Medusa (Greek: Μ?δουσα, English: Medusa), also translated as Medusa and Medusa, is a Gorgon in ancient Greek mythology and one of the three Gorgon sisters. One, living in the place where the other side of Ocean Oceanus meets the Land of Night. His father was Phorcys, the son of Gaia on the earth and Pontus on the sea, and his mother was Ceto, the daughter of the former two and Phorcys's sister. Basic introduction Chinese name: Medusa Foreign names: Μ?δουσα (Greek), Medusa (English) Other names: Medusa, Medusa Parents: Phorcus, Ceto Sisters: Scyna, Eureia Lily's overview, origin, experience, family tree, archaeological discoveries, overview Medusa is a Gorgon in ancient Greece. Anyone who looks into her eyes will be turned to stone. The monster was killed by the hero Perseus with the assistance of Athena and Hermes. Perseus sacrificed his head to Athena, so the head was embedded in Athena's aegis. The earliest written record of Medusa can be found in the long poem "Theogony" by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod. According to "Theogony" (lines 274-286): Medusa is the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto, the fathers of all monsters. She and her other two sisters Stheno and Euryale are collectively called Gorgon. . Among the three Gorgon sisters, only Medusa is mortal (in ancient Greece, "mortal" (θνητ?) often refers to mortals, but this does not mean that Medusa is a mortal. According to her (She is undoubtedly a monster due to her origin and ability), "But only she and the black-maned god (Poseidon) lay in the spring flowers on the grass and slept together." (Lines 278-9) Medusa was The ancient Greek hero Perseus was beheaded, and the two sons of Poseidon and Medusa, "born with golden swords in their hands", the giant Chrysaor and the Pegasus, jumped out of her body. Sculpture of Medusa on the west pediment of the Temple of Artemis in Corfu, circa 580 BC. Although the Gorgon is mentioned in the earlier Homeric epic, only the singular form is used in the epic, i.e. Homer There is only one known Gorgon, and Medusa's name is not mentioned. In the ancient Greek art of the Archaic period, Gorgon and Medusa both have tongues and teeth exposed, venomous snakes on their heads, and ferocious faces. This shape has the effect of exorcising evil spirits, and when painted on a shield, it can intimidate enemies. In the art of the classical period, there were works that beautified the appearance of Medusa. At the same time, the poet Pindar in the classical period also called Medusa "good-cheeked" (line 16 of "The Song of Pito's Victory, No. 12"). In later myths, Medusa even appeared in an attempt to compete with Athena in beauty, so The statement of being beheaded (Apolodorus "Library" 2.4.3). In the art of the Roman period, there are also images of Medusa as a snake-haired beauty. In ancient times, Medusa did not have a snake body but only had snake hair, but in modern works, she is often depicted with a snake body. Attic red pottery, about 450-440BC, kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. In ancient Greece, Medusa was a natural monster. However, in the Roman period, the Roman poet Ovid made a huge adaptation of Greek mythology. In his poem "Metamorphoses" (4.793-803), he said: Medusa was originally a beautiful woman, especially famous for her beautiful hair, and many men even wanted to propose to her. Perseus learned this from a friend of his who had seen Medusa. Perseus went on to say according to rumors that one day, Medusa was raped by the sea god Neptune in the temple of Minerva. Minerva couldn't bear to see it, so she turned around quickly and blocked her eyes with a shield. Minerva therefore raped Medusa. Shah's hair turned into snakes. At the same time, "Metamorphoses" 6.118-119 states that Neptune became a bird and united with Medusa. In fact, Ovid did not say that Medusa's magic eye was obtained due to the curse of Minerva. In "Metamorphoses", Medusa still has a petrified magic eye, and the blood will be born when it drops on the ground. Poisonous snakes, so Ovid's Medusa is a "beautiful succubus" rather than an ordinary mortal. Because of Ovid's adaptation and modern apocryphal versions, Medusa is often considered an innocent figure in modern times. The modern myth that Medusa was originally a priest of Athena, who was cursed and turned into a monster, is not found in ancient Greek and Roman literature. It is a confusing and mixed adaptation by modern people. Origin According to the Roman poet Ovid's "Metamorphoses" (Metamorphoses 4.770), Medusa was originally a beautiful girl who was killed by the sea god in the temple of Minerva (corresponding to Athena in Greek mythology). Neptune (corresponding to Poseidon in Greek mythology) *** (There are also some versions saying that Medusa was killed because she was too beautiful to compare with Athena due to her own beauty), In anger, Minerva turned Medusa's hair into serpents. This expression appears for the first time in this Roman poem and is not found in ancient Greek texts. According to the ancient Greek poet Hesiod's "Theogony" (line 277), Medusa is the only Gorgon who cannot live forever. That's why Perseus was able to kill her by cutting off her head and offering the head to Athena, who embedded Medusa's head in the center of the aegis Aegis. According to another account, Perseus buried it in the agora of Argos. It is said that Heracles received a lock of Medusa's snake hair from Athena (which has the same magical power as the head) and gave it to Cepheus's daughter Strope to protect the city of Tegea from attack. As soon as this lock of hair appears in front of the people, it will cause a storm and cause the enemy to flee.

