Medusa was a victim of sexual violence.

 

Medusa was a victim of sexual violence.

Medusa is one of the easiest-to-recognise characters in Greek mythology. With its unmistakable snake hair and the power to turn whoever looks at it into stone, it is one of the most popular monsters in ancient stories.

But there’s a part of their story that not everyone knows that will completely change your perspective.

Snake lady didn't always have a creepy appearance. Medusa was one of the Three Gorgon Sisters (a kind of female monster). Unlike Esteno and Euriale, she was the only mortal in the family.

Ovidio was a Roman poet considered to be one of the most important in Latin literature and was also one of the first to describe how the mythological being became a terrible creature.

The Encyclopedia of Ancient History quotes Ovidio briefly, but impactful. Medusa was a beautiful young lady and Poseidon desired her for himself. The god of the seas attacked and raped her inside a temple dedicated to Athena.

The goddess Athena took this attack as an offense and punished (incredibly) the raped woman, giving her snakes instead of hair and with the curse of turning anyone who looks at her into stone.

After that chapter, comes the most popular: the one where Perseus kills the "terrible" Medusa. King Polydectes was in love with Danae, the mother of Perseus.

His son did not approve of this relationship because he considered the sovereign lacked honor. To get rid of the son, Polydectes asked him to get the head of the gorgon.

As the Metropolitan Museum of Art points out, the gods helped Perseus in his mission and gave him gifts to ensure his victory. A key piece in her triumph was the polished shield of Athena, which allowed her to approach Medusa and avoid her dangerous gaze.

When Perseus beheaded her, from her neck sprouted the giant Crisaor and winged horse Pegasus. Both are considered to be Poseidon's children, which means they were the product of a rape and Medusa was pregnant when she was murdered.

It's not unusual news that Greek mythology is plagued with accounts of abuse and violence, but it's interesting (and tragic) to discover that Medusa is still remembered as a monster when her only "crime" was being attractive.

The victim was also the only one to receive punishment for Poseidon's acts. And even Athena created the flute to imitate Esteno and Euriale's lamentations after their sister's murder.

Medusa turned out not to be the real monster in this story.