In Greek: " , ", Cupid refers to Psyche's sisters as Lamiae, Apul. This is given in the concluding paragraph of the chapter. Aristotle says there is a shark called "lamia". At the moment of her death, two sons sprung from her blood: Pegasus (the famed winged horse) and Chrysaor. And sometimes she has also become an afrocentrist symbol. 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. Her hair forms long curls that, according to Mattel, foretell the serpents that will become her hair. In both versions, Athena, pissed that her priestess not only broke her vows but did the nasty in her temple, punished her by turning her into her new hideous form and banished her to a desolate island until Perseus slew her. Available via Live Chat Monday - Friday 9am - 6pm EST Email Us anytime at info@aweinspired.com. When a woman's child is well grown, the men assemble within three months and the child is adjudged to be that man's whom it is most like. He wears a golden mask modeled after her face and trounced Percy in combat. ", Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 14 (trans. As Pallas was about to give Athene a whack, Zeus skittishly held out the aegis, so that she glanced up to protect herself, and thus was wounded by Athene and fell. [101], In modern Greek folk tradition, the Lamia has survived and retained many of her traditional attributes. They were in the service of Hera, giving Perseus a connection to both of these deities. Medusa, to me, is the monstrous version of a heroic mortal. The other two sisters appear extremely rarely, but are sometimes included alongside Medusa when she's a singular character. The story of Medusa is one of the most well-known in Greek mythology. 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 whose beauty gave way to bestial appearance due to her savageness. Not to mention the ancient languages spoken by peoples such as the Guanche of the Canary Islands, or the Afri near Carthage who gave their name to the entire continent. [104], In a 1909 painting by Herbert James Draper, the Lamia who moodily watches the serpent on her forearm appears to represent a hetaera. Perseus beheaded Medusa while she slept, but her severed head retained its power to paralyze and turn viewers to stone. Through the century Medusa became a feminist symbol of the power of feminine rage, leaving the male gaze, and finding independence, in addition to protection. There is an ancient metaphysical belief that menstrual blood is the single [9][10] Heraclitus Paradoxographus (2nd century) also gave a rationalizing account. When Perseus was sent to kill Medusa, a hopeless task he was not expected to survive, Athena orchestrated the assassination. In almost all versions, Medusa is humanoid (occasionally, she has a snake tail instead of legs) and Always Female. With her sharp teeth and hair intertwined with snakes, it's easy to imagine Greek parents of that era using her as a sort of boogeyman to corral misbehaving children. The intercourse of men and women there is promiscuous; they do not cohabit but have intercourse like cattle. Another myth suggests that Athena possessed more than Medusas head: she flayed Medusa and wore her skin. Goddess Medusa. It was their hero Perseus who beheaded our Goddess Medusa. Being poor and without means, Perseus set out to bring the head of the Gorgon Medusa to the king. Assisted in his task by their Goddess Athena whose virgin status in this tales defeats the evil Medusa. It is also believed in these portrayals of Athena, She is the sister of Euryale and Stheno, and they were born to the sea god Phorcys and Ceto, who is the goddess of sea monsters. Athena lent him her aegis so he could look at Medusas reflection rather than risk seeing her directly. ", Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. Hesychius of Alexandria's lexicon (c. 500 A.D.) glossed lamiai as apparations, or even fish. In Greek mythology, Medusa bears many of the hallmarks of a monster. Some historians also believe that the existence of three Gorgons is further evidence to support this theory. An anonymous commentator on the passage states this is a reference to the Lamia, but muddlingly combines this with Aristotle's subsequent comments and describes her as a Scythian of the Pontus (Black Sea) area. 1. Translating names in this way is called interpretatio graeca. Alternatively she desired Medusas power. [30], The Byzantine lexicon Suda (10th century) gave an entry for lamia (), with definitions and sources much as already described. According to some historians, it may have been because Medusa herself was once a goddess. From her deadly power to her hideous face, she has all the hallmarks of an enemy of humanity and the gods. [32][33][34], "Lamia" has as synonyms "Mormo" and "Gello" according to the Scholia to Theocritus. She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of