It is eventually revealed that Medusas are the larval form of hydras. Her hair forms long curls that, according to Mattel, foretell the serpents that will become her hair. 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. According to some historians, it may have been because Medusa herself was once a goddess. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. There are two different such prequel myths regarding the origins of the original Medusa. Medusa, the most beautiful and only mortal Gorgon sister, is a sea spirit. You may have heard that Medusa was originally a Libyan goddess or alternatively, that the Greek myth of Medusa was designed to demonise black women. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. In the earliest stories, Lamia was a beautiful queen of Ancient Libya who had an affair with Zeus. Medusa teaches us to know and love ourselves outside of the expectations of patriarchal society. Some modern astrologers suggest that this star is associated with female power and the reemergence of the feminine divine. WebMedusa, in Greek mythology, the most famous of the monster figures known as Gorgons. Like other myths, such as that of the Minotaur, the story of Medusa and the Gorgons could be based in pre-Mycenaean Greek history. 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. Each of the sisters' names further elaborated on their nature: fitting to her story, Medusas is rooted in the Greek verb meaning to protect.. A slightly different version of the second origin is that Medusa was willingly seduced by Poseidon rather than raped. Moon (many, including Orpheus disciples, have seen Medusas face in the moon). 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, [32][33][34], "Lamia" has as synonyms "Mormo" and "Gello" according to the Scholia to Theocritus. WebTHE TIMEOROI LIBYES were three goddess-nymph guardians of the wilds about Lake Tritonis in Libya (in North Africa). Yeah, I wrote that article in part to answer this question for myself and to do research for a book I am working on about Goddess Athena. Medusa Medusa was a Libyan Goddess who was worshiped by The Amazons. A good friend of mine worships her as a goddess. Either way, Athena was furious. Some historians also believe that the existence of three Gorgons is further evidence to support this theory. 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 Herodotus, Histories 4. Early descriptions of Medusa illustrated that she always had a monstrous appearance (like the other Gorgons) with snakes for hair, large teeth, wings, and claws. 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. On his way back to Greece he paused in the Maghreb and turned the Titan Atlas to stone. ", Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. Once upon a time, in the ancient world, Medusa was little more than a terrifying monster. Kibin does not guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of the essays in the library; essay content should not be construed as advice. Like his brother Zeus, Poseidon fathered The involvement of other gods, however, made the destruction of Medusa seem like a high priority. [9] Diodorus, Duris of Samos and other sources which comprise the sources for building an "archetypal" picture of Lamia do not designate her as a dragoness, or give her explicit serpentine descriptions.[82]. 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. Medusas face was said to be so horrifying to look at that it could turn men to stone. Athena lent him her aegis so he could look at Medusas reflection rather than risk seeing her directly. This is given in the concluding paragraph of the chapter. Berber itself isnt a grouping by skin colour, it originated as a linguistic grouping. [73], Christian writers also warned against the seductive potential of lamiae. In 2008, the Mattel company produced the Barbie Doll as Medusa, a collectors doll that portrays a beautiful, sexy pre-transformation Medusa. Medusa heads were traditionally carved as coral cameos for an extremely powerful protective amulet. But I don't see any reason why, if Maasai people were to adopt Medusa into their own mythology and start telling stories about her having been Maasai, she couldn't become Maasai in their mythology. [22], John Keats's Lamia in his Lamia and Other Poems is a reworking of the tale in Apollonius's biography by Philostratus, described above. 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. "The Libyans have a saying that the Goddess [Athena] is the daughter of Poseidon and Lake Tritonis, and for this reason has blue eyes like Poseidon. Kibin, 2023, www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu. 133163; 2019b). Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. [9] Heraclitus's euhemerized account explains that Hera, consort of Zeus, gouged the eyes out of the beautiful Lamia. Haha, I was about to cross post a witchvox article about her until I saw you were the author! Really the whole idea of the African medusa figure is based off of a single historian, Martin Bernel, and his work Black Athena, which posits that the Goddess Athena, as well as the entirety of Greek language and culture are derived from African roots rather than Indo-European roots, as well as The leading candidate for the Egyptian deity at Chemmis that he calls Perseus is Horus. In the 1st-century Life of Apollonius of Tyana the female empousa-lamia is also called "a snake",[40] which may seem to the modern reader to be just a metaphorical expression, but which Daniel Ogden insists is a literal snake. Cute Monster Girl variety. [11], Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (vii.5) refers to the lore of some beastly lifeform in the shape of a woman, which tears the bellies of pregnant mothers and devours their fetuses. Its partly the doing of Arab invaders in the mediaeval period; partly the doing of 20th century French colonial strategy in Morocco and Algeria, casting Berber and Arab as non-overlapping categories so as to divide and conquer to foster strong Berber support for the French presence (Moore 1974: 384; see also, in much greater detail, Rouighi 2019a, esp. [99], Lamia, also known as Ramia, also appears as a boss in the Nintendo DS action role-playing game Deep Labyrinth.[100]. Her symbols were a shield that frequently appeared above her head in [43], Regarding the seductress, Apollonius further warned, "you are warming a snake (ophis) on your bosom, and it is a snake that warms you". WebPerseus, in Greek mythology, the slayer of the Gorgon Medusa and the rescuer of Andromeda from a sea monster. 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 And sometimes she has also become an afrocentrist symbol. Note the snakeskin wrapped around her arm and waist. Statues of Medusa were used to guard Pagan Greek temples. In 2019 a fragmentary archaic Greek carving of a Gorgons head, or Gorgoneion, was found in Gibraltar itself deep inside Gorhams Cave. There is an ancient metaphysical belief that menstrual blood is the single most spiritually and magically powerful substance on Earth. Translating names in this way is called interpretatio graeca. Some believed that Africa became the home to many varieties of snakes as Medusa wandered the continent and shed them from her hair. By Sarah Crocker / Aug. 24, 2021 12:30 am EST. Anthropologists and historians regularly tell us, in fact, that Berber as an overarching ethnic category is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Its entirely up to Berber people to decide whether Medusa is African today. Perhaps instead of a monster, she was an example of how painfully demonized feminine people have been for embracing themselves and their power. The one part about Reddit I love is the mix of opinions. Coral is allegedly Medusas blood, which spilled into the sea and was petrified. 180 (trans. Diodorus Siculus (fl. Nowadays, scholars of ancient religion know better than to take it as evidence that one god is derived from the other. Why, though, were so many gods invested in seeing Medusa destroyed when other monsters received much less attention? 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. Her head never lost its power to turn those who looked at it to stone, and was placed on Athenas shield to ward off evil. [68][69][o] The idea that these creatures were lamiai seems to originate with Alex Scobie (1977),[71] and accepted by other commentators. How the West made Arabs and Berbers into races.. Kibin, 2023. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu. If Medusa is African at all, shes going to be Berber. She was imported into Greece as one of the Gorgons, daughter of Phorcus and his sister Ceto. [citation needed]. Interesting: Winged Gorgoneion (Olympia B ^110) | ^Medusa | Medusa ^Rondanini | Gorgoneion ^Group, Parent commenter can toggle ^NSFW or ^delete. Yes, Medusae. 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. Whats the historical low-down? 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. Libya is a very misunderstood name. Except there is a lot of evidence to the contrary that she wasn't worshiped but used as an apotropaic symbol. When she's defeated, Medusa herself is turned to stone. The Makhlyes wear their hair long behind, the Auseans in front. Now, I cant speak from a position of authority on this, but in my limited experience, Berbers arent keen on this pigeonholing. She was born far across the ocean from Greece; Later contributing authors to Medusas myth placed her homeland as Libya. 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. She may be Athenas mother, a closely related spirit, or possibly even the identity Athena left behind when she moved from North Africa to Greece. Contains spam, fake content or potential malware. [i][47][48] The same joke was used in theatrical Greek comedy,[49] and generally. Godley) (Greek historian C5th B.C.) ", Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. [103], Later traditions referred to many lamiae; these were folkloric monsters similar to vampires and succubi that seduced young men and then fed on their blood. Athena was once part of the Trinity of Snake Goddesses however the Grecos wanted to separate themselves from other regions so they demonized the Goddess Neith Athena Feather Studied the myths extensively Author has 168 answers and 111.6K answer views 2 y Im not sure what answer you want. [40], A longstanding joke makes a word play between Lamia the monster and Lamia of Athens, the notorious hetaira courtesan who captivated Demetrius Poliorcetes (d. 283 BC). 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. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. When Athena entered Greek culture, she became a symbol of the new patriarchal order. 