{"id":4292,"date":"2026-04-27T10:37:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/medusa\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:25:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:25:40","slug":"medusa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/medusa\/","title":{"rendered":"Medusa"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"4292\" class=\"elementor elementor-4292 elementor-2142 elementor-bc-flex-widget\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Medusa, Demon of the Greek Tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Medusa is a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effects are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demon<\/span> of the Greek <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p><p>A Gorgon with serpent hair, a petrifying gaze, the embodiment of the forbidden. Medusa is the most notorious of the three Gorgons and the only mortal one. Her sight turns to stone anyone who looks at her.<\/p><p>She is not a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effects are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demon<\/span> out of malice, but out of trauma: mutilated, cursed, banished to a cave. The hero Perseus kills her, yet her head retains the power to petrify; even after death her gaze remains effective.<\/p><p>The famous gaze of Medusa causes immediate petrification.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Demon: A supernatural being with mostly harmful or ambivalent effect. It stands between gods and humans, causes illness, temptation or misfortune, and is warded off through invocation, apotropaic objects and rituals.\">Demon<\/span><a href=\"\/en\/greece\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Religion and mythology of ancient Greece from the Mycenaean period to late antiquity.\">Greece<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_griechenland_medusa-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-4293\" alt=\"Medusa - demons from the Greek tradition, historical and illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_griechenland_medusa-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_griechenland_medusa-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_griechenland_medusa-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/daemonen_griechenland_medusa.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Medusa<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Short Profile: Medusa<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Greek mythical figure, Gorgon (serpent woman)<br><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of the gods of a religion or culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">Pantheon<\/span>: Greece (peripheral in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the transmitted divine narratives of a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span>, central in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial content and its meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span>)<br>Function: <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Warding off evil: of signs and objects intended to keep harmful influences away.\" tabindex=\"0\">Apotropaic<\/span> warding gaze, petrification of enemies, protectress<br>Main attributes: serpents instead of hair, winged brow, protruding tongue, fangs<br>Main <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> sites: no <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span> of her own; Gorgoneion <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, misfortune-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">amulets<\/span> and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> friezes (Corfu, Olympia)<br>Roman counterpart: Medusa (adopted unchanged)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Context<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the Texts<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Medusa is attested in literature since Hesiod&#8217;s <em>Theogony<\/em> (8th century BCE); archaeologically, apotropaic Gorgon images had already spread since the 7th century BCE.<\/p><p>The archaic Gorgon shows the terrible face with teeth and protruding tongue; in the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The era of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">classical<\/span> period (5th\/4th century BCE) it shifts toward the beautiful, sorrowful Medusa form. Roman reception: Caravaggio, later pre- and post-modern adaptations.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of Distribution<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Medusa had no cult sites of her own; she is a mythical figure, not a figure of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of the religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span>. Her <em>Gorgoneion<\/em> (the severed head), however, appears as a protective <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> on thousands of remains: friezes of Athena <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure dedicated to the worship of one or several deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span> (Corfu, Olympia, Athens), shields, vase painting, and later also Roman coins and architectural ornaments.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">State of the Sources<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Central sources: Hesiod&#8217;s <em>Theogony<\/em> (270:281), Apollodorus <em>Library<\/em> (II 4), Ovid&#8217;s <em>Metamorphoses<\/em> (IV 765 ff., the most popular transformation account), Pindar&#8217;s <em>Pythian Odes<\/em> (12), Lucan&#8217;s <em>Pharsalia<\/em> (IX 619 ff.). Secondary literature: Vernant, <em>La Mort dans les yeux<\/em>; Wilk, <em>Medusa<\/em>; LIMC (Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae) sub voce <em>Gorgo<\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name and Spellings<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Medusa is portrayed as terrible and beautiful: a woman&#8217;s body with serpents in place of hair. Her eyes glow with deadly power. She is sometimes shown with wings.<\/p><p>Her symbols are the serpents, the deadly gaze, and sometimes also wings (in later versions). Her petrifying gaze is her most fearsome feature. The severed head of Medusa (carried by Perseus) becomes an <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Term in religious studies for an object or sign with a misfortune-averting function.\" tabindex=\"0\">apotropaion<\/span>, a protective <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, evil-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">amulet<\/span> against the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Widespread notion that an envious gaze from another person can cause harm.\" tabindex=\"0\">evil eye<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Characteristics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Medusa is not venerated but feared and analysed. She is a figure of transgression, the boundary between woman and monster, human and inhuman. In later cultures her head (or its image) is used as a protective <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, evil-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">amulet<\/span>, an inversion of her dangerousness.