This notion of Gorgons would remain constant for centuries, from Homer’s initial reference (and certainly much earlier than that) all the way through the Roman era when Ovid called them “ harpies of foul wing.” The only thing that was always true of Gorgons is that they were foul creatures that loathed mankind. The oldest depictions of these creatures – which extend back into the Bronze Age – could even be hermaphrodites or hybrids of humans and animals. Many times, they would show some connection to serpents, but not always in the obvious way associated with Medusa – some were shown with snakes for hair, but that wouldn’t be a common feature associated with Gorgons until about the 1 st Century B.C.E.Īnd different versions of the Gorgons may or may not possess wings, beards, or tusks. The name “Gorgon” translates roughly to “dreadful” and while that was universally true of them, the specific depictions of these early figures could vary substantially. Homer, somewhere between the 8 th and 12 th Centuries B.C.E., even made mention of them in the Iliad. Long before they were connected to Ceto and Phorcys, the Gorgons were a popular feature in the literature and art of ancient Greece. These three daughters of Phorcys and Ceto formed the Gorgons, hideous creatures that could turn any who gazed upon them into stone – and who were perhaps some of the most ancient figures in Greek mythology.
Medusa herself was part of a similar triad with her remaining two siblings, Euryale and Stheno. It’s unsurprising, therefore, that iconic figures like the Graeae would be made to conform to that theme. But there is a recurring theme of triads in Greek and Roman mythology, chiefly among gods but also among significant figures such as the Hesperides or the Fates. There are some accounts that describe the Graeae as being only a pair instead of a triplet. The Graeae – Enyo, Pemphredo, and (depending on the source) either Persis or Dino – were born with gray hair and shared only a single eye and a single tooth between the three of them (Perseus would later steal their eye, snatching it as they passed it amongst themselves, and holding it hostage in exchange for information that would help him kill their sister). READ MORE: Snake Gods and Goddesses: 19 Serpent Deities from Around the World The Sisters ThreeĪlso among Medusa’s siblings were the Graeae, a trio of hideous sea hags.
According to Homer, the dreaded Scylla was also one of Phorcys’ and Ceto’s children. Another sibling was the dragon Ladon, who guarded the golden apples ultimately taken by Heracles (though some sources make Ladon a child of Echidna, rather than Ceto and Phorcys). Her siblings, without exception, were similarly monstrous – one of her sisters was Echidna, the half-woman, the half-serpent creature who was herself the mother of many of the most recognizable monsters in Greek mythology. Among the oldest gods of Greek mythology, these sea gods preceded the more noted Poseidon and were each decidedly more monstrous in aspect (Phorcys was generally depicted as a fish-tailed being with crab claws, while Ceto’s name literally translates to “sea monster”). Medusa was the daughter of the primordial sea deities Ceto and Phorcys, who were in turn the children of Gaia and Pontus.
The Origin of Medusa Medusa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini So, let’s dare to look directly at the Medusa myth. Her history – both as a character and an image – go much deeper than the classic depictions. This fearsome creature with a head of snakes and the power to turn men to the stone has been a recurring feature of popular fiction and, in modern consciousness, one of the staples of Greek myth.īut there is more to Medusa than her monstrous gaze. Few monsters in Greek mythology are as iconic as Medusa.
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