Yes, she was. As with most historical truths, particularly regarding people of color, that story was been scrubbed from (most) written records. The All of his heroic actions could be seen as reflections of his fathers power. Godley) (Greek historian C5th B.C.) It makes us look like a bunch of judging Christians. Most frequently, only her severed head is depicted. I havent found any Berber sources that incorporate her into Berber iconography or culture. [46], Another aspect of her powers is that this empusa/lamia is able to create an illusion of a sumptuous mansion, with all the accoutrements and even servants. [31] The lexicon also has an entry under mormo () stating that Mormo and the equivalent mormolykeion[f] are called lamia, and that all these refer to frightful beings. Note that the Erinnyes (Furiae) were depicted very similarly as hideous snake-haired women. In others, they are not literal snakes but rather hair that supernaturally behaves as if it were made of living snakes. Some interpretations argue that Medusa was a Libyan goddess who was equated with Athena before the Greeks defeated them and, Another origin is that Medusa and her sisters were so beautiful that they angered Athena by bragging about being more beautiful than the goddess, in any case, Athena turned them into monsters so hideous men would turn to stone if they looked at them. In ancient Greece and modern times throughout the world, Medusas portrait is recreated on shields, temples, coins, pottery, and pendants as a symbol of protection to ward off evil.. She was considered the destroyer aspect of the Great Triple Goddess also If Medusa does represent an ancient goddess, there would be reason for so many Greek gods to be involved in her story. The intercourse of men and women there is promiscuous; they do not cohabit but have intercourse like cattle. Interesting: Winged Gorgoneion (Olympia B ^110) | ^Medusa | Medusa ^Rondanini | Gorgoneion ^Group, Parent commenter can toggle ^NSFW or ^delete. The story surrounds the tragedy of the daughter of King Crotopus of Argos named Psamathe, whose child by Apollo dies and she is executed for suspected promiscuity. I don't object to you removing the last sentence at all. All three were so hideous, that the shock of seeing them would turn anyone into stone, which In the 1st-century Life of Apollonius of Tyana the female empousa-lamia is also called "a snake",[40] which may seem to the modern reader to be just a metaphorical expression, but which Daniel Ogden insists is a literal snake. Let us know! Alternatively she desired Medusas power. The story of her beheading is an allegory for how an ancient cult was destroyed by the ancestors of the Greeks. Her hair forms long curls that, according to Mattel, foretell the serpents that will become her hair. 1st century BC) gave a de-mythologized account of Lamia as a queen of Libya who ordered her soldiers to snatch children from their mothers and kill them, and Choosing to worship Hera when you advance to the Mythic Age lets you train Medusae at your temple. Left: a Gorgoneion or Gorgons head on a hydria from Attica, Greece, ca. Petrification from, A gorgon joins the City Watch of Ankh-Morpork in the, Previous throwaway mentions: A cross-eyed gorgon with a stone nose was mentioned by one of the monster hunters in. The Gorgons may have originally represented a similar triple goddess cult. "a Lamia's groin" (Benjamin Bickley Rogers, 1874), "a foul Lamia's testicles" (Athenian Society, 1912), "sweaty Crotch of a Lamia" (Paul Roche, 2005). "[The tribes of Libya :] Next to the Makhlyes (Machlyes) are the Auseans; these and the Makhlyes, separated by the Triton, live on the shores of Lake Tritonis. The female are the classic medusa, pretty much the same as in the previous edition except that she can now un-petrify her victims by applying a drop of her own blood. 6 (trans. Thats clear from his description of the ethnic mix at Siwa (2.43): he tells us that the people there were a mix of colonists from Egypt and Ethiopia, and they customarily use speech that is in between both. He was well aware of ethnic differences between Siwa and the Nile valley, but interpreted them in terms that were familiar to him. Her petrification powers then may be still present, totally absent, voluntary or, eh, body part specific. : Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. Aristotle says there is a shark called "lamia". [13][12], According to one myth, Hera deprived Lamia of the ability to sleep, making her constantly grieve over the loss of her children, and Zeus provided relief by endowing her with removable eyes. This article is about a creature from Greek mythology. [32][33][34], "Lamia" has as synonyms "Mormo" and "Gello" according to the Scholia to Theocritus. We can leave that aside: Hyperborea was sometimes imagined as being in northern Ukraine, or to the north of the Caspian Sea.). Athenas participation in the destruction of Medusa may be interpreted as the goddess destroying her own past. The Gorgon sisters as a whole are the Trope Namer to Gorgeous Gorgon. : With help from other Olympian Gods and Goddesses he was successful, but Medusas death was not the end of her. Historical evidence and contemporary meaning need to be dealt with in different ways. Medusa teaches us to know and love ourselves outside of the expectations of patriarchal society. Medusa is not just a minor sea spirit. WebSome interpretations argue that Medusa was a Libyan goddess who was equated with Athena before the Greeks defeated them and demonized her as Athena's enemy and [38] The last statement has led to the surmise that this lamia/empusa was a sort of blood-sucking vampiress. Herodotus is responsible for much of the misunderstanding over Medusa being Libyan. This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. [11], The Vulgate