Medusa

• #2212
•  Greek (culture)
•  Reptilian (attribute)
•  Cave Dweller (attribute)
•  Deadly (behaviour)

The most infamous of the Gorgons of Greek mythology. Originally women, they were transformed into a half serpent, half women creature with scaly skin by the goddess Athena. They had snakes for hair, tusks from their mouths and a stare that could turn a man to stone. Her clawed hands were made of brass. Her name means ‘queen’ as she was the leader of her sisters, Eurale and Atheno. Of the three sisters Medusa was the only one that was mortal.

Medusa and her sisters terrorized people for year but she finally met her match by a hero named Perseus was set on a quest to kill Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon and take her head to help the King Polydektes who had incurred the wrath of the gods. He found his way to their layer by gaining vital information from the 3 Graeae sisters. No one knows quite how Perseus killed Medusa. Some say she lay sleeping while he cut off his head, but what we do know is that he used a magical cap of invisibility, winged sandals, a curved sword and a mirror shield. Perseus did successfully decapitate her with his curved sword. When she died, out of her oozing blood arose the Pegasus and the Chrysaor. Perseus fled with the head of Medusa in his sack with the two sisters closely pursuing behind.

In the 16^th century some believed that the Gorgons still existed and lived in Africa and were guarded by the Graeae. Similar to Catoblepas.

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