Perseus and Medusa in Greek Mythology
17/07/2020
It is said by many that Medusa was the villain of the story, but not quite ... Medusa and Perseus were rivals, all for the inflated ego of the goddess Athena. Gorgon did not really deserve the end it had, check out.
Who Were Perseus and Medusa?
Perseus: in Greek Mythology, he is a demigod known for being the founder of the mythical city-state of Mycenae, Heracles' half-brother and patron of both the royal house of Perseus and the Persian dynasty, having been ancestral, according to mythology, of the emperors of Persia is famous for beheading the gorgon Medusa, a monster that turned anyone who looked into his eyes into stone. As a demigod, Perseus was the son of Zeus, who, in the form of a golden shower, entered the bronze tower and impregnated Perseus' mother, the mortal Dânae or Danai, daughter of Acrisio, king of Argos.
Medusa, in Greek Mythology, was a female chthonic monster, one of the three Gorgons. Daughter of Fórcis and Ceto (although the ancient author Higino interpolates a generation and cites another chthonic couple as the parents of Medusa), whoever looked directly at her would be turned to stone. Unlike his gorgonian sisters, Esteno and Euríale, Medusa was mortal; she was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who later used her head as a weapon, until she gave it to the goddess Athena, who placed it on her shield. In Classical Antiquity the image of the head of Medusa appeared on the object used to chase away the evil known as gorgonion. Both are classic elements within the story.
"The triple form is not primitive, it is just an example of a general tendency ... that makes each goddess a trinity, which gave us the Hours, Graces, Semnas, and several other triads. It seems immediately obvious that the Gorgons are not really three, but one + two. The two sisters who were not killed are mere existing appendages by custom; the real Gorgon is Medusa. "
Perseus and Medusa:
Perseus was the son of the god Jupiter with Danna. Dânae's father and Perseus' grandfather, Acrisio, was warned by the Oracle that his daughter's son (Perseus) would be the instrument of his death. So he put Perseus and his mother Dânae in a chest and threw them into the sea. The chest was found by a fisherman, who took him to Polidectes, the king of the region. The king treated Perseus and his mother very well, and when Perseus had become a man, he gave him the mission to conquer Medusa.
Medusa had once been a beautiful woman, but she wanted to compete with the goddess Minerva (Athena), who punished her by turning her beautiful hair into snakes. Medusa looked so scary that anyone who looked at her turned to stone. With the help of the goddess Minerva, who gave him a shield, and the god Mercury, who gave him winged shoes, Perseus entered the cave in which Medusa was sleeping, cut off his head and gave it to Minerva.