This is a rather famous tale that has had modern takes on it, such as in the famous book made movie, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. It’s also important to learn the mythology behind Medusa’s death, as this tale has also inspired Medusa tattoos. In these versions, retaining her beauty is another punishment because Medusa is told that she will also turn to stone if she tries to admire herself in a mirror. Some myths claim that Medusa became completely hideous, whereas others say that Athena left Medusa’s beauty so that it would be difficult for people not to look at her. Once cursed, anyone who met her gaze turned to stone. She turned Medusa from a beautiful maiden into a monster.Īnd thus Medusa became the snake-haired beast everyone thinks of when hearing her name. Athena was so enraged that she blamed Medusa for what happened and punished her with a curse.

Poseidon succeeded in both goals at Medusa’s expense. To satisfy his own urges and humiliate Athena, he sexually assaulted Medusa while she was in the temple. Not only that, Poseidon and Athena were often at odds, so he wanted to humiliate her. The god, Poseidon, coveted Medusa for her beauty. Poseidon’s Assault and Athena’s Retribution The story takes a tragic (and triggering) turn when Medusa is victimized inside one of Athena’s temples. However, Medusa’s dedication was not enough to escape Athena’s wrath. Athena, an often-jealous goddess, respected Medusa for choosing to worship her rather than getting married or worshipping a male god. Medusa believed that Athena was the strongest of all the Olympian gods and goddesses, and she devoted herself to being a loyal follower instead of taking a husband. Despite the number of potential suitors who yearned to have Medusa’s hand in marriage, she dedicated herself to the goddess Athena. In fact, she was said to be so breathtaking that there was no one more beautiful in all of Athens.

Medusa was depicted by Ovid as a stunning maiden.

The three sisters are known as the Gorgons in Greek mythology. Unlike Medusa, her sisters were immortal, and, unlike Medusa, they were not known to be beautiful. Medusa was the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto she had two sisters by the names of Sthenno and Euryale. This is because some of the most prevalent meanings for Medusa tattoos hinge on this particular telling of her story. While Medusa is mentioned in a number of myths, we will be focusing largely on her depiction in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Medusa skates