In addition, it is said that Medusa and Poseidon had two sons. After Medusa was killed, they appeared from the blood spurted from her neck, namely: Pegasus the Pegasus and Chrysaor the Giant. . Experience 1. The Gorgon Medusa was originally a beautiful girl. She also had two sisters with fairy blood. She was the only mortal among the three Gorgons. According to legend, she had fatally seductive eyes and lived in In the far west is another little-known daughter of the sea god Phorcys. Poseidon, the god of the sea, was tempted and turned into a horse to have an affair with her. In order to avoid the jealousy of Amphitry, the queen of the sea, he hid in the temple of Athena and had sex. This move angered Athena and she became furious. Athena was angry with her two sisters, so she turned them into monsters. Their bodies are covered with golden scales, and they have eagle wings on their backs. Medusa has swan wings on her back. There is no hair on her head, only coiled and twisting snakes, but it is still difficult to cover up her beauty. As long as anyone looks into her eyes, they will be attracted by her beauty and magic and lose their soul and become a stone statue. People call them Gorg (sound and meaning: Gao Ge or Gorgon), and no one knows where they live. In Greek legend, "Gorgons" is the collective name for three snake-girl sisters who have very similar appearances, including Stheno (also translated as "Stheno" the daughter of power), Euryale (also translated as "Euryale"). Ale (Daughter of Flying), Medusa (Daughter of Dominance). Medusa Among the three Gorgon sisters, only Medusa is a mortal; her sisters Scyna and Euryale are both demons. Perseus dealt with the youngest sister Medusa, and the other two sisters had the superpower of immortality, so no matter how many times Perseus killed them, they would never die. In the end, Perseus Hughes had no choice but to give up and run away quickly. When Perseus was avoiding the pursuit of Medusa's two sisters, he was attacked by a strong wind in the air and was blown left and right. The blood dripping from Medusa's head fell into the Libyan desert and became venomous snakes. . Second, Medusa was originally a priest in Athens. As a priest, she must remain a virgin forever. But her beauty made her beloved by men, including Poseidon, the god of the sea. Poseidon was attracted by Medusa's beauty and had her raped in the temple of Athena. This move angered Athena, because as a chaste virgin goddess and the goddess of war, Medusa lost her virginity. Under such circumstances, she chose to live in the world, but was considered by the goddess as not faithful enough, so she turned Medusa into a terrifying Gorgon. Third, Medusa was once a beautiful girl. Because she boasted that she was prettier than Athena, the goddess of wisdom took away all her beauty, leaving her with only an ugly monster body. Fourth, Medusa is Poseidon's lover, because Poseidon once went with her to watch the sea kingdom he ruled. Poseidon suddenly said that Athena used unfair means to seize the kingdom of Athens. This is a sentence. It was a joke, but Medusa believed it to be true. Shortly afterwards, Medusa ordered her two sisters to go to Athens to cause trouble. As a result, Athena and the moon god found out that Athena could not stand Medusa's contempt for her and his behavior. The two sisters were arrogant and destroyed her village. Although he knew that this incident was the work of his uncle, he had no choice but to vent his anger on Medusa because he could not take revenge. After his uncle found Medusa, he angrily accused Medusa of seducing her with her beauty and having a vicious heart. , only her ugly appearance could match her vicious heart, turning her into a gorgon with gorgon eyes. This version was used in the Korean anime Olympus. 