M is for… Medusa

/ historicallywoman

*Content warning for discussion of rape*

The monstrous woman is a common figure in Greek mythology, and Medusa is arguably the most well-known of them. The image of a decapitated head, snake hair, and ugly features, twisted in fury, has been reproduced over and over, until it has become all that Medusa is. Fewer people know her story; in the book Female Rage: Unlocking Its Secrets, Claiming Its Power, Mary Velantis and Anne Devane write: “When we asked women what female rage looks like to them, it was always Medusa, the snaky-haired monster of myth, who came to mind … In one interview after another we were told that Medusa is ‘the most horrific woman in the world’ … [though] none of the women we interviewed could remember the details of the myth.”

So, who ‘was’ Medusa, and why has she become such an infamous figure?

Well, as with all myths, the story varies from telling to telling and is influenced by who the teller is. Nevertheless, since Ovid’s Metamorphoses, most accounts depict Medusa as a beautiful woman who caught the eye of the god Poseidon. When she did not return his affections, he raped her in the temple of Athena. Enraged, Athena turned Medusa into a gorgon and cursed her so that anyone she gazed upon would turn to stone. The story concludes with Perseus beheading Medusa and later, after freeing his mother from a forced marriage to King Polydectes by turning Polydectes to stone, giving the head to Athena, who placed it on her shield, the Aegis.

It is interesting to note that, whilst the curse was supposed to affect all, there are no recorded instances of Medusa turning a woman to stone. I’ll come back to this point later.

First, though, I’ll ask: who is the monster here? Depending on which interpretation you subscribe to, there are four answers (that I have heard).

‘Perseus with the head of Medusa’, Benvenuto Cellini (1554)

First, Medusa. She is literally the monster figure – she has a frightening appearance, she is something beyond human, her power is to ‘petrify’ people. But she is so outside of her own volition, and more recent feminist thought has begun to re-evaluate whether the punishment fits the crime. Or, to go further, if there was any crime at all. Is Medusa the monster, or is she a victim who has been blamed for her own violation?

Next, Athena. If you believe the victim blaming narrative, Athena is certainly guilty of this. What other motive could there be for turning her rage on Medusa when, by most accounts, it was Poseidon who perpetrated the crime? 

Poseidon. I’m not sure I really need to explain this one; he raped a woman. That is more than enough to make him a monster in my book.

Finally, Perseus. This one is less grounded in the actual myth and more in certain interpretations of it. For some, the beheading of Medusa is symbolic of the silencing of powerful women and the suppression of their power. Indeed, Medusa is frequently used throughout history by the patriarchy to demonise women in power, from Marie Antoinette, to more recent figures such as Angela Merkel and Hillary Clinton. As Elizabeth Johnston writes: “Medusa has since haunted Western imagination, materializing whenever male authority feels threatened by female agency”.

“You only have to look at the Medusa straight on to see her. And she’s not deadly. She’s beautiful and she’s laughing.”

 Hélène Cixous, in her essay ‘the laugh of the medusa’

There is, of course, no right or wrong answer; this is myth, after all. Each interpretation has its merits and it is a personal choice which one you choose to believe. Personally, I used to be all-in on the idea of Athena as the cold-hearted goddess punishing a woman for a crime that was not her own. Very recently, however, I came across a post (which, despite my best efforts, I have unfortunately been unable to track down) that changed my mind completely. 

As a goddess of war, Athena is sometimes aligned with the other male gods, or is seen as the female counterpart to Ares, god of war. Yet, she is also the goddess of healing, wisdom, protection and self-defence, crafts, and culture. In this light, then, is it possible that Athena and Medusa were, in fact, on the same side – maybe even allies?

It may sound far-fetched, but hear me out. Why were Medusa and Poseidon in Athena’s temple in the first place? A common answer to this question is that Poseidon was looking to humiliate Athena due to their long-standing rivalry. But temples were sacred places where a person could go in order to find protection; where, in theory, they would be safe from all harm. So, given that Athena was also a goddess of protection, it may well be that she was hiding there, hoping for safety.

‘Medusa with the head of Perseus’, Luciano Garbati (2008)

Following on from that, Poseidon was a god, and one more powerful than Athena, so it stands to reason that she simply wasn’t able to punish him directly. Instead, she ‘cursed’ Medusa and, in so doing, gave her the ability to protect herself from other men. Granted, it is a strange form of protection, but Athena couldn’t be seen to do nothing either – she was a goddess whose sacred temple had been violated. To let that go without consequence would have been a sign of weakness.

Remember that there are no records of Medusa turning a woman to stone? Yet, after her death, her head saved a woman from an unwanted marriage and was subsequently used by Athena to strike fear in the hearts of her enemies.

Medusa’s name comes from the Ancient Greek for ‘guardian’ or ‘protectoress’. She is a symbol of female rage, of powerful women, and of what happens to such women under the patriarchy.

And maybe, she isn’t the monster. Maybe, she is actually a protector of women.

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