I remember reading the story of medusa, or at least one version of it, in my fathers edition of bullfinchs mythology when i was a child. Medusa s head retold by olivia coolidge 1 king acrisios of argos was a hard, selfish man. However, psychoanalytic writings on the myth of medusa do not delve into. From world war ii to present, there has been hidden within the highest levels of government secrets that you are not supposed to discover. You will read his case files on such subjects as the japanese devil unit 731 who experiments on american pows in wwii with germ warfare weaponsand what happened when the war ended and the commanding officer was hired by the. A region of extreme star formation the socalled eye of medusa can be seen in the center of. Today we look at one of the most misunderstood characters in greek mythology, medusa. Medusa is an ancient greek mythological character known for her ability to turn one into stone if they looked at her even by accident, and for her head of snakes instead of hair and winged human female form. Medusa was asleep and perseus, using the reflection in athenas bronze shield as a guide so as to not look directly at the gorgons and be turned into stone, managed to cut off her head with his sickle.
Medusa was the daughter of phorcys and ceto though some sources claim gorgon is her father. The first one is a protoindoeuropean myth of a thunder god killing a dragoness. While little is written of her life, probably because no one survived an encounter with her, we do have the story of her death. The hubble space telescope operated by nasa and the european space agency esa has captured a stunning photo of a unique galaxy known as the medusa merger. But acrisius had a streak of jealousy that ran through his soul and tainted everything that he touched. The youth classics institute had to reach his goal medusa without looking directly at her. The medusa merger was not always a single entity though, its actually two, located roughly million lightyears away in the constellation of ursa major the great bear. Perseus, in greek mythology, the slayer of the gorgon medusa and the rescuer of andromeda from a sea monster. Medusa simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. In greek mythology, medusa also called gorgo, was one of the three monstrous gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous.
I was caught up in the love story of medusa and ariston, and the clever machinations of the gods and goddesses of olympus. In fact, one can argue that the most peculiar fragments of her biography are all posthumous. A story says that hercules acquired a lock of medusas hair from athena and gave it to the daughter of cepheus, sterope, to protect the town of tegea from being attacked. One requirement to be a priestess for athena is that the young woman must be a virgin and give her life to the goddess. Its fairly clear that the culture from which the myth of medusa derives was. Mar 15, 2015 in homers story, he acknowledges only one and that is medusa, who later turns into a gorgon by curse of athena. Hunted by many warriors that wished to claim the prize of her head, many tried, and many have failed. Medusa is a deadly and cryptic other, but she is also ubiquitous, with an undeniable energy that inspired artists to repeat her semblance and story in diverse ways across literature, lore, and art through ancient greece, rome, and beyond. The medusa merger is located in the constellation ursa major, which is also known as the great bear. The medusa merger, was not always one entity, but two.
Tragedy fell upon her when she was confronted with endless hardships brought upon by male actions. And the image of medusa is even used by a wellknown company, versace, the italian fashion company, proving that while medusa may have met a terrible fate, her legacy endures. Medusa is widely known as a monstrous creature with snakes in her hair whose gaze turns men to stone. Stress the importance of walking very slowly so that they do not trip over the desks. Perseus and andromeda in landscape, from the imperial villa at. Adapted from the myths and legends of ancient greece and rome by e. Her hair held the same powers as her head so that when it was exposed it caused a storm which chased away the foes. The story of medusa and athena medusa tried to point out that her beauty was an inspiration to those around her and that she made their lives better by simply looking so lovely, but athena silenced her with a frustrated wave. Medusa, monstrosity, and the patriarchy the real story of medusa may not be what you think it is. The story of medusa in greek mythology continued briefly after her decapitation. The story of medusa greek mythology explained youtube.
Fearing that, he hid his daughter danae in a chamber underground. The goddess was outraged, and changed medusa into a monster with snakes for hair. Strangely enough, medusas story doesnt end with her death. Perseus was the son of zeus and danae, the daughter of acrisius of argos. Now some tell of how perseus turned that sea monster into stone with the head of medusa, but older myths have perseus stabbing the monster. The severed head, which had the power of turning into stone all who looked upon it, was given to athena. Theme of the story conclusion the theme of the story athena and medusa is jealousy because medusa thinks shes prettier than athena and she said they should have build the temple for her because she the prettiest. When the oracle tells the human king, acrisius, that his grandson will kill him, the old miser locks his daughter, danae, up in a tower guarded by savage dogs. Aug 20, 20 medusa was a formidable foe, since her hideous appearance was able to render any onlooker into stone. Perseus shows the authenticity of his character when he rescues the helpless andromeda from the cetus and the attachment to the rock. These streams, seen rising from the top of the merger galaxy, resembles the writhing snakes that medusa, a monster in ancient greek mythology.