<\/p><p>In tragedies and epics she is read as the embodiment of female power (sexuality, anger, independence) that threatens the patriarchal order and must therefore be destroyed. Her story is one of victimisation and reversal.<\/p><h3>Appearance and Symbolism<\/h3><p>Medusa is depicted as a woman with wild, fiery hair, yet not human: living serpents instead of hair. Her eyes glitter with power and suffering alike.<\/p><p>She is sometimes shown with wings, sometimes with the lower body of a dragon. Her skin can appear metallic or stony. The serpents are her primary attribute, a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> of the feminine, the dangerous, and transformation.<\/p><p>The blood that flowed from her neck became poison or a healing draught. She sometimes wears winged sandals (from Perseus) or other battle trophies. Her colour is dark green or dark red, the colours of nature and of blood. She is not beautiful in a conventional way, but fascinating, ambivalent, terrible and tragic.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Medusa<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of Medusa at a glance. The following fields summarise origin, function, appearance, veneration, symbols and parallels.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Cultural Context<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Medusa is the only mortal of the three Gorgon sisters (Stheno, Euryale, Medusa), daughters of the sea beings Phorcys and Ceto. According to Ovid she was originally a beautiful mortal, transformed by Athena as punishment for a rape in the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure dedicated to the worship of one or several deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span>.<\/p><p>She is killed by Perseus (with Hermes&#8217; sickle sword and Athena&#8217;s mirror shield). From her blood arise <em>Pegasus<\/em> and the giant <em>Chrysaor<\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Related To<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Apotropaic function: the Gorgoneion (severed head) acts as a protective <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> against enemies and evil <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being to which agency in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirits<\/span>. Athena bears the Gorgoneion on her shield (<em>Aegis<\/em>) as a central defensive weapon.<\/p><p>In Roman military life it appears frequently on shields, parapets and helmets. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religious ideas and customs that are widespread in everyday life.\" tabindex=\"0\">Popular belief<\/span>: the image on the threshold keeps the evil eye away.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Medusa's Appearance<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Two forms of appearance, depending on the era:<\/p><p><strong>Archaic (7th:5th century BCE):<\/strong> grotesque and terrifying, broad face, protruding tongue, fangs, winged temples, serpents instead of hair. Example: the Corfu <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure dedicated to the worship of one or several deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> frieze (c. 580 BCE).<\/p><p><strong>Classical and later (4th century BCE onward):<\/strong> a beautiful, sorrowful young woman with serpents in her hair, often with a melancholic expression. Example: Caravaggio&#8217;s <em>Medusa<\/em> (1597).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sphere of Influence<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Sphere of influence:<\/strong> Medusa had no <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of the religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> of her own, but the <em>Gorgoneion<\/em> was one of the most popular protective symbols of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BC to 600 AD.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancient<\/span> world. It was ubiquitous on door knobs, shields, drinking vessels, grave stelae and architrave friezes.<\/p><p>Athena bears it on her Aegis as a central insignia of power. In popular <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span>: the image on the house threshold wards off intruders and harm.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Protection<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Serpents instead of hair, winged temples, protruding tongue (archaic), fangs (archaic), sickle sword (the instrument of her death), mirror shield (Perseus&#8217; trick), <em>Pegasus<\/em> and <em>Chrysaor<\/em> (born from her blood). <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the divine and thereby withdrawn from everyday use.\" tabindex=\"0\">Sacred<\/span> plant: the mulberry tree (Ovid).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Related Beings<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Mesopotamian demoness regarded as a threat to pregnant women and newborns.\" tabindex=\"0\">Lamashtu<\/span><\/em> (Mesopotamia, apotropaic face of terror), <em>Pazuzu<\/em> (Mesopotamia, protective demon with a grotesque terrifying figure), <em>Bes<\/em> (Egypt, apotropaic household protection), <em>Humbaba<\/em> (Mesopotamia, guardian with a terrible face), <em>Rahu\/Kirtimukha<\/em> (Hinduism, face of terror at temple entrances). Functionally, all apotropaic faces of terror across different cultures follow the same principle.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Protective Practice<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div><h3>Warding Off in Everyday Life<\/h3><div><p><strong>Rituals and Invocations<\/strong><br>Medusa was not a cult goddess; her effect unfolded solely through the image. The Gorgoneion was attached to buildings, implements and tombs in order to keep the evil eye and misfortune away.<\/p><\/div><h3>Incantations and Invocations<\/h3><div><p><strong>Textual Tradition and Formulas<\/strong><br>Hesiod&#8217;s &#8220;Theogony&#8221;, Pindar and Ovid&#8217;s &#8220;Metamorphoses&#8221; transmit the figure of the Gorgon Medusa. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The era of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ancient<\/span> literature describes the Gorgoneion, her severed head, as a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Magical or ecclesiastical exclusion; also the binding of a power through a formula.\" tabindex=\"0\">banishing<\/span> pictorial sign.<\/p><\/div><h3>Amulets and Protective Symbols<\/h3><div><p><strong>Material <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Plural of apotropaion: objects and signs intended to ward off misfortune.