Medusa Was Defending Herself

We’ve all heard of Medusa. She’s the scary monster with a full head of venomous snakes, and eyes that turn you to stone. We have been told countless of times about the tale of Medusa and Perseus, who defeated the Gorgon by severing her head. It sounds oh, so heroic. But what if we thought about what history doesn’t teach us about Medusa? What if, instead of interpreting her as a monster who tormented people, we think about her in a new light? Because here is the stone cold truth:

Athena blessed Medusa with the power to protect herself from the brutality of men, and she was murdered for it.

It’s no secret that the world we live in is structured by patriarchal values that uphold the power and heroism of men, and diminish the value of women. We see it every day: in the media, in politics, even in our own back yard. Greek mythology is no different.

What we are rarely taught about is how Medusa came to even be Medusa. As one of the Gorgon sisters, she was originally a golden-haired, fair maiden who was a priestess of Athena. Beautiful and kind-natured, Medusa devoted herself to a life of celibacy in the name of her goddess. However, despite her origins of beauty, Medusa’s name quickly became synonymous with malevolence, hatred, and monster.

How did this come to be? The common answer is that Athena punished Medusa for falling for the charming Poseidon, thus forgetting her vows of celibacy, by turning her into an ugly monster. This, my friends, is an example of how patriarchal systems rewrite and interpret history.

Western interpretations somehow manage to leave out the part where Poseidon raped Medusa in Athena’s temple. Poseidon was Athena’s greatest enemy, and so in order to humiliate his rival goddess he decided to rape one of her priestesses on the very steps of her temple. In those days, the gods claimed their sexual partners as their lovers for life – and this is how Medusa came to be Poseidon’s wife. Not by falling for his charm and good looks, or his hunky muscles, but by being deceived, raped, and claimed.

Medusa prayed to Athena for forgiveness and guidance. What’s a goddess to do? While Athena was extremely powerful, she was, in modern day terms, very much a woman in a boy’s club. In all accounts, Athena is described as looking down in fury at her priestess, turning her into a monster, and banishing her from civilisation. Makes sense, right?

Think about it – would Athena really blame Medusa for being raped? Athena knew better. But her hands were tied – as women’s often are – and the only thing she could do was to protect Medusa at all costs. 

Medusa should have been executed as punishment for defiling the temple, but instead she was granted with life. Her ugliness now meant that she would be left alone by men – more than that, her hair of snakes and eyes of stone meant that she could defend herself, and her daughters from men, so that she would never be hurt again.

Athena did not punish Medusa; she protected her.

To men, whose hatred Athena had to pacify, this was the ultimate punishment: to strip Medusa of her beauty and banish her from the land. Many travelled to the island she was ‘trapped’ on so that they could kill her – but Medusa was never touched again.

Until Perseus, the ‘brave’ and ‘charming hero’ who finally beheaded the ‘monster.’ For her beauty and loyalty to Athena, Medusa was raped. For her ugliness and ability to protect herself, Medusa was murdered. 

This truly shows the split representations of women that patriarchal systems can’t seem to abide: women must either be passive, receptive, and beautiful so that they can gratify the male gaze, or they are assertive, and therefore dangerous to the sanctity of patriarchal structures. This problematic view that is so embedded in our society’s history, literature, and modern day practice results in the repudiation of the idea that a woman can be both assertive and dominant, and also feminine and sexual.

If you look at women’s shelters and safe-houses, you will see Medusa’s image proudly brandished on their logos. Medusa was a guardian and protectress.