The enduring legacy of the medusa myth in the modern world. The tale of perseus and medusa free stories online. According to this ancient author, the three sisters, sthenno, euryale, and medusa, were the children of phorcys and ceto and lived beyond famed oceanus at the worlds edge hard by night. Aug 01, 2000 the wreck of the medusa is a welltold tale of the crew and passengers of the illfated french frigate. He raises his sword, taking aim by looking at the monster through the reflection in his shield, and chops off medusa s head. There were pretty girls there, and medusa was one of them. There was a collective gasp from all in the room, except from perseus.
Medusa was a beautiful woman who was raped, killed and beheaded by various gods. The story of medusa and athena mythology literacy pack pages. Medusa was a formidable foe, since her hideous appearance was able to render any onlooker into stone. Medusa, the mortal gorgon, whose head is zeuss symbol the. The curse of athena comes to be in the story of medusa, whos fate is changed by actions she had no control over.
The myth of perseus and medusa is one of the best thrillerlike tales in greek mythology with a promising plot that gets more complicated as the story progresses, this myth has a typical hollywoodlike scenario with the main character not being born yet at the moment when his destiny was determined. Her story has been told and retold by ancient and modern storytellers, writers, and artists. Then, after defeating the monster, he marries andromeda and, at the wedding feast, he tells the story of how he defeated the gorgon medusa and took. Like the gorgon of legend, the medusa merger also has its own eye. Medusa is one of the most terrifying monsters in greek mythology, but she wasnt always that way. An oracle had foretold to him that he would be killed by his own grandson. Perseus, a slayer of monsters, beheaded medusa with a mirror given to him by the greek gods so that he would not have to look at her. Olympus in the form of a stream of gold, which poured through the roof of the chamber, and soon danae had a baby named perseus. Medusa was a beautiful woman who was known for her fair, golden locks and lovely features. Known for her beauty, particularly her flowing hair, medusa once served in the temple of the goddess athena.
Perseus and medusa photo by nightowl on pixabay, perseus and medusa. The graiai, who combine youth and age in a hideous mix, have only one. Mar 12, 2018 protagonist of one of the most popular stories of greek mythology, the infamous medusa was not a god nor a monster. During the period of 1940 to the present power brokers, working from positions of trust, have committed and covered up the most heinous crimes known to man. However, unlike her other sisters sthenno and euryale, medusa was a mortal and. Medusa is one of the most famous characters of greek. We examine how she became the monster that she is so widely regarded as. The story of perseus and medusa is a story of perseverance, bravery, and dignity.
Perseus and medusa when you left perseus, he had just struck a bargain with andromedas parents king cepheus and queen cassiopeia, but now he has to battle the sea monster. Aethiopia perseus return journey to seriphos was a long one, and stopping off in aethiopia perseus discovered that andromeda was to be sacrificed to a sea monster. An early galaxy consumed a smaller gasrich system, throwing out streams of stars and dust into space. Strangely enough, medusa s story doesnt end with her death. Medusa cursed by athena and killed by perseus ancient. When we first meet her, she is purely a gorgon, a monster, whose head is borne on the shield of athene homers iliad, circa 9th century bce. As an educator and counselor, i often use tales from classic greek mythology as a way of relating common themes that speak to the human condition. The gorgons of ancient greek myth were three monsters, the sisters stheno, eurayle and medusa. As medusa s head flies from her body, pegasus, the winged horse, and chysaor, a giant with a golden sword, jump out of her neck. Included is a 3rd grade level version of this classic greek myth, as well as graphic organizers and qu.
In the original story, the medusa was a beautiful woman who held a very positive role. Printable version of this story greek index greek coloring pages athena craft medusa craft perseus craft on and on medusa went about her beauty to anyone and everyone who stopped long enough to hear her until one day when she made her first visit to the parthenon with her friends. The story of medusa from greek mythology guy counseling. Learn more about the traditional story of perseus in this article. Compare this to the story, explaining that perseus did not want medusa to know that he was coming towards her. The earliest known record about the story of medusa and the gorgons can be found in hesiods theogony.
Medusa is known as a monster, but what led a beautiful and faithful servant girl to turn into a snake monster. In the medusa file the reader will learn the hidden secrets of the highest levels of government. One day, a young man asked her to marry him and she said no. It seems that medusa s fate was sealed once she was cursed. Feast your eyes on this medusa merger spotted by nasas. Medusa in ancient greek art essay the metropolitan. After reading the story of medusa and athena and creating a monologue from the story, students must create a 4page script based off the story and their written monologue free rubric builder and assessment tools.
Perseus and the medusa the mythical story of perseus and the medusa by caroline h. Medusa was a gorgon one of three sisters with venomous snakes for hair and the ability to turn people to stone. From the blood that spurted from her neck sprang chrysaor and pegasus, her two sons by poseidon. She was boastful and proud, even claiming she was more beautiful than athena.
This file covers several standards for 2nd and 3rd grade. The adventures of perseus 2 story of the play in pageant, verse and fearsome argument the gods on olympus present themselves. She was a very kind and she obeyed her greek gods and goddesses. A story of victim blaming, one that she says sounds all too familiar in a current american context. The medusa merger galaxy is the site of a galactic mystery. According to legend, anyone who looked directly at medusa would turn to stone. The story of medusa from ancient mythology read about gods, goddesses and mythical creatures in the myth story of medusa medusa the short mythical story of medusa is one of the famous legends that feature in the mythology of ancient civilizations.
