Medusa: A Tale of Rage and Reclamation
Medusa: A Tale of Rage and Reclamation
The ancient Greek myth centring around Medusa has been kept alive through popular media, whether in the form of movie villains or characters in video games. Her story, retold over generations, bares the weight of being a feminist symbol of reclaiming power, rage, and agency.
The myth tells the story behind Medusa’s transition from the mortal sister of the two Greek Gorgons to a monster with the ability to turn people into stone with one look into her eyes. Medusa, while a mortal herself, was born as the sister to the two immortal gorgons, Stheno and Euryale, and a daughter to the sea deities Phorcys and Ceto. She was famous for her beauty that enamoured the gaze of many. However, despite her status as a woman of immense beauty pursued by countless men, she took an oath of celibacy as a devotee of Athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom and battle.
In her tenure as priestess, however, she was violated and raped right in Athena’s temple by the Greek God of the Sea, Poseidon. Poseidon was an infamous rival to Athena and violated the priestess within the temple’s sacred walls after she rejected his advances towards her, yet again loyal to her beloved deity. Depending on the different versions of the myth, the intention behind this act is deeper than just another instance of a god’s unbridled lust and entitlement. While committing the sin, Poseidon vehemently violated the sanctity of Athena’s temple. Some versions of the story identify this as a more malicious act of power play building into the so-called “humiliation” of the Greek war goddess. This, again, stands to show the use of women as passive objects in larger games of power.
The myth further portrays Athena leaving Poseidon unscathed but turning Medusa into the form she is most famous for, the Gorgon with snakes for hair and the curse that turns whoever looks in her eyes into stone. Whether the story is perceived to be patriarchal victim-blaming or a gift of self-defence and protection depends on the iteration of the myth. In some stories, the enraged Athena punishes Medusa for disrespecting her and betraying her oath. In contrast, others depict Athena granting Medusa the power to petrify anyone who even dares to look at her, infuriated by the acts of the sea god. Whether the powers were a gift or curse, Medusa’s story is often perceived as the reclamation of a poor fate by an angry woman.
After her transformation, Medusa was sent away to the island of Sarpedon, and this, too, could be for her own protection or the safety of those endangered by her. Anyone who wandered into her island would meet the fate of being turned to stone, and so her existence spread fear onto any possible pursuers. This might’ve granted her safety from the world around her, it also finally gave her the power to avenge herself. A weapon to forge her own place in the world, a chance to carve respect into the tongues of every mouth taking her name. Medusa was no poor pitiful maiden destroyed in the palms of a powerful man, but a force of nature to be feared.
It can be said that, while losing her beauty, she gained the power to be a force of terror. However, the question of her beauty being held liable for her abuse stands as a metaphor for all the women today whose beauty is blamed as an invitation for predators. Perhaps that is why Medusa still stands as a powerful figure in media today, someone who didn’t deserve the fate that came her way but used the same to terrify the perpetrators and show them what they invited. If she invited in Poseidon’s actions with her beauty, then it’s also her victim’s fault that they wandered onto her island. In modern times, Medusa’s terrifying visage, with its dangerous capabilities, embodies an idea of both fear and power. In every present depiction of Medusa, her head stays upright and bold, directly defying the notion of ever being ashamed or guilty. Instead, she stands proud and angry, ready to challenge whoever dares think of her name with harm or malice, and because of the same, is a crucial symbol in the feminist ideology.
Author: Karmanyaa Sankhe