MEDUSA REIMAGINED

Words by Kayleigh Dunne.

Greek mythology is a fascinating area of history. Full of myths and legends about daring heroes and vengeful gods, and occasionally heroes and gods acting like complete fools. 

Almost everyone knows something about it. Whether it be from The Iliad, my personal favourite ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ book series or from the everlasting masterpiece that is Disney’s ‘Hercules’.  I studied a bit of Greek mythology in university, and that fueled my love to the point that now most of the books I read are retellings of myths and my favourite podcast is “Let’s talk about Myths, Baby.” 

But all is not what it seems. Since first learning of Greek gods, goddesses and monsters that inhabit the world of Greek mythology, my perspective has changed greatly. I went from thinking that these immortals were great and powerful idols of ancient civilizations to realising that they were in fact incredibly flawed characters in incredibly flawed stories. 

As I grew and my ideals and perspectives changed, so did the way I look at the myths. I still have a deep love for Greek Mythology, that will never change but I simply look at them with a different lens more attuned to me as a person and more reflective of the society around us. I believe that the Greek myths from an ancient society are still relevant today, and there is a lot that we can learn from flawed beings once held on a pedestal, and depicted as the idolised version of us. 

I read myths with the same ignorance as Icarus flying. I didn’t listen to the warnings, taking the myths at face value, never delving deeper into their stories or how they are a reflection of the society around them. Once I did, I fell. Hard. My much loved myths started unraveling like Icarus’s wings. Once my perspective changed, I realised that myths were dark, the stories I had heard most of my life were not in fact true tellings. Much like when you discover that the Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales are very much NOT family friendly. 

Greek mythology is not kind. Especially to women. The gods? Assholes. All of them. Zeus. The absolute worst. He would transform into a menagerie of animals to “seduce'' unknowing women. Theseus, the renowned  “hero” who left a string of women abandoned in his wake to “greatness”. There are stories of women being punished and turned into grotesque monsters simply for besting god and goddess at competition. Arachne was transformed into the first spider, for boasting she was better at weaving than the goddess of weaving. Arachne was the better of the two, Athena herself spoke of how Arachne’s pieces were flawless, yet Athena punished her for weaving the infidelities and flaws of the gods, their various misdemeanors, that would show them to be no better that the mortals they ruled. 

This brings me onto one of my favourite myths and one that since I first learned of it has grown and evolved, since I have grown and evolved. 

The Tale of Medusa is probably one of the most popular myths still circling the world today. You know of her run in with Perseus that led to her demise, or even the retelling in ''Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief”, where ultimately she met her demise again. The story of her death has inspired many artworks, most famous perhaps is the statue “Perseus with the Head of Medusa” made by Benvenuto Cellini in the period 1545 -1554. 

Cellini’s sculpture speaks of an arrogant triumph over “supposed evil”, while a similar sculpture entitled “Medusa with the Head of Perseus”  created in 2008 by Luciano Garbati, has the roles reversed. In Garbati’s sculpture, Medusa is determined, and acting in self defense against her would be murderer. Ironically, at the time of the sculpture’s creation, Garbati stated he was unaware of Medusa’s stature in feminist theory and links to the Me Too movement. 

Medusa is treated as a monster in Greek mythology, she is one third of the infamous Gorgon sisters, yet she is the only one that started her life as a mortal. You may know of Ovid’s story of Medusa, in which he crafts Medusa as the perpetrator, how her past is a justification for the death she will inevitably face. I am going to offer up a different perspective, focused around her origin, how she was transformed into the “monster” many mythological writers would have you believe. 

This retelling is entirely my own opinion; you do not have to agree or even like it, yet it is this retelling that has become my ultimate version of this myth. My character of Medusa, even after her transformation, is one where she is still beautiful to a degree. I choose not to use depictions of her with cracked skin, chicken legs, or metal wings, as that would add to the narrative that she is a monster, rather than the victim she truly is. This retelling has come to reflect the society I inhabit, the ideals I hold and the flaws within this modern society that are as prevalent today as they were thousands of years ago. So enjoy!

Medusa was one of many priestesses who devoted her life to the goddess Athena. Athena was a virgin goddess, and as such priestesses remained celibate too.

Medusa was said to be young and beautiful, and as it is said, young and beautiful attracted the attention of gods, who never took no for an answer. Poseidon, the god of the sea and in many myths, Athenas’s rival, saw Medusa and in an effort to humiliate Athena, he proceeded to rape Medusa on the steps of the goddess’ temple. Poseidon vanished after he was done, leaving Medusa to suffer the consequences. 

Medusa, feeling ashamed for something she had no blame in, took to praying to Athena for guidance and forgiveness. After days of silence Athena answered. 

(Side note: It should be explained that for some inexplicable reason gods and goddesses cannot harm one another. This is why mortals usually end up in the crossfire between the immortals acting like moronic children.)

Athena looked down at Medusa, yet she was unable to punish Posiedon for his predatory and treacherous behaviour.  She saw a faithful priestess, begging for forgiveness for an act that she had no part in, and Athena grew angry. Not at Medusa, but at Poseidon, at the hurt and shame he caused her. 

While not able to punish the sea god, she may be able to help her priestess. What Athena did next many believed a punishment to Medusa, but I do not believe that Athena wished to curse Medusa, merely help her, albeit in a weird -immortal not understanding mortal- way. 

Athena gave Medusa hair made of snakes to enable Medusa to strike fear into those who were once her predators. Athena granted Medusa the power to turn any man to stone once they turned their gaze to her, ensuring no man would be able to touch Medusa against her will again. This power given to Medusa is a weapon of self defense.

Medusa was moved to an isolated island with only her sisters as company. Yet men from many backgrounds travel to the island to try their fate at attacking the “monster” they believed Medusa was. These attackers were similar to Poseidon, determined to destroy Medusa, yet now Medusa could fight back.

Sadly, Medusa's ending tale is not a happy one, where eventually her own powers are turned against her. Yet for a time, Medusa was gifted with the ability to protect herself, and perhaps if she was not vilified by men and writers, she may have been able to protect other women within the Graecian world also. After all, the word Medusa translates to “guardian” or “protector”. 

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