#Poseidon and Medusa inspired

[yanderedrabbles]

Yandere Greek Champion x Priestess Reader - NonCon

He was chosen by the Gods to slaughter, to strike down all who stand against him. Your city has fallen at last and he has come to claim his prize.

Yandere! Champion with his bronze armour and his scars, sunlight reflecting off him in battle likes he's Ares himself.

Yandere! Champion who cares for nothing but his own glory. He'll step over the bodies of his own men if it meant victory.

Yandere! Champion who's chosen as the head of the delegation sent to your city. The offer is simple - swear fealty to the Greeks, open the city gates and hand over your Champion to be executed.

Yandere! Champion who rides right up to the city walls, even when his fellow warriors stay far out of arrow range. Does he not care for his own life, you wonder, or does he simply think himself immortal?

Yandere! Champion who barely even tries to be diplomatic. Who seems to think war is a foregone conclusion.

When your prince refuses him, Yandere! Champion looks up at the royalty and clergy on the wall above him - the greatest and most powerful of the city - and he spits.

"I will take this city and crush your walls under my heels."

Yandere! Champion who catches your eye and holds it. You, just a minor Priestess of Athena, have somehow attracted his attention.

Yandere! Champion who smiles a slow, terrible smile and you wonder what God whispered carnage in his cradle.

Yandere! Champion who blows you a mocking kiss, even though your robes show your dedication to the virgin goddess.

Yandere! Champion who is true to his promise. His soldiers throw themselves at your gates until the bodies on both sides are piled higher than your head.

Yandere! Champion who cuts down your prince in battle. Who beheads him with one clean sweep and as you watch it happen, you realise he is no mere mortal.

He truly is the God of War's Champion.

Yandere! Champion who doesn't even cheer when the city falls to him. Who simply steps over the shattered gates and heads toward the temple of Athena, his xiphos dripping blood behind him.

Yandere! Champion who finds you just as you're about to run. You're the last to leave the temple. Your love for your goddess outweighed your fear but the clash of swords and plumes of smoke finally broke you.

You're on the broad stairs that lead to the temple when you see him, standing at the bottom and looking up at you. His cloak and the crest on his helmet are a deep scarlet and he looks like a spill of blood on the marble stairs.

Yandere! Champion who takes a step forward for each one you take back. Your hands are trembling and he notices it, relishes it.

Yandere! Champion who smiles at you again. His helmet covers most of his face so all you can see is gleaming bronze and bloodstained teeth.

"Little virgin priestess. Your goddess has abandoned you."

Yandere! Champion who finally reaches the top of the stairs and now that you're on even ground, you realise how he towers over you.

Yandere! Champion whose strides are much longer than yours and he gets closer with each halting step you take away.

"Why else would your city fall? You have been forsaken."

His blade twitches in his hand and it makes you jump. His eyes are on you - a colour so deep they look black. Hungry enough to devour you, devour the city, swallow the whole damn world.

For the first time, you feel afraid in your Goddess's temple.

Yandere! Champion who finally stops. His sword is still streaked with blood and it shines an awful red. His eyes dip from your face to your chest to your thighs. And nothing in his gaze seems noble or honourable at all.

"Run, priestess. Run to your Goddess and maybe she can save you."

You run.

You run through the temple, marble pillars blurring in your vision. The altar, the statues.... Surely no harm can come to you in the temple of Athena? Surely the War Goddess can protect one of her own?

Yandere! Champion who catches you at the base of her statue. Who grabs your hair and forces you to the ground.

Yandere! Champion who digs his knee into your back, one hand in your hair and the other gripping his sword. He's going to kill you, you think. Slit your throat and spill your blood on holy ground.

But he doesn't kill you. No, what he does is far worse.

Yandere! Champion who casts his sword aside and presses himself against your back, his weight trapping you under him.

Yandere! Champion who drags your chiton up your thighs, his breath growing ragged with want. Fingers digging into your flesh like he wants to sink hooks into you.

Yandere! Champion who was promised a prize.

Yandere! Champion who has levelled cities in the name of his God. Who's burnt temples to the ground. Who has forsaken his humanity for glory.

Yandere! Champion who was promised a prize and who demanded Athena's most beautiful priestess.

Yandere! Champion who trails kisses across your jaw and neck and shoulders. Whose lips leave blood behind.

Yandere! Champion who doesn't care to prepare you. Who lines his cock up with your cunt and sheaths himself inside you with one brutal thrust.

Yandere! Champion who pulls your hair so hard you arch your back. Whose weight on you makes his breastplate dig into your shoulder blades. Whose grunts echo in your ears.

Yandere! Champion who thrusts and thrusts and mercilessly keeps going.

Yandere! Champion who fucks you in the temple of the Virgin Goddess. Who desecrates Athena's temple and priestess both. And yet the candles keep burning, the fountains still flow clear.

The pain burns through your stomach like fire. And still you reach for her, for your Goddess.

Yandere! Champion who grabs your outstretched hand and forces it to the floor, who intertwines his fingers with yours in a terrible parody of intimacy.

You plead with her, your voice rough with panic and grief. But the statue's eyes are nothing more than sculpted marble.

Yandere! Champion who finally has his prize, after years of carnage and searching. And who will never let you go.

Yandere! Champion who cums inside of you, his voice rasping in your ear.

"Your goddess has abandoned you, little priestess. And I am all that remains."

And in the awful silence of the temple, with a killer's hands on your skin, you realise what it means to hate the Gods.

[mask131]

The truth about Medusa and her rape... Mythology breakdown time!

With the recent release of the Percy Jackson television series, Tumblr is bursting with mythological posts, and the apparition of Medusa the Gorgon has been the object of numerous talks throughout this website… Including more and more spreading of misinformation, and more debates about what is the “true” version of Medusa’s backstory.

Already let us make that clear: the idea that Medusa was actually “blessed” or “gifted” by Athena her petrifying gaze/snake-hair curse is to my knowledge not at all part of the Antique world. I still do not know exactly where this comes from, but I am aware of no Greek or Roman texts that talked about this – so it seems definitively a modern invention. After all, the figure of Medusa and her entire myth has been taken part, reinterpreted and modified by numerous modern women, feminist activist, feminist movements or artists engaged in the topic of women’s life and social conditions – most notably Medusa becoming the “symbol of raped women’ wrath and fury”. It is an interesting reading and a fascinating update of the ancient texts, and it is a worthy take on its own time and context – but today we are not talking about the posterity, reinvention and continuity of Medusa as a myth and a symbol. I want to clarify some points about the ACTUAL myth or legend of Medusa – the original tale, as told by the Greeks and then by the Romans.

Most specifically the question: Was Medusa raped?

Step 1: Yes, but no.

The backstory of Medusa you will find very often today, ranging from mythology manuals (vulgarization manuals of course) to Youtube videos, goes as such: Medusa was a priestess of Athena who got raped by Poseidon while in Athena’s temple, and as a result of this, Athena punished Medusa by turning her into the monstrous Gorgon.

Some will go even further claiming Athena’s “curse” wasn’t a punishment but a “gift” or blessing – and again, I don’t know where this comes from and nobody seems to be able to give me any reliable source for that, so… Let’s put this out of there.

Now this backstory – famous and popular enough to get into Riodan’s book series for example – is partially true. There are some elements here very wrong – and by wrong I do mean wrong.

The story of Medusa being raped and turned into a monster due to being raped does indeed exist, and it is the most famous and widespread of all the Medusa stories, the one people remembered for the longest time and wrote and illustrated the most about. Hence why Medusa became in the 20th century this very important cultural symbol tied to rape and the abuse of women and victim-blaming. HOWEVER – the origin of this story is Ovid’s Metamorphoses, from the first century CE or so. Ovid? A Roman poet writing for Roman people. “Metamorphoses”? One of the two fundamental works of Roman literature and one of the two main texts of Roman mythology, alongside Virgil’s Aeneid. This is a purely Roman story belonging to the Roman culture – and not the Greek one. The story of Medusa’s rape does not have Greek precedents to my knowledge, Ovid introduced the element of rape – which is no surprise given Ovid turned half of the romances of Greek mythology into rapes. Note that, on top of all this, Ovid wasn’t even writing for religious purposes, nor was his text an actual mythological effort – he wrote it with pure literary intentions at heart. It is just a piece of poetry and literature taking inspiration from the legends of the Greek world, not some sort of sacred text.

Second big point: The legend I summarized above? It isn’t even the story Ovid wrote, since there are a lot of elements that do not come from Ovid’s retelling of the story (book fourth of the Metamorphoses). For example Ovid never said Medusa was a priestess of Athena – all he said was that she was raped in the temple of Athena. I shouldn’t even be writing Athena since again, this is a Roman text: we are speaking of Minerva here, and of Neptune, not of Athena or Poseidon. Similarly, Minerva’s curse did not involve the petrifying gaze – rather all Ovid wrote about was that Minerva turned Medusa’s hair into snakes, to “punish” her because her hair were very beautiful, and it was what made her have many suitors (none of which she wanted to marry apparently), and it is also implied it is what made Neptune fall in love (or rather fall in lust) with her. I guess it is from this detail that the reading of “Athena’s curse was a gift” comes from – even though this story also clearly does victim-blaming of rape here.

