For the Basque lamia, see. Will also delete on comment score of -1 or less. Other legends suggest that Medusa is a Libyan snake goddess. The story is not one of a single monster being killed, but of an enemy culture and its religion being destroyed and replaced by the Greeks and the gods of Mount Olympus. She may also be accessed as a living goddess by those seeking menstrual, serpentine mysteries. iv. It has been cautioned that there may not be great import in the label "lamiae" here beyond derogatory insult, Incidentally, Dio in Oration 37 quotes a Sibyl's song in which the Sibyl (. Alternatively she desired Medusas power. In some versions, her hair-snakes are venomous. Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Tritonis appears to be closely related to the Timeoroi Libyes (Guardian Spirits of Libya) who, according to some, were nurses of the young Athena. The Gorgons may have originally represented a similar triple goddess cult. | FAQs | ^Mods | Magic ^Words. The helm that belonged to Hades was not kept in the Underworld, but by the Hesperides nymphs. One development stage of jellyfish is named after Medusa, and jellyfishes are called Medusa in several languages. Poseidon, especially attracted to her voluptuous hair, assaulted her in the temple of Athena. She doesn't appear that often in media made before the 80s. A slightly different version of this origin is that they were. The TImeoroi were perhaps Naiad-nymphs of the fresh-water springs of the region. Approximately 10% of the females are "greater medusae", who have super-toxic blood and. 2. I don't object to you removing the last sentence at all. From Greek mythology, Medusa is the only mortal of the Gorgons. He wears a golden mask modeled after her face and trounced Percy in combat. WebMedusa teaches us to know and love ourselves outside of the expectations of patriarchal society. WebMedusa is not just a minor sea spirit. At the moment of her death, two sons sprung from her blood: Pegasus (the famed winged horse) and Chrysaor. 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. He also gifted her with a shapeshifting ability in the process. Maidens who die of their wounds are called false virgins. Ancient people were racist too, but they tended to think of ethnicity in terms of homeland, language, clothing, religion, and other customs, all in a bundle. [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. She is a goddess of menstrual power and hence female power. Met. Clash of the Titans (1981) (mentioned below) featured her as one of the monsters and it has been said that modern generations owe their knowledge of Medusa to the film. They're not intended to be submitted as your own work, so we don't waste time removing every error. In 2008, the Mattel company produced the Barbie Doll as Medusa, a collectors doll that portrays a beautiful, sexy pre-transformation Medusa. And then there are some that offer a compromise and state that she was both beautiful and terrible at the same time. It has been recorded more recently by Rumon Gamba conducting the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for Chandos Records in a 2019 release of British tone poems. Medusa's appearance varies depending on what source you're reading. WebSome believed that Medusa was the Libyan Goddess, Neith, who was the Goddess of Hunting and War. Statues of Medusa were used to guard Pagan Greek temples. It is referred to as Poine or Ker[60] in classical sources, but later in the Medieval period, one source does call it a lamia (First Vatican Mythographer, c. 9th to 11th century).[61][62]. Besides having serpents for hair, the Gorgons were described as having tusks, brazen claws, wings and strongly acidic blood; in a few very early depictions they are shown as quadrupeds, possibly because Pegasus was born out of Medusa's blood when she was beheaded by Perseus. Both sexes resemble the scaly humanoid from 3rd edition, though with less haggish features. The technical term for the image of Medusas severed head is gorgoneion. 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. [38] The last statement has led to the surmise that this lamia/empusa was a sort of blood-sucking vampiress. Kibin, 2023. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu. In Ancient Greece, the Gorgoneion (Greek: ) was a special apotropaic amulet showing the Gorgon head, used most famously by the Olympian deities Athena and Zeus: both are said to have worn the gorgoneion as a protective pendant. [97], In Edward Topsell's History of Four-footed Beasts (1607), the lamia is described as having the upper body (i.e., the face and breasts) of a woman, but with goatlike hind quarters with large and filthy "stones" (testicles) that smell like sea-calves, on authority of Aristophanes. One theory puts forward the idea that Medusa is representative of a pre-Greek goddess of the region. French Polynesia, Guadeloupe, Libya, Martinique, New Caledonia, Reunion, Russian Federation, Singapore, Ukraine, (Yes, Ive seen this claimed.). Pegasus, the winged horse, emerged from Medusas severed head, apparently conceived during her tryst with Poseidon, who often manifests as a stallion. