After all, Athena gave Medusa the ultimate power against men: the power to both punish and avoid the male gaze regardless of the rank or status of the man daring to look at her. After killing Medusa, Perseus gave Athena her head, which Athena then placed on her shield as protection for herself. Her only companions are her living snake hair and the many statues that decorate her grove which she usually pretends to talk to in order to lessen her lonelin… How long will the footprints on the moon last? Schwark has worked as a breaking news contributor at Teen Vogue, a staff writer at Project Consent, and is published or forthcoming in Tinder’s Swipe Life, She Knows, womanly magazine, and more. 1 This article is really bad. That means she can turn the zombies that turn around by Sweet Potato and Hot Date's plant food into stones even if they are not hypnotized. There are other Greek myths in which women covertly help protect each other—and in almost all of them, it is after a woman has been raped. What does it mean when there is no flag flying at the White House? When she defied him, Tereus cut out her tongue to ensure she would obey his order. McKenzie Schwark is a health and wellness writer whose work focuses on chronic illness, sexual education, and reproductive rights justice. Petrifying Gaze. Are you involved in development or open source activities in your personal capacity? Because anybody can write anything they want. Medusa was a beautiful maiden who dared to compare her beauty with that of Athena - who grew so angry that she turned Medusa's hair into snakes and made Medusa herself so ugly and horrifying to look upon that to gaze into her face turned men into stone. In Greek mythology, Medusa also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Many of the men died waiting for the strange women to break into song and notice them. Yes ~ the male assemblage of petrified victims were adventurers, those assigned by kings or self-sown greed for treasures, the foolhardy bent upon testing legend and discovering it as fact. Poor Medusa couldn’t look into anyone’s eyes. Favorite Answer. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is instantly petrified.Otherwise, a creature that fails the save begins to turn to stone and is restrained. Medusa was a powerful Gorgon from Greek mythology who had snakes for hair and could turn those who look into her eyes to stone.. Before she was cursed, some say that Medusa was a woman who caught the eye of Poseidon, who then raped her in the temple of Athena.Furious for the desecration of her temple, Athena turned Medusa into the serpent headed monster. No because she would have to look at her reflection and her Sailors found the Sirens’ song of lament seductive and warned their comrades, but the Sirens paid the sailors no mind. PropertiesData The Medusa's Crown is a hat item which was introduced as February's Item Of The Month for 2020. Even Medusa herself can also be petrified if there are 2 Zombie Medusa facing each other on the same row. Stones that are perfectly sculptured, portraying the last looks on their faces. When equipped, the player will receive the Medusas's Gaze mod. Medusa appears on the show like a dangerous creature, similar to her original description in the Greek mythology. Perseus was somehow able to overcome this challenge of killing her by looking at her reflection in a mirror. She was also the most powerful, killing more men than either of her sisters, which also made her the most threatening and the most feared. The sculptor’s ingenuity was such that his Medusa does not seem to meet the viewer’s gaze from any angle, thereby rendering her impotent. Athena turning Medusa’s hair into snakes is almost always percieved as a punishment, and the theme of revenge is emphasized in different versions of the myth. Medusa is a monster because she kills you/turns you to stone when you look at her. Earlier poets (Aeschylus) called all three monsters, or said there was only one Gorgo altogether (Homer and Euripides). Additionally, eating the corpse of Medusa is a similarly bad idea that will also turn you to stone.[1] It is exhausting to constantly probe through these male-dominated ideas, but these myths are so much more entrancing when we can. In Super Scribblenauts and beyond, they turn petrified. What if Athena’s curse on Medusa wasn’t a punishment at all, but an act of kindness and protection? No, Athena cursed medusa and her sisters making them gorgons with snakes for hair and a gaze that could turn a man to stone. Eventually the gods turned Procne and Philomela into a swallow and a nightingale, respectively, to help them escape Tereus, unsilencing them through song. After catching word of Poseidon’s attack on Medusa, a supposedly jealous Athena turned Medusa’s lovely hair into snakes and cursed her with the ability to turn men who looked at her into stone. Medusa is a very lonely being due to her inability to communicate with others, and this is because of her uncontrollable power of turning people into stone. Beware—as in Greek mythology, her gaze can turn people to stone. However, she did turn many people (such as Grover's uncle Ferdinand) into stone. Medusa has a whole collection of them at her residence; some are broken by herself while pissed off. ; 3 Notes.. 