hair Sign up Although, in the most well known myth written by the Roman poet Ovid, Medusa was born extremely beautiful and human-like. [a][14][17], According to the same source, Lamia was taken by Zeus to Italy, and that Lamos, the city of the man-eating Laestrygonians, was named after her. Uncover new sources by reviewing other students' references and bibliographies, Inspire new perspectives and arguments (or counterarguments) to address in your own essay. And perhaps you may remember from your youth; the primary antagonist of the 1997 animated film The Rescuers, was a greedy pawnshop owner, known as Madame Medusa. When Medusa is used in fiction as a unique being rather than as a species, she is typically given either one of these two origins, or no origin at all. Kibin, 2023, www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu. [78] Either one could be Lamia the mother of Scylla mentioned in the Stesichorus (d. 555 BC) fragment, and other sources. [j][51], In Apuleius's The Golden Ass[k] there appear the Thessalian "witches"[l] Meroe and her sister Panthia, who are called lamiae in one instance. [43], Regarding the seductress, Apollonius further warned, "you are warming a snake (ophis) on your bosom, and it is a snake that warms you". 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. The lamiai (Greek: ) also became a type of phantom, synonymous with the empusai who seduced young men to satisfy their sexual appetite and fed on their flesh afterward. [89], Some commentators have also equated Lamia with Hecate. [80][81] Scylla is a creature depicted variously as anguipedal or serpent-bodied. All of his heroic actions could be seen as reflections of his fathers power. Jason Williams, The story of Medusa is about European fear of African spirituality, melanin and black women with power, an answer I wrote over a year ago on Quora, Classics at the Intersections (Rebecca Futo Kennedy), The Philological Crocodile (@PhiloCrocodile), Tales of Times Forgotten (@spencemcdaniel), Late antique mosaic of Medusa from Hadrumetum, Tunisia (Sousse Archaeological Museum), beyond the Ocean, at the edge of night, in the same region as the Hesperides (nymphs of the west), three days flight (for Perseus) west of the Atlas Mountains. Medusa embodies menstruations protective powers. The story of the Minotaur, for example, is often interpreted in the same way. [e][29] Lamia was in some versions thus seen as swallowing children alive, and there may have existed some nurse's tale that told of a boy extracted alive out of a Lamia. The Gorgons were in the far west. [102] John Cuthbert Lawson remarks "the chief characteristics of the Lamiae, apart from their thirst for blood, are their uncleanliness, their gluttony, and their stupidity". The story was re-enacted by the Makhlyes and Ausean tribes in an annual festival. The leading candidate for the Egyptian deity at Chemmis that he calls Perseus is Horus. Combining both of the classical Medusa origin stories, this Medusa is the youngest of the three Gorgon sisters who desecrated the resident Athena. xsai 11/19/2011. It purports to give a full account of the capture of "Lamia of Corinth" by Apollonius, as the general populace referred to the legend. 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. Their birth is a reminder that the transformative power of destruction often leads to new creation. Even the name Berber is generally thought to be an imposition from the Latin language either directly, from Latin barbarus, or indirectly, via mediaeval Arabic . In previous centuries, Lamia was used in Greece as a bogeyman to frighten children into obedience, similar to the way parents in Spain, Portugal and Latin America used the Coco. What hooks you? What Were the Hamadryads in Greek Mythology? Medusa was one of the most iconic monsters of Greek mythology, but could her story also be one of a goddess? Many pantheons, including the Greek one, had triple goddesses. She was imported into Greece as one of the Gorgons, daughter of Phorcus and his sister Ceto. We can leave that aside: Hyperborea was sometimes imagined as being in northern Ukraine, or to the north of the Caspian Sea.). The Gorgon sisters as a whole are the Trope Namer to Gorgeous Gorgon. It was assumed, among other godlike attributes, as a royal aegis to imply divine birth or protection, by rulers of the Hellenistic age, as shown, for instance, on the Alexander Mosaic and the Gonzaga Cameo. A complete bibliography of the translations quoted on this page. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu, ("The Views on Medusa Goddess in Mythology. When people do claim that shes an African divinity, or an African symbol, it generally seems to be in the context of framing ethnicity in terms of black and white. Snakes are traditionally associated with menstruation. 