#MythicalCreatureMonday – Gorgon

So by now, you have probably heard of a Gorgon, the best known of which was Medusa. However, it is interesting to note that she was mortal, unlike her two sisters Sthenno and Euryale who were immortal. In Ovid’s work “Metamorphoses,” he describes Medusa as once being a beautiful maiden who captured the attention of Poseidon. He had his way with her in Athena’s shrine and the virgin goddess was so enraged she changed Medusa’s hair into snakes and caused her gaze to change living things to stone. While Medusa was probably okay with not having to worry about Poseidon bugging her anymore, she certainly couldn’t have liked being exiled to live out her life in a cave.

The Gorgon are sisters to the Graeae, who are three women who share one tooth and one eye among them. They feature in the story of Perseus, who holds their eye hostage and demands to know the location of Medusa. They tell him, and he continues his quest which ultimately ends in Medusa’s demise. What is interesting though is her death is not the end of her story.

After her head is removed, her two unborn children, Chrysaor and Pegasus sprang from her neck. While not much is known about the stout-hearted warrior, Chrysaor, there are stories about the magnificent winged horse Pegasus, which Bellerophon eventually owned. It is said that when Perseus flew on the winged horse’s back over Libya, the drops of blood from Medusa’s head turned to deadly serpents. There are also stories of Medusa’s blood both curing or poisoning those who drink it, depending on which side of the head it dripped from. It was Athena who eventually became the benefactor of the head, which wasn’t surprising since she was the one who got slighted in the first place and aided Perseus in his quest.

Created from a Goddesses’ displeasure and a beautiful girl in the wrong place at the wrong time, the Gorgon is one of the most well-known characters in Greek Mythology today. What I want to know more about is… what happened to the sisters? What do you think? Would love to see your theory in the comments!