On a distance hill stood a gleaming temple, where people worshipped the daughter of Zeus, Athena. Because of Athena’s wisdom and calm temper, she was the idol of many young girls. Among them, Medusa was the most beautiful and faithful follower of Athena. Although many men pursued her, she made an oath to remain virgin in order to spend her life worshipping her goddess, Athena. Days through days, Medusa was always the first to enter Athena’s temple and the last to leave. Her persisting actions touched Athena, and the goddess sometimes appeared to Medusa, complimenting her faithfulness. However, Medusa’s happy time ended on that treacherous night.
Being so beautiful and yet, still innocence in the mind and body, Medusa’s name is carried throughout the land and to the sea by the travelers. Because of this, Medusa got Poseidon’s attention. He appeared to Medusa, offering her to be his lover.
Poseidon: “Dear beautiful one, I am the King of Sea, Poseidon. The mere mortals are not a match for your beauty. Become mine, and I will grant you the life of riches and power.”
Although she was fearful of Poseidon, she rejected his offer because she believed her goddess, Athena, would protect her.
Medusa: “O the mighty King of the Sea, I am grateful for your compliment, but I have pledged to be virgin follower of my Virgin Goddess, Athena.”
Angered by her rejection, thinking that she’s just making up excuse to deny him, Poseidon decided to taint her in the temple of Athena. If she is the true follower of Athena, the goddess would intervene.
In Medusa’s midst of struggling, she called out to her goddess for help and protection.
Medusa: “O my Goddess of strength and justice, please protect your faithful follower from this tragedy.”
In reply to her pleading, Athena’s statue turned away.
Completely stunned by her goddess’s abandonment, Medusa whispered, “Why?”
Her soft whisper echoed throughout the temple as to remind Medusa that her faithfulness was just a mockery. Because of Athena, she swore to remain virgin, and because of Athena, she dared to reject Poseidon’s offering, which led to her suffering. In return, she was abandoned at her helpless moment.
At that moment, Medusa died. The faithful follower of Athena died. The admirer of the Olympian gods died.
After satisfied himself, Poseidon scorned Medusa for claiming that she was the virgin follower of Athena and left. Medusa collected herself in a corner of the temple and stared aimlessly. All her beliefs and purposes in life were rejected. She was lost.
In this moment, Athena appeared with a burning anger.
Athena: “You wretched mortal. How dare you to taint this holy temple with your filthy body?”
Medusa ridiculed at Athena’s accusation.
Medusa: “I was your faithful follower. You accepted my daily offering and witnessed my oath to be your virgin servant for the rest of my life, but you turned away when your servant called out for you. How can you question me? I am a mortal being. I am no match to the any earthly deities. How can I fight back Poseidon, the God of the Sea?”
Athena: “How dare you to question your god, you filthy mortal! If you truly want to be my virgin servant, how can Poseidon know your name? Cease with your lies. With crimes of tainting this sacred place and offenses against the gods, I punished you. Since the source of your crime is your beautiful face, I condemned you that your beautiful hair will become poisonous snakes and your eyes turn any living being into stone. Your name will become the representation of fearful monster.”
After putting out the curse, Athena expelled Medusa into the deep forest, where Medusa began her transformation. Pain took over her body. Her shiny hair turned into slimy, hissing, snakes, and her deep green eyes turned into clouded gray. Unable to accept her current appearance and the burning pain, Medusa fainted.
As she fainted, she had a dream of the future where she lived isolated from the people, fearing other people of seeing her monstrous appearance and fearing of turning people into stone. No matter how far she stayed away from the human, the people who claimed to be the warriors and heroes tried to hunt her down for the fame. Yet, no one succeeded, and rumors spread she was a blood-thirsty monster that live to kill the men who come to her sight. Until that day, a man, Perseus, who claimed as the mortal son of Zeus, beheaded her in her sleep with the help of Athena. Perseus, shamelessly as his kin, rode on one of her son Pegasus, who was born with her blood along with his brother Chrysaor. Poor Pegasus, unknown of his mother’s tragedy, helped the Olympian gods in many battles.
Medusa, then, woke up with the tears on her face. She believed this dream is her future, and yet, knowing the future did not help her in escaping the hands of gods. Her hopeless and painful cried moved the god of west wind, Zephyrus. As one of wind gods, he knew of her past. Touched by her tragedy, he wanted to help her, but he is powerless against the Olympian gods. Wiping her tears with his airy hand, he consoled her in his formless body.
Zephyrus: “Cry not Medusa. The tears won’t help your current state. I knew of your tragedy, but there is nothing that I can do to help you. You may come to my mother, Eos the Goddess of Dawn, for help. Since she is the cousin of Zeus, there may be something that she can do to help you. You should travel at night to the far east and cry out to the first gleam of light that touch the sky. Tell her of your story, and I, Zephyrus send you to her. Farewell Medusa.”