But what is very fascinating is that… we are not definitively sure Neptune raped Medusa in Ovid’s retelling. For sure, the terms used by Ovid in his fourth book of Metamorphoses are clear: this was an action of violating, sexually assaulting, of soiling and corrupting, we are talking about rape. But Ovid refers several other times to Medusa in his other books, sometimes adding details the fourth-book stories does not have (the sixth book for examples evokes how Neptune turned into a bird to seduce Medusa, which is completely absent from the fourth book’s retelling of Medusa’ curse). And in all those other mentions, the terms to designate the relationship between Medusa and Neptune are more ambiguous, evoking seduction and romance rather than physical or sexual assault. (It does not help that Ovid has an habit of constantly confusing consensual and non-consensual sex in his poems, meaning that a rape in one book can turn into a romance in another, or reversal)

But the latter fact makes more sense when you recall that the rape element was invented and added by Ovid. Before, yes Poseidon and Medusa loved each other, but it was a pure romance, or at least a consensual one-night. Heck, if we go back to the oldest records of the love between Poseidon and Medusa, back in Hesiod’s Theogony, we have descriptions of the two of them laying together in a beautiful, flowery meadow – a stereotypical scene of pastoral romances – with no mention of any brutality or violence of any sort. As a result, it makes sense the original “romantic” story would still “leak” or cast a shadow over Ovid’s reinvented and slightly-confused tale.

Step 2: So… no rape?

Well, if we go by Greek texts, no, apparently Medusa was not raped in Greek mythology, and only became a rape victim through Ovid.

The Ancient Greek texts all record Poseidon and Medusa sleeping with each other and having children, but no mention of rape. And the whole “curse of Athena” thing is not present in the oldest records – no temple of Athena soiling, no angry Athena cursing a poor girl… “No curse?” you say “But then how did Medusa got turned into a Gorgon”? Answer: she did not. She was born like that.

As I said before, the oldest record of Medusa’s romance but also of her family comes from Hesiod’s Theogony (Hesiod being one of the two “founding authors” of Greek mythology, alongside Homer – Homer did wrote several times about Medusa, but only as a disembodied head and as a monster already dead, so we don’t have any information about her life). And what do we learn? That Medusa is part of a set of three sisters known as the Gorgons – because oh yes, Ovid did not mention Medusa’s sister now did he? How did Medusa’s sisters ALSO got snake-hair or petrifying-gaze if only Medusa was cursed for sleeping with Neptune? Ovid does not give us any answer because again, it is an “adaptational plot hole”, and the people that try to adapt Ovid’s story have to deal with the slight problem of Stheno and Euryale needing to share their sister’s curse despite seemingly not being involved in the whole Neptune business. Anyway, back to the Greek text.

So, you have those three Gorgon sisters, and Medusa is said to be mortal while her sisters are not. Why is it such a big deal? Because Medusa wasn’t originally some random human or priestess. Oh no! Who were the Gorgons’ parents? Phorcys and Keto/Ceto, aka two sea-gods. Not just two sea-gods – two sea-gods of the ancient, primordial generation of sea-gods, the one that predated Poseidon, and that were cousins to the Titans, the sea-gods born of Gaia mating with Pontos.

So the Gorgons were “divine” of nature – and this is why Medusa being a mortal was considered to be a MASSIVE problem and handicap for her, an abnormal thing for the daughter of two deities. But let’s dig a bit further… Who were Phorcys and Ceto? Long story short: in Greek mythology, they were considered to be sea-equivalents of Typhon and Gaia. They were the parents of many monsters and many sea-horrors: Keto/Ceto herself had her name attributed and equated with any very large creature (like whales) or any terrifying monster (like dragons) from the sea. The Gorgons themselves was a trio of monsters, but their sisters, that directly act as their double in the myth of Perseus? The Graiai – the monstrous trio of old women sharing one eye and one tooth. Hesiod also drops the fact that Ladon (the dragon that guarded the golden apples of the Hesperids), and Echidna (the snake-woman that mated with Typhon and became known as the “mother of monsters”) were also children of Phorcys and Ceto, while other authors will add other monster-related characters such as Scylla (of Charybdis and Scylla fame), the sirens, or Thoosa (the mother of Polyphemus the cyclop). Medusa herself is technically a “mother of monsters” since she birthed both Pegasus the flying horse and Chrysaor, a giant. So here is something very important to get: Medusa, and the Gorgons, were part of a family of monsters. Couple that with the absence of any mention of curses in these ancient texts, and everything is clear.

Originally Medusa was not a woman cursed to become a monster: she was born a monster, part of a group of monster siblings, birthed by monster-creating deities, and she belonged to the world of the “primordial abominations from the sea”, and the pre-Olympian threats, the remnants of the primordial chaos. It is no surprise that the Gorgons were said to live at the edge of the very known world, in the last patch of land before the end of the universe – in the most inhuman, primitive and liminal area possible. They were full-on monsters!

Now you might ask why Poseidon would sleep with a horrible monster, especially when you recall that the Greeks loved to depict the Gorgons as truly bizarre and grotesque. It wasn’t just snake-hair and petrifying gaze: they had boar tusks, and metallic claws, and bloated eyes, and a long tongue that constantly hanged down their bearded chin, and very large heads – some very old depictions even show her with a female centaur body! In fact, the ancient texts imply that it wasn’t so much the Gorgon’s gaze or eyes that had the power to turn people into stone – but that rather the Gorgon was just so hideous and so terrifying to look at people froze in terror – and then literally turned into stone out of fear and disgust. We are talking Lovecraftian level of eldritch horror here. So why would Poseidon, an Olympian god, sleep with one of these horrors? Well… If you know your Poseidon it wouldn’t surprise you too much because Poseidon had a thing for monsters. As a sort of “dark double” of Zeus, whereas Zeus fell in love with beautiful princesses and noble queens and birthed great gods and brave heroes, Poseidon was more about getting freaky with all sorts of unusual and bizarre goddesses, and giving birth to bandits and monsters. A good chunk of the villains of Greek mythology were born out of Poseidon’s loins: Polyphemus, Antaios, Orion, Charybdis, the Aloads… And even his most benevolent offspring has freaky stuff about it – Proteus the shapeshifter or Triton half-man half-fish… So yes, Poseidon sleeping with an abominable Gorgon is not so much out of character.

Step 3: The missing link

Now that we established what Medusa started out as, and what she ended up as… We need to evoke the evolution from point Hesiod to point Ovid, because while people summarized the Medusa debate as “Sea-born monster VS raped and punished woman”, there is a third element needed to understand this whole situation…

Yes Ovid did invent the rape. But he did not invent the idea that Medusa had been cursed by Athena.

The “gorgoneion” – the visual and artistic motif of the Gorgon’s head – was, as I said, a grotesque and monstrous face used to invoke fright into the enemies or to repel any vile influence or wicked spirit by the principle of “What’s the best way to repel bad stuff? Badder stuff”. Your Gorgon was your gargoyle, with all the hideous traits I described before – represented in front (unlike all the other side-portraits of gods and heroes), with the face being very large and flat, a big tongue out of a tusked-mouth, snake-hair, bulging crazy eyes, sometimes a beard or scales… Pure monster. But then… from the fifth century BCE to the second century BCE we see a slow evolution of the “gorgoneion” in art. Slowly the grotesque elements disappear, and the Gorgon’s face becomes… a regular, human face. Even more: it even becomes a pretty woman’s face! But with snakes instead of hair. As such, the idea that Medusa was a gorgeous woman who just had snakes and cursed-eyes DOES come from Ancient Greece – and existed well before Ovid wrote his rape story.

But what was the reason behind this change?

Well, we have to look at the Roman era again. Ovid’s tale of Medusa being cursed for her rape at the hands of Neptune had to rival with another record collected by a Greek author Apollodorus, or Pseudo-Apollodorus, in his Bibliotheca. In this collection of Greek myths, Apollodorus writes that indeed, Medusa was cursed by Athena to have her beautiful hair that seduced everybody be turned into snakes… But it wasn’t because of any rape or forbidden romance, no. It was just because Medusa was a very vain woman who liked to brag about her beauty and hair – and had the foolish idea of saying her hair looked better than Athena’s. (If you recall tales such as Arachne’s or the Judgement of Paris, you will know that despite Athena being wise and clever, one of her main flaws is her vanity).

“Wait a minute,” you are going to tell me, “The Bibliotheca was created in the second century CE! Well after Greece became part of the Roman Empire, and after Ovid’s Metamorphoses became a huge success! It isn’t a true Greek myth, it is just Ovid’s tale being projected here…” And people did agree for a time… Until it was discovered, in the scholias placed around the texts of Apollonios of Rhodes, that an author of the fifth century BCE named Pherecyde HAD recorded in his time a version of Medusa’s legend where she had been cursed into becoming an ugly monster as punishment for her vanity. We apparently do not have the original text of Pherecyde, but the many scholias referring to this lost piece are very clear about this. This means that the story that Apollodorus recorded isn’t a “novelty”, but rather the latest record of an older tradition going back to the fifth century BCE… THE SAME CENTURY THAT THE GORGONEION STARTED LOSING THEIR GROTESQUE, and that the face of Medusa started becoming more human in art.

[EDIT: I also forgot to add that this evolution of Medusa is also proved by strange literary elements, such as Pindar's mention in a poem of his (around 490 BCE) of "fair-cheeked Medusa". A description which seems strange given how Medusa used to be depicted as the epitome of ugliness... But that makes sense if the "cursed beauty" version of the myth had been going around at the time!]

And thus it is all connected and explained. Ovid did invent the rape yes – but he did not invent the idea of Athena cursing Medusa. It pre-existed as the most “recent” and dominating legend in Ancient Greece, having overshadowed by Ovid’s time the oldest Hesiodic records of Medusa being born a monster. So what Ovid did wasn’t completely create a new story out of nowhere, but twist the Greek traditions of Athena cursing Medusa and Medusa having a relationship with Poseidon, so that the two legends would form one and same story. And this explains in retrospect why Ovid focuses so much on describing Medusa’s beautiful hair, and why Ovid’s Minerva would think turning her hair into snake would be a “punishment fit for the crime”: these are leftovers of the Greek tale where Medusa was punished for her boasting and her vanity.