5. The legend of Perseus. There is a city in the west of the Greek peninsula called Argos. King Acrisius had a very beautiful and lovely princess named Danae. Acrisius Hyus loved this daughter very much, but the oracle at Delphi, the sun god, told Acrisius that he would die at the hands of his grandson. In order to prevent his daughter from getting acquainted with men, he built a tall tower made of bronze and locked Dana inside, and no one was allowed to approach. Of course Zeus, who is naturally romantic, would not let go of such beauty. He turned into a golden rain and poured in through the only window of the copper tower to meet Dana. Ten months later, Dana gave birth to a healthy and lively boy, named Perseus, which means "golden light". After Acrisius heard about this, he originally planned to kill them, but killing his relatives would be punished by heaven, and the Furies (Erinyes) would be chasing them, and he couldn't bear to do it, so Acrisius It was decided to lock Dana and her son in a wooden box and throw them into the sea to let them fend for themselves. The wooden box drifted with the sea to an island called Seriphus, and was rescued by Dictys, the younger brother of the king of the island. He liked Perseus very much and even adopted him as his adopted son. He raised people. Eighteen years later, Perseus grew up and became a handsome and brave blond boy. Polydectes, the brother of Dectes, fell in love with Dana early on and wanted to marry her, but she refused him on the grounds of raising Perseus, so he always regarded Perseus as his wife. A thorn in the side. At a birthday party, Polydetex hosted a banquet for the royal family. He deliberately invited Perseus to the banquet and looked for an opportunity to ridicule him.

Perseus came without any gift, but said that he could bring back anything as a gift to the king if the king asked. Polydetex deliberately asked for the head of the Gorgon Medusa. The young and competitive Perseus didn't know anything about Medusa, but he wanted to take the risk, so he agreed to Polydetex. In fact, Polydetex wanted to take this opportunity to get Perseus back. If he doesn't come, let him die under the Gorgon. Perseus was afraid that his mother would be worried, so he left without saying goodbye and went to look for the legendary Gorgon alone. When Perseus was about to set off to find the Gorgon, a friendly old fisherman on the beach offered to help him and lent him some treasures. It turned out that this old fisherman was the incarnation of Athena. The treasures she lent to Perseus were: Hermes, a pair of shoes that could fly into the sky, Hades, the god of the underworld, a hat that made him invisible when he put it on, a pair of shoes that could be stretched and retracted at will, and could be bitten by any beast. ***'s leather bag, and a diamond sword that was as sharp as clay, and Athena also lent him her shield. The goddess instructed him to find the three Gray Women (The Gray Women) in order to defeat Brother Gao. Cinderella is the sister of Brother Gao. They live at the west end of the sea. They are very old when they are born. The three of them take turns sharing one eye and one tooth. Only they know where Brother Gao is and how to defeat him. . Perseus came to Cinderella's residence to hide, and when one of them took off the eye and gave it to another person, he snatched the eye away. Perseus threatened to crush their eyes if they did not tell him how to defeat Brother Gao. Forced to do so, Cinderella had no choice but to tell Perseus. Perseus followed Cinderella's instructions and came to the island where Brother Gao lived. He used Athena's shield to reflect the correct positions of Gao Ge and the three sisters. While the three of them were sleeping, he slowly retreated to Medusa's side, chopped off her head with a sword, and put the head in the skin. in the bag. At this time, the other two tall brothers woke up and saw their sister's tragic death. They wanted to find her murderer Perseus. Unfortunately, Perseus put on an invisibility hat and flying shoes, so the two tall brothers couldn't see him. , and he left smoothly with Medusa's head. The blood flowing from Medusa's neck suddenly appeared, and a winged Pegasus flew out. This is the Pegasus, the giant Chrysaor. After Perseus left, they also came out. They are all descendants of Poseidon. Perseus took the leather bag containing Medusa's head and rode back from Pegasus. On the way, he passed by the coast of Ethiopia and saw a beautiful woman who was completely naked. The man was tied to the overhanging shore with iron bars, looking very pitiful. Perseus then went over to ask what happened. It turns out that she is the princess of this country, named Andromeda. Her queen mother loves vanity and prides herself on her beauty. She once boasted to others that she was more beautiful than the sea fairy Nereid, but she was not allowed to do so. The people worshiped the sea nymph and wanted to worship her, so they offended the sea god Poseidon. The sea