Thankful with Zephyrus’s help, Medusa set out to the far east, hoping she can change her fate. As the gleam of light shined in her eyes, Medusa cried out.
Medusa: “O joyful Goddess of Dawn, I was sent by your son, Zephyrus, to ask for help. Please spare me a moment and help my lowly life.”
Eos: “Who are you? Why did my son send you to me?”
Medusa told Eos her tragedy and asked Eos for safe place to hide. Moved by her suffering, Eos replied.
Eos: “As long as to stay on earth, Zeus and Poseidon can find you, and your current state is not safe for other living beings either. You can go to the Underworld and ask Hades to stay there because the underworld is the only place where Zeus and Poseidon have no power to enter. However, it is hard for Hades to let you live there. Since your eyes can turn all beings into stone, I suggest you offer both of your eyes to Hades as gatekeepers in return of you staying there. Maybe he will accept you.”
Learning of possible way to escape her fate, Medusa grateful thanked Eos and headed to the gate of the Underworld. At the gate, she kneeled and pleaded with Hades, the God of Underworld. On the first day, there was no respond. Days passed, and she still persisted on begging. Finally, on the thirtieth day, the gate of the underworld opened. Charon, the ferryman of Hades, led her into the underworld and to Hades.
Medusa: “To the Great King of Underworld, I offered to you my humblest offering. Please let me stay in your underworld. I offered up my eyes that can turn all being into stone to be your gatekeepers.”
Hades: “Lowly mortal. You are the first one to request staying at my realm. You have to understand that once you enter here, you cannot leave. As for your offering, I accepted it.”
Hades used his power to remove Medusa’s eyes, turning them into two women with snake hair like Medusa. He named them Stheno and Euryale. When Hades removed Medusa’s eyes, her blood dropped on the ground and gave birth to Pegasus and Chrysoar. Hades sent Medusa and Euryale to watch the deep abyss, Tartarus, and sent Stheno to the Styx River, preventing any unwelcome visitors. To keep as eternal gatekeepers, Hades granted Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno immortality. As for Pegasus and Chrysoar, Hades added Pegasus to his chariot and set Chrysoar as the keeper of his chariot.
After Hades’s decisions, Medusa knew that she escaped the fate of being killed by Perseus because it is difficult for the gods to enter the underworld. Now, it is even more difficult with the addition of the Gorgon sisters. Although she lost her sight, Medusa contently spent her life with her new “sisters” and children.
Author’s Note
I based my story on Perseus’s encounter with Medusa. In the story, Perseus killed Medusa in her sleep, and her blood gave birth to Pegasus and Chrysoar. He also told the story on how Medusa was turned into a monster with snake hair and eyes that can turn people into stone. Medusa was cursed by Athena for being raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple. I don’t like this part because Medusa was the victim in both situations. She probably doesn’t want to turn people into stone, but her eyes did automatically as she sees something. It is not an excuse for Perseus to kill her for his own motive, which is to protect his mother and future wife. So, I twisted the endings to let Medusa has a happy ending by letting her foresee her future. In the mythology, Medusa does have two sisters born with the same parents, but I made up that the sisters are the recreation of Medusa’s eyes. I think it goes with the flow of the story. Since Athena and other gods do not like Medusa, I think it is safer for her to live in the underworld. Hades is not known as a rapist as his brothers, and the other gods cannot enter underworld, not mention coming close to Tartarus. I think I went overboard with the length of the story, but it is difficult to condense all the details I wanted for the story. I hope readers enjoy my story.
Medusa Look at Herself. Pinterest
Bibliography. Ovid's I. Link
Your writing is very well done. I couldn't stop reading and really wanted to read more. You do a wonderful job of humanizing Medusa because I feel she is often seen as a terrible villain, but you're right, she really was the victim of her story and on the raw end of the things that happened to her. I really enjoyed how you kept to the themes of the original story while putting your own spin on Medusa. The way you let her see her future and give her eyes to Hades was very interesting and I loved that twist in the story.
ReplyDeleteThis story is great! Like Luisa already said, I really like how you gave Medusa the ability to see the future and then spun the story to make her work on ways to prevent her fate from happening. When I first read it, I was confused because I was thinking that it was following the original myth closer. I would really like to see you continue this story because you made Medusa seem less like a monster and more like a victim, which I really like. It would be interesting if you were to continue the story and make it to where no matter how hard she tries to prevent it, her dream of her death still comes true. You already have the possibility open with your current story. Pegasus was still born, so there is still a chance that Perseus will become his rider and continue to follow the linear path of time, ultimately resulting in him killing her.
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