CONCLUSION

Here is the simplified chronology of how Medusa’s evolution went.

A) Primitive Greek myths, Hesiodic tradition: Born a monster out of a family of sea-monsters and monstrous immortals. Is a grotesque, gargoylesque, eldritch abomination. Athena has only an indirect conflict with her, due to being Perseus’ “fairy godmother”. Has a lovely romance with Poseidon.

B) Slow evolution throughout Classical Greece and further: Medusa becomes a beautiful, human-looking girl that was cursed to have snake for hair and petrifying eyes, instead of being a Lovecraftian horror people could not gaze upon. Her conflict with Athena becomes direct, as it is Athena that cursed her due to being offended by her vain boasting. Her punishment is for her vanity and arrogant comparison to the goddess.

C) Ovid comes in: Medusa’s romance with Poseidon becomes a rape, and she is now punished for having been raped inside Athena’s temple.

[As a final note, I want to insist upon the fact that the story of Medusa being raped is not less "worthy" than any other version of the myth. Due to its enormous popularity, how it shaped the figure of Medusa throughout the centuries, and how it still survives today and echoes current-day problems, to try to deny the valid place of this story in the world of myths and legends would be foolish. HOWEVER it is important to place back things in their context, to recognize that it is not the ONLY tale of Medusa, that it was NOT part of Greek mythology, but rather of Roman legends - and let us all always remember this time Poseidon slept with a Lovecraftian horror because my guy is kinky.]

EDIT:

For illustration, I will place here visuals showing how the Ancient art evolved alongside Medusa's story.

Before the 5th century BCE: Medusa is a full-on monster

From the 5th century to the 2nd century BCE: A slow evolution as Medusa goes from a full-on monster to a human turned into a monster. As a result the two depictions of the grotesque and beautiful gorgoneion coexist.

Post 2nd century BCE: Medusa is now a human with snake hair, and just that

[blueiscoool]

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Mosaic of Winged Medusa in Spain

The stunningly preserved Ancient Roman mosaic floor was found at the Huerta de Otero site in the city of Mérida.

In both ancient and modern interpretations, Medusa is often known as a monster — a Gorgon with tresses of serpents whose stare turned men to stone. This version typically appears in children’s movies and fantasy thrillers, but her image hasn’t always been so awe-inspiring. In late June, archaeologists in Western Spain uncovered an Ancient Roman mosaic floor that depicts Medusa with tiny wings and flowing locks of hair, thought to have been used as a protective symbol.

The mosaic was found in the city of Mérida’s Huerta de Otero archaeological site. Ancient Romans established a colony there in 25 BCE named Augusta Emerita. Traces of its former inhabitants — including an amphitheater and a bridge — can be found throughout the modern-day city. “[The site] is of an exceptional nature due to the level of conservation of the ruins and, above all, the ornamental elements that decorate the well-preserved house: not only the mosaic of the Medusa but also paintings and sculptural motifs,” said archaeologist Félix Palma in a statement.

The Huerta de Otero location was excavated in 1976 but lay untouched for decades. Research picked back up in 2019, when the city employed professional archaeologists and students from its Barraeca II Professional School to explore the ruins. Since then, the team has uncovered an Ancient Roman defensive wall, a road, and the home of a wealthy family.

The Medusa mosaic adorned the floor of this home. Depictions of fish, peacocks, and carefully tessellated patterns surround the artwork’s central figure: a human-like Medusa, her gaze turned to one side.

Although this image diverges from some contemporary renditions of the mythological figure, the mosaic’s winged version was common in Ancient portrayals of Medusa. While early Greek depictions of the mortal-turned-monster, cruelly punished for being raped by the god Poseidon, show her as grotesque, Medusa’s image softened by the time of the Ancient Romans. Beginning in the Classical Greek period, her face acquired more human attributes. It started to be rendered with symmetry and youthful beauty in the following centuries.

Other Ancient Roman mosaics featuring the head of Medusa have been discovered throughout Spain. Medusa again comprises the focal point of an Ancient Roman mosaic in a 115–150 CE work found in Rome, where she can be seen sporting human curls and a snake around her neck. A 1st-to-2nd-century ornament from a chariot pole shows a young woman with curly locks (although a couple of snakes still peer through her tangle of hair).

In Ancient Greek mythology, Perseus killed Medusa to avoid being turned to stone. Medusa, in her early terrifying form, was used as a protective symbol — “an image of evil to repel evil,” Madeleine Glennon writes in a 2017 essay for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The goddess Athena famously included a representation of Medusa’s severed head on her protective cloak or aegis. In Ancient Rome, her beautified image was still employed as a protective symbol, although the depiction shifted into a form more similar to a woman than a monster.

By Elaine Velie.

[lunarlianna]

Medusa Asteroid ( 149)

The Medusa myth is a compelling tale encompassing themes of power, fear and transformation. Medusa, born from the sea gods Phorcys and Ceto, was the only mortal among the Gorgon sisters. Originally, Medusa was a stunning maiden who captured the attention of Poseidon, leading to a grievous violation within the sacred confines of Athena's temple. In order to protect her, Athena transformed Medusa's hair into a mass of serpents, bestowing upon her a petrifying gaze. Medusa's astrological connection with the asteroid 149 suggests her influence recurs periodically, like seasons, lasting about 3.2 years. This implies cyclic challenges and growth tied to her themes.

Her family lineage underscores sibling rivalry and a sense of being different. After her transformation, Medusa retreats from the world, which can reflect where we tend to hide. Confronting these hidden truths requires courage and wisdom. Medusa's connection to Athena links her to Jupiterian qualities, offering insights when considering her placement with Jupiter in your chart. Some individuals with a strong Medusa presence may struggle with self-perception, seeing themselves as a metaphorical monster in the mirror. Others may possess an intimidating gaze that isolates them. Medusa's myth explores profound psychological and ethical themes, emphasizing self-awareness, ethical choices, and facing consequences. In astrology, Medusa indicates a swift and forceful defense mechanism to protect oneself, potentially causing tension, wounds, and unjust criticism in specific life areas, ultimately prompting personal growth.

Medusa in the 1st house: can give you a magnetic and intense presence that sometimes triggers negative reactions from strangers. Your hair and eyes, tends to draw attention, potentially making you a target for bullies or disrespectful comments in childhood. You may tend to stay hidden and to hide your body but you always end up being villainized. However, your transformative journey involves transcending these adversities. You rise above others' insecurities and boldly embrace your individuality. Empowering yourself by disregarding hurtful comments, you nurture self-appreciation and self-confidence despite societal pressures to conform.

Medusa in the 2nd house: can make you appear very self-assured and confident but you might find it difficult to see your own self-worth. Your voice may be quite attractive, and you might excel in business or singing. Financial success and possessions could come easily, but you may also face envy for your wealth. You may tend to hide the possession that you have and the inheritance that you received, especially from your husband. However, you can transform from this by maintaining your dignity, adapting to change, and valuing inner beauty over material possessions. Your makeup style may accentuate your allure, but be cautious of attracting unwanted attention in relationships.

Medusa in the 3rd house: may lead to tension with siblings and peers. In early years you may be quite shy and scared to express your opinion. In the neighborhood or with your siblings, things that go wrong might end up being attributed to you. Your social interactions may lead you to encounter individuals who are less than truthful, which can be frustrating. In some cases, people might misunderstand your intentions, labeling you as two-faced or even anti-social, especially if you're more introverted. However, your transformation comes by becoming more confident and setting boundaries, expressing your opinions assertively, and speaking up courageously when needed. Your ability to address uncomfortable truths may inspire others to do the same.

Medusa in the 4th house: can trigger negative reactions from family members. You might inherit certain challenging behaviors from an older relative and sense negative energy at home, possibly due to constant parental arguments. The them around you home can be quite unconventional, have an edgy look with marine and blue vibes to it. Your strong self-awareness and purposefulness can make it difficult for others to deceive or influence you. You've learned to establish your inner sanctuary, and you're protective of your emotions, possibly due to early criticism from a family member. This can lead to a desire for control and a slow transition when getting out of your comfort zone around others.

Medusa in the 5th house: with this placement people may envy or have hidden agendas, especially when you express your full self. You may tend to hide your art work and your creative endeavors, especially when younger. A lack of desire for children may bring you rumors, criticize and scandals. You're often villainized for outgrowing relationships and embracing change. There's a remarkable ability to protect your passions with unwavering determination, refusing to succumb to societal pressures or stifling expectations. In your life, you may attract partners with abusive tendencies and face misunderstandings due to your sincere kindness.

Medusa in the 6th house: people may envy your disciplined approach to daily life and work. In early years you might have encountered challenges with schoolmates and later, colleagues at work, a consistent inclination toward people-pleasing is noticeable. You've transformed from a people-pleaser to someone who values personal freedom and control. You're protective of your routines and may confront those who disrupt them, also you may like to adopt unusual pets and are very protective over them. You maintain a keen sense of discernment, especially regarding manipulative individuals, particularly men.

Medusa in the 7th house: your relationships may have faced challenges, and you could have experienced envy from others. People might see you as the peacemaker, but when you rebel, you face criticism. Controlling dynamics may have been part of your past relationships, and you may have experienced manipulation or guilt-tripping. People may envy your romantic connections, and sabotage could taint your relationships. You're villainized for not conforming to a one-dimensional image, for having your own vulnerabilities and complexities. To transform, reevaluate your role in relationships, recognize that you're not solely a caretaker, and insist on mutual partnership and empathy from others.

