Daughter of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, Hel rules the realm of the dead in Norse mythology. Radicals saw the Gorgon herself as a type of revolutionary, taking power from the monstrousness that made her vulnerable. The Great Goddess often had snakes as her familiarssometimes twining around her sacred staff, as in ancient Creteand they were worshipped as guardians of her mysteries of birth and regeneration. The blood and gore that dripped from her neck were portrayed in graphic detail. He locked up Danae in a bronze chamber. By the 5th century BC this was well-established in art and literature, but the appearances of Medusas sisters were still unknown. They are stories about how the world was created and why certain things happen. The cloak of invisibility that belonged to Hades allowed him to escape the lair of the Gorgon sisters without being seen after he killed Medusa. Ever since Eves transgression in the Garden of Eden, snakes in Christian tradition have been associated with lies, evil and temptation. The Mayan sky-goddess was a common attribute. Greek cosmological myths tell of how Ophion the snake incubated the primordial egg from which all created things were born. The hero drew his sword, prepared to fight, but realized she was nothing more than a hollow wraith. While a few tellings say that Pegasus helped Perseus escape, most agree that the mythical horse would not be tamed until Bellerophon fought the Chimera. This trio of sisters may have been intended as a dark version of a tripartite goddess. The most famous story of Medusa is that of her death at the hands of the great hero Perseus. Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating 882,061 ratings. In fact, some writers did not seem to agree that there were three Gorgons at all. Hesiod would write the story that would become well-known. When the feminist movement reexamined the legend, they came to a much different interpretation of Medusa than the Greeks subscribed to. Medusa is the most famous Gorgon in Greek mythology, but did you know she was not alone? Perseus used the same stealth he had practiced with the Graeae to sneak close. The serpent grew until his body encircled all of Midgard (or Earth), and he was able to grasp his own tail in his mouth. In turning men to stone, however, Medusas anger reflected the rage women felt about these experiences. He cut off Medusa's head and gave it to Minerva. Even a piece of Medusas head, like the one Heracles gave to Sterope, was enough to repel enemies and cause uneasiness even if it didnt have the power to petrify. Kidnapping was a valid form of marriage in Greek mythology and women were often described as fleeing from or fearing the amorous gods. Both circles and spirals were seen as symbols of eternity. In ancient Slavic paganism a deity by the name of Veles presided over the underworld. As Perseus used the sandals to fly over the sands of Libya, the droplets of blood that fell to the ground created enormous vipers. His actions were described as a forceful violation. Unfortunately, as was often the case in the ancient world, the victim bore the brunt of the punishment. In Greek mythology, the Gorgon often refers specifically to Medusa. Medusa, in Greek mythology, the most famous of the monster figures known as Gorgons. In addition to the serpents on their heads, they had tusks like boars, lolling tongues, and bulging eyes. Medusa was often depicted as a terrifying winged female with snakes instead of hair. In Hammurabis Law Code (c. 1700 BC) the god Ninazu is identified as the patron of healing, and his son, Ningishzida, is depicted with a serpent and staff symbol (Bunn 1967:618), Snakes were a common feature of many creation myths, for example many people in California and Australia had myths about the Rainbow Snake, which was either Mother Earth herself giving birth to all animals or a water-god whose writhing created rivers, creeks and oceans. Donatella Versace. The complicated nature of Medusas crime and punishment is something our culture still grapples with today. The second treasure was the magical helmet of Hades, given to him by the Cyclops in the Titanomachy. His roles took the form of everything from bringer of morning winds and bright daylight for healthy crops, to a sea god capable of bringing on great floods. Many Greek goddesses are not explicitly named as a single being in three parts, but are often interpreted within this archetype. The favorite daughter of Zeus. The only difference between Medusa and a human, or even a goddess, was the snakes that crowned her head. 14. Gaia, Rhea, and Demeter, for example, are often seen as three closely-bound earth goddesses. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. She was eventually slain by the hero, Perseus. It's Norse mythology time! It tied the Macedonian kind directly to Greek heritage. Medusa was not the only Gorgon, however. This symbol has many interpretations, one of which is the snake representing cyclical nature of life and death, life feeding on itself in the act of creation. They wore snakes around their waists instead of normal belts. Only they knew the location of the Hesperides and their garden. Still portrayed as a human woman, albeit with an increasingly thick nest of snakes on her hair, Medusa became a symbol of the Jacobin faction. Bellerophon knew that the task would be much easier if he could attack the Chimera from the air and the hero . As in modern . Italian fashion company Versace took a completely different view of Medusa when they made her their logo. Medusa and the Gorgons are used as characters in stories with direct links to Greek mythology, but also in general fantasy and horror settings. Medusas punishment was more explicit and harsh than most victims in the Greek myths, but it was not entirely out of place. Family. Perseus was the real bad guy. Nor did ancient writers specify what powers or abilities the Gorgon sisters possessed. Some images gave them wings, others a thick black beard. "The snake dance is a prayer to the spirits of the clouds, the thunder and lightning, that the rain may fall on the growing crops.."