3.1 This article is really bad. 1 decade ago. Can Medusa turn women into stone? As the Medusa myth is retold in a patriarchal and male-dominated society, the fact that she was a victim of rape is overshadowed by her terrifying appearance and ability to turn men into stone. Athena was aware of Poseidon’s hunger for Medusa and knew of Medusa’s vow of celibacy. Therefore, she wouldn't have been turned to stone by looking into a mirror. The portrayal of Medusa as a monster becomes the central sexist device of the myth, used to scare women off from casting a harsh gaze on their oppressors for fear of seeming monstrous as well. When a creature that can see the medusa's eyes starts its turn within 30 ft. of the medusa, the medusa can force it to make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw if the medusa isn't Incapacitated and can see the creature. Whether in competition for affection or authority, women in patriarchies are repeatedly pitted against each other, but a feminist analysis of the myth of Medusa reclaims her curse as a powerful protection against the male gaze. The Gorgoneion, or Gorgon head, known as Medusa, was used in the ancient world as a protective apotropaic symbol.Among the Ancient Greeks, it was the most widely used symbol to avert evil. There are other Greek myths in which women covertly help protect each other—and in almost all of them, it’s after a woman has been raped. ; Fall-damage-negating accessories are disabled, fall damage is … She had long, golden locks of hair, and is described as being exceptionally beautiful. ... Perseus was prevented from being turned into stone. Nowadays most people know about the gorgon Medusa, a woman with snakes for hair and whose gaze can turn a victim into a stone statue. So Philomela wove a tapestry to tell her sister the story, and when Procne saw it, she also fell silent. We can gaze at the patriarchy so harshly that we turn it to stone. Get Bitch Media's top 9 reads of the week delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning! Not much is known about her motivations, but she is seen wearing attire similar to the togas of Ancient Greece. Whenever someone looked into Medusa’s eyes, they would get petrified and turn into stone. Unfortunately, she couldn’t turn herself into stone so she can see how terrifying her face had become. No - she was living with 3 other gorgons (w/o stone … So it looks to me that if you die after breaking into her home, it’s pretty much your fault. Article Continues Below Advertisement Immortality: As a part of being a Gorgon Medusa may be immortal; however in greek mythology medusa was the only mortal gorgon. Athena’s curse was not a punishment for Medusa, but a punishment for the gods and men who intended to harm her. In Scribblenauts Level A3-9, Medusa came out of the oil lamp. She is appalled by what she has seen, and turns Medusa’s hair into snakes and gives her the ability to turn men into stone. If she looks at a mirror, she'll turn herself into stone. Is Betty White close to her stepchildren. Medusa was once the creature of nightmares. Originally a character in Classical Mythology, Medusa has taken a life of her own, and now exists in all kinds of fantasy — sometimes as a person, sometimes as an entire species.Medusa's main characteristics are snakes for hair and that people turn to stone just by seeing her face.So don't look at that illustration. The power of Medusa as a Gorgon, in turning gods into stones could be possibly verified by the series of events following Perseus's decapitation of Medusa's … The most distinctive characteristics of the Gorgons are venomous snakes instead of hair and eyes able to turn those looking into stone. After catching word of Poseidon’s attack on Medusa, a supposedly jealous Athena turned Medusa’s lovely hair into snakes and cursed her with the ability to turn men who looked at her into stone. Medusa can turn any creature that looks at it to stone, except for Maxwell and creatures with the blind adjective. It is important to remember the patriarchal context in which these myths are retold because a patriarchal society depends in part on women distrusting and competing with one another so as not to move up in the ranks toward that of the society’s male authorities. After Medusa has been defeated, her head can be picked up and used to turn enemies to stone. Medusa is a very cruel and narcissistic woman obsessed with her appearance and her garden. A New Virus Turns Victims Into Stone … In fact, the group was granted bird-like features to travel the world singing their grief-stricken song in search of her. Who does Medusa turn to stone? Petrifying Gaze. Last spring, I had a minimalist portrait of Medusa tattooed on my forearm. In Super Scribblenauts and beyond, they turn petrified. Who is the longest reigning WWE Champion of all time? What is the timbre of the song dandansoy? But when we examine these stories and look at female relationships in relation to the male figures, we can start to deconstruct the patriarchal lens through which these stories are often viewed. Unlike in the Greek myth, though, it appears that it is the snakes that turn people to stone in this Supergirl story. The Sirens are often described as temptresses who used their song to lure sailors to their drowning deaths, but they were actually a group of girls who lost their companion, Persephone, after she was abducted and raped by Hades. I don't know about you, but being headless seems like you'd be Incapacitated. Petrification: Medusa can emit stony essence from her eyes. There are three Gorgons typically found in mythology: Stheno, Euryale and Medusa. The Greek mythological creature could turn anyone to stone merely by looking into their eyes. By making eye contact with another, she could inject that essence into her victim's soul causing their mortal form to turn to stone in a matter of seconds. note . If Medusa saw herself in the mirror would she turn to stone? Medusa was now so hideous that anyone who looked at her turned to stone. Medusa's head with its goggling eyes, fangs, and protruding tongue was depicted on the shield of Athena herself. Gianlorenzo Bernini sculpted a marble bust of the living Medusa as a conceit - the monster who would turn men into stone was made of stone herself. a.wordmonger. Trivia. Later stories have the details about Medusa's rape and transformation (such as Ovid's Metamorphoses.) 