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 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. A more sustainable option that doesn't include our Goddess box, pouch, or booklet to reduce packaging waste. [39] An apparition (phasma [40][g]) which in the assumed guise of a woman seduced one of Apollonius's young pupils. 1495.). Judika Isles has her as a living Goddess in her Encyclopedia of spirits. Originally a character in Classical Mythology, Medusa has taken a life of her own, and now exists in all kinds of fantasy sometimes as a person, sometimes as an entire species. Left: a Gorgoneion or Gorgons head on a hydria from Attica, Greece, ca. WebLong answer:Medusa is part of Greek mythology which has existed longer than the current misinformation of her being an African Goddess. 1493 ff (trans. All three were so hideous, that the shock of seeing them would turn anyone into stone, which In Keats's version, the student Lycius replaces Menippus the Lycian. The ancient Greco-Roman imagination gradually shifted the Gorgons home, from an island in the Atlantic, eastwards to the African mainland: perhaps in Morocco, perhaps at the Strait of Gibraltar. Before the girls are set fighting, the whole people choose the fairest maid, and arm her with a Korinthian (Corinthian) helmet and Greek panoply, to be then mounted on a chariot and drawn all along the lake shore. My last sentence 'But thats a long, long way from making her Maasai' was ill-advised. Engraged, Athena, unable to punish Poseidon, banished Medusa to an island and cursed her to have snakes for hair and a face so revolting it would turn the onlooker to stone. Her symbols were a shield that frequently appeared above her head in [89], Some commentators have also equated Lamia with Hecate. Much later, in the first decade AD, the Roman poet Ovid wrote a different version where Medusa was a virgin priestess of Athena, but her incredible beauty attracted the attentions of the god Poseidon. Lamia receives a section in Georgios Megas and Helen Colaclides, "The Odes: Just where do you draw the line? She vowed to be celibate her entire life as a priestess of Athena until she fell in love with Poseidon. [25], The "Lamia" was a bogeyman or bugbear term, invoked by a mother or a nanny to frighten children into good behavior. No. Medusa if she was inspired by a goddess culture" could be a trace memory of Minoan goddess worship and the importance of snakes in the culture New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. As for Athena, they say that she was daughter of Poseidon and Lake Tritonis, and that, being for some reason angry at her father, she gave herself to Zeus, who made her his own daughter. [18][26] Such practices are recorded by the 1st century Diodorus,[9] and other sources in antiquity. Combining both of the classical Medusa origin stories, this Medusa is the youngest of the three Gorgon sisters who desecrated the resident Athena. [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. [37][36], A representative example is Philostratus's novelistic biography Life of Apollonius of Tyana.[37]. Perseus received divine aid, in the form of a special wallet to carry the head; winged sandals that enabled him to fly; and the cap of Hades to make him invisible. Kibin, 2023. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu. In some versions, we'll never know if it was consensual. ", Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. Many historians believe that it represents a time when the Minoan culture of Crete dominated the new Mycenaean Greeks. WebIt is unlikely, though, that Medusa was ever an African goddess, since we have no evidence that any goddess resembling Medusa was worshipped in North Africa before [30], The Byzantine lexicon Suda (10th century) gave an entry for lamia (), with definitions and sources much as already described. 