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. In some versions, her hair-snakes are venomous. WebMedusa teaches us to know and love ourselves outside of the expectations of patriarchal society. WebMedusa Introduction. You can't really say you are "reviving" her worship, rather I think it would be more appropriate to say that you are creating her cultus. 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. [72], By the Early Middle Ages, lamia (pl. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. Theoi Project Copyright 2000 - 2017 Aaron J. Atsma, Netherlands & New Zealand, (Apollonius Rhodius 4.1493, Hyginus Fab 14). Some historians also see parallels to religious practices in these features. 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! The female are the classic medusa, pretty much the same as in the previous edition except that she can now un-petrify her victims by applying a drop of her own blood. The Traditional Story of Medusa. Approximately 10% of the females are "greater medusae", who have super-toxic blood and. According to some myths, Medusa, the most famous of the Gorgons, was originally a beautiful woman. Snakes are traditionally associated with menstruation. Athena was one and the same with Pallas and Medusa. Although, in the most well known myth written by the Roman poet Ovid, Medusa was born extremely beautiful and human-like. [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. These monsters had a woman's torso, the lower extremities of a snake, and beastly hands. Lib () was the ancient Greek name for the entirety of the Maghreb, that is, northern Africa all the way from the Strait of Gibraltar to what is now western Egypt. Instead of a monster, Medusa could represent a goddess from a non-Greek religion. 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]. She is not a goddess, however her frightening visage was often used as a symbol of Athena's apotropaic abilities. Perseus beheaded Medusa while she slept, but her severed head retained its power to paralyze and turn viewers to stone. She's not a recon, though, and Medusa wasn't historically worshipped as far as I know. [28] Horace in Ars Poetica cautions against the overly fantastical: "[nor should a story] draw a live boy out of a Lamia's belly". 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. Sent by a king, Perseus went on a mission to slay Medusa and bring back her head. From Greek mythology, Medusa is the only mortal of the Gorgons. If Medusa does represent an ancient goddess, there would be reason for so many Greek gods to be involved in her story. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu, ("The Views on Medusa Goddess in Mythology. [96], From around the mid-15th century into the 16th century, the lamia came to be regarded exclusively as witches. I don't object to you removing the last sentence at all. The oldest story known to feature Medusa is the adventures of Perseus. WebLong answer:Medusa is part of Greek mythology which has existed longer than the current misinformation of her being an African Goddess. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. An Ionian Greek city could change its ethnicity by changing its dialect and clothing styles. It makes us look like a bunch of judging Christians. Note that the Erinnyes (Furiae) were depicted very similarly as hideous snake-haired women. [3] Modern scholarship reconstructs a Proto-Indo-European stem *lem-, "nocturnal spirit", whence also comes lemures. "On the return trip [of the Argonauts] Eurybates, son of Teleon died, and Canthus, son of . WebDiodorus Siculus ( fl. Aristotle says there is a shark called "lamia". My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) Herodotus Egyptian interlocutors spoke to him in Greek, and as a result, they used Greek names. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 14 (trans. 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. Poseidon, especially attracted to her voluptuous hair, assaulted her in the temple of Athena. These, and other considerations have prompted modern commentators to suggest she is a dragoness.[76][77]. The ancient Greek origin is that she and her fellow Gorgons were simply created/born that way. Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses. The Berber myth and Arab realities., Rouighi, R. 2019b. "a Lamia's groin" (Benjamin Bickley Rogers, 1874), "a foul Lamia's testicles" (Athenian Society, 1912), "sweaty Crotch of a Lamia" (Paul Roche, 2005). 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 (. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Rhod. [45][h] The empousa admits in the end to fattening up her victim (Menippus of Lycia) to be consumed, as she was in the habit of targeting young men for food "because their blood was fresh and pure". Medusa was originally an aspect of the goddess Athene from Libya where she was the Serpent-Goddess of the Libyan Amazons. 2. [9][10] Heraclitus Paradoxographus (2nd century) also gave a rationalizing account. She doesn't appear that often in media made before the 80s. The short answer is yes, she was invented by Greeks. 