god caused a huge tsunami to flood the land of the country and destroy the people's houses. The only way was to sacrifice his daughter Andromeda to the sea monster as food. Otherwise, a greater disaster will befall Ethiopia. After Perseus knew the whole thing, he promised to defeat the sea monster for her and save her from here. Suddenly there was a loud rumble on the sea, and the waves parted suddenly. A dark sea monster with a single horn on its head and a trident-shaped tail rushed towards the overhanging shore where they were at an extremely fast speed. Perseus put on flying shoes and jumped into the air to attack the sea monster with a sword that was as sharp as iron. He stabbed the sea monster with his sword, then took out the head of Medusa from the leather bag and turned the sea monster into stone (the constellation Cetus refers to this sea monster). Perseus took Andromeda back to the palace in Ethiopia. King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia welcomed them warmly. They were very grateful to Perseus. They rescued their beloved daughter and decided to marry her daughter to Perseus. In fact, they had admired each other early on. Even if the king did not propose, Perseus would ask to marry Andromeda as his wife. Beheaded by Perseus. On the day of their grand wedding in Ethiopia, Andromeda's original fiancé Phineus led an army to make trouble, dissatisfied with the king's violation of the engagement. But King Xipes said: "When your fiancée is in trouble, you will only hide in a safe place, but the heroic Perseus risked his life to save her. He is the one who really cares about Andromeda." , you are not qualified to be her fiancé at all!" However, Binius was furious and ordered his army to attack Perseus to kill him. Of course Perseus alone could not resist the whole army, so he shouted loudly: "Don't look at my friends!" Then he took out Medusa's head and turned all the enemies into stone. Andromeda refers to the image of the beautiful princess Andromeda being tied to a rock by chains and preparing to be sacrificed to the sea monster, while Cepheus refers to King Cephes, and Cassiopeia refers to Queen Cassiopeia. After Perseus and Andromeda successfully married, he returned to Cyprus with his new wife. Knowing that King Polydetex was forcing a marriage to his mother Dana, she refused, so he imprisoned her. Perseus was very angry and immediately went to the palace to find Polydetex.

Polydetex was having a banquet with the ministers at this time. Seeing Perseus come back intact, he immediately showed an unhappy look. He said that Perseus did not kill Medusa at all, but just fled in fear. Just coming back. Perseus opened the leather bag and said, "If you don't believe it, see clearly with your eyes!" He held up Medusa's head and turned everyone into stone. The people originally wanted to make Perseus king, but he wanted to return to his homeland of Argos, so he gave up the throne to his adoptive father Dictis, and he took his mother and wife back. Acrisius, the king of Argos, was very frightened when he knew that his grandson had become a famous hero. He left Argos and hid. Perseus took a boat back, but unexpectedly the strong wind caused them to deviate from the route and arrived at Thessaly, a neighboring city of Argos. A large athletic competition was held there, and Perseus participated enthusiastically. When he threw the discus, it was thrown too hard, and the discus fell into the audience and killed an old man. It turned out that the old man was Acrisius, the king of Argos. He originally wanted to hide here. , but unexpectedly died in the hands of his grandson. The oracle finally came true. Perseus holds the head of Medusa (Algol) in his left hand, holds a sword in his right hand, and wears flying shoes on his feet. He is fixed in the sky and becomes the constellation Perseus. (Note: Ethiopia is not today's Ethiopia, but a dynasty originally located on the north coast of Africa). Gorgon's blood, although extremely poisonous, possessed special powers, and once gave Erichthonius (see Erichthonius) the ability to raise the dead. Perseus killed the sea monster Cetus (see Cetus) with the severed head of Medusa. After returning, he gave the head to Athena, who fixed it in the center of her shield/breastplate. The heads of the three Gorgon sisters are often used by artists on symbolic badges, architectural decorations and even Athenian