egend states that Medusa was once a beautiful, avowed priestess of who was cursed for breaking her vow of celibacy. She is not considered a , but some variations on her legend say she consorted with one.
When Medusa had an affair with the sea god , Athena punished her. She turned Medusa 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.
The hero was sent on a quest to kill Medusa. He was able to defeat the Gorgon by lopping off her head, which he was able to do by fighting her reflection in his highly polished shield. He later used her head as a weapon to turn enemies to stone. An image of Medusa's head was placed on Athena's own armor or shown on her shield.
YOU ARE READING
greek mythology
FantasyGreek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore.