2. Medusa is a dangerous unique monster in NetHack, with her own level in the Dungeons of Doom that appears between the level containing the magic portal to the Quest and the Castle. Why don't libraries smell like bookstores? She gains a notorious reputation as a creature who can turn anyone into stone if the person looks straight into … Medusa is a Hardmode enemy found near Marble Caves.While being a relatively fast-moving melee attacker, Medusa also has the ability to inflict the Stoned debuff through her gaze. Medusa, Carlos Schwabe, 1895, private collection, via Art Renewal Centre (left); The Perseus Series: The Death of Medusa I, Edward Burne-Jones, 1882, Southampton City Art Gallery, via Wikimedia Commons (right). Its use in this fashion was depicted in the Alexander Mosaic, a Roman mosaic (ca. Movies, TV, games, and books typically feature Medusa as a villain who actively hunts down heroes; and she is often depicted as being half-snake herself, and is often defeated by being tricked into looking into a mirror and thus turning herself into stone. When her autonomous reflection becomes angry with … She will petrify zombies that face her by any way, not only by hypnotizing. Medusa herself did not turn to stone. But, once they exchange their looks, be it man woman or child or even animals, her eyes would gleam at first, and they would turn into stone. Only powerful healing magic can reverse this effect. Unfortunately, she couldn’t turn herself into stone so she can see how terrifying her face had become. Fact 8: Athena also made use of Medusa’s head as a type of ornament. Because anybody can write anything they want. In many ancient depictions, they have wings and round unnatural heads. In examining the myth of Athena and Medusa further, the story also seems to be a suggestive fable, slyly teaching women how to look out for and protect one another in a society dominated by men, where rape is a constant threat. ...Show more. What are the qualifications of a parliamentary candidate? She can also be very manipulative, feigning unselfish desires to fulfill her whims while using her power to turn others to stone. Poseidon, god of the sea, lusted after Medusa and raped her in Athena’s temple. You’ll get exclusive perks and members-only swag, all while supporting Bitch’s critical feminist analysis. When a creature that can see the medusa's eyes starts its turn within 30 feet of the medusa, the medusa can force it to make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw if the medusa isn't incapacitated and can see the creature. Sign up for the Weekly Reader: For instance, Philomela is known for being forced into a life of silence after defying King Tereus. What are the difference between Japanese music and Philippine music? This debuff turns the player to stone: The player will be unable to move or use weapons for the duration of the debuff, similar to being frozen. Medusa (Greek:Μέδουσα)is a woman who became acquainted with Jason and his friends after they saved her from the Maenads. Medusa’s body may have died but her head remained a powerful weapon as it still contained the eyes that can turn people into stone. Medusa’s name derives from an ancient Greek verb that means “to protect and guard,” which may be a nod to Athena’s attempt to guard and protect Medusa from further abuse at the hands of Poseidon and other men. The narrative of women competing with or being jealous of one another is so ingrained in our storytelling that it can be hard to look past it and see the potential camaraderie between women in mythology. Source (s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medusa. Those who gazed into her eyes would turn to stone. She was simply decapitated. Procne took revenge against Tereus by secretly feeding him the body of their son. What is the point of view of the story servant girl by estrella d alfon? While she believes she is simply incapacitating the villains, she looks back to see that they have been turned into stone. Many believe her story to be one of revenge and torment, but in rereading the myth of Medusa and Athena, a new mythological world in which women are protective of each other in a patriarchal society and their relationships are meant to serve as a lesson for others reveals itself. My first introduction to Medusa came in the form of that ludicrous 70s show, Land of the Lost, where Uncle Jack saves his boneheaded niece from the vain monster by holding up a mirror, which causes Medusa to turn herself into stone.In Ovid’s Metamorphosis, she dies when Perseus beheads her.He then gives the head to Minerva (Athena in Greek). Perseus used Medusa’s head in some of his battles against monsters and enemies. 