coins, and have also been used on soldiers' shields. There is also a saying about Gorgon's blood: the blood flowing from the right side of Gorgon's body can cure any disease, while the blood flowing from the left side of the body is fatal. Other legends I remember there is a legend about Medusa: She was a beautiful girl with beautiful long green hair and sapphire blue eyes like the sea. She was born in Greece and sailed the seas with her lover. She felt very happy. But unfortunately darkness soon fell, and a group of pirates boarded their ship. In order to protect herself, her lover betrayed her to the pirates. Pain, sadness, anger, despair. She cursed herself in the insult, cursed the lover who betrayed him, cursed the pirates who insulted her, cursed the sea that brought her misfortune, and cursed the God who looked at everything ruthlessly. Her hair began to grow longer and sharp teeth formed, forming a snake's head. Her eyes were no longer beady, and anyone who looked into her eyes turned to stone. She wants those hateful men to never be reincarnated. Hatred filled her whole heart. She had forgotten the warmth in the world and did not remember that there was still love in the world. She indulges herself and doesn't let anyone close to her go. She was taking revenge, in the most vicious way possible. People became afraid of her. She is getting further and further away from this world. God looked at everything quietly, looking at this injured woman. God said: Calm down, don’t let hatred fill your heart, don’t let yourself fall anymore. Family tree Father: Phorcys/Medusa in the oil painting of Poseidon Mother: Ceto Sisters: Graeae Three sisters: Enio, Peverido, Denogorgon Three sisters: Scyna, Yu The rest of Raeli: Sirens, Radon, Hesperides, Scylla, Echidna and other sons: Pegasus the Pegasus, Chrysaor the Giant. Medusa was originally a beautiful woman. Woman, she is the daughter of Poseidon. There are rumors that she is the child of Poseidon, while others say she is the daughter of Phorcys, another sea god. Because Medusa is one of the three Gorgon nymphs, she is more likely to be the latter. Note: Medusa is the unclean side of Athena or the Trinity, which is made up in Japanese anime. At present, there is only cultural relic research from Gimbatas in Greece, which shows that Medusa originated from the belief in death masks. Athena originated from the goddess belief in Crete and other places. They are not from the same region and have different origins. There is no relationship between the two. Archaeological Discovery A team of American-Turkish archaeologists has discovered a well-preserved stone head of Medusa in Antalya. According to the National Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Medusa head found probably dates from the 2nd to 3rd century AD. Medusa This head was excavated in the Hell of Cragum in the ancient Roman city of Antioch or Little Antioch in modern Gazipasa County. Experts from the University of Nebraska in the United States and the University of Ushak in Türkiye participated in the excavation work. Expert research examined the temple ruins. Medusa heads were found among columns and wall fragments. Presumably, it was part of the interior decoration of the temple. In addition to the well-preserved face of Medusa, the shape of a snake is clearly visible in its hair - an essential element of this mythical creature. Currently, the find has been sent to a restorer for restoration, who will clean it of dirt before transferring it to the Alanya City Museum, where it will be exhibited. Medusa is one of the most popular characters in ancient Greek mythology and culture. Its images and sculptures have been found in many urban ruins in Turkey.

Carved marble heads of Medusa can be seen in the busiest places in Turkey and the country, such as the Temple of Apollo at Didyma and the Royal Cathedral of Istanbul. In the Royal Cathedral, there are two heads of Medusa on the base of a column that supports the arches of the cistern. One of the Medusa heads is head-down, the other is turned sideways. It is speculated that this was originally done so that people would not be afraid to look at these ancient banshees. In mythology, Medusa is the only succubus to die. Perseus beheaded her, but her head had the power to turn a person into stone after looking at her head. The image of the succubus Medusa has spread to other cultures in the region.