Medusa in the 8th house:  with this placement, you may encounter challenges in your intimate life due to being oversexualized. Loved ones might underestimate your pain, assuming you're always strong. Expressing yourself is often met with dismissal or minimization of your trauma. Your interactions can be intense and alluring, sometimes leading to obsessions, especially in intimate relationships. You tend to attract controlling individuals and even stalkers, people that usually want to know all your secrets. Some may envy your constant transformation, which can lead to competition or backbiting. Transformation comes for owning your sexuality and being in control of your finances. Remember, your personal growth is something to be proud of, despite others' negativity.

Medusa in the 9th house: your profound wisdom and exceptional intelligence often set you apart. While your deep knowledge and unique beliefs may not always find immediate acceptance, they are a testament to your unwavering commitment to your values. You naturally challenge cultural and religious norms; your spiritual journey is highly transformative and you usually hide your spiritual beliefs. It's important to recognize that your wisdom and spiritual insights have the potential to inspire and enlighten others, even when they struggle to fully comprehend your perspective.

Medusa in the 10th house: can create a unique journey in your work environment, where you might unknowingly trigger feelings of jealousy and face unkind energies from others. Your public image tends to be captivating, but this can occasionally result in clashes with government or legal matters. Challenges in your career and with authority figures are not uncommon with this placement, as there may have been expectations from your father for you to follow in his footsteps. As you age, you're likely to discover a growing sense of personal power and influence. It's important to recognize that these experiences have shaped you, and they offer opportunities for personal growth and transformation.

Medusa in the 11th house: you might keep your dreams and ambitions hidden because of the jealousy and envy you witnessed from your friends during your early years. Your upbringing might have exposed you to less-than-ideal community conditions, which may have led to toxic friendships and betrayals from people you considered friends. However, you do have genuine friends who share interests in astrology, spirituality, or religion with you, and these connections are meaningful. People might judge you or be envious, but this likely stems from their own insecurities. You're resilient and have the potential to make a positive impact on your community and the world in your own unique way.

Medusa in the 12th house: you might have experienced a pattern of encountering hidden adversaries in your life, which could be tied to karmic elements. This placement could also suggest a tendency to turn to intoxicants, like alcohol, which might symbolize a form of personal poison. Many with this placement may feel a strong bond with water elements, often expressing it through tattoos or jewelry featuring water symbols, seashells, or even snakes. Vivid snake dreams can serve as cautionary messages, urging vigilance against hidden adversaries. Your spiritual pursuits might be perceived as disruptive to community and family norms, causing some to view you as a threat due to your ability to see through deception when others can't.  Balancing vulnerability, self-protection, skepticism, and warmth highlights the need for compassion when confronting hidden traumas and fears in this placement.

[khaire-traveler]

⚔️ Perseus Worship Guide 🪽

~ Art by DocZenith on ArtStation ~

The great ancient Greek hero, Perseus - a hero so renowned that an entire children's book series was written inspired by him. He accomplished fantastical feats with the very gods themselves rooting for his victory. Many people admire him, but few seem to be aware that worship is not only an option for gods. Heroes, such as Perseus, can be worshipped as well, and have been throughout history. Explore the various ways Perseus can be worshipped in the modern day in the enlightening post that follows.

***I am not an educator or historian. This is solely being made for religious purposes, and I will be touching on UPG.**

°· Who is Perseus? ·°

As stated above, Perseus is an ancient Greek hero starring in his own myths. As a biological son of Zeus (NOT Poseidon) and a mortal woman, trials and troubles were a guarantee in his life. His mother, Danaë, was trapped in a tower before his birth, due to her father, Akrisios', fear of a prophecy that claimed her son would kill him. Despite her predicament, Zeus was able to enter her locked tower, taking the form of a golden rain shower, and Danaë became pregnant with his son (don't ask me, man; I don't know). Her father immediately cast her out upon discovering the child, placing both her and her son, Perseus, into a chest floating on the sea. However, the pair made it safely to the island of Seriphos, being sheltered by the fisherman Diktys, brother to the king of the island, Polydectes. Diktys would also raise Perseus as a father figure.

Perseus would grow to become the eventual slayer of the gorgon Medusa, arguably his most famous accomplishment, as well as the savior of Andromeda, an Ethiopian princess who had been chained to a rock to be fed to a sea monster. He also freed his mother from King Polydectes by turning him to stone with Medusa's head. Perseus' grandfather fled from him in fear, allowing Perseus to assume the throne of his kingdom. Although Perseus didn't purposely kill his grandfather, he was the cause of his grandfather's demise via an accidental discus throw (prophecy fulfilled 🔴).

He later fathered many children. With his lovely wife Andromeda, he had the sons Perses, Alcaeus, Heleus, Mestor, Sthenelus, Electryon, and Cynurus, and two daughters, Gorgophone and Autochthe. He's also said to be an ancestor of the famous Herakles, who is also a demigod son of Zeus. Unlike Herakles, however, there don't seem to be recorded myths of Perseus ascending to godhood, although he was still worshipped as a Greek hero and Founder of Mycanaea.

✿*Well-known myths *✿

His most widespread myth is that of slaying Medusa, which he did in an effort to protect his mother from the cruel King Polydectes, who had fallen in love with her. Perseus believed Polydectes wasn't worthy of his mother's hand in marriage (and he was absolutely right, in my opinion; Polydectes wished to enslave his mother), so as a plot to send Perseus away, Polydectes plotted to send Perseus on the impossible quest of slaying the gorgon Medusa. Before setting out on his journey, Perseus prayed to Zeus, terrified of the challenges that lay ahead, and his father answered by sending Hermes and Athena to deliver five gifts that would aid Perseus' quest. Hermes lent his brother the god's winged sandals and sword, providing him with Haides' helm of invisibility also (though some ancient people seemed to think this wasn't this case and were very opinionated about it lol). Athena lent Perseus her polished shield, able to reflect the gorgon's appearance without petrifying him, and a bag that he could safely store the head in, warning Perseus that Medusa's gaze would still turn others into stone, even in death. The pair then instructed Perseus to seek out the infamous Graia, sisters of the gorgons, to discover Medusa's location.

With cunning and quick-wit, Perseus was able to take the shared eye and tooth between the sisters, and hold them hostage until they revealed Medusa's location. Upon his arrival, he used the reflective shield gifted to him by Athena to avoid looking directly at Medusa, and sword guided by Athena's might, he beheaded the ghastly Gorgon in one swift maneuver of his blade. Her sisters attempted to avenge her, but donning Haides' helm of invisibility, Perseus was able to easily evade capture. After a few other misadventures along the way, he returned to discover that his mother had to flee from Polydectes while he was away, so out of vengeance for the bullshit Polydectes put them both through, Perseus slew him using the severed head of Medusa. A fitting death - that guy was an asshole. As a show of gratitude for sheltering him and his mother, Perseus also made Diktys the new king of Seriphos.

Another of his myths that he's well-known for is that of rescuing Andromeda from her fate. He came across Andromeda after slaying Medusa, on his way home from the adventure. The princess' father, King Cepheus, chained her naked to a rock surrounded by raging oceans and a ravenous sea monster, Cetus. Her father wished to appease Poseidon after his wife angered the God by claiming Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids (Sea Nymphs). An Oracle claimed that sacrificing Andromeda to Cetus was the only way to soothe Poseidon's anger. Luckily, using the winged sandals that Hermes gifted him, Perseus flew over the stormy waters to Andromeda and freed her, immediately earning her hand in marriage. Andromeda's original suitor, Phineus, was upset at the marriage, but Perseus turned him to stone with Medusa's head and carried on.

Although these are his most well-known myths, there are still other myths about Perseus that I didn't cover here. Overall, he is a widely recognized Greek hero, known for his quick wit, the love he had for his mother, and the founding of Mycanaea, considered by many ancient Greeks to be the father of all Mycanaea (after making Diktys king of Seriphos, Perseus went on to find the land known as Mycanaea). If you're interested in learning more of his myths (which I highly suggest), my resources will be listed at the end of the post.

·•✷ Sacred Symbols ✷•·

The sacred symbols featured below are pulled from his myths and historical depictions I found of him.

The severed head of Medusa

Swords (particularly sickle-shaped) and shields

Winged sandals/boots and a winged helm

The Helm of Invisibility

Snakes and sea serpents

Treasure chests/chests in general

Raging oceans (due to the Andromeda myth)

Rain made of gold; storm clouds (from his birth)

Discus (basically an ancient Greek frisbee-like thing)

Fishnets and fishing gear (due to his upbringing)

Fountains

A pegasus or horse

Wings (from the sandals and Medusa herself)

An eye and a tooth (from the three hags)

Broken chains/restraints (from Andromeda's rescue)

It's rather disappointing how difficult it is to find information about his worship in ancient times that isn't hidden behind a paywall. That said, I gathered some UPG from worshippers of his who were willing to share! A reminder that the below is based on UPG.

