Of the three sisters only Medousa was mortal. They were the maiden, mother and crone. [35], In later classical periods, around the 1st century A. D.,[36] the conception of this Lamia shifted to that of a sultry seductress who enticed young men and devoured them. Because they were immortal, Perseus had to flee from them instead of fight. Essays may be lightly modified for readability or to protect the anonymity of contributors, but we do not edit essay examples prior to publication. [citation needed]. [i][47][48] The same joke was used in theatrical Greek comedy,[49] and generally. xsai 11/19/2011. Judika Isles has her as a living Goddess in her Encyclopedia of spirits. A space to share and talk about theistic paganism. The Greek word "gorgon" means "horror". [45][h] The empousa admits in the end to fattening up her victim (Menippus of Lycia) to be consumed, as she was in the habit of targeting young men for food "because their blood was fresh and pure". Whats the historical low-down? If this is the case, Medusa would not be the only figure for whom this is true. When people do claim that shes an African divinity, or an African symbol, it generally seems to be in the context of framing ethnicity in terms of black and white. [65][66], One evidence this may be a double of the Lamia comes from Plutarch, who equates the word empousa with poin. The female are the classic medusa, pretty much the same as in the previous edition except that she can now un-petrify her victims by applying a drop of her own blood. WebTHE GORGONES (Gorgons) were three powerful, winged daimones named Medousa (Medusa), Sthenno and Euryale. [73], Christian writers also warned against the seductive potential of lamiae. 1493 ff (trans. Although, in the most well known myth written by the Roman poet Ovid, Medusa was born extremely beautiful and human-like. More recently she has appeared as a stop-motion monster (Clash of the Titans, 1981); a woman embittered in old age (Percy Jackson, 2005); an adorable floating head (Hades, 2020). It is eventually revealed that Medusas are the larval form of hydras. ", Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 14 (trans. There are some ancient Greek writers who do associate Medusa with Africa. Notably, the Greek historian Herodotos of Halikarnassos (lived c. 484 c Some believed that Africa became the home to many varieties of snakes as Medusa wandered the continent and shed them from her hair. ((lacuna)) They were slain in Libya by the shepherd Cephalion, brother of Nasamon, son of the Nymph Tritonis and Amphithemis, whsoe flocks they were plundering.. Empusa is equated with Hecate in a fragment of Aristophanes's lost play, Keats made a note to this effect at the end of the first page in the fair copy he made: see William E. Harrold, "Keats' 'Lamia' and Peacock's 'Rhododaphne'". [14][27], Numerous sources attest to the Lamia being a "child-devourer", one of them being Horace. [3] Modern scholarship reconstructs a Proto-Indo-European stem *lem-, "nocturnal spirit", whence also comes lemures. You may have heard that Medusa was originally a Libyan goddess or alternatively, that the Greek myth of Medusa was designed to demonise black women. In some versions, her hair-snakes are venomous. In southern Asia, theres an ancient belief that menstruation indicates possession by snake spirits. She may also manifest as a mermaid. ", Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. From Greek mythology, Medusa is the only mortal of the Gorgons. It purports to give a full account of the capture of "Lamia of Corinth" by Apollonius, as the general populace referred to the legend. Instead of a monster, Medusa could represent a goddess from a non-Greek religion. My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. A German folk belief, documented as late as the eighteenth century, suggests that if a menstruating womans hair is buried in Earth, it will become a snake. Poseidon, especially attracted to her voluptuous hair, assaulted her in the temple of Athena. This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. For Apollonius in speech declares that the seductress is "one of the empousai, which most other people would call lamiai and mormolykeia". Pegasus, the winged horse, emerged from Medusas severed head, apparently conceived during her tryst with Poseidon, who often manifests as a stallion. My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) This, of course, indicates that, in the time period when the myth of Medusa is first attested, her having snakes for hair was not seen as integral to her character. [2.1] KEPHALION, NASAMON (by Amphithemis) (Apollonius Rhodius 4.1493, Hyginus Fab 14), TRITONIS (Tritnis). Because she is a reminder to be unapologetically ourselves and fierce in the face of oppression, Medusa is a perfect talisman for manifesting and honoring our inner bad bitch. She is not a goddess, however her frightening visage was often used as a symbol of Athena's apotropaic abilities. Learn what works (and what doesn't) from the reader's perspective. The story of Medusa is one of the most well-known in Greek mythology. [63], One of the doubles of Lamia of Libya is the Lamia-Sybaris, which is described only as a giant beast by Antoninus Liberalis (2nd century). Coral, anything serpentine, menstrual blood stained pads or garments. [103] The contemporary Greek proverb, " " ("the Lamia's sweeping"), epitomises slovenliness;[103] and the common expression, " ' " ("the child has been strangled by the Lamia"), explains the sudden death of young children. She was one of three sisters, all known as creatures named Gorgons. Well, in an important sense it doesnt matter. This is given in the concluding paragraph of the chapter. : Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. Medusa heads were traditionally carved as coral cameos for an extremely powerful protective amulet. This preview is partially blurred. 