When we think of a Gorgon, what (or who ) comes to mind?
Is it a winged giantess? A triad of beasts? Or the once beautiful maiden turned snake-haired Medusa?
While Medusa is undoubtedly the most celebrated Gorgon in mythology, we must not forget her sisters, Stheno, the Mighty One, and Euryale, the Roaming One .
Daughters to the sea gods Phorcys and Keto, Stheno and Eurydale possessed the gift of immortality, whereas Medusa, the Cunning One , did not.
In ancient Greece, the Orphics referred to the moon’s face as a Gorgon’s head. Author Robert Graves suggests this reference was a nod to the matriarchy and the three Gorgon sisters as early representations of the Triple Goddess. Since Medusa was mortal, and therefore the only Gorgon who could die, she was seen as the crone goddess, the wise one, the highly feared and misunderstood dark phase of the moon.
Although the Gorgon sisters began life as beautiful maidens, it was when Athena cursed Medusa that the three women transformed into the monsters we know today. With a gaze that petrifies onlookers, it’s no wonder that Gorgon sightings are few and far between. While their description varies per source, they are said to be giant winged beasts. Their bodies are covered in golden scales (to match their wings), and they have tusks and claws that grow sharper with age.
But it’s their hair, once golden but now writhing with snakes, that is the Gorgon’s most memorable feature.
In mythology, snakes and serpents often represent higher wisdom, regeneration, and transformation (more nods to the Goddess). But these divine gifts can feel scary to the uninitiated, which is perhaps why Gorgon snakes could kill, or at the very least, intimidate anyone who dared get too close…
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Source:
The Myth of the Gorgons Lisenby, Kristin, Tamed Wild