Overcoming challenges/obstacles

Feathers

Spears

Knives/other blade weapons outside of swords

Handcrafted arts and items

Boats/sailing

Mirrors/reflective surfaces

Wind, especially near or on the water

Rainfall on sunny days

The colors blue, lilac, dark gray, and gold

Eels, sea-snakes, and seabirds, especially sea-eagles

Clumps of snakes (resembles Medusa's head)

Freshly bloomed flowers; purple and blue flowers

Plants: lilac, sword lillies (dangerous to cats), peony, red hot poker (especially purples ones), foxgloves, lavender, gingko trees, and cedar trees

Herbs: Lavender, parsley, basil, lemongrass, and bay leaf

Myrrh, frankincense, sandalwood, jasmine, and ocean scents

‹-« Epithets »-›

The following is a list of titles I found for Perseus. Supposedly, they are historically attested, but if I'm going to be honest, I would take it with a grain of salt, as the sources on this were few and far between. I'll also include a short list of purely UPG/modern titles. First, however, is the historically attested list:

Godlike

Gold-begotten (referencing his birth)

Valiant

The Harvester (referencing his role in the births of Pegasus and Chrysaor, who came out of Medusa's neck after her head was cut off ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯)

The Horseman

The Warrior Chief (referencing his prowess in battle)

Deliverer of Andromeda (referencing rescue of Andromeda)

Slayer of Medusa/the Gorgo

The Eagle Son of the Golden Sire (referencing his divine lineage and birth, "The Eagle" being Zeus)

Father/Founder/King of Mycanaea (referencing the belief that he founded Mycanaea)

Perseus of Argos (referencing where he resided)

Son of Danaë

Son of Zeus

Now the UPG/modern epithets list:

Chain Breaker/Breaking (referencing rescue of Andromeda and his mother)

Starry-eyed (referencing his constellation)

Starry-footed (referencing his constellation and winged sandals)

Stone-shielded (referencing Medusa's head on the shield)

Wind-swift (referencing his winged sandals)

Courageous/Daring

The Cunning

The Resilient

The Shield-bearer (referencing the shield he uses)

The Unconquerable

The Wayfarer (referencing his many travels)

Brother of the Owl-eyed Warrior (referencing Athena)

Brother of the Silver-tongued Messenger (referencing Hermes)

Son of the Kingly Zeus

Son of the Rich-haired Danaë (based on an epithet of Danaë)

(Image depicts Perseus, Medusa, and Athena)

·✩· Perseus Worship in the Modern Day ·✩·

Within the modern day, worship may seem intimidating if you don't know how to go about it, but thankfully, it's much easier than it may seem. Before I continue, please be aware that there is no one way to worship any Greek entity, be it hero or deity. Worship varies from person to person, even when they worship the same entity, and that's both normal and historically supported. In ancient Greece, worship was different all across the land with some city-states not worshipping entire deities that others did. It's ok if your practice doesn't look exactly the same as someone else's; in fact, it probably shouldn't!

A common way of worshipping any Greek entity in the modern day is creating a custom altar. Some worshippers keep their altars outdoors, preferring for their space to be out in nature, while others keep their altars indoors, preferring their altar to be within the home. Where you keep your altar is entirely up to you, although indoor altars are typically more common due to their accessibility for most people. Being that Perseus is a hero who's traveled far and wide, going on daring adventures for the benefit of others rather than himself, a place to put his altar in the home could be near the door or window - a nod to the various journeys he's embarked on. An outdoor altar for Perseus could be located near a body of water - a nod to both the rescue of Andromeda and his escape to Seriphos with his mother as a young boy. If it's near water, be careful to keep it far enough away that it won't be swept away (make sure to keep flash floods in mind, too). I also don't suggest having anything that could be bad for the earth on an outdoor altar; it could harm the environment, should any of those items be lost.

It's important to note that you don't need an altar to worship an entity. That might be a hot take to some, but I've known many worshippers who either can't have an altar, due to living circumstances, or simply don't want to, due to personal beliefs. Worship however feels correct to you (though I highly suggest still being respectful). Religion and spirituality are very personal, and I encourage you to explore that personal connection. Don't be afraid to do things a little differently!

Many modern altars have a candle, meant to be lit in honor of the entity. If you don't want a candle on your altar, that's ok! Candle scents are typically based on things associated with the entity or things that simply remind the worshipper of them. For Perseus, some potential candle scents could be ocean, storm, rain (UPG after this), lily, lavender, lilac, or sandalwood. Feel free to choose a scent that calls to you, even if it wasn't mentioned!

Most altars have various objects dedicated to the entity they were made for - things that remind you of the entity, depict images of the entity directly, or sacred symbols of the entity. These are called "offerings". Some stay on the altar permanently while others may not - it's entirely up to you what you choose to do with your offerings! When it comes to food offerings, I advise you not to keep them on the altar for too long, since they're often susceptible to perishing. Throw food offerings away or, if they're good for the environment, you can bury them outside. Some people also choose to burn perishable offerings, but I don't personally suggest it if you're not sure what can and can't be safely burned. In the next section below, I'll include a list of modern offerings you can give to Perseus. The list has suggestions; you aren't required to give any of the items mentioned if you don't want to!

Outside of altar worship, you can also do "devotional acts" - actions you do in honor of Perseus and with him in mind. In order to make an entity aware that I'm about to do a devotional act, I usually pray to them beforehand or declare aloud that I'm about to do something for them. Daily activities, that you would've done anyway, are also ok to dedicate to an entity; devotional acts don't have to be something you go super out of your way to do if you don't have time or energy for that. Involving entities in your daily activities is actually a great way of welcoming their presence directly into your life and can help with bonding. Two sections down is a list of devotional acts you're welcome to try. Just as the offerings I mention aren't required, neither are the devotional acts.

When in need of communicating with Perseus, I suggest utilizing divination, prayers, meditations, or journaling. There are other ways of communicating with entities, but these are the most common that I see. Regarding divination, there are near endless methods of divination you can try, from tarot cards to pendulums to a normal deck of playing cards. Although prayer is likely one of the most direct ways to communicate, divination typically allows you to have a back and forth conversation, to some extent, which is partially why so many people engage with it. If you're unfamiliar with any divination, I'd recommend trying whichever method calls you the most and practicing often to develop a skill with it. Divination can take a lot of practice, but that's not a bad thing; everyone starts somewhere! If you're unsure how to pray, the following link leads to some suggestions. If you can't meditate, no sweat; it's not required! Meditation can be useful for some when trying to connect with an entity's energy, but for others, it's not helpful at all, and that's ok. For journaling, you can simply write to Perseus as if you're writing in a diary or write him stylized letters. Maybe keep your journal on his altar as well!

At first, it may be difficult to determine when Perseus has responded to something you've prayed for or communicated about. A few ways an entity might make their answer known are through dreams, conversations/words you overhear, frequently spotting their sacred symbols (animals included), having a flash of a relevant image in your mind, strong gut feelings to do/say something specific, sensing another presence with you, and, of course, communicating through divination. There are many, many other ways an entity might express their answer to you, but these are a few I see fairly commonly within the Hellenic Polytheist and Pagan communities. If you struggle telling when you've received a sign versus when you're just overthinking it, this link can lend a helpful hand in being able to tell. I also personally use the rule of three: once is noticeable 🤔, twice is a coincidence 🤨, and thrice is a certainty 🧐.

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·✩· What is Perseus Like in Worship (UPG)? ·✩·

This is SOLELY based on UPG and SPG that I've gathered through various means. Out of respect, I will not be @ing the individuals who provided this information, unless they ask me to do so. Be aware that no one can definitively speak for the gods, heroes, or any other entity; everyone's experience with them will vary, even in seemingly small ways. Do not expect your experience to mimic the following experiences exactly.

I decided to gather people's experiences with Perseus in worship to hopefully provide a better feel for what Perseus may be like. I'll be numbering the experiences I was told of because each situation was expressly unique enough that separating them will be useful. Each experience will begin with two adjectives outlining the main point of the experience, as some of these individuals intentionally worship specific aspects of Perseus. Although your experience may vary, here are some things you may encounter with him:

⚔️ Young and Rebellious. 💥 This person told me that they explicitly worship a younger aspect of Perseus, before he became a king. They described him as spirited, determined, and bold. He encouraged standing up for oneself and others, and dislikes figures of authority. The way he was described reminds me of a typical "rebellious teen" stereotype (this is not an insult, just something I found interesting, as my experience strongly differed). He seemed to have more of a hands-on approach to lessons and problems, but that wasn't discussed further.

🐎 Humble and Kind. 🧡 This person only interacted with Perseus through their partner, but every time they did, they described him as being very modest and respectful. Despite his later status as a king, he seemed to regard everyone as an equal and tended to be very patient as well. This person stated that their partner said Perseus still knew how and when to put his foot down and often tried to pass that lesson along, since assertiveness was a struggle for their partner. Perseus was described as being a gentle guide as well, preferring for their partner to come to their own conclusions but still assisting them along the journey.

🪽 Swift and Smart. 🛡️ This person described Perseus as being kind and respectful, but being blunt when it was needed. He fully embraced both cunning and wit, and encouraged this person to solve problems by thinking outside of the box. Rather than giving away solutions immediately, he would prefer to let this person think through a situation. He aided a lot with thinking on their feet as well as asserting themselves in subtle yet effective ways. Something that remained consistent with the last experience was his hands-off approach to solving problems, preferring the person to listen to themselves first and foremost.

✨ My Experience. ✨ I do not worship Perseus, but a few times throughout the creation of this post, I felt his energy nearby. In my experience, he was very quiet, patient, and respectful. He respected my boundaries and seemingly regarded me as an equal. His modesty was striking, but despite this, he was still well aware of his talents. He was extremely clever and intelligent, and in some ways, he reminded me of an owl who observes his surroundings fully before he acts. He still made a point to assert himself when needed, however, and would jump in the moment he felt it necessary. Interestingly, he had a very hands-off approach to this post. When he did help, it was much appreciated, though. He was very different from other heroes I've interacted with, and overall, I enjoyed his company. c:

✧ ⟨Offerings ⟩✧

The following is a list of offerings you can give to Perseus as a show of worship. They're simply suggestions; you don't have to use them if you don't want to!