[26] In the northwestern Indian city, Banaras, a festival called Naga Pancami is celebrated during the rainy season of Sravana (July/August) to pay homage to the supernatural snakes or deities. She made humans one at a time with clay. Examples include they decided to migrate to flee Islamization and persecution, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Snakes_in_mythology&oldid=1144534248, This page was last edited on 14 March 2023, at 07:17. The classical symbol of the Ouroboros depicts a snake in the act of eating its own tail. Many later versions of the myth claimed that she was once a beautiful maiden loved by . Medusas body was often shown as abnormally large and disproportionate. The Wolf, the Witch, and the Giant by Kit Kat Kata. What Were the Hamadryads in Greek Mythology? While her sisters killed men with their fangs and claws, Medusas power was passive. They were associated with rocks, which when hidden below the surface of the water spelled disaster for ships passing by. While Greco-Roman writers rationalized this singular Gorgon as a separate creature, it is more likely that Homer and Hesiod recounted stories from slightly different traditions. In Greek mythology, Medusa (Ancient Greek: ), meaning "guardian", "protectress" was a Gorgon, a chthonic female monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. Medusa. Athena furthered her connection to Medusa by placing rows of snakes around her robes. Everywhere, from Lord of the Rings to The Elder Scrolls games, these creatures are deeply woven into our cultural fabric. The Hopi people told of a young man who ventured into the underworld and married a snake-princess. Three-part deities are a common theme in ancient mythology, particularly in Indo-European tradition. It was just a trick so the king could get closer to Perseus' mother, Danae. The myth of Medusa forces readers to confront an ugly truth - the victim isn't always avenged. The people of Sparta claimed that Ares had been nursed by a nymph called Thero. While Perseus beheaded Medusa, however, he still left two Gorgons alive. From a vicious monster to a symbol of justified rage, the changing interpretations of Medusas nature reflect the changing morals and views of culture itself. name was later used for the great serpents Poseidon, Medusa within her temple infuriated the goddess, Medusa as a former beauty afflicted by a terrible curse, characters in stories with direct links to Greek mythology. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. Belenus is associated with the . The vision of Medusa as a victim of tyranny continues today. He challenged the young man to kill Medusa and bring back her head. The Hopi people of North America viewed snakes as symbols of healing, transformation, and fertility. 11. From a monster to a passive victim, Medusa evolved into an example of the femme fatale archetype. Also, in Norse mythology, the snake biting its tail (Ouroboros) symbolized the sea as the eternal ring which enclosed the world. Friday is named for her. [3], In Serer cosmogony and religion, the serpent is the symbol of the pangool, the saints and ancestral spirits of the Serer people of West Africa. The Yeti in Himalayan Mythology. During the dance, live snakes were handled and at the end of the dance the snakes were released into the fields to guarantee good crops. Healing and snakes were associated in ancient Greek myth with Asclepius, whose snake-familiars would crawl across the bodies of sick people asleep at night in his shrines and lick them back to health. Pegasus and Bellerophon. In other cultures[which?] Athena took her anger out on Medusa. . They also shared a single tooth, taking turns to eat their meals. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), DEA / C. BALOSSINI / Contributor / Getty Images, Godong/Universal Images Group/Getty Images, Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images, Sepia Times/Universal Images Group/Getty Images, Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images, protectors of Siddhrtha Gautama, the Buddha, various versions of the Legend of the White Snake, https://www.history.com/news/snake-symbol-history-mythology, 9 Powerful Snakes from History and Mythology. A demigod, the son of Zeus and Danae, Perseus is one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology. Only two humans and a few gods survive. Pgasos; Latin: Pegasus, Pegasos) is a winged divine stallion, usually depicted as pure white in color, in Greek mythology.He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa.He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing when his mother was decapitated by Perseus. Some versions of the story claim that Medusas sisters underwent the same change from beautiful to horrible, reconciling the disparity of showing only Medusa herself in that way. Thor battling the Midgard Serpent. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. [22] Representations of two intertwined serpents are common in Sumerian art and Neo-Sumerian artwork[22] and still appear sporadically on cylinder seals and amulets until as late as the thirteenth century BC. This symbol has come to be known as the Ouroboros. The nymphs gladly lent Perseus the treasures Athena had sent him for. Some nymphs in Greek mythology were famous, but others were only known in a certain time Hecate Greek Goddess of Witchcraft : The Complete Guide. Let's transport ourselves to the Scandinavian lands with this funny template filled with illustrations of Norse gods, Viking ships and a beautiful design! She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of hair consisting of snakes; unlike the Gorgons, she was sometimes represented as very beautiful. Such regional variations could explain why Hesiod wrote about three Gorgon sisters while Homer mentioned only a single monster. Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images. Snakes were regularly regarded as guardians of the Underworld or messengers between the Upper and Lower worlds, because they lived in cracks and holes in the ground. The connection to the French Revolution and a famous story of beheading is obvious, but Medusa had also begun to be portrayed more sympathetically. But Norse mythology, with its compelling stories . Either way, the Graeae had shown him the way to the hidden garden of the Hesperides. All of Medusa's siblings were monsters by birth and, even though she was not, she had the misfortune of being turned . In ancient Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl was the son of the fertility earth goddess, Cihuacoatl, and cloud serpent and hunting god, Maxicoat. The ancient Greeks saw Medusa as a particularly terrifying monster of legend. Her continued portrayal as a more feminine and human figure furthers this difference in interpretation. However, in her case, the snakes leaned into her ears and whispered the secrets of the universe (i.e. Unlike Perseus, the protagonists in these stories actually have to fight her. Later writers would make Sthenno and Euryale resemble their sister more, even as Medusa took on a more human appearance in art. The Gorgons of Greek myth were snake-women (a common hybrid) whose gaze would turn flesh into stone, the most famous of them being Medusa. In the state of Kerala, India, snake shrines occupy most households. ; At the same time, their Greek counterparts number an even dozen (even more . Two hundred soldiers were turned to stone, including at least one of his own men who accidentally looked at the artefact. Hymns and offerings were made to it since it was believed that the Goddess could manifest through the snake.
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