Despite being one of Greek mythology's most infamous monsters, Medusa's story has always been unique. As one of the fiercest predators in the genre, she might have survived the storms of time. However, the story can be interpreted through a feminist lens. Medusa was more of the prey than the predator. As a follower of the goddess Athena, Medusa made a vow to live chastely, but when Poseidon sexually assaulted her in the temple, that plan fell apart. To put it briefly, the goddess of war did not find the Greek god Poseidon's seduction of a lovely young woman in Athena's temple endearing. Another version tells a darker story in which the god of the sea pursues the innocent woman violently against her will. She rushes across Athens, desperate to get away from her conqueror.

However, as the city is engulfed and drowned by the sea's mighty waters during the dreadful pursuit, Poseidon and Medusa leave a deluge. Another version of the myth narrates that as a follower of the goddess Athena, Medusa made a vow to live chastely, but when Poseidon sexually assaulted her in the temple, that plan fell apart. According to the story, Medusa violated her vow of chastity and had sex in the temple, which angered Athena. She was sentenced to a lifetime with snakes for hair and a look that made everyone who saw her turn to stone. In other words, Medusa was a victim of rape who was...villanised for it. In this article, I dive deeper into the nuances of misogyny, purity culture and patriarchy that are believed to be symbolic in Medusa’s narrative entrenched in Greek mythology.

The Tale of Athena Punishing Medusa- Through the Lens of Misogyny

According to the story, Medusa violated her vow of chastity and had sex in the temple, which angered Athena. She was sentenced to a lifetime with snakes for hair and a look that made everyone who saw her turn to stone. In other words, Medusa was a victim of rape who was...vilified for it. It is misogynist propaganda, that much is true. To begin with, the goddess Athena would not punish a woman for experiencing sexual assault. However, the story wasn't told by the goddess Athena, was it? No, the story was probably made up by a guy in a village to warn young women about "enticing" men.

Women transformed Medusa's story into one of a woman who endured hardships due to a patriarchal society during the 20th century and the early waves of feminism. Men were always attracted to Medusa, first for her beauty and then for her fame. Men held and flaunted her like a trophy. It can be argued that Athena's actions could also be interpreted as a way of shielding her from any future trauma; making her into a monster will stop men from lusting for her, despite some original texts claiming that this was a punishment.

But when Perseus beheads her, her newly acquired abilities are taken away. Perseus uses her to turn his enemies into stone, and men continue to use her as an object even after she has died. Numerous feminist books and essays have been written about the myth of Medusa; the most well-known of these is Hélène Cixous's The Laugh of the Medusa, in which she disproves and dissects Freud's version of the tale. According to her, Medusa's beheading by Perseus symbolizes men's attempts to silence women and impair their capacity for speech: "A woman without a body, dumb, blind, can't possibly be a good fighter." Forced to be subservient to a violent man, she uses the story to encourage women to write and speak while using their feminine bodies in order to challenge the oppressive power of patriarchal society.

The Symbolism of Medusa - A Deeper Look at Purity Culture and Patriarchal Norms

The line "snakes for hair and a gaze that turned men to stone" is mentioned. It is mythology, a fable that has been exalted. Additionally, everything in a myth or fable serves as a symbol for something else. I'm referring to a human woman with snake-like hair and a look that could make men go cold. That is truly blatantly symbolic. However, what might "hair of snakes" and "gaze that ruined men to stone" mean? The story of Medusa represents nothing more than the earliest days of the culture of purity. As you can see, Poseidon was not held accountable in the myth for the horrible act of raping a goddess devotee. Why? Because a man told the story.

In the earliest representations, Medusa is portrayed as a bearded monster with bulging eyes and a large, toothy mouth. She was subsequently portrayed as attractive and feminine, the epitome of the femme fatale. In stories, this archetype frequently manifests as a seductive, attractive woman who is intended to threaten and destroy men. The femme fatale serves as evidence that women must be subservient, compliant, and feminine to fit in with society; a woman's body is not meant for anger or sexual desire.

An angry, beautiful woman is nothing more than a monster that should be avoided at all costs and destroyed right away. The male narrative demonized Medusa, a strong woman. The creator of this little morality tale, the myth of Medusa, needed a way to make the audience realize that, after losing her purity, Medusa was a hideous, ugly character. He needed the unchaste woman to be a terrifying, hideous monster to make all the young girls in the village afraid of losing their chastity. Behind the myth of the monstrous Medusa, there was probably a broken woman who was vilified for having been the victim of a sex crime and may have used sarcasm as a weapon to keep everyone at bay because she was afraid of getting hurt again.

Conclusion

Greek and Roman mythology are still relevant and influential today. One of the most well-known tales is probably that of Medusa, whose snake-crowned face is still a common sight. She was vilified and destroyed to conform to the male narrative, a victim of male dominance over women. Medusa has become a potent symbol of the struggle against the oppressive patriarchal society that still attempts to silence the female voice after feminism dismantled the male conception of her. She was portrayed as a monster, something subhuman, by the pure culture of mythology, religion, and misogyny. But when I look at that painting, I don't see a monster, I witness a woman who will not remain silent about it and will not subdue herself to a man.

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