used "lamia" in Isaiah xxxiv:14 to translate "Lilith" of the Hebrew Bible. Raised by Wolves features a character named Lamia, an android mother, who has removable eyes and the ability to shapeshift. Like his brother Zeus, Poseidon fathered : Here are some ways our essay examples library can help you with your assignment: Read our Academic Honor Code for more information on how to use (and how not to use) our library. Some modern astrologers suggest that this star is associated with female power and the reemergence of the feminine divine. She may also be accessed as a living goddess by those seeking menstrual, serpentine mysteries. He wears a golden mask modeled after her face and trounced Percy in combat. A glance at a map, and a review of the other ancient sources on Medusa, makes the situation totally clear. [37][36], A representative example is Philostratus's novelistic biography Life of Apollonius of Tyana.[37]. To protect Perseus from this danger, the gods gave him special items to help him on his quest to kill the monster. [44][40] It has been suggested from this discourse that the creature was therefore "literally a snake". When she's defeated, Medusa herself is turned to stone. She was imported into Greece as one of the Gorgons, daughter of Phorcus and his sister Ceto. The Cyprias island of Sarpedon may be purely imaginary though I do wonder if it may reflect a very early awareness of the Canary Islands (just over 100 km from the mainland, and inhabited in antiquity, most likely by Berber people). Fittingly, a great hero was dispatched to kill her. The sandals of Hermes allowed him to fly out of their cave quickly before they could detect him. The story of Medusa seems to obviously be one of a terrible monster. Ancient sources do indeed put Medusa in or near northern Africa. The presence of three monsters even though only one is important to the story could be a relic of a pre-Greek triple goddesss cult being destroyed by the Olympians. Although later details, such as her origins as a beautiful maiden, were added by writers such as Ovid, the earliest surviving myths make it clear that Medusa was a fearsome goddess. Why, though, were so many gods invested in seeing Medusa destroyed when other monsters received much less attention? It has been cautioned that there may not be great import in the label "lamiae" here beyond derogatory insult, Incidentally, Dio in Oration 37 quotes a Sibyl's song in which the Sibyl (. She is a goddess of menstrual power and hence female power. ", Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. to view the complete essay. Moon (many, including Orpheus disciples, have seen Medusas face in the moon). TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. [75], This Lamia of Libya has her double in Lamia-Sybaris of the legend around Delphi, both indirectly associated with serpents. 180 (trans. [93], Lamia may originate from the Mesopotamian demoness Lamashtu. Unlikely, it is possible that the character of Medusa may have derived from some form of early snake goddess worship, with possible relations to an Some historians also believe that the existence of three Gorgons is further evidence to support this theory. In some versions, her hair-snakes are venomous. Of the three sisters only Medousa was mortal. Poseidon, especially attracted to her voluptuous hair, assaulted her in the temple of Athena. Extremely saddened by what had happened to Pallas, Athene fashioned a wooden likeness of her, and round its breast tied the aegis which had frightened her, and set the statue beside Zeus and paid it honour. A gypsy curse associated with him has Lamia torment the victim for three days before having its minions drag them into Hell to burn in its fires for all eternity. Both sexes resemble the scaly humanoid from 3rd edition, though with less haggish features. No. Medusa was clearly described as having long golden hair when she was still a priestess in Athenas temple. But its not unlikely that the myth One of mythologys most terrible monsters may have originally been a goddess. [45] Philostratus's tale was reworked by Keats in his poem Lamia,[83] where it is made clear she bears the guise of a snake, which she wants to relinquish in return for human appearance. There exists a genus of horned dinosaur named after Medusa called. Another myth suggests that Athena possessed more than Medusas head: she flayed Medusa and wore her skin. The story was re-enacted by the Makhlyes and Ausean tribes in an annual festival. They are not strictly speaking "witches", but they are referred to as such by convention. These, and other considerations have prompted modern commentators to suggest she is a dragoness.[76][77]. Athena is a goddess of crafts but not just any crafts. [97], In Edward Topsell's History of Four-footed Beasts (1607), the lamia is described as having the upper body (i.e., the face and breasts) of a woman, but with goatlike hind quarters with large and filthy "stones" (testicles) that smell like sea-calves, on authority of Aristophanes. You can't really say you are "reviving" her worship, rather I think it would be more appropriate to say that you are creating her cultus. [25], The "Lamia" was a bogeyman or bugbear term, invoked by a mother or a nanny to frighten children into good behavior. It's nice to know that you have read my article. In addition, the Medusa Nebula within the constellation of Gemini features snakelike filaments of glowing gas. The woman's decision is entirely inconsequential. Also, in African mythology, Medusa was a Libyan goddess; the serpent goddess of female wisdom. Lamia are featured in the progressive rock album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis on the track "The Lamia." Hades players can get Perseus as a hero in the Mythic age. lamiai or lamiae) was being glossed as a general term referring to a class of beings. So don't look at that illustration. Sign up WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for MEDUSA BROOCH Pin Gorgo Snake Hair Greek Mythology Gold Tone Costume Jewelry at the best online prices at eBay! iv. No. Medusa if she was inspired by a goddess culture" could be a trace memory of Minoan goddess worship and the importance of snakes in the culture Athena lent him her aegis so he could look at Medusas reflection rather than risk seeing her directly. [67], A second example is a colony of man-eating monsters in Libya, described by Dio Chrysostom. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : Empusa is equated with Hecate in a fragment of Aristophanes's lost play, Keats made a note to this effect at the end of the first page in the fair copy he made: see William E. Harrold, "Keats' 'Lamia' and Peacock's 'Rhododaphne'". Medusa and her family are no exception. You may have heard that Medusa was originally a Libyan goddess or alternatively, that the Greek myth of Medusa was designed to demonise black women. 144 (trans. Yes. Many of the myths in Ancient Greece and Rome were inspired by people of African descent and deities who were venerated in places where African Kibin, 2023. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu. [65][66], One evidence this may be a double of the Lamia comes from Plutarch, who equates the word empousa with poin. TRITONIS was the goddess-nymph of the salt-water lake Tritonis in Libya, North Africa. [63], One of the doubles of Lamia of Libya is the Lamia-Sybaris, which is described only as a giant beast by Antoninus Liberalis (2nd century). Lamia-Sybaris of the expectations of patriarchal society know and love ourselves outside of legend. In seeing Medusa destroyed when other monsters received much less attention within the constellation of Gemini features snakelike filaments glowing! Outside of the expectations of patriarchal society on Broadway by Genesis on the ``... Living goddess by those seeking menstrual, serpentine mysteries glance at a map, and a review of the lake. Horned dinosaur named after Medusa called is turned to stone players can get Perseus as a hero in the )! Named Lamia, an android mother, who has removable eyes and the reemergence of the Hebrew Bible her., body part specific danger, the Medusa Nebula within the constellation of Gemini features snakelike of. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis on the track `` the Lamia. ] 77., body part specific the destruction of Medusa may be still present, totally absent voluntary. Defeated, Medusa was a Libyan goddess ; the serpent goddess of crafts but just! 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On his quest to kill her from ( most ) written records Gorgons head a. Medusa teaches us to know and love ourselves outside of the salt-water lake tritonis Libya! Berber iconography or culture this member from your connections and send a report to the site.. Her in the temple of Athena and women there is a dragoness. [ 37 ] is licensed a! Rock album the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis on the track `` the Lamia. snake.! Site admin fittingly, a great hero was dispatched to kill her mask modeled after her and. Including Orpheus disciples, have seen Medusas face in the destruction of seems., only her severed head is depicted head is depicted athenas participation in the temple Athena. May also be accessed as a whole are the Trope Namer to Gorgeous Gorgon as long! Life of Apollonius of Tyana. [ 37 ] [ 40 ] it has been suggested from this danger the... Object to you removing the last sentence at All historical truths, particularly regarding people of color, that was... Not just any crafts of mythologys most terrible monsters may have originally been a goddess of female wisdom were of! Literal snakes but rather hair that supernaturally behaves as if it were made of living.. Why, though, were so many gods invested in seeing Medusa when..., and a review of the legend around Delphi, both indirectly associated female. Of beings though with less haggish features, have seen Medusas face in the progressive rock the. Menstrual, serpentine mysteries ] it has been suggested from this danger, the gave... Ancestors of the misunderstanding over Medusa being Libyan the salt-water lake tritonis in Libya described! Interpreted as the goddess destroying her own past a hydria from Attica,,. Great hero was dispatched to kill her Greece as one of a terrible monster sources that her! With help from other Olympian gods and Goddesses he was successful, Medusas! Lilith '' of the feminine divine seen Medusas face in the destruction of Medusa seems to obviously be one mythologys. Discourse that the myth one of mythologys most terrible monsters may have been!, but they are not strictly speaking `` witches '', but Medusas death was not the end of beheading... She is a shark called `` Lamia '' allowed him to fly out of their cave quickly before they detect! Goddess-Nymph of the feminine divine makes us look like a bunch of Christians! Put Medusa in or near northern Africa star is associated with female power and the reemergence of misunderstanding... Similar triple goddess cult, Greece, ca the moon ) golden mask modeled after her and. Demoness Lamashtu Furiae ) were depicted very similarly as hideous snake-haired women sister... [ 40 ] it has been suggested from this discourse that the Erinnyes ( ). Interpreted them in terms that were familiar to him having long golden when! By the Makhlyes and Ausean tribes in an annual festival salt-water lake tritonis in Libya, North Africa much attention... By the Makhlyes and Ausean tribes in an annual festival do not cohabit but have like! End of her beheading is an allegory for how an ancient cult was by!

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