Decorated chests/boxes (maybe even keep his altar in a chest)

A candle that reminds you of him

Frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, or any other incense that reminds you of him

Sword and shield imagery

Imagery of a pegasus or horse

Imagery of Medusa's head; imagery of the Aegis (Athena's shield that she affixes Medusa's head to)

Feathers (for his winged sandals)

Snake and sea serpent imagery; a stuffed animal snake or sea serpent

Ethically sourced snake skulls, especially sea snakes; ethically sourced snake shed

Imagery of a raging ocean; imagery of rain made of gold

Seashells

Fishnets/fishing gear

Ethically sourced fish bones/shark teeth

Breaking/broken chains imagery; broken handcuffs

Gifts from your mom or a mother figure in your life to you (it's ok if you don't have anything)

Jewelry that reminds you of him

Water-based gems/crystals

Art/depictions of him and his ventures

Imagery of spears (as an acknowledgement of Athena and her aid)

Imagery of winged sandals (as an acknowledgement of Hermes and his aid)

Encouraging affirmations about pushing through, defying expectations, and overcoming obstacles

Fountain imagery

A mask of Medusa's face

Eye and tooth imagery; ethically sourced animal teeth (you can use human teeth, but I personally wouldn't)

Family heirlooms passed down from maternal (or parental) figures

Lost trinkets found at the beach/lakeshore

Imagery of an ancient Greek helm/the helm of invisibility

Toys/items from your childhood that mean a lot to you

Mirrors/reflective surfaces

Replica sail boats/toy boats

Flowers, leaves, or herbs that remind you of him

White wine with a bit of honey

Warm herbal tea with honey

A glass of water (or salt/sea water)

Energizing drinks - coffee, certain teas, energy shakes, protein shakes, etc.

Energizing foods - nuts, trail mix, vegetables, oatmeal, eggs, bananas, etc.

Breads, pastries, grains with honey, natural honey, tasty candies, fresh fruits, fish, or something you made by hand for Perseus specifically

｡◉* Devotional Acts *◉ ｡

The following is a list of devotional activities you can do in honor of Perseus. These are just suggestions; you don't have to do them if you don't want to!

Learn how to swim; go swimming

Go sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding; engage in water-related activities

Play frisbee with friends or pets

Go fishing (legally, please)

Be kind to/encourage yourself when going through a difficult time

Make a list of things you've overcome; acknowledge your accomplishments, no matter how small they seem

Learn how to ride a horse; go horse-back riding

Stay hydrated; drink water

Try eating a healthy diet or meal if possible

Try exercising; do some movement throughout your day

Spend time with a maternal figure in your life or with a mother you know (for example, a friend or sibling who became a mom)

Be kind to children; spend time with the kids in your life

Watch a comforting movie/show from your childhood

Learn about self-defense; carry self-defense items (knives, pepper spray, etc.)

If you have a personal mirror, decorate it with things you love or positive self-affirmations

Create a playlist of songs that remind you of him; listen to the playlist whenever you want c:

Create a Pinterest board for him; save pins that remind you of him

Play strategy games, competitive or not

Learn how to wield a sword; swords are objectively cool

Visit any local fountains (not a drinking fountain, but the kind that people throw coins in)

Offer someone a helping hand; engage in random acts of kindness

Send your loved ones a kind message; maybe tell them you love them, wish them a good day, or encourage them

Stand up for others, especially if you witness a wrong done against them

Attend protests that stand against corrupt governments/politicians

Support children-focused, anti-domestic abuse, young/single mothers, or international relief organizations

Support ocean conservation efforts

Donate children's and hygiene supplies to homeless shelters; hygiene kits, toys, child socks/shoes, child clothes, baby food, diapers, etc.

Pick up trash around bodies of water

Sing/dance to songs the empower you, lift you up, or encourage you to keep moving forward

Make a list of things you're proud of; even getting out of bed can be a point of pride

Light a candle in his honor; burn incense in his honor

Plant/care for flowers or other plants that remind you of him

Create something for him - a painting, drawing, piece of digital art, wood carving, crochet project, song, short story, collage, etc.

Take a salt bath (with bath salts specifically!!!!)

Engage in a mental challenging/stimulating activities

•★ Conclusion ★•

To cover every piece of information about Perseus that exists would be a difficult task, and one that would likely take years of hard work. I hope this can at least be a starting point for any prospective worshippers and can offer a more condensed view of who exactly Perseus is. It can be challenging finding a place to start, but once you take your first step, you're already well on your way. I wish you, the reader, luck in your future ventures. May Perseus walk beside you, if you wish him to. Take care.

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Sources:

Theoi.com's entry on Perseus

Tufts University sources on the Medusa myth

History Cooperative's informed article on Perseus

Cults and Rites in Ancient Greece by Michael H. Jameson

Gods and Heroes - Perseus by Daniel Ogden

UPG was gathered from unnamed individuals, as well as my own very brief experiences with Perseus

[dootznbootz]

I don't think Greek Mythology retellings/adaptions/inspired/etc. are necessarily "evil"...but I DO think people REALLY need to understand that there's a huge difference between the actual mythology and certain media.

I feel like people have to basically do a "Fandom ___" to say the different versions. Like "PJO ___", "Hades game ___", "TSOA ___". For it to be understood that these depictions are DIFFERENT. I'm saying this as someone who grew up reading PJO and still has a soft spot for it. But as someone who really loves Greek Mythology as well, I sometimes get really SAD.

I'm going to use the comparison of Howl's Moving Castle with it's Book Vs. Movie. I enjoy both!!! But they are honestly very different. In the movie there is no "sister swap", Markle isn't a young teenager, Sophie doesn't throw weed killer at Howl, and many more moments. But I enjoy both because even though there are changes they still keep components that are ingrained into the characters!

In some Greek Myth retellings/adaptations/stories/etc., characters are...SO different from the source material. That's fine...Choose what you want with your story... But folks should know that the modern adaptations are NOT the source material!!!

It bothers me that a lot of these wonderful myths and stories are twisted up and seen so differently because of a modern version of them. You can have that character be "awful" or a certain way in your story. But I almost feel that as fans, it's not good to generalize them or see it as "This is the truth". People are hating the mythological figure when it's only in that interpretation they are like that.

In PJO, Ares is "Zeus' favorite", isn't a good dad, a misogynist, etc. The actual myths? One of his Epithets is LITERALLY "Feasted by Women", in the Iliad everybody basically bullies him with Zeus literally saying he hates him. He cries when he learns one of his sons is killed in the war. He literally kills someone about to rape his daughter. Ares isn't perfect but it makes me sad with how he's viewed and talked about when it's only in PJO he's like that. Same with Dionysus. Read the Bacchae, you'll love it.

In Lore Olympus, Apollo rapes Persephone (noticing the fact that modern takes on the myths add rapes where there never were hmmmmm) when he never did in any of the myths.

In TSOA, Thetis is cruel when in the Iliad, she is such a loving mother to Achilles. She grieved alongside her son over Patroclus. Also with Agamemnon. In Ipheginia at Aulis, Agamemnon is a MESS. He adored his children.

In Circe, Odysseus is viewed as a selfish man who ONLY hurts others and doesn't care about his family when that is LITERALLY his one consistent character trait. HE is actually the one who is the victim of rape. Circe was never raped.

Medusa is only a victim in Ovid's, a Roman man, works. Not in GREEK mythology. She was just a cool monster. Leave Perseus alone. Poseidon and Medusa actually had a consensual relationship in Greek Mythology!

These adaptations/retellings/inspired by/etc. whatever anybody wants to call them, are not the real myths! They may be similar in some ways but to just generalize them or hate the deity/mythological figure because of something they did in the new media feels fucked up!

You can enjoy these new stories. There's nothing wrong with that!!! But know they're not the real myths. Maybe even label it as "I hate ____'s version of ____". As that makes it clear what version you're talking about.

[superkooku]

Question about mythology inspired stories and creative liberties

I'm asking this because I plan to write my own fic from an established Greek myth and kinda want a second opinion. I'm writing for myself in order to train and have fun, no publishing plan.

Since I barely started, I won't ask anyone to beta-read it (I don't know if I'll even show it on the net). But I'd like to have a second opinion, or rather multiple ones.

I'm a bit embarrassed because I don't usually post about my projects but I decided to try.

The myth I chose isn't told in one theater play or a poem, but mentioned in sources. So that lets me room to make a story out of it, to fill in the holes and unexplained parts. Like I'd want to add character interactions that didn't take place, or themes or smth.

But I know the myth is about a very important established figure and I don't want to mangle the original story or lose the meaning.

Even though I won't make something as extreme as "it's in USA now", "Perseus X Medusa" or "Odysseus stabs Poseidon with his trident" (lol Epic 🤣), I'd still like to write the thing while keeping the story compelling and with some ✨ancient Greek authenticity✨.

So I'm asking you for advice so I can have a general direction.

(also is it okay to pull stuff from latin sources when the Greek ones doesn't provide a contradicting answer ?)

And since I love to complain, it would kinda be hypocritical not to make any effort myself 😅

Tagging : @katerinaaqu @margaretkart @nysus-temple @sarafangirlart @dootznbootz @aliciavance4228 and anyone else who'd like to provide an opinion on this.

(obviously you don't have to answer but I'm curious)

Edit : just to be less vague, it's about Asclepius.

[lucyskywalker]

Talking about the books, alright?

About. The. Books.

Not the TV Show.

I find it really amusing people hating on PJO!Gods for something that the pjo!gods didn't do on the story.

My biggest example: Calypso.

Calypso is not hated for something she did on Rick's story. She is hated for what she had done in the Odyssey written by Homer.

For everything that we know of, she never SA Ody in Rick's story, because Rick's characters are very, very different from the original source.

What supports this thesis is the Trials of Apollo.

Apollo didn't skin the satyr alive, but people still believe he have done that.

What makes sense. It is a children's book.