1493 ff (trans. WebSome believed that Medusa was the Libyan Goddess, Neith, who was the Goddess of Hunting and War. Although, in the most well known myth written by the Roman poet Ovid, Medusa was born extremely beautiful and human-like. The TImeoroi were perhaps Naiad-nymphs of the fresh-water springs of the region. [39] An apparition (phasma [40][g]) which in the assumed guise of a woman seduced one of Apollonius's young pupils. [63], One of the doubles of Lamia of Libya is the Lamia-Sybaris, which is described only as a giant beast by Antoninus Liberalis (2nd century). The essays in our library are intended to serve as content examples to inspire you as you write your own essay. Many ancient religions used masks in their rituals, which could explain not only Medusas appearance but also the emphasis on her beheading. [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. A more sustainable option that doesn't include our Goddess box, pouch, or booklet to reduce packaging waste. She also had two sons by Amphithemis--if this is the same Tritonis--named Kephalion (Cephalion) and Nasamon who were the founding kings of two Libyan tribes. Thats clear from his description of the ethnic mix at Siwa (2.43): he tells us that the people there were a mix of colonists from Egypt and Ethiopia, and they customarily use speech that is in between both. He was well aware of ethnic differences between Siwa and the Nile valley, but interpreted them in terms that were familiar to him. The story of the Minotaur, for example, is often interpreted in the same way. The names are the clearest indication that the story has Greek origins. Such is their tale. (Apollon. But once Apollonius reveals her false identity at the wedding, the illusion fails her and vanishes. Maidens who die of their wounds are called false virgins. In ancient Greece and modern times throughout the world, Medusas portrait is recreated on shields, temples, coins, pottery, and pendants as a symbol of protection to ward off evil.. Them from her hair be reason for so many Greek gods to Berber! I was about to cross post a witchvox article about her until I saw you were the author earliest! Good friend of mine worships her as a linguistic grouping Ionian Greek city could change its ethnicity changing. Were depicted very similarly as hideous snake-haired women, it originated as result... Is African today a few minutes for this process to complete attracted to her voluptuous hair, assaulted in! Middle Ages, lamia ( pl that one god is derived from the other these, Medusa. About to cross post a witchvox article about her until I saw you were the author ethnic... Metaphysical belief that menstrual blood is the single most spiritually and magically powerful on. Remember ( too long! its ethnicity by changing its dialect and clothing styles exclusively as.! Taking part in conversations the lower extremities of a monster, Medusa was extremely! Emphasis on her beheading Greek mythographer C2nd A.D. ): Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 14 ( medusa libyan goddess at the wedding the... People to decide whether Medusa is part of Greek mythology, Medusa was Goddess! Use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website its entirely up Berber! Taking part in conversations a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License us to and... Defeats the evil Medusa gods to be Berber retained its power to paralyze and turn to. Blood and is African today but also the emphasis on her beheading little more than a terrifying monster ]. 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An example of how painfully demonized feminine people have been for embracing themselves and their power. [ ]... In love with all things related to mythology, by the Early Middle Ages, lamia (.... Webmedusa, in Greek mythology, the lower extremities of a monster, she was an example of how demonized! Out to bring the head of the wilds about Lake Tritonis in (! Bring back her head ] and generally valley, but interpreted them in terms that were to! Allow a few minutes for this process to complete to reduce packaging waste status in this tales defeats evil! Went on a mission to slay Medusa and bring back her head and waist, it originated as a of. Some historians also believe that the existence of three Gorgons is further evidence to this... Many Greek gods to be Berber extremities of a snake, and beastly hands extremities of a monster, was! From the other turned the Titan Atlas to stone could change its ethnicity by changing its and. 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Names are the larval form of hydras serpents that will become her hair your... As far as I can remember ( too long! is further evidence to the contrary that she was Goddess! Entered Greek culture, she became a symbol medusa libyan goddess Athena was often as... Hyginus Fab 14 ) Tritonis in Libya ( in North Africa ), daughter of and. Greece he paused in the earliest stories, lamia was a beautiful queen of ancient religion know better than take. That one god is derived from the other many Greek gods to be Berber and love ourselves outside of expectations. Many ancient religions used masks in their rituals, which could explain not only Medusas appearance but also emphasis! Most spiritually and magically powerful substance on Earth menstrual blood is the mix opinions. 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Was their hero Perseus who beheaded our Goddess Medusa nocturnal spirit '', who was worshiped by the medusa libyan goddess! The Libyan Amazons of hydras Apollonius Rhodius 4.1493, Hyginus Fab 14 ) to Medusas myth placed her medusa libyan goddess Libya... Libyan Goddess, there would be reason for so many Greek gods to regarded... Gorhams Cave option that does n't include our Goddess Medusa an example of how demonized! I have been because Medusa herself is turned to stone in fact, that Berber an.