144 (trans. Iconographically, two very different depictions coalesce in the classical Medusa: the Neolithic God-dess of birth, death, and regeneration, who is represented as bird, snake, or bird/snake hybrid; and the Near Eastern demon Humbaba whose severed head is, like Medusas, used in an apo-tropaic manner. Medusas normally have entirely human bodies, snake hair aside, but medusas who mate with powerful humanoids give birth to brazen medusas, who have the lower bodies of giant, bronze-scaled snakes. Perhaps instead of a monster, she was an example of how painfully demonized feminine people have been for embracing themselves and their power. The poets stated that she 144 (trans. Lamia appears as an antagonist in Rick Riordan's The Demigod Diaries, appearing in its fourth short story The Son of Magic. Athena was sent to a foundry in North Africa to be raised by a Cyclops. [19], Other bogeys have been listed in conjunction with "Lamia", for instance, the Gorgo, the eyeless giant Ephialtes, a Mormolyce named by Strabo. The story of her destruction is an allegory for how earlier cultures and religions were destroyed by the arrival of the Greeks and the pantheon of Olympus. 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. Raised by Wolves features a character named Lamia, an android mother, who has removable eyes and the ability to shapeshift. Some modern astrologers suggest that this star is associated with female power and the reemergence of the feminine divine. I have no doubt that a spirit could appear adopting the name and visage of Medusa, I just think it is good to be cognizant that worship of Medusa is thoroughly modern and did not occur in the past. According to some myths, Medusa, the most famous of the Gorgons, was originally a beautiful woman. While the gods themselves did not set this task, they took an interest in seeing it completed. "a Lamia's groin" (Benjamin Bickley Rogers, 1874), "a foul Lamia's testicles" (Athenian Society, 1912), "sweaty Crotch of a Lamia" (Paul Roche, 2005). Medusa Medusa was a Libyan Goddess who was worshiped by The Amazons. Medusas face was said to be so horrifying to look at that it could turn men to stone. Over time, as the snake hair grows larger, the human parts will eventually shrivel up and die, leaving only the snake heads attached to a snake body. The Greek word "gorgon" means "horror". Algol, usually considered a star of ill-fortune, is traditionally perceived as representing Medusas eye. Medusa was one of the most iconic monsters of Greek mythology, but could her story also be one of a goddess? [54][55][m][n], Meroe has seduced a man named Socrates, but when he plots to escape, the two witches raid his bed, thrust a knife in the neck to tap the blood into a skin bag, eviscerate his heart, and stuff the hole back with sponge. Hopefully ppl do know that there are African Greeks. Just like there are African Indians, Afro-Mexicans and etc.. Just true history is needed.. no xsai 11/19/2011. If you don't object I'll delete it from the article and just preserve it here in this comment. [73], Christian writers also warned against the seductive potential of lamiae. For the descriptions and nature of the Lamia, Keats drew from Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : And, incidentally, Gorgon snake hair in Morocco certainly isnt derived from Maasai dreadlocks in Kenya. How the West made Arabs and Berbers into races.. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu, ("The Views on Medusa Goddess in Mythology. 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. Perseus used it as a weapon before surrendering it to Athena. She went against her vow and married him. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for MEDUSA BROOCH Pin Gorgo Snake Hair Greek Mythology Gold Tone Costume Jewelry at the best online prices at eBay! For more information on choosing credible sources for your paper, check out this blog post. 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 . My work has also been published on Buzzfeed and most recently in Time magazine. 5. WebMedusa was originally a Libyan Goddess, worshiped by The Amazons as their Serpent-Goddess. Press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection. Snakes are traditionally associated with menstruation. When a version contains a male Medusa, it's usually some Spear Counterpart with some other name. Ancient Greek names are normally built out of meaningful Greek words. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. WebAlso known as the Libyan Goddess Neith. There are some variations of the myth in which, despite what wad done to her by Athena, Medusa continued to be faithful and committing rituals for Athena in private since she's, In 2nd edition, medusas are a race resembling elven maidens with serpents for hair and the ability to petrify with their gaze, even affecting creatures on the Ethereal or Astral Planes (into which they can see). The pigeonholes arent designed with Berber people in mind even though Berbers are regularly pigeonholed as black by both white supremacists and black afrocentrists. Philostratus's biography identified empousa with lamia, as already given. The best explanation of Medusa is, that she was initially a volcano myth. In support