1st century BC), for instance, describes Lamia of Libya as having nothing more than a beastly appearance. Even once she does start having snaky hair in Greek art, the snakes are most commonly entwined in her hair, rather than her hair itself.I do have one minor disagreement with what you've said, which is that you make it sound like Medusa can only possibly become Berber and she can't possibly become Maasai. . [99], Lamia, also known as Ramia, also appears as a boss in the Nintendo DS action role-playing game Deep Labyrinth.[100]. Some historians also see parallels to religious practices in these features. The assistance of Athena helped many heroes accomplish their goals. If Medusa is African at all, shes going to be Berber. - Alfredo Alvarez, student @ Miami University, We use cookies to provide the best possible experience on our site. Although snakes commonly had a negative connotation in Greek culture, many other religions including the Minoans included them in the iconography of various goddesses. [88], Close comparison is also made with the serpentine Medusa. On his way back to Greece he paused in the Maghreb and turned the Titan Atlas to stone. Lamia by Zeus gave birth to a Sibyl according to Pausanias, and this would have to be the Libyan Lamia, yet there is a tradition that Lamia the daughter of Poseidon was the mother of a Sibyl. English composer Dorothy Howell composed a tone poem Lamia which was played repeatedly to great acclaim under its dedicatee Sir Henry Wood at the London Promenade concerts in the 1920s. An Ionian Greek city could change its ethnicity by changing its dialect and clothing styles. So don't look at that illustration. There are traditions built around Avalon and Arthurian literature. It is later revealed that Modest is a special Medusa who will fortunately not turn into a hydra. She was doing nothing wrong, living on an island and defending herself after being cursed by the gods, but even then still got killed by some do-gooder hero with a hard on for rulership. Will also delete on comment score of -1 or less. The Berber myth and Arab realities., Rouighi, R. 2019b. (And nope, we don't source our examples from our editing service! Left: a Gorgoneion or Gorgons head on a hydria from Attica, Greece, ca. The one part about Reddit I love is the mix of opinions. Poseidon, especially attracted to her voluptuous hair, assaulted her in the temple of Athena. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) . Ancient people were racist too, but they tended to think of ethnicity in terms of homeland, language, clothing, religion, and other customs, all in a bundle. Myth evolves. The males have different powers, in that they're bald (so no snake-hair attacks) and they can poison with their gaze rather than petrify, rather like certain mythological depictions of the basilisk. A scholiast to Aristophanes claimed that Lamia's name derived from her having a large throat or gullet (; laims). Although later details, such as her origins as a beautiful 2. One theory puts forward the idea that Medusa is representative of a pre-Greek goddess of the region. The Gorgons were in the far west. 180 (trans. Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses Written by Judika Illes Copyright 2009 by Judika Illes. WebMedusa is not just a minor sea spirit. In Libya, Medusa was worshiped as a serpent-goddess that represented female Some of the Gorgons' depictions make them Snake People. Maidens who die of their wounds are called false virgins. Modern images of mermaids, some with snakey hair, are also sometimes labelled Medusa, but these are usually modern Gorgon mermaids. We can leave that aside: Hyperborea was sometimes imagined as being in northern Ukraine, or to the north of the Caspian Sea.). to view the complete essay. Lamia appears as an antagonist in Rick Riordan's The Demigod Diaries, appearing in its fourth short story The Son of Magic. She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of hair Combining both of the classical Medusa origin stories, this Medusa is the youngest of the three Gorgon sisters who desecrated the resident Athena. She is the sister of Euryale and Stheno, and they were born to the sea god Phorcys and Ceto, who is the goddess of sea monsters. Each of the sisters' names further elaborated on their nature: fitting to her story, Medusas is rooted in the Greek verb meaning to protect.. Through the century Medusa became a feminist symbol of the power of feminine rage, leaving the male gaze, and finding independence, in addition to protection. The queen, as related by Diodorus, was born in a cave. Perseus beheaded Medusa while she slept, but her severed head retained its power to paralyze and turn viewers to stone. King Polydektes of Seriphos once commanded the hero Perseus to fetch her head. Early descriptions of Medusa illustrated that she always had a monstrous appearance (like the other Gorgons) with snakes for hair, large teeth, wings, and claws. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : The story of Medusa is one of the most well-known in Greek mythology. Lamia is the main antagonist in the 2009 horror movie Drag Me to Hell voiced by Art Kimbro. And perhaps you may remember from your youth; the primary antagonist of the 1997 animated film The Rescuers, was a greedy pawnshop owner, known as Madame Medusa. Nowadays Siwa is mostly Berber. Another double of the Libyan Lamia may be Lamia, daughter of Poseidon. lamiai or lamiae) was being glossed as a general term referring to a class of beings. Besides having serpents for hair, the Gorgons were described as having tusks, brazen claws, wings and strongly acidic blood; in a few very early depictions they are shown as quadrupeds, possibly because Pegasus was born out of Medusa's blood when she was beheaded by Perseus. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. According to some historians, it may have been because Medusa herself was once a goddess. Please like and share this article if you found it useful. Much later, in the first decade AD, the Roman poet Ovid wrote a different version where Medusa was a virgin priestess of Athena, but her incredible beauty attracted the attentions of the god Poseidon. 1st century BC) gave a de-mythologized account of Lamia as a queen of Libya who ordered her soldiers to snatch children from their mothers and kill them, and [58], Some commentators, despite the absence of actual blood-sucking, find these witches to share "vampiric" qualities of the lamiae (lamiai) in Philostratus's narrative, thus offering it up for comparison.[59]. In his 9th-century treatise on divorce, Hincmar, archbishop of Reims, listed lamiae among the supernatural dangers that threatened marriages, and identified them with geniciales feminae,[74] female reproductive spirits. The essays in our library are intended to serve as content examples to inspire you as you write your own essay. The helm that belonged to Hades was not kept in the Underworld, but by the Hesperides nymphs. Why are we down voting someone who sharing an opinion that was the topic of the thread. [87][88] It is noted that this character terrorized Delphi, just as the dragon Python had. Did you find something inaccurate, misleading, abusive, or otherwise problematic in this essay example? It can be used to destroy or overwhelm any other power. Here are some ways our essay examples library can help you with your assignment: Read our Academic Honor Code for more information on how to use (and how not to use) our library. WebMedusa. 6 (trans. Kibin. It is referred to as Poine or Ker[60] in classical sources, but later in the Medieval period, one source does call it a lamia (First Vatican Mythographer, c. 9th to 11th century).[61][62]. [8], Diodorus Siculus (fl. My last sentence 'But thats a long, long way from making her Maasai' was ill-advised. Myths and stories with background for Medusa were added later. Her hideousness, deadliness, and removal from the civilized word all made Medusa a monstrous figure. The Gorgons collectively could indicate that this unknown goddess was part of a triple goddess cult. Medusa Medusa was a Libyan Goddess who was worshiped by The Amazons. In the story of the birth of the Libyan Athena, Triton--a Libyan sea-god sometimes identified with Poseidon--and Tritonis were the parents of two daughters named Athena and Pallas. She transformed Medusa into a terrifying creature with snakes for hair and a face that literally turned those who gazed at her to stone. Kibin does not guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of the essays in the library; essay content should not be construed as advice. In this story she is a powerful monster whom Perseus defeats by decapitating her (and later using her head to petrify enemies) without looking at her he sticks to looking at her shadow or looking through a mirrored shield, depending on the version. Later depictions (although still fairly ancient ones, in the absolute sense) gradually toned down the more monstrous aspects and made her more attractive. "[The tribes of Libya :] Next to the Makhlyes (Machlyes) are the Auseans; these and the Makhlyes, separated by the Triton, live on the shores of Lake Tritonis. [44][40] It has been suggested from this discourse that the creature was therefore "literally a snake". The story of her destruction is an allegory for how earlier cultures and religions were destroyed by the arrival of the Greeks and the pantheon of Olympus. [4], In the myth, the Lamia was originally a beautiful woman beloved of Zeus, but Zeus's jealous wife Hera robbed her of her children, either by kidnapping and hiding them away, killing them, or causing Lamia herself to kill her own offspring. Please confirm you want to block this member. [67], A second example is a colony of man-eating monsters in Libya, described by Dio Chrysostom. 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