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[[File: Medusa 1.1.jpg|200px|thumb|left|19th century painting of Medusa]]
==The Gorgons and Medusa==
There are many references to Medusa in Greek and later Roman literature. She was one of the three Gorgons and is the best known of these monsters. They are usually depicted as three sisters who had hair made of living, venomous snakes, as well as a horrifying faces’ or looks that could turn anything to stone. The first known reference to a Gorgon is in Homer. In the Iliad. Homer refers to a single Gorgon and does not mention Medusa. The didactic poet Hesiod (700 BC) stated that there were three Gorgons and they were Stheno and Euryale and Medusa. The name Medusa has been interpreted as meaning the ‘Queen’. Hesiod wrote that they were the children of two primeval gods. They lived on the Western Ocean and they were worshipped by the Libyans. The Athenian tradition was that the Gorgon was a monster that was born of Gaia, the earth goddess and fought alongside the Titans in their war with the Olympians. The Gorgon was later killed by Athena. In the Hellenistic period the myths relate that there were three Gorgons. Two of the Gorgons were immortal, and one was mortal, and she was Medusa. Roman writers often wrote about the mortal Gorgon and Ovid has helped to create the popular image that we have of the female monster<ref> Ovid's Metamorphoses 4.770</ref>. [[File: Medusa 1.1.jpg|200px|thumb|left|19th century painting of Medusa]]
==The story of Medusa==
Medusa was the daughter of Phorcys a primordial god in Greek mythology and his wife Ceto, a sea deity. All of their children became monsters and they are collectively called the Phorcydes. The Gorgons were among these children. Medusa unlike her sisters was very beautiful and was famous for her looks. This drew the attention of Poseidon, the God of the Sea and one day he trapped her in a temple dedicated to Athena and he raped her. Athena was outraged by Poseidon’s action as he had desecrated her temple. Now Athena was not able to punish Poseidon, so she took her anger out on the innocent Medusa. The Goddess of strategy and wisdom turned her beautiful golden locks into snakes. In some representations, she is portrayed as having a beautiful face. But in others, she is shown as a hideous monster. After being cursed by Athena, Medusa also had the power to turn people into stone. In many versions of her myth, she lives on an island and she kills many men and women, especially anyone who trespassed into her territory. In one of the best-known versions of the myth, she is shown as living near the entrance to Hades. In many Greek myths, she and her two sisters are portrayed as some of the most savage monsters and they prey on men in particular. In many accounts they are often located in Hades, the Greek Underworld <ref> Graves, Robers, The Greek Myths (Pelican, London, p. 154</ref>. Virgil mentions Medusa living with the other two Gorgons in the Underworld.