3. ; Medusa can turn any creature that looks at it to stone, except for Maxwell and creatures with the blind adjective. LOL; 2 /*Family*/e also had an inconsiderate mother and father called Phorcys and Ceto, who only cared about their two immortal daughters. The Power to Turn the Patriarchy into Stone, Black Homes Matter: San Francisco’s Gentrification & the Fight to Save Midtown Park Apartments, 5 Documentaries to Watch for Women’s History Month (Or Any Month). If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is instantly petrified.Otherwise, a creature that fails the save begins to turn to stone and is restrained. If the player is the owner of the world, they can punch people and turn them into rockswhich has its own animation and can move around the world. Retold in patriarchy, the story of the Sirens changes to fit its values—instead of illustrating loss and grief in female friendships, the story becomes a cautionary tale of the dangerous, tempting trickery of female seduction. Further, this Medusa curse also affects her appearance, giving her the iconic snake hair of the Gorgon. If she looks at a … Oh, and don't look at the illustration! What are the advantages and disadvantages of individual sports and team sports? reflection can't turn anyone into stone. Though there are different versions of the Medusa myth, Roman poet Ovid’s Medusa was a mortal woman who had sworn to a life of celibacy. short answer nothing much long answer, al that we know about the Gorgon the three sister monsters of which Medusa was the only mortal one, indicates that they all happilly coexisted looking at each other. My first introduction to Medusa came in the form of that ludicrous 70s show, Land of the Lost, where Uncle Jack saves his boneheaded niece from the vain monster by holding up a mirror, which causes Medusa to turn herself into stone.In Ovid’s Metamorphosis, she dies when Perseus beheads her.He then gives the head to Minerva (Athena in Greek). What is the first and second vision of mirza? Poor Medusa couldn’t look into anyone’s eyes. In the story of Philomela and her sister Procne, Philomela was raped, threatened, and told to stay silent by Tereus, Procne’s husband. Medusa's main characteristics are snakes for hair and that people turn to stone just by seeing her face. In Greek mythology, Medusa was one of the three Gorgons. No, you don't get turned to stone if you look at medusa's reflection, so medusa could stare at herself all day in a mirror and nothing would happen :) 0 0 Anonymous What is the WPS button on a wireless router? This retelling sweeps the original violence against Medusa under the rug to center the violence she commits against men. If we focus on Medusa’s ugly, monstrous appearance, we miss an opportunity to examine the roles of men and rape culture in her story. Female revenge in Hindi cinema is typically viewed as an illogical, estrogen-driven act executed through treachery and lies. Like the other women in these myths, the Sirens have been demonized over time. Medusa, however, was the only mortal and the most attractive of the three. If your impeached can you run for president again? Medusa is known for being so ugly that if men even look at her face, they would immediately be turned into stone statues. and a pet dog. She herself is a virgin goddess, and it is said that her power comes from that she has never become fully a woman by having sex, as if sexuality strips a woman of power. But the story of Medusa is often seen as a tragedy: she is known for being powerless against Athena and Poseidon, doomed to a lonely life as a monstrous Gorgon, which most renditions describe as punishment. Medusa has a mysterious and complicated relationship with Hercules . Interesting question though! Her fame became a disaster, men went from admiring her beauty to willing to kill her. I read a Medusa story of her dying by having her head chopped off. But Medusa’s rape is glossed over, mentioned once at the beginning of the tale, if at all. Her fame became a disaster, men went from admiring her beauty to willing to kill her. However, she did turn many people (such as Grover's uncle Ferdinand) into stone. When did organ music become associated with baseball? Medusa lives in a cavern near the old Summer Palace of the Enchanted Forest. When a creature that can see the medusa's eyes starts its turn within 30 feet of the medusa, the medusa can force it to make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw if the medusa isn't incapacitated and can see the creature. ; After Medusa has been defeated, her head can be picked up and used to turn enemies to stone. Join Today. Medusa was no immortal. Medusa’s head had snakes instead of hair and eyes that turned those looking at her into stone. Medusa was a beautiful maiden who dared to compare her beauty with that of Athena - who grew so angry that she turned Medusa's hair into snakes and made Medusa herself so ugly and horrifying to look upon that to gaze into her face turned men into stone. Now, it seems as though her powers could have made their way into the real world after all with this new virus. Most sources describe her as the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto, although the author Hyginus makes her the daughter of Gorgon and Ceto. Actually, Medusa can look at your back all day long and you won’t turn to stone. You only turn to stone when YOU look at her. Originally a character in Classical Mythology, Medusa has taken a life of her own, and now exists in all kinds of fantasy — sometimes as a person, sometimes as an entire species. Help make more pieces like this possible by joining Bitch Media’s membership program, The Rage. Even though he was technically looking at her, just with a … Like what you just read? Medusa, in her human form, is exceedingly vain. It’s my favorite and most visible tattoo, a constant reminder to be unapologetic in casting a harsh gaze against the patriarchy. Medusa herself did not turn to stone. Myths about the Gorgons range. She was simply decapitated. Medusa, along with her two immortal sisters, was one of three Gorgons, which comes from the Greek word gorgós, meaning “fierce, terrible, and grim.” All three sisters were seen as monstrous for having the power to kill men. Poseidon, god of the sea, lusted after Medusa and raped her in Athena’s temple.