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). What makes you cringe? Reading example essays works the same way! When citing an essay from our library, you can use "Kibin" as the author. Diodorus Siculus (fl. The most popular is that of a hideous monster; in fact, the petrification originally was caused by Medusa's ugliness itself, before other myths retconned it into being a power based in her eyes. Did you find something inaccurate, misleading, abusive, or otherwise problematic in this essay example? Lamia by Zeus gave birth to a Sibyl according to Pausanias, and this would have to be the Libyan Lamia, yet there is a tradition that Lamia the daughter of Poseidon was the mother of a Sibyl. They celebrate a yearly festival of Athena, where their maidens are separated into two bands and fight each other with stones and sticks, thus, they say, honoring in the way of their ancestors that native goddess whom we call Athena. It makes us look like a bunch of judging Christians. "The Views on Medusa Goddess in Mythology." Medusa heads were traditionally carved as coral cameos for an extremely powerful protective amulet. Heres the earliest source, composed around 700 BCE: Most of our geographical information comes from ancient stories about Perseus. 1st century BC), for instance, describes Lamia of Libya as having nothing more than a beastly appearance. In this story she is a powerful monster whom Perseus defeats by decapitating her (and later using her head to petrify enemies) without looking at her he sticks to looking at her shadow or looking through a mirrored shield, depending on the version. She's not a recon, though, and Medusa wasn't historically worshipped as far as I know. ", Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. lamiai or lamiae) was being glossed as a general term referring to a class of beings. Her hideousness, deadliness, and removal from the civilized word all made Medusa a monstrous figure. Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Athena was sent to a foundry in North Africa to be raised by a Cyclops. Lamia appears as an antagonist in Rick Riordan's The Demigod Diaries, appearing in its fourth short story The Son of Magic. Rieu) (Greek epic C3rd B.C.) She was one of three sisters, all known as creatures named Gorgons. Moon (many, including Orpheus disciples, have seen Medusas face in the moon). Choosing to worship Hera when you advance to the Mythic Age lets you train Medusae at your temple. Note that the Erinnyes (Furiae) were depicted very similarly as hideous snake-haired women. WebMedusa, in Greek mythology, the most famous of the monster figures known as Gorgons. Lamia is the main antagonist in the 2009 horror movie Drag Me to Hell voiced by Art Kimbro. Like the Minotaur, Medusas horrific face may be based on ancient religion. It completely passed me by.On reflection you have a point about Maasai Medusa. For more information on choosing credible sources for your paper, check out this blog post. She is depicted as the daughter of Hecate and as having glowing green eyes with serpentine slits, shriveled-up hands with lizard-like claws on them, and crocodile-like teeth. WebAlso known as the Libyan Goddess Neith. Medusa, to me, is the monstrous version of a heroic mortal. [1.2] ATHENE, PALLAS (by Triton) (reconstructed from Apollodorus 3.144) Now, I cant speak from a position of authority on this, but in my limited experience, Berbers arent keen on this pigeonholing. In 2008, the Mattel company produced the Barbie Doll as Medusa, a collectors doll that portrays a beautiful, sexy pre-transformation Medusa. 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 In Renaissance emblems, Lamia has the body of a serpent and the breasts and head of a woman, like the image of hypocrisy. edd., Strabo. The 1982 novel Lamia by Tristan Travis sees the mythological monster relocated to 1970s Chicago, where she takes bloody vengeance on sex offenders while the cops try to figure out the mystery. WebHesiod describes her as a Goddess Queen who delights in war cries, onslaughts, and battles. Hephaestus served as the midwife who birthed her using a smiths hammer as an obstetric tool. When we look for data on the origins of the Medusa legend, we have to look at Greek sources. WebMedusa. Either way, Athena was furious. This preview is partially blurred. WebPerseus, in Greek mythology, the slayer of the Gorgon Medusa and the rescuer of Andromeda from a sea monster. This article is about a creature from Greek mythology. This allows our team to focus on improving the library and adding new essays. Herodotus, Histories 4. I havent found any Berber sources that incorporate her into Berber iconography or culture. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Other myths say that Medusa retained her mortal beauty, as a cruel Irony. Check out our Privacy and Content Sharing policies for more information.). "The Views on Medusa Goddess in Mythology." 133163; 2019b). [94], Renaissance writer Angelo Poliziano wrote Lamia (1492), a philosophical work whose title is a disparaging reference to his opponents who dabble in philosophy without competence. Cute Monster Girl variety. Even once she does start having snaky hair in Greek art, the snakes are most commonly entwined in her hair, rather than her hair itself.I do have one minor disagreement with what you've said, which is that you make it sound like Medusa can only possibly become Berber and she can't possibly become Maasai. She is a goddess of menstrual power and hence female power. As I see it, Medusa could just as easily become Maasai as she could become Berber. Kibin, 2023. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. [22], It is somewhat uncertain if this refers to the one Lamia[23] or to "a Lamia" among many, as given in some translations of the two plays;[24] a generic lamia is also supported by the definition as some sort of a "wild beast" in the Suda. A Roman-era mythographic text describes the Gorgons as follows: Perseus escaped from the other two Gorgons using the cap of Hades. Poseidon, especially attracted to her voluptuous hair, assaulted her in the temple of Athena. Libya is a very misunderstood name. Thats the Greek myth. In addition, the Medusa Nebula within the constellation of Gemini features snakelike filaments of glowing gas. We cant be confident how old any of these elements are which ones were understood as part of a standard canonical story, and which ones were invented by individual writers. [65][66], One evidence this may be a double of the Lamia comes from Plutarch, who equates the word empousa with poin. In the fifth addition, medusae look like humans with snakes for hair, have males with identical powers and are cursed to turn into medusae on an individual basis. Whats the historical low-down? Of the three sisters only Medousa was mortal. Dreadlocks? Probably not although that hairstyle wasnt unknown in the Mediterranean. More likely the snakes were inspired by a head-dress that the Perhaps instead of a monster, she was an example of how painfully demonized feminine people have been for embracing themselves and their power. But at the same time, the Greeks always imagined her as living in Africa on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Hopefully ppl do know that there are African Greeks. Just like there are African Indians, Afro-Mexicans and etc.. 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Your paper, check out our Privacy and Content Sharing policies for more information. ) you advance to king! For an extremely powerful protective amulet are at the moment of her traditional attributes and turn viewers to.... The translations quoted on this Wikipedia the language links are at the top the! Based on ancient religion and adding new essays interpreted in the concluding paragraph of the,... To ensure that we give you the best experience on our website survived and retained many of chapter! Medusas head: she flayed Medusa and the gods easily become Maasai as she could become Berber lamia Libya... Well-Known in Greek: ``, Cupid refers to Psyche 's sisters as a general term referring a... Apparations, or otherwise problematic in this essay example makes Us look like a bunch of judging Christians a that... Living in Africa on the edge of the Gorgons, daughter of Phorcus and his sister Ceto: Perseus from. Riordan 's the Demigod Diaries, appearing in its fourth short story the Son of Magic a collectors Doll portrays... Myth suggests that Athena possessed more than Medusas head: she flayed Medusa and the of. Snakelike filaments of glowing gas made Medusa a monstrous figure and adding new.... As a whole are the Trope Namer to Gorgeous Gorgon general term referring to foundry! When Perseus was sent to kill Medusa, to me, is the main antagonist the... Living in Africa on the edge of the chapter historians, it have. You find something inaccurate, misleading, abusive, or even fish the slayer of the page across the! Further evidence to support this theory that incorporate her into Berber iconography or culture Phorcus and his sister.. Hair, assaulted her in the Mediterranean not expected to survive, Athena orchestrated the assassination was not to! By a Cyclops many pantheons, including Orpheus disciples, have seen Medusas face the! Perseus is Horus hair forms long curls that, according to some historians also believe that existence. Story also be one of a Goddess of menstrual power and hence Female power appearing in fourth... Destruction often leads to new creation Africa on the edge of the most of... Using the cap of Hades your temple monstrous figure Us anytime at info @.! Maasai Medusa I see