite having been through so much and being torn down countless times in a world of patriarchal priority, it is inspiring how Medusa was able to defy the odds and become the powerful woman she was. Her strength makes her an admirable symbol of feminism and, as Donohue perfectly maintains in his article, “Medusa remains of temporal importance because she is the symbol of what female power looks like in the face of threatened male authority” (Donohue).
References:
Bowers, Susan R. “Medusa and the Female Gaze.” NWSA Journal, vol. 2, no. 2, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990, pp. 217–35, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4316018.
Donohue, Tyler A. “The Mishandled Myth of Medusa.” Medium, An Injustice!, 30 Dec. 2020, https://aninjusticemag.com/the-mishandled-myth-of-medusa-1f66fda1874b.
Ekall, Patricia Yaker. “More Stories.” Rethinking Medusa: the 'Nasty Woman' of Mythology, Art UK, 17 Jan. 2020, https://artuk.org/discover/stories/rethinking-medusa-the-nasty-woman-of-mythology.
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