Monday, September 19, 2011

Monster Monday: Medusa



Sticksand stones may break your bones, butMedusa’s stare will smite you.
Or so the legend goes.
Overthe years, Medusa’s lore has twisted and turned as much as her slithering,serpentine locks of hair. But one thing remains consistent – she’s got looks thatkill.
Andat the heart of it all? Jealousy. In Greek mythology, Medusa was the onlymortal sister of the Gorgon family, a chthonic monster, as in a beast from the underworld, and thedaughter of Phorcys and Ceto. Some believe she was transformed into a truemonster by the Goddess Athena as punishment for sleeping with Poseidon.
Butearly Greek writers simply portray her as a monster born of a monstrous family, kind of the equivalent of a poor little rich girl -except for all the killing. Some descriptionsdepict Medusa as a winged woman with a broad round head, serpentine hair, largestaring eyes, wide mouth, lolling tongue, flared nostrils and sometimes a shortcoarse beard.
However,another myth suggests that Medusa’s powerlay not in her monstrosity, but rather in her beauty – a beauty that paralyzedall who dared to look into her eyes.
I don’t know about you, but I know which beastie I’d rather meetin a dark alley.
SurvivalTip: No head, noundead…but good freaking luck. Medusa can stop anything in her tracks – and hergaze will turn you into stone, even if you come across her by accident. Onemyth suggests Medusa defeated herself by looking into a mirror and turningherself to stone. Carrying a compact in your backpack or purse might not be abad idea.

No comments:

Post a Comment