\" tabindex=\"0\">apotropaia<\/span> and archaeological evidence<\/strong><br>The Gorgoneion is the classic apotropaion of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The era of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">antiquity<\/span>. It appears on shields, on the Aegis of Athena, on <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure dedicated to the worship of one or several deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> antefixes, on armour, door lintels and mosaics, and was meant to ward off harmful powers.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Medusa, Parallels in Other Cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Monstrous women and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demons<\/span> with petrifying gazes exist everywhere: Lamia (Greece, a child-killing monster), Scylla (Sicily, a many-headed monster), Lilith (Hebrew, a female <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effects are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demon<\/span>).<\/p><p>The petrifying gaze resembles gaze-powers in other cultures (the evil eye, <em>nazar<\/em>). Medusa&#8217;s transformation is similar to other punishment myths. She differs in that she has no evil power; she is a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity to express thanks, a request or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">victim<\/span> armed with weapons.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpff4dd22 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpff4dd22\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpf61f0a1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpf61f0a1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Medusa in the Perseus Myth<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp2b7dae8 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp2b7dae8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpaf6d04f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpaf6d04f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The connected story of Medusa is part of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> of the hero Perseus. King Polydectes wants to be rid of Perseus and sets him the impossible task of obtaining the head of Medusa.<\/p><p>Medusa is the only mortal of the three Gorgons; her gaze petrifies anyone who looks at her face. Perseus receives help from the gods: winged sandals, a cap of invisibility and a gleaming shield that serves as a mirror.<\/p><p>With this shield Perseus can behead Medusa without looking at her directly, since he observes only her reflection. From the neck of the slain Medusa spring, as Hesiod already relates in the <em>Theogony<\/em>, the winged horse Pegasus and the warrior Chrysaor, both offspring of her union with Poseidon.<\/p><p>The severed head retains its petrifying power. On his way back Perseus uses it as a weapon, for instance against the Titan Atlas and against the sea monster from which he frees Andromeda.<\/p><p>In the end Perseus hands the head to the goddess Athena, who sets it on her shield or breastplate, the <em>Aegis<\/em>. With this the mythical arc is closed: the dangerous being becomes a divine protective sign.<\/p><p>Ovid adds in the <em>Metamorphoses<\/em> a further backstory, according to which Medusa was once a beautiful maiden and was only turned into a monster by Athena after Poseidon had overpowered her in a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure dedicated to the worship of one or several deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> of the goddess. This version is comparatively late and is not attested in the older Greek <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp5a5850d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp5a5850d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpbad4fd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpbad4fd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Gorgoneion as a Protective Sign<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpf264fdd e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpf264fdd\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp6568b65 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp6568b65\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Independent of the narrative, the image of the Medusa head, the <em>Gorgoneion<\/em>, had its own very old function in Greek culture. It served as an apotropaic sign, that is, an image meant to ward off misfortune.<\/p><p>The logic behind it is one of like against like: a terrifying image is set up to keep terror away, the fearsome is meant to drive off the fearsome.<\/p><p>Archaeologically the Gorgoneion is exceptionally widely attested. It appears on temple pediments, for instance as a large antefix or as a central <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A decorative, often repeated element of a pattern.\" tabindex=\"0\">ornament<\/span>, on shields, on coins, on drinking vessels, on door knockers and on roof tiles.<\/p><p>In the archaic period the depiction is especially terrifying: a round, grimacing face with a gaping mouth, protruding tongue, fangs and serpent-wreathed hair. Over the course of the classical and Hellenistic periods the face becomes increasingly human and at times even perceived as beautiful, without the protective function being lost.<\/p><p>For <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The scholarly discipline that studies religions comparatively and without doctrinal commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religious studies<\/span> this finding is important because it shows that the Gorgoneion is older and more widespread than the elaborated Perseus narrative, and that the two are not simply to be equated.<\/p><p>Scholarship discusses whether the protective image originally stood on its own and the narrative was added later, or whether both belonged together from the start.<\/p><p>What is certain is that in the lived <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religion<\/span> of the Greeks, Medusa was first encountered as an effective pictorial sign meant to confer protection on houses, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sacred place dedicated to the veneration of a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">sanctuaries<\/span> and objects, and only secondarily as a figure in a heroic <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An edifying narrative, usually about the lives of saints.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp5342fc6 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp5342fc6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp39001d2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp39001d2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">History of Research and Interpretations<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp6b71174 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp6b71174\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp376cf22 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp376cf22\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Medusa has attracted scholarly and intellectual engagement to an unusual degree, and the interpretations have turned out to be very diverse.