I was riveted from the very beginning of the story as the author took me on an incredibly joyous and tragic ride. Perseus sneaks up to medusa, the only gorgon who is mortal. The courtiers looked at each other in stunned surprise and then started to titter. She was born on an island named sarpedon which is thought to be somewhere in the general area of cisthene and was known to have been one of the gorgon sisters. During the period of 1940 to this day the power brokers, working from their positions of trust, have committed and then covered up the most heinous of crimes known to mankind. The latin poet ovid writes in book iv of his metamorphoses that poseidon had raped medusa in the temple of athena. Although destructive rage and vengefulness is part of the story. Ngc 4194, the medusa merger, is a pair of interacting galaxies in the constellation ursa major a region of extreme star formation 500 ly 150 pc across exists in the center of the eye of medusa.
Logo of gianni versace via wikipedia, auckland museum cc by 4. In some variations of the myth, medusa was born a monster like her sisters, described as girded with serpents, vibrating tongues, gnashing their teeth, having wings, brazen claws, and enormous teeth. The story and myth of medusa features pictures from mythology and legend. Medusa was a priestess to the goddess athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom and battle. She boasts endlessly about her beauty all the time. However even in the face of tragedy and disgrace, the medusa was portrayed as. Medusa is one of the most well known and talked about beings from ancient greek mythology that we have ever heard of. On a boast, perseus sought medusa out to vanquish her once and for all. Unfortunately, medusa cared only about her own beauty.
Also known as the medusa merger, it is approximately million lightyears away from earth. The myth of perseus and the medusa there was once a king in greece who did a very cruel thing. The story of perseus long ago, king acrisius of argos learned from an oracle that he would one day be killed by his grandson. The following story of medusa from pausanias description of greece says nothing about snakes. One day she visits the beautiful temple, built for the great goddess athena with her friends. Beyond that, medusa s story is, johnston argues, a rape narrative. Perseus personifies the length one would go to in order to save the ones you love. Sep 21, 2018 i believe there are at least three narrative layers overlapping in the myth of medusa. Anybody who enjoys stories of disaster at sea will enjoy this book. Once upon a time, on the island of seriphus there was an evil king named polydectes. A tv service provider is the company you pay for your television service. It is situated about million lightyears from earth.
The severed head, which had the power of turning into. Perseus and medusa myth text bedtime and campfire stories from way, way back in the day heres one version of perseus story, as told by thomas bulfinch in the age of fable. Dhianita kusuma pertiwi 110222406201 medusa, the victimized monster medusa, in modern and popular literature and culture is mostly represented as what susan bassnett states in her writing gender and. Their bodies were covered with impenetrable scales. Looking into the region at the center of the merging galaxies, known as. Pdf the character of medusa shifts meaning from the origins of her myth. His whole heart was set on having a son who should succeed him, but. Medusa and her two sisters euryale and stheno, were the children of. Nasas hubble spots galaxy collision known as medusa merger. The story of medusa, as with all myths and legends, changed over the centuries, even way back in ancient greece.
The story of medusa and athena by lorenzo moore on prezi. The story of medusa and the greek goddess athena teachers. In ancient greek mythology, medusa is the most famous of three monstrous sisters known as the gorgons. Their teeth were giant boar tusks, their hands were made of bronze and they had wings of gold. Take this interactive practice quiz to find out how much you know about the story of medusa. Mckee has done an incredible job of assembling the facts of this story into a coherent tale. Polydectes had taken perseuss mother and told perseus the only w. The most famous story with medusa is where she meets the hero son of zeus, perseus. Apr 22, 2012 medusa, a love story quickly rose to the top of my alltime favorite books. Medusa in ancient greek art essay the metropolitan museum of. The legend of medusa is a story about a lady who is very beautiful to begin with. Dhianita kusuma pertiwi 110222406201 medusa, the victimized monster medusa, in modern and popular literature and culture is mostly represented as what susan bassnett states in her writing gender and thematics. The gorgon on the aegis of athena has snakes because snakes are sacred to athena.
Not far from the building in the marketplace of argos is a mound of earth, in which they say lies the head of the gorgon medusa. He hated his brother, proitos, who later drove him from his kingdom, and he cared nothing for his daughter, danae. She also said she could do a better statue than athena. Government, 1996, craig roberts, 0963906240, 9780963906243, consolidated press international, 1996. One of the most popular beings from greek mythology is not even a god or a monster. She cursed him under her breath whilst on her way home. Perseus, one of the most famous of the legendary heroes of ancient times, was the. The medusa merger galaxy is the site of a galactic mystery by georgina torbet october 5, 2019 this hubble picture of the week shows a galaxy with an especially evocative name. Medusa was a monstrous being in greek mythology, with a mass of snakes coming out of her head.
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