Medusa, originally a beautiful young woman, whose crowing glory was her magnificent long hair, was desired by many. However, she was also a priestess of Athena and was devoted to a life of celibacy. Poseidon found her worshiping in the temple of Athena and ravished her. Athena, outraged at her sacred temple being violated and Medusa's betrayal of her vows, punished her by turning her beautiful flowing locks into poisonous snakes and cursed her to a life of loneliness as any man who looked into her eyes was instantly turned into stone. Seeing herself transformed into such a repulsive creature, she fled from her home and wandered into Africa where, while wandering, young snakes dropped from her hair and that is how, according to the Greeks, Africa became a hot bed of venomous reptiles. Also according to Greek mythology, Perseus, attempting to rescue his mother from a coercive king, needed to embark upon the dangerous venture of retrieving Medusa's head. With the help of Athena and Hermes, who equipped him with magic winged sandals, a cap of invisibility, a pouch and a mirror-like shield, he fought Medusa and beheaded her by viewing her image in the mirror of his shield rather than looking at her directly. Immediately after beheading Medusa, the winged horse Pegasus sprung out from her neck, and the drops of blood that dripped from the severed head turned into venomous serpents. After decapitating Medusa, Perseus fled with the monster's head in the pouch and Medusa's two angry sisters following close on his heels, but they were unable to catch him because of the magic winged sandals and the cap of invisibility. Perseus then placed Medusa's head on the shield of Athena which was used as a weapon as the severed head still retained the same petrifying powers as before. In ancient Greece, Medusa was worshiped as a Serpent Goddess associated with destruction, however, to some she was seen as a protective amulet that kept evil away and even today, the logo of the fashion company Versace is the severed head of Medusa.
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Gallery of Images
- ALICE
- ANGEL
- BLACK CAT
- BLACK STALLION
- CELTIC COAT OF ARMS
- CELTIC CROSS
- COMPASS ROSE
- DEMON / PHOENIX
- DRAGON - NORSE
- DRAGON - WESTERN
- DRAGONFLY
- DREAM CATCHER
- EAGLE 1
- EAGLE 2
- EGYPTIAN
- ELEPHANT
- EYE OF rA / HORUS
- FAIRY DRAGON RIDER
- FAIRY DREAMS
- FALCON IN FLIGHT
- GRIFFIN
- HIPPOCAMPUS AND THE NEREIDE
- HUMMINGBIRD
- HYDRA
- IRON BUTTERFLY
- JURASSIC PARK
- KRAKEN
- LION
- LIZARD
- MAMMOTH
- MEDUSA I
- MEDUSA II
- MINOTAUR
- ORCA
- PANTHER IN A TREE
- PEGASUS
- PEREGRINE
- RAVEN
- SABER CAT
- SAMURAI
- SIREN OF THE SEA
- TEMPLAR
- TOTEMS of the FIRST PEOPLE
- TREE OF LIFE
- TYRANNOSAURUS REX
- UNICORN
- VAMPIRE
- WOLF
- WYVERN
- ZEBRA
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