Snakes are traditionally associated with menstruation. [8], Diodorus Siculus (fl. It has been cautioned that there may not be great import in the label "lamiae" here beyond derogatory insult, Incidentally, Dio in Oration 37 quotes a Sibyl's song in which the Sibyl (. She was considered the destroyer aspect of the Great Triple Goddess also Combining both of the classical Medusa origin stories, this Medusa is the youngest of the three Gorgon sisters who desecrated the resident Athena. [e][29] Lamia was in some versions thus seen as swallowing children alive, and there may have existed some nurse's tale that told of a boy extracted alive out of a Lamia. [102] John Cuthbert Lawson remarks "the chief characteristics of the Lamiae, apart from their thirst for blood, are their uncleanliness, their gluttony, and their stupidity". Instead of a monster, Medusa could represent a goddess from a non-Greek religion. 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. WebMedusa Introduction. She was born far across the ocean from Greece; Later contributing authors to Medusas myth placed her homeland as Libya. Medusa's main characteristics are snakes for hair and that people turn to stone just by seeing her face. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The story of Medusa is one of the most well-known in Greek mythology. Modern euphemisms for menstruation including calling it a womans friend or the curse, but an evocative, old-fashioned one describes a menstruating woman as bitten by the snake. This preview is partially blurred. The story surrounds the tragedy of the daughter of King Crotopus of Argos named Psamathe, whose child by Apollo dies and she is executed for suspected promiscuity. They were the maiden, mother and crone. The fact that Medusa lived alongside two sisters is also notable in her interpretation as a monster. The woman's decision is entirely inconsequential. [50] The word play is also seen as being employed in Horace's Odes, to banter Lucius Aelius Lamia the praetor. [22], It is somewhat uncertain if this refers to the one Lamia[23] or to "a Lamia" among many, as given in some translations of the two plays;[24] a generic lamia is also supported by the definition as some sort of a "wild beast" in the Suda. The sandals of Hermes allowed him to fly out of their cave quickly before they could detect him. Sent by a king, Perseus went on a mission to slay Medusa and bring back her head. In this origin, the Gorgons are typically three sisters, the other two being Stheno and Euryale. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. Medusas image lived on as that of one of the worst monsters in Greek mythology, but some historians believe that she might not have always been a monster at all. Of the three sisters only Medousa was mortal. Priests and priestesses would wear images of their deities or monsters from their myths to take on the spirit of the deity. In others, they are not literal snakes but rather hair that supernaturally behaves as if it were made of living snakes. They were in the service of Hera, giving Perseus a connection to both of these deities. It's founded on a distortion, but as you say, myths are malleable. In fourth edition, medusae are a species in the usual sense, with both males and females. Other packaging types available at checkout. A space to share and talk about theistic paganism. [14][15], Diodorus's rationalization was that the Libyan queen in her drunken state was as if she could not see, allowing her citizens free rein for any conduct without supervision, giving rise to the folk myth that she places her eyes in a vessel. With what armor they equipped their maidens before Greeks came to live near them, I cannot say; but I suppose the armor was Egyptian; for I maintain that the Greeks took their shield and helmet from Egypt. Other myths say that Medusa retained her mortal beauty, as a cruel Irony. "He [Amphithemis son of Apollon and Akakallis (Acacallis)] married the Nymphe Tritonis and she gave him two sons, Nasamon and the powerful Kaphauros (Caphaurus). 14. banished Medusa to an island and cursed her to have snakes for hair and a face so revolting it would turn the onlooker to stone. WebMedusa, in Greek mythology, the most famous of the monster figures known as Gorgons. iv. The short answer is yes, she was invented by Greeks. 1495.). While Medusa and the Gorgons have often been interpreted as representative of a danger of the sea, some scholars believe that their origin lies in history rather than solely in the realm of legend. [64], In Pausanias's version, the monster is called Poin (), meaning "punishment" or "vengeance", but there is nothing about a snake on her forehead. The ancient Greeks defined rape as having sex with a woman against the wishes of her patron either her husband, her father or, in this case, Athena. 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 whose beauty gave way to bestial appearance due to her savageness. Will also delete on comment score of -1 or less. Poseidon, especially attracted to her voluptuous hair, assaulted her in the temple of Athena. And, incidentally, Gorgon snake hair in Morocco certainly isnt derived from Maasai dreadlocks in Kenya. Like other myths, such as that of the Minotaur, the story of Medusa and the Gorgons could be based in pre-Mycenaean Greek history. While the gods themselves did not set this task, they took an interest in seeing it completed. [38] The last statement has led to the surmise that this lamia/empusa was a sort of blood-sucking vampiress. It completely passed me by.On reflection you have a point about Maasai Medusa. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : [13][12], According to one myth, Hera deprived Lamia of the ability to sleep, making her constantly grieve over the loss of her children, and Zeus provided relief by endowing her with removable eyes. Perseus used it as a weapon before surrendering it to Athena. Medusas face was said to be so horrifying to look at that it could turn men to stone. In the story of the birth of the Libyan Athena, Triton--a Libyan sea These monsters had a woman's torso, the lower extremities of a snake, and beastly hands. [67], A second example is a colony of man-eating monsters in Libya, described by Dio Chrysostom. Rhod. The 1982 novel Lamia by Tristan Travis sees the mythological monster relocated to 1970s Chicago, where she takes bloody vengeance on sex offenders while the cops try to figure out the mystery. In the 1st-century Life of Apollonius of Tyana the female empousa-lamia is also called "a snake",[40] which may seem to the modern reader to be just a metaphorical expression, but which Daniel Ogden insists is a literal snake. 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). Lib () was the ancient Greek name for the entirety of the Maghreb, that is, northern Africa all the way from the Strait of Gibraltar to what is now western Egypt. Diodorus Siculus (fl. Press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection. The monster in the heroic story could symbolize a pre-Greek religion. When Medusa is used in fiction as a unique being rather than as a species, she is typically given either one of these two origins, or no origin at all. Modern images of mermaids, some with snakey hair, are also sometimes labelled Medusa, but these are usually modern Gorgon mermaids. Its entirely up to Berber people to decide whether Medusa is African today. It makes us look like a bunch of judging Christians. The example essays in Kibin's library were written by real students for real classes. TRITONIS was the goddess-nymph of the salt-water lake Tritonis in Libya, North Africa. She is depicted as the daughter of Hecate and as having glowing green eyes with serpentine slits, shriveled-up hands with lizard-like claws on them, and crocodile-like teeth. Judika Isles has her as a living Goddess in her Encyclopedia of spirits. Thats clear from his description of the ethnic mix at Siwa (2.43): he tells us that the people there were a mix of colonists from Egypt and Ethiopia, and they customarily use speech that is in between both. He was well aware of ethnic differences between Siwa and the Nile valley, but interpreted them in terms that were familiar to him. 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. What hooks you? Medusa heads were traditionally carved as coral cameos for an extremely powerful protective amulet. By Sarah Crocker / Aug. 24, 2021 12:30 am EST. Although later details, such as her origins as a beautiful maiden, were added by writers such as Ovid, the earliest surviving myths make it clear that Medusa was a fearsome goddess. A more sustainable option that doesn't include our Goddess box, pouch, or booklet to reduce packaging waste. Although the lower body of Draper's Lamia is human, he alludes to her serpentine history by draping a shed snakeskin about her waist. Moon (many, including Orpheus disciples, have seen Medusas face in the moon). Kibin, 2023, www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu. Some believed that Africa became the home to many varieties of snakes as Medusa wandered the continent and shed them from her hair. [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). 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. Her hideousness, deadliness, and removal from the civilized word all made Medusa a monstrous figure. A gypsy curse associated with him has Lamia torment the victim for three days before having its minions drag them into Hell to burn in its fires for all eternity. Yes. Many of the myths in Ancient Greece and Rome were inspired by people of African descent and deities who were venerated in places where African Nowadays Siwa is mostly Berber. Ancient sources do indeed put Medusa in or near northern Africa. This is given in the concluding paragraph of the chapter. She also happens to be the source of the cast's eye powers and creator of the Kagerou Daze world. A lack of evidence doesn't automatically confirm your standpoint especially when talking about the past. She is a goddess of menstrual power and hence female power. Myths are malleable, after all. to view the complete essay. 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. Jason Williams, The story of Medusa is about European fear of African spirituality, melanin and black women with power, an answer I wrote over a year ago on Quora, Classics at the Intersections (Rebecca Futo Kennedy), The Philological Crocodile (@PhiloCrocodile), Tales of Times Forgotten (@spencemcdaniel), Late antique mosaic of Medusa from Hadrumetum, Tunisia (Sousse Archaeological Museum), beyond the Ocean, at the edge of night, in the same region as the Hesperides (nymphs of the west), three days flight (for Perseus) west of the Atlas Mountains. The Berber myth and Arab realities., Rouighi, R. 2019b. Yes, she was. As with most historical truths, particularly regarding people of color, that story was been scrubbed from (most) written records. The There is an ancient metaphysical belief that menstrual blood is the single [45][92], A foul odor has been pointed out as a possible common motif or attribute of the lamiai. 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