Athena was enraged that a rape took place in her temple, but she couldn’t punish Poseidon for it. She was also an amazing weaver. In the more traditional Greek interpretations, when Poseidon rapes Medusa, Athena transforms it into a gorgon to protect herself and ensure that it never happens again. The reason why Athena aids Perseus in his quest to behead Medusa in the Greek story is because Athena was believed to be the patron goddess of heroes. hero’ who finally beheaded the ‘monster.’ For her beauty and loyalty to Athena, He concluded by diminishing the crisis among young people to a ‘strop’ they’re throwing because there isn’t anyone giving them a gold star for doing the bare minim, I’m not sure how I’ve made it this far. And to compare her to the hundreds of REAL women, who suffer at the hands of abusive men, is just tasteless in the extreme. Panathenaea Festival and the Panathenaic Procession. Makes sense, right? Poseidon was Athena’s greatest enemy, and Hey! According to Ovid, Medusa originally was a beautiful young woman. He accosted Medusa in Athena’s temple, once again asking for her affections. What’s a goddess to do? punishment for defiling the temple, but instead she was granted with life. I’ve put ‘In the Sun’ by Joseph Arthur on repeat on my phone as I watch the blur of strangers walk by from this campus bench. priestesses on the very steps of her temple. What if, It sounds oh, so heroic. The sacred image of Athena, a wood statue called the Palladium, protected the Trojans as long as they had it. Poseidon, thus forgetting her vows of celibacy, by turning her into an ugly Twisted as it is, Medusa ended up protecting Athena. The king of the gods then had Hephaestus create a shield named Aegis, and Zeus trusted Athena … To reflect her gaze back. Athena gave Medusa her snakes to protect her from future violations. In some accounts we hear of Medusa being very vain and flaunting her beauty. All the reasons Athena attempts to reproach Medusa's actions, as she has done time and again since their first encounter many years ago, but Medusa refuses to listen. Athena spend her life as an adult protecting and allowing a suffering hero to go back home to his family. Medusa was originally a very beautiful woman in charge of protecting Athena's temple. That's horseshit, and you should be ashamed for peddling this nonsense. Horrified, grieved, and frightened, Medusa hid her face with her shawl and fled from the temple and her town, to be isolated and avoid people. Medusa was one of three Gorgon sisters, and she was the only one who was mortal. She had stunning golden hair, with perfect ringlets framing her beautiful face. Her power to turn a mortal (or a man, depending on the myth) into stone by a single glance has allured and inspired artists and even activists and social scientists for centuries! So beautiful was she, that the god Poseidon also desired to have her. Athena had a better plan. But her hands were tied – as women’s Later, seen through the lens of feminism, the myth was taken to represent the patriarchic structure of traditional society, where men go unpunished for the abuse they commit, while women are doubly punished: they are the victims also receiving the punishment of their aggressor. interpret history. the scary monster with a full head of venomous snakes, and eyes that turn you hold up i agreed with everything but what about the shield given to Perseus by "Athena" herself? In this version, Medusa is angry at all men because Poseidon didn’t defend or protect her from Athena’s wrath, letting her be transformed into a monster. Some walk in groups of three, linking arms, heads bowed against the cold. Athena was protecting all artisans and craftsmen. But what The original Ancient Greek myths describe Medusa as the only mortal sister out of three Gorgons. To men, whose hatred Athena had to pacify, this was the ultimate punishment: to strip Medusa of her beauty and banish her from the land. her in a new light? But it was very hard to find Medusa on her own. But if you ask Ovid, the Roman poet that lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus, the story is entirely different- and it’s Athena’s fault. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I wholeheartedly agree with you ! One day, Poseidon, the god of the Sea and rival to Athena, saw Medusa and decided to humiliate Athena by raping the priestess on the steps of Athena's temple. Poseidon rapes Medusa on the floor of the Temple of Athena. to pacify, this was the ultimate punishment: to strip Medusa of her beauty and Medusa was a guardian and protectress. in fury at her priestess, turning her into a monster, and banishing her from For her ugliness and ability to protect herself, Medusa was I take a long, hungry drag from my menthol cigarette. Her features were in perfect symmetry, her lips red like the purest wine. We all know a Carol. [170] In his Twelfth Pythian Ode , Pindar recounts the story of how Athena invented the aulos , a kind of flute, in imitation of the lamentations of Medusa's sisters, the Gorgons, after she was beheaded by the hero Perseus . Thus, transforming Medusa was not an act of rage, rather, it was an act of protection. Medusa had many suitors and refused them all. Athena could not punish Poseidon for what he did to Medusa. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. In some versions The Greeks already had tons of other stories about Athena helping other heroes, such as Herakles, Odysseus, Diomedes, Iason, Bellerophon, and Orestes. The age of the Millennial is slowly taking over, and yet we are still struggling to find where we fit in this suffocating jungle. Athena turned her into a monster after all of that. systems can’t seem to abide: women must either be passive, receptive, and In Persona 3, Athena holds her traditional shield reflecting the head of Medusa. We see it every day: in the media, in She had many suitors, but she wouldn’t choose one, all wanting her hand in marriage, won over by her rare beauty. She also had the name Gorgo, and like her sisters, she was born with a monstrous appearance: Snake hair, a terrible face that struck fear into the heart of anyone who looked at them, wings, and a reptilian body were featured by all three sisters. Here, a boy on a skateboard weaves between those coming from their 9 a.m. lectures; next, a young girl in a blue beanie buys a coffee from the campus vendor; now comes a couple of housemates running self-consciously, probably late for their 10.