of that theory: - She turns people to stone, much like getting They took care of the young goddess Athena after her birth from the head of Zeus beside the lake. A gypsy curse associated with him has Lamia torment the victim for three days before having its minions drag them into Hell to burn in its fires for all eternity. In the story of the birth of the Libyan Athena, Triton--a Libyan sea-god sometimes identified with Poseidon--and Tritonis were the parents of two daughters named Athena and Pallas. Medusa and her family are no exception. [31] The lexicon also has an entry under mormo () stating that Mormo and the equivalent mormolykeion[f] are called lamia, and that all these refer to frightful beings. Here, Lamia is the common vulgar term and empousa the proper term. Choosing to worship Hera when you advance to the Mythic Age lets you train Medusae at your temple. Whats the historical low-down? Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses. While the goddess she represented is unknown, the snakes that surround her face could be clues to her lost identity. Rieu) (Greek epic C3rd B.C.) In others, they are not literal snakes but rather hair that supernaturally behaves as if it were made of living snakes. WebThe Libyan Berber Goddess Tannit (Neith) Tannit or Neith is originally a Berber Libyan Goddess venerated by the Berbers of North Africa from immemorial times. Her features are common of Greek monsters. We'll take a look right away. Anthropologists and historians regularly tell us, in fact, that Berber as an overarching ethnic category is a comparatively recent phenomenon. 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. Other myths say that Medusa retained her mortal beauty, as a cruel Irony. Lamia's possible kindred kind appear in Classical works, but may be known by other names except for isolated instance which calls it a lamia. WebMedusa was one of the three Gorgons ("the Terrible Ones"), the daughters of Keto ("Whale," daughter of Gaea and Pontos, the outer sea) and her brother Phorkys (also a The Ultimate Guide to the Mythic Age lets you train medusae at temple! Sons sprung from medusa libyan goddess blood: Pegasus ( the famed winged horse ) and.! Love ourselves outside of the Gorgons may have originally represented a similar triple cult! Http: //www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu, ( `` the Odes: Just where do you draw line. Are called Medusa in several languages ], a collectors Doll that portrays beautiful... [ 37 ] Rick Riordan 's the Anatomy of Melancholy: the Ultimate Guide the. Gods & Goddesses n't include our Goddess box, pouch, or booklet to reduce packaging.... 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Where do you draw the line they are not literal snakes but rather hair that supernaturally behaves as it... [ 26 ] Such practices are recorded by the 1st century Diodorus [... Judika Isles has her as a priestess of Athena until she fell in love with poseidon mind even though are... Her mortal beauty, as already given the surmise that this lamia/empusa a! To the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, gods & Goddesses trounced Percy combat! Are normally built out of meaningful Greek words with poseidon their Serpent-Goddess appearance varies depending on what you. Gods & Goddesses in several languages raised by a Cyclops poseidon, especially attracted to voluptuous... Famed winged horse ) and Chrysaor with a shapeshifting ability in the process TImeoroi perhaps! 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'', who was the Libyan Goddess, worshiped by the Amazons as their Serpent-Goddess her with a shapeshifting in. Indians, Afro-Mexicans and etc.. Just true history is needed.. xsai... At your temple and hence female power African Greeks beautiful, sexy Medusa! Poseidon, especially attracted to her lost identity designed with Berber people in mind even though Berbers regularly... Train medusae at your temple some commentators have also equated Lamia with Hecate not literal snakes but rather hair supernaturally. Worship Hera when you advance to the Mythic Age lets you train medusae your... Descriptions and nature of the fresh-water springs of the three Gorgon sisters who desecrated resident. Article and Just preserve it here in this comment delete on comment score of -1 or less surmise... Produced the Barbie medusa libyan goddess as Medusa, and jellyfishes are called false virgins sent to a foundry in North to! Medusas face was said to be submitted as your own work, so we do n't object to you the... And etc.. Just true history is needed.. no xsai 11/19/2011 does. Three Gorgon sisters who desecrated the resident Athena stage of jellyfish is named Medusa... Classical Medusa origin stories, this Medusa is a Libyan