You won't make a character be the closest version of the myth, you won't make the director of a camp filled with children of different ages be a rapist.

Rick was inspired by Greek and Roman Mythology, but not everything that happend on the myths, happend on PJO storyline, actually, Rick changed a lot of myths to fit his writing. Again, TOA is a proof of that.

I have read a fic where the main theme was a friendship bound between Hermes&Percy, and there were comments like: He would never be friend with a rapist.

But the fact is: Percy is, canonically speaking, Hermes's friend. It is literally written on the book, word by word.

I find it really interesting, read fics rated as M to explore more of the dark side of the myths, I really do, and these fanfics are mostly written by adults to another adults.

But that is what they are: Fanfic. It is not canon. In pjo canon the gods are very chill compared with the original source. And that is OK.

It is like comparing illiad!achilles to tsoa!achilles.

They are not the same. I would dare to say tsoa!achilles is a sweetheart compared with what he actually is in the illiad. But Achilles still is romanticized regardless of what he have done in Greek Mythology in favor of a novel written in the XXI century by an American author.

The same way a lot of people like to actually rewrite the myth of Poseidon and Medusa on Athena's Temple, as it was an actual Greek myth (and it isn't. It is a Roman Myth with Netuno, Medusa and Minerva written by Ovid years and years later) Rick also can write a fictional book where SA didn't happen or is not adressed, since uk, it is a children's book.

Modern fictional books inspired by myths will be very different from the real myths written millenia ago. And that is OK.

[abbyunderground]

Rescue bots Aus 😋(except it’s based around Cody cause he’s more important)

OKAY #1

Percy Jackson AU 😎

I mentally created this au around the time reread the PJO books bc I love Percy Jackson and I thought it could be a cool way to explain why Cody is so “different” from his siblings. I personally think Cody’s godly parent would be his mom (lowkey kinda obvious bc he doesn’t have a mom in the show) BUT ANYWAY! I think his godly mother/parent whatever would be Athena cause it’s mentioned in the books that her kids are kinda all blonde with gray eyes and Cody is blonde, also Chief and Graham have the same hair color (chiefs hair is shown in a picture of Dani when she was little, I don’t remember what episode). Kade is ginger which is a recessive gene, and I think Dani got her hair from their mom or she’s dyes her hair. Anyway it could also explain Cody’s age gap with his siblings since Athena just kinda picks someone and poofs a kid out of her head and is like “Here! Have it! Raise this kid just so it can die before 25!” (Real good parenting Athena 🙄😒) but I think Cody’s mythical weapon thing would be like a dagger that can extend into a sword, that or he’d probably mesh a mythical weapon with some tech. That’s basically it, I don’t have like a plot or anything 😭 i just like rb and PJO

#2‼️‼️

Magic powers AU

He’s basically god 😭 basically it’s like this shimmery gold looking glitter mist and he can like, control it?? He can like destroy anything and it just crumbles into the mist/can create anything from it, and I mean ANYTHING. Bro can quite literally create fully functional human beings from nothing for fun. That’s basically it, I honestly have this power thing in most of the AUs if I get bored

#3/the last major one 😙

Deadly weapon Au

OKAY I ACTUALLY HAVE LIKE A PLOT AND A MAIN STORY FOR THIS ONE

Basically Cody’s mom (and his siblings mom but that irrelevant) was like raised as a assassin and she was super cool and stuff and people called her Medusa (not rlly relevant but I think it’s Skibidi 😎 also Cody would be called Chrysaor, which is the son of Medusa and Poseidon if ykyk ) ANYWAY she gets in a fight or smth with her dad idk and leaves their like league of asssains (did I mention this is kinda inspired by Damien Wayne? No? Okay well it is) shes in her like 20s and already has 1 kid (half sibling) and he’s like 3yrs old and getting trained to be a assassin (also the moms name is Maria) so Maria doesn’t gaf and runaway to griffin rock and meets Chief burns and they have kids or whatever (she like froze some of her eggs so while she was gone the league made her more kids idk) anyway so a few years pass and she has Cody yadda yadda yadda, she almost dies while giving birth but the league has been stalking her so they kidnapped her and Cody from the hospital and save her and they raise Cody as a assassin, and Maria is the president of the league or whatever, also her other kids are chill with her just abandoning them?? But Cody is like super cool and a weapon of mass destruction, he’s like Batman mixed with Jinx so 🤷‍♀️ he’s also emo teenager angry all the time. And obviously they can’t just disappear without a trace because OBVIOUSLY everyone needs to be soooo overdramatic 🙄 so maria and her 4 kids (including Cody) are famous and they’re like models and movie actors and business ppl idk kinda like Bruce Wayne and his posse of children. I like to think griffin rock is isolated from everyone else (maybe not on purpose, but shits crazy there so idk) so Chief doesn’t realize that his wife and missing child are famous and constantly getting followed by paparazzi 🤦‍♀️. That’s mainly it for this one, I might have forgotten some stuff but feel free to ask questions 😋😋

@oldeubagel

@ashlovesrescuebots

[femoso-seben]

Blind Love

Medusa Soap x Hero Ghost

Don’t hate me for OOC! I tried my best…

————

Off the coasts of Sparta, in a small island once the shrine to Athena, broken and litter with the horrifically grandiose tender status of blissful hubris of mortal woes, was the lair of the only mortal Gorgon. For those Greek heroes who fall onto this island they would think this is a old shrine to Hecate, statues made from Daedalus’ own hands, details etched with perfect precision.

The marbles were well warn down to it’s white base hollow flat color only seen in the crevasse of the folds of marbles. A lone figure lives there abandoned by the gods, by all the gods, by the very goddess he worshipped, left to rot on a lifeless hideous island. The beach were rocky and new, filled with old rotting ships bobbed up and down some lossly drifting around the island, the locals call it The Fool’s Grave.

Sun-kissed and specialed with iridescent scales, and built like Achilles himself walked a lone figure, in robes of blue and gold, did he walk, past the Forrest of stone he made. Those statues of men were his only comfort for normality, if only they weren’t staring in fear, fear of him. He was cursed for a life of loneliness and isolation, waiting for a Heracles to slice his head off. He was curse to stay on the island, for no boats will move pass the shore, as even Poseidon does not wish to offend Athena.

A low rumble, scrapping of rocks and he knew their was another hubris hero coming for him. He turns around to find, a tall almost Harclean man standing there, impressive and broad, cover in dark leather armor, dark almost black cape, with a spartina helmet plums of black horse hair. A spartan is here to kill him. As this giant of a man, maybe a child of a god, maybe a son of Zeus was here to kill him.

He was No coward for every statue was a signs to the gods, a sign that he still live that all their heroes all their oracles and quest meant nothing to his hate and vengeance. He knew all these heroes that come were sent by the gods to die. These heroes full of pride and glory will all turn to fearful stone. The low hisses of his snakes were the only sound besides the dull beat of his heart in his chest. The man looms closer, foot steps sinking into the sandy soil.

He let out a familiar sign and his gaze rised, his cool almost white eyes meet, a void. Darkness except for the intense gaze of the Spartan.

He waited. And waited. But nothing arises.

The hero was inches away, a head taller, head bent staring down at him. It was almost embarrassing.

“You… You can stare at me?” The gorgon asks.

The hero drew his sword.

‘So this is how it ends?’ That was the only thought in Johnny’s head as the sword cleave through his neck. The world went sideways, but the gaze of that hero never blinked, never waiver. Maybe… If only.

—————

Inspired by @astheriiiart

@imakepapertrees @sparklingsprinkles @secretlyasalmon427

[hwsevents]

MYTHTALIA MARCH

List of some mythological creatures/figures for inspiration:

-Selkie, Will o’ the Wisp, Wolfwalker

-Harpy, Nymph, Centaur

-Lamia, Siren, Sphinx

-Odysseus, Athena, Heracles

-Yuki-onna, Kitsune, Oni

-Circe, Calypso, Poseidon, Cassandra

-Valkyrie, Giant, Dwarf

-Loki, Thor, Odin

-Dullahan, Banshee, Changeling

-Huldra, Lorelei

-Frey, Freyja, Ymir

-Osiris, Nephthys, Amun

-Arachne, Medusa/Gorgon, Echidna

-Mars, Venus, Pluto

-Tsurara-onna, Kuchisake-onna

-Tengu, Kaguya, Ameterasu

-Adonis, Galatea, Hecate

-Chang'e, Hou Yi

-Rusalka, Baba Yaga, Alkonost

The HWS characters can be these creatures/figures (e.g. nyo Japan as Kaguya, France as Adonis, Russia as a centaur, nyo China as Chang'e, Egypt as Osiris)...

...or interact with them (e.g. Ireland following Wisps, England meeting Hecate, America running from the Dullahan/Headless Horseman).

Doing both is also an option (e.g. human Lithuania interacting with rusalka Belarus).

Link to Prompt Themes

@hetaliahappenings @nsfhetalia @heta-on-the-books @hetaliacalendar

[pmamtraveller]

MEDUSA: THE SNAKE-HAIRED GORGON

Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, a sister to Stheno and Euryale. She was a terrifying monster with venomous snakes for hair. Her gaze could turn anyone who looked into her eyes into stone.

Before her transformation into the fierce monster, Medusa was a beautiful and attractive young woman. She was the object of Poseidon's desire, and their relationship was said to have been consensual.

Medusa was punished by Athena for her relationship with Poseidon, who had desecrated her temple. Athena turned Medusa into a hideous beast, making it impossible for her to stare at someone in the eye without turning them into stone.

Medusa met her demise at the hands of Greek hero Perseus. Who was tasked with bringing back her head as a trophy, with the gods on his side. Perseus was able to defeat her by looking at her reflection in a polished shield, and as a result, he would avoid her deadly gaze 

Some critics of Medusa focus on her as a symbol of female rage and power. Her monstrous appearance and lethal abilities embody the fears and dangers that are all over in the world.

