The Gorgon, Medusa, was one of the most famous creatures in Greek mythology but she wasn’t always a monster. It was believed that Medusa was once a mortal but a mistake turned her into a hideous Gorgon. Who exactly was the Gorgon before her transformation into the monster she is known as today?
Medusa was once one of the three Gorgon sisters, who were born to the primordial Gods Phorcys and Keto. Her family was considered to be very hideous but Medusa was blessed with beauty until her unfortunate mistake forced Athena to punish her.
To think that someone as monstrous as Medusa was once a beautiful mortal is quite hard to believe. The Gorgon was considered to be blessed among her kind until tragedy struck her and changed her life forever. What happened to Medusa that turned her into the snake-human hybrid that’s feared by all?
The Tragic Tale of Medusa
Born as one of the three Gorgon sisters to the Primordial Gods Phorcys and Keto, Medusa was a beautiful mortal born into a family of hideous siblings. She was commonly praised for the glory of her hair which was described as “the best part of all her charm”.
She was so beautiful that even the God of the Sea, Poseidon, fell in love with her and decided to lure her to Athena’s temple. There, she was raped and impregnated by the God right in front of Athena’s eyes which incurred the Goddess’ wrath.
Instead of blaming Poseidon who raped the maiden, Athena punished Medusa for flaunting herself indecently in her sacred temple. It was then that Medusa’s hair was turned into serpents and the once beautiful mortal was turned into the monster that we know of today.
This is where the story of Perseus comes in as Polydectes, the King of Seriphos, tried to get rid of him by asking him to get the head of Medusa. Perseus, with the help of Hermes and Athena, reached the land of the Gorgons.
There, Medusa was soundly asleep as the hero slowly approached her. Using Athena’s Aegis as a reflective shield against the Gorgon’s petrifying gaze, Perseus managed to reach Medusa to decapitate her.
After that, Perseus would return Athena’s Aegis along with the head of Medusa which the Goddess attached to her Aegis, making it an even more formidable weapon than it already was.
Was Medusa A God?
Though Medusa was born to two Primordial Gods, was weirdly a mortal while her sisters were immortals. She was never considered to be a God either as none of the Gorgon sisters were worshipped as such. There were in-fact cousins of the Titans though due to their heritage…
Was Medusa A Titan?
Though Medusa was a cousin of the Titans as she was born to the Primordial Gods, Phorcys and Keto, she wasn’t a Titan herself because that was a title reserved for the children of Uranus and Gaia.
Some people do refer to Medusa as a Titan but the common belief was that she wasn’t. This was because, unlike the Titans who were immortal Gods, Medusa was nothing but a mortal Gorgon.
Was Medusa A Victim?
By modern standards, anyone who read the story of Medusa would see that she was nothing but a victim to the Gods. The Greeks believed that she was a monster and antagonized her even though she did nothing wrong.
She didn’t willingly participate in Poseidon’s lust and was raped by the God simply because of her beauty. Not only that, but Athena punished her even though Poseidon raped Medusa inside Athena’s temple.
The worst part was when Perseus was sent to the Island of the Gorgons to kill her. She wasn’t terrorizing anyone except for the people who trespassed into her home.
The “hero” infiltrated the Gorgon’s lair and killed her in her sleep. Many people think of Gods as benevolent or kind but the Greek Gods were far from that.
They were worshipped for their might and that alone. Even the King of the Gods, Zeus, had very questionable morals and integrity when it came to his behavior.
Was Medusa Evil?
Medusa was neither evil before her transformation, nor after. She was just another pretty girl who met very unfortunate circumstances.
She never even left the Island of the Gorgons to terrorize the people. Modern depictions show that Medusa and her sisters are all evil but truth is, they were just monsters.
Her sisters were monsters at birth while Medusa was changed into one by the wrath of Athena. Knowing that their hideous form and piercing gaze alone could petrify mortals, the Gorgons even secluded themselves from everyone else by isolating themself on the Island of the Gorgons.
Some depictions even show Medusa as a priestess of Athena which were known to be the purest of maidens since the Goddess of Wisdom herself was a virgin.
Was Medusa A Queen?
Medusa was never the queen of anything. Though she was born of a prestigious heritage from two Primordial Gods, she was just a beautiful mortal that captured the gaze of everyone that laid eyes on her.
She could have been Queen of the Seas but Poseidon only wanted to fulfill his lust and never took responsibility for it after.
Conclusion
The story of Medusa may be a hero’s tale for some but most people today will know that her life was nothing but a tragedy. She was once a beautiful mortal, admired by all until she caught the God of the Sea’s eyes of lust.
Poseidon satiated himself by defiling her and raping her in the Temple of Athena, taking her innocence from her. Athena even accused her of disrespecting the Goddess even though it was the God that forced himself upon her.
Some people believed that Medusa was some sort of deity due to her parentage from two Primordial Gods. Her sisters were indeed immortals but oddly enough, Medusa herself was only mortal.
She was neither God nor Titans, even though she was their cousin, and she wasn’t of any royal heritage either. Medusa was just an innocent maiden with a pretty face until the Gods decided to disrupt her life.