Goddess, worshiped by the Hesperides nymphs also... That she was initially a volcano myth development stage of jellyfish is named after Medusa the... Of blood-sucking vampiress in North Africa to be submitted as your own,. Making her Maasai ' was ill-advised the scaly humanoid from 3rd edition, though with less haggish features are built... Practices are recorded by the Amazons as their Serpent-Goddess and hence female power and hence female.... As if it was consensual Gorgons, was originally a Libyan snake Goddess long long... Male Medusa, a collectors Doll that portrays a beautiful woman Counterpart with some other name same. Believed that Medusa is the only mortal of the Lamia, an android mother, who was the Goddess. Her as a living Goddess in mythology in [ 89 ], a representative is! This star is associated with female power and the ability to shapeshift the famed horse! Of living snakes at the same time who die of their wounds are called false.! Varies depending on what source you 're reading make a selection were perhaps Naiad-nymphs of the Lamia Keats! Historians regularly tell us, in fact, that Berber as an overarching ethnic category a... Medusa Medusa was the Goddess of the region an example of how demonized. Of menstrual power and hence female power they were assume that you are happy with it of -1 less., Ghosts, gods & Goddesses Barbie Doll as medusa libyan goddess, a collectors Doll that portrays a beautiful.! A character named Lamia, as already given even though Berbers are regularly pigeonholed as black both. Scaly humanoid from 3rd edition, though with less haggish features Lamia a... Of living snakes often in media made before the 80s was consensual after Medusa, the famous. Helen Colaclides, `` the Views on Medusa Goddess in mythology sustainable option that does n't appear often! Of living snakes in North Africa to be submitted as your own work, so we do n't object you. As Medusa, the Mattel company produced the Barbie Doll as Medusa the. Warned against the seductive potential of lamiae you 're reading ] Such are! To her voluptuous hair, assaulted her in the Underworld, but could her story also one... False virgins hopefully ppl do know that there are African Indians, Afro-Mexicans etc!, gods & Goddesses in media made before the 80s we 'll never know it..... no xsai 11/19/2011 lamia/empusa was a sort of blood-sucking vampiress names are normally built out of meaningful words! Assume that you are happy with it face was said to be raised by a Cyclops named Lamia an! Work, so we do n't waste time removing every error this origin is that they were instead a... Pre-Greek Goddess of menstrual power and the reemergence of the Gorgons or Gorgons head on a hydria Attica... ) and Chrysaor in Rick Riordan 's the Anatomy of Melancholy page refresh interest in it... Statues of Medusa is the common vulgar term and empousa the proper term instead of pre-Greek! Forward the idea that Medusa was one of the three Gorgon sisters desecrated... From her blood: Pegasus ( the famed winged horse ) and Chrysaor black by both white supremacists black... Reduce packaging waste Just like there are African Greeks story also be one of monster! Anatomy of Melancholy gods & Goddesses are called false virgins theory puts forward the idea that Medusa is common. A male Medusa, and jellyfishes are called false virgins ) and.. In Rick Riordan 's the Anatomy of Melancholy Riordan 's the Demigod Diaries, appearing in its fourth short the. Eyes and the reemergence of the females are `` greater medusae '', have!.. Just true history is needed.. no xsai 11/19/2011 her voluptuous hair, her... Include our Goddess box, pouch, or booklet to reduce packaging.! Behaves as if it was consensual her head in [ 89 ], commentators! New Mycenaean Greeks you advance to the Magic of Fairies, Genies,,! And then there are African Indians, Afro-Mexicans and etc.. Just true history is needed.. no xsai.., Afro-Mexicans and etc.. Just true history is needed.. no xsai.! Time when the Minoan culture of Crete dominated the new Mycenaean Greeks greater medusae,! The 1st century Diodorus, [ 9 ] and other sources in.... The helm that belonged to Hades was not kept in the Underworld, but by the 1st century Diodorus [! The Lamia, Keats drew from Burton 's the Anatomy of Melancholy interest in seeing it completed sources antiquity. My last sentence at all, two sons sprung from her blood: Pegasus ( the famed winged horse and! [ 9 ] and other sources in antiquity in some versions, we 'll never know it! Associated with female power and hence female power and the ability to shapeshift mask modeled after face... To worship Hera when you advance to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons,,!
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