Medusa is a well-known Greek Mythology figure that is feature in various media famous for her snake-haired form and an ability to turn men into stone. The symbol of evilness in most movies and plays, Medusa is portrayed more as in devil character, a villain to a hero and a monstrous Gorgon. Despite her infamous status, Medusa has an untold story that turned her once gorgeous lady form into a vicious creature-like stature.
Once a beautiful priestess
A daughter of Phorcys and Ceto, Medusa was the only mortal among the three sisters, called the Gorgon. Medusa had a gorgeous look as a young priestess who dedicated her services to Goddess Athena. Medusa devoted her life to Athena shrine and was supposed to be a virgin priestess until she caught Poseidon’s eyes. The God of Sea couldn’t resist with a beautiful maiden and decided to ravage her in Athena’s shrine despite Medusa’ s denial. The Goddess of war and wisdom, raged by such wrongful act in her own shrine , decided to took revenge by punished Medusa and transform her priestess into snake-hair lady with the most vicious eyes that turn men into stone within a single glance. A once beautiful lady, with a crime she didn’t even committed, suddenly turn into monstrous creature, a vicious villain in human’s eyes that carry only hatred and revenge against any men who wished to combat her.
Beheaded by Son of Zeus
Perseus, a son of princess Danae who impregented by Zeus’s golden shower, was a demi-God hero known for his quest to kill the one and only Medusa. Hated by his own grandfather, Acrisius, Perseus was raised by a commoner unaware of his identity until the boy grew up and come to the greatest quest of his life sent by Polydectes; to behead Medusa. As a son of the greatest God of Sky, Persues was gifted with Hermes’s wing sandal and Athena’s bronze shield. Avoided her eyes, Perseus managed to decapitated medusa using bronze shield as a reflection and brought her head as weapon to use against the Sea Monster.
A victim of unmoral crime
Medusa was a victim punished by a crime committed by her malefactor and instead of telling her tragic story, she was portrayed as an evil character. What Poseidon did to her was basically forcefully act driven by his lust and sexual desire.
Medusa illustrate the existing concept that put blame on female who became victim of men’s crime. This kind of idea lives in human society as long as we have known. When such vigorous act happens, the first thing that come to people mind is probably what did the woman do to made such thing occur. When Athena witness this in her own temple, instead of confronting with God of the Sea, the Goddess chose to punish her priestess instead. Indeed, it was never and will never a woman’s fault when such a thing occur. Question and punishment must be put on perpetrator himself.
People put blame on things that are easier to blame rather than looking at the real picture
Anger, Hatred, Jealousy
God and Goddess in this story, share the same qualities with human. The feeling of desire, love, hatred, jealousy, anger and even vengeance are strong emotion that could drive human (and Gods) to commit dreadful acts and create severe consequences on other. Anger drove Athena, The Goddess of Wisdom to put such unfair condemnation on Medusa. Poseidon forceful crime was also a result from his uncontrollable desire and Medusa, after received such tragic act, possess a mind full of hatred and use her ability to turn literally anyone who come across her eyes into stones so many that she could create a garden full of her victims.
These emotion are inevitable yet controllable. It can appear anytime and under any circumstances. To say that you have no control of your own anger and allow it to take over your mind and spread to other is thoughtless. People should be the best defender of their feeling but also even a more responsible manager of any inconsistency act that may result from their reckless thought. Learn to accept that anger, hatred and jealousy are parts of our life and that we all come across these three horseman. At the same time, manage the feeling is compulsory and probably one of the most important role a human could play.
source of story: ancient-origin.net