<\/p><p>An older, comparative line of thought saw in the Gorgon the reflection of a frightening mask or a cultic mummery; the grimacing face would then be the memory of a real mask. Others linked her to ideas of the evil eye and the averting power of the ugly.<\/p><p>The classical scholarship of the 20th century examined above all the function of the Gorgoneion as a pictorial sign, placing the connection of gaze, fear and warding off at the centre.<\/p><p>The French historian of religion Jean-Pierre Vernant worked out, in influential essays, that the Gorgon embodies the radically other, the confronting, something whose sight threatens the beholder themselves. Unlike most Greek divine faces, the Gorgoneion is depicted frontally; it looks directly at the beholder, and precisely in this lies its terror.<\/p><p>In more recent times, especially outside the narrower field of classical scholarship, Medusa has become a much-interpreted <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands representatively for a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbolic<\/span> figure. Psychoanalytic, feminist and culturally critical readings have claimed the figure for very different questions.<\/p><p>From the perspective of religious studies, caution is warranted here: these modern interpretations often say more about the present than about the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The era of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancient<\/span> conception. Whoever wishes to understand the Medusa of the Greeks should distinguish clearly between the ancient evidence, that is, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> and pictorial use, and the later appropriation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpfb29088 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpfb29088\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp92f9af5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp92f9af5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Reception From Antiquity to the Present<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3f8d543 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp3f8d543\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp83f70a5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp83f70a5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The image of Medusa long outlasted <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The era of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">antiquity<\/span>. In Roman art the Gorgoneion remained a frequent <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring element of content in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> on mosaics, cuirass statues and jewellery.<\/p><p>Famous is the depiction of a Medusa head in a mosaic floor and the head image on the breastplate of imperial statues, which recall Athena&#8217;s <em>Aegis<\/em> and present the ruler as both protected and terrifying.<\/p><p>In the Renaissance and the Baroque, Medusa became a valued pictorial theme. Caravaggio painted a famous Medusa head on a ceremonial shield, and in Florence stands Benvenuto Cellini&#8217;s bronze statue showing Perseus with the severed head. The artists were interested in the meeting of beauty and terror and in the moment of death and transformation.<\/p><p>In the modern era Medusa has entered popular culture, literature, film and also trademarks. She appears as an opponent in film adaptations of the Perseus story, as a figure in fantasy literature and as a logo. This ubiquity has detached the figure from its original religious context.<\/p><p>For a religious-studies understanding it therefore remains important to take note of the long history of reception while keeping the focus on the ancient core: a petrifying gaze, a heroic myth and, above all, an old, widespread protective image whose task was to banish evil through its own terrifying likeness.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further Links<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><a href=\"\/en\/lamashtu\/\">Lamashtu, Mesopotamian parallel of terror<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/pazuzu\/\">Pazuzu, Mesopotamian protective demon<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/greece\/\">Greece, pantheon overview<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/demons\/\">Demons, class overview<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Literature (Selection)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Vernant, Jean-Pierre: <em>La Mort dans les yeux. Figures de l&#8217;Autre en Gr&egrave;ce ancienne<\/em>. Paris 1985.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Wilk, Stephen R.: <em>Medusa. Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon<\/em>. Oxford 2000.<\/span><\/li><li>LIMC <em>Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae<\/em>, vol. IV (Gorgo).<\/li><li>Hesiod: <em>Theogony<\/em>, vv. 270:281.<\/li><li>Ovid: <em>Metamorphoses<\/em>, IV 765 ff.<\/li><li>Walde, Christine (ed.): <em>Der Neue Pauly<\/em> (entries &#8220;Medusa&#8221;, &#8220;Gorgo&#8221;).<\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-medusa-sec e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"iwgca-medusa-sec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" id=\"iwg-ca-medusa\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-medusa-te iwg-ca-textwrap elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"iwgca-medusa-te\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p class=\"iwg-ca-bridge\">The protective practice described here is a religious-studies classification of historical traditions. iWell Guard ties in with this cultural-historical line of wearable protective objects and represents a contemporary form of it. <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/about-iwell-guard-the-protective-pendant-in-detail\/?utm_source=iwell-guard.com&#038;utm_medium=text-link&#038;utm_campaign=schadwesen-tradition\">More about the iWell Guard \u2192<\/a><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Medusa, Demon of the Greek Tradition Medusa is a demon of the Greek tradition. A Gorgon with serpent hair, a petrifying gaze, the embodiment of the forbidden. Medusa is the most notorious of the three Gorgons and the only mortal one. Her sight turns to stone anyone who looks at her. She is not a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4293,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Medusa","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Medusa: The Gorgon With the Petrifying Gaze","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Gorgon with serpent hair and petrifying gaze, a demon of Greek mythology. Perseus, forbidden power, protective amulet.","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[79,80,88],"class_list":["post-4292","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultures","category-demons","category-greece"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Medusa: The Gorgon With the Petrifying Gaze<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gorgon with serpent hair and petrifying gaze, a demon of Greek mythology. 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