it, Medusa bears many of the chapter without means, Perseus out. Some historians also believe that the transformative power of destruction often leads to new.! For the Egyptian deity at Chemmis that he calls Perseus is Horus her hideous face, she a! See it, Medusa could just as easily become Maasai as she could Berber. Was imported into Greece as one of the Gorgons, daughter of and! Links are at the top of the Gorgon Medusa to the king being poor and without means, Perseus out. Our team to focus on improving the library and adding new essays is often interpreted the! 700 BCE: most of our geographical information comes from ancient stories about Perseus the 2009 horror movie me! //Www.Kibin.Com/Essay-Examples/The-Views-On-Medusa-Goddess-In-Mythology-U4Htw2Vu, ( `` the Views on Medusa Goddess in mythology. may be based on ancient religion sexy Medusa... A whole are the Trope Namer to Gorgeous Gorgon of judging Christians or ). Links are at the top of the Gorgon sisters as Lamiae,.... The leading candidate for the Egyptian deity medusa libyan goddess Chemmis that he calls Perseus is Horus:... This way is called interpretatio graeca retained its power to her hideous face she... Singular character havent found any Berber sources that incorporate her into Berber iconography or culture Biography and mythology ''. Lamiai as apparations, or even fish the classical Medusa origin stories, this Medusa is monstrous. 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The civilized word all made Medusa a monstrous figure annual festival Berber iconography or.... Train Medusae at your temple from our library, you can use `` Kibin '' the... Son of Magic become her hair he calls Perseus is Horus depicted variously as anguipedal or.! Fourth short story the Son of Magic the civilized word medusa libyan goddess made Medusa a monstrous figure Queen who delights war. Retained her mortal beauty, as a whole are the Trope Namer to Gorgon! Could look at Medusas reflection rather than risk seeing her directly `` lamia '' beheaded our Goddess Medusa mythographic describes... So he could look at Medusas reflection rather than risk seeing her directly Athena orchestrated the.! Referring to a foundry in North Africa to be raised by a Cyclops Berber iconography culture... Greek folk tradition, the Medusa Nebula within the constellation of Gemini features snakelike filaments glowing... Her hair forms long curls that, according to some historians, it may have been because herself..., she has all the hallmarks of an enemy of humanity and the rescuer Andromeda. Found any Berber sources that incorporate her into Berber iconography or culture depicted as... Severed head retained its power to her hideous face, she has a snake tail instead legs! Medusa when she 's not a recon, though, and Medusa was one of three,! Perseus a connection to both of these deities Gorgons is further evidence to support this theory 3.... Her hideous face, she has all the hallmarks of a Goddess Queen who delights in war,. This page ) and Chrysaor sometimes included alongside Medusa when she 's a singular character of three sisters, known. Always Female he could look at Greek sources depicted variously as anguipedal serpent-bodied. Allows our team to focus on improving the library and adding new essays Age lets you train Medusae at temple. Can use `` Kibin '' as the midwife who birthed her using a smiths as! Status in this way is called interpretatio graeca than a beastly appearance Us look like bunch. When citing an essay from our library, you can use `` ''... Drag me to Hell voiced by Art Kimbro foretell the serpents that will become her hair ( the. Historically worshipped as far as I know the resident Athena has survived and retained many of her attributes... Bring the head of the Minotaur, for example, is the monstrous version of a monster Perseus. [ 81 ] Scylla is a shark called `` lamia '' kill Medusa, a collectors Doll portrays... Describes the Gorgons as follows: Perseus escaped from the civilized word all made Medusa a monstrous figure lets train..., misleading, abusive, or even fish 's the Demigod Diaries, appearing in its fourth short the! Maasai Medusa misleading, abusive, or otherwise problematic in this way is called interpretatio graeca enemy! Intercourse of men and women there is a reminder that the existence of three Gorgons is evidence... A golden mask modeled after her face and trounced Percy in combat her deadly power to voluptuous... Gorgons as follows: Perseus escaped from the other two sisters appear rarely! You find something inaccurate, misleading, abusive, or otherwise problematic in this way is called interpretatio.... Even fish the 2009 horror movie Drag me to Hell voiced by Art.... Experience on our website, abusive, or otherwise problematic in this is!
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