Throughout history, Medusa has been a very popular subject in art, literature, and popular culture. From ancient Greek pottery to Renaissance paintings to modern films and video games, her great image continues to captivate and inspire many.

[hakusins]

Very important question from someone you may or may not know:

Are you interested in Greek Mythology? If so, do you have any favourite gods, goddesses, creatures, and myths? Can we also know why you like them? 🎤

yeah i like greek mythology a normal amount. bjhEBRJHFBHJERBFJJEBRHF

BUT IN ALL HONESTY, anon - this ask had me running around clawing at my walls screeching and IT DEFINITELY WOKE UP A LOT OF DEMONS THAT WERE SLEEPING IN MY HEAD HJERBFBJHERF i actually had to take the whole day to just calm myself down.

no i don't like greek mythology i LOVE IT. I ALSO LOVE EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY, NORSE MYTHOLOGY, RIGHT NOW DABBLING INTO EAST ASIAN MYTHOLOGY LIKE KOREAN, JAPANESE AND CHINESE BUT IM GETTING THERE !!!!!! BHJTGBHJRHJHERFHBERFJ GRRRRRGRGGRHETGGRER. !!!!!!!!! IM SUCH A NERD, I LOVE LEARNING ABOUT MYTHS, I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT MYTHS !!!!!!!!!! its why I love the BL series ENNEAD and I LOVE LOVE LOVE xianxia danmei novels because ANYTHING WITH MYTHS WILL HAVE MY HEART!!!!!!

okay now onto your questions! In all honesty, from my very very deep and in depth knowledge of all of them, it is safe to say I can't say i think of any of them as cool or anything. i think they're all assholes one way or another. but i do quite like {oseidon because myths involving him are always the funniest to me JBHREFBJHREF but for goddesses... hm, there's not much but i quite like athena :DDD I honestly don't really have favourite goddesses/gods, but I do have favourite creatures!!!

THE MINOTAUR, ASTERION, IS DEFINITELY MY FAVOURITE !!!! HIS STORY TO ME IS SO TRAGIC, like he was always destined to be a monster - there was no moment since his conception that he could be anything BUT a monster and its just so utterly heartbreaking because this perversion of nature was created just by the gods, so by that principle, shouldn't he be something to be revered? something to be respected? or is it because his mom fucked the sacred bull gifted by Poseidon in order to conceive him that dictates that he is nothing more than a stain on his family, that he was an abomination that shouldn't have been born? bUT NOT ONLY THAT, his creation is the results of the gods' intending to punish King Minos for his arrogance and greed, but they made Queen Pasiphae, his wife, to bear the brunt of the humiliation? Like she's an innocent party in this matter, but she's the one who is forced to bear a half bull child and her husband just gets humiliation? I DONT KNOW ITS JUST, the creature of the Minotaur just fascinates me deeply that I want to nitpick the author or just the person who begun this myth because what was the cultural environment that inspired this myth? Was there a real life event that inspired this? Or was this just a cruel and sick imagination of how mortals think the gods dole out their punishments?

I CAN HONESTLY YAP THE SAME WITH MEDUSA, but Medusa had so many chances to not BECOME the gorgon Medusa. Like there could be timelines where Medusa was not a priestess in Athena's temple, where her tragedy began. Medusa could've chosen to be something or someone else and there's a chance she could've escaped her fate. THE MINOTAUR NEVER GOT THAT CHANCE, hell if you asked anyone with a mild knowledge of Greek mythology, no one would know that the Minotaur's name is Asterion! They only know him as the Minotaur, the beast of the Labyrinth.

but for myths, I honestly can't choose - Helen of Troy? Odysseus? Arachne? King Midas? Ixion? Sisyphus? Tantalus? Lycaon? Europa? The foundation of Athens? The birth of Peresphone? Hades and Persephone? Eros and Psyche? Adonis? Narcissus? Jason and the Argonauts? Perseus? Theseus? Heracles? The Titanomachy? The birth of Aphrodite? The Gigantomachy? Atalante? Typhon and Echidna? The birth of Dionysus? The several renditions of the birth of Zagreus? The birth of Hermes? Achilles and Patroclus? The women of the Amazon? The Titans? Pandora's Box? I CAN GO ON BUT THERE'S JUST TOO MUCH FOR ME TO TALK ABOUT !!! I HONESTLY HAVE SO MUCH FUN AND IM LOVING SO MUCH BERJFJBHERJBFEJHRF URHGRGHT please come back to talk to me about greek mythology anon please please please please, i swear i'm normal.

[morganpaintsstuff]

Greek Mythology Inspired Art

poseidon / persephone / medusa

[mask131]

I finally found a post that allows me to express something I meant to say for a long time... About myths and legends and fairytales in general, and the whole business around the word... "original" (cue to Hammer horror dramatic thunder)

The massive wave across the Internet recently is to denounce the use of the word "original" as meaning absolutely nothing when it comes to myths and folklore. For example, people love, when talking about fairy tales to say "Actually, in the ORIGINAL fairytale this happened like this". And a lot of people criticize it, for good reasons. Take Sleeping Beauty. Many people will speak of the "original" Sleeping Beauty, by referring to the Brothers Grimm version of the tale, "Briar Rose", as opposed to a more recent version such as Disney's. But in truth there was a version older than that and more famous - the French version by Charles Perrault. So this is the original, right? No because many people will point out: there was a version older than this one, Basile's "Thalia, the Sun and the Moon". And this one a lot of people like to describe as the "original" Sleeping Beauty. And yet, there is still another, older version - French again, the medieval romance known as "Perceforest". And this one yet again takes inspiration from older myths and legends - including Germanic ones apparently...

So the use of the word "original" here means, indeed, nothing or is useless because fairy tales, and world-famous/ancient folktales rarely have an "original" version. They have been retold, rewritten and re-transcribed and adapted for centuries and centuries across various cultures and continents, and even the most ancient versions are just reflections of deeper oral versions.

This is what everybody has been defending, this is what everybody has been pointing out: there is a need to fight against the term "original" which can be too easily mis-used or over-used, since the actual "start" of a folktale or legend is lost, given its roots are in oral culture. The same thing is true with myths, especially things such as Greek myths. A lot of things people think they know about Greek myths start with Ovid, a Roman. Then you have to differentiate late records of Greek men, closer to the CE than BCE, and the oldest versions and records we had, Homer and Hesiod. And even then Homer reflected in his writings an even older tradition of a previous civilization lost to us since no written record exists. Take Medusa, and the post I made about her. Everybody uses today the story of her being a priestess of Athena being raped by Poseidon. This is a modern extrapolation of Ovid's tale about Medusa being a woman raped by Poseidon within Athena's temple (no priesthood involved). This in turn was Ovid's rewriting of a widespread tradition from Classical Greece about Medusa being a woman cursed by Athena for being so vain she deemed herself more beautiful than Athena (no rape involved). And this in turn was an evolution of the older Hesiodic/Homeric versions of Medusa, the Gorgon, being born a monster from monster-gods parents, and being part of the monstrous primordial forces of the sea/the underworld.

Now... here we reach my actual point. When I made my post about Medusa some people said "Its a good post but you shouldn't use the word "original" because we do not have the actual origins of Medusa". I agree that technically it is true. By all I said above - all myths and legends take roots within a lost oral culture, there is always a previous version before the one we have, etc... Yet, while I fully know this, I will keep using the word "original". To refer to the oldest record we have of Medusa as a character and myth: Homer and Hesiod (the two actually have a different take on Medusa, but they remain the oldest written records about her).

Why? Because while I agree that in itself the term "original" has been over-used and mis-used and that in the world of myths and legends and folktales it ultimately means nothing... I also strongly believe that refuse to see an origin, that refusing to see a beginning, that refusing to see a given starting point somewhere, opens the gate for all sorts of other misinformation or bad things.

The post in question was about a specific Greek myth (hence my switch to Greek mythology as an example). I won't say which but let's just say in this myth something bad happens. And it isn't an Ovid case where the thing originally was neutral or good and then was made bad later: we are talking about this bad thing happening by the oldest records we have of the story. Right. And this post reacted about an adaptation that changed this bad things to happen in a different angle and be less bad. And this person thanked deeply this adaptation because, by changing the story, it helped them "reconcile" with the myth. Because in their own words: "There were oral versions of it before it was recorded. The myth existed long before it was written. So who is to say this isn't how it happened? Who can say the version of the adaptation isn't more truthful to what the myth was originally about? It perfectly could have happened that way in the oldest versions of the myth, and I chose to believe it did!"

And that's where we fall into the pit. Yes, it is bad to over-use "original" as a word because the true origins of all myths are lost to time... But it is just as bad to not have any beginning point or refuse the idea that a myth was "created" at some point because we have this above. "What ifs", and "It could have happened" and "Why shouldn't it be like that" and "I chose to believe this because we might never know". People will start using the whole "no origins", "oral culture before written culture", "there must have been a previous version" as an excuse to invent versions of a folktale that never existed, or share versions of a myth that never was told, or defend versions of legends that are nowhere to be found.

Because that's the old logic fallacy: "If you can't prove it did not exist, then it means it could have existed". And this opens the gate for all sorts of inventions. Yes, you can invent a version of Medusa's story where she is the child of Zeus and Athena, and then claim it is a possible and likely story because "We don't know what was being told in pre-Homer times, maybe it was part of oral culture". Yes, maybe. But you will also agree with me, dear audience, that such a version is very unlikely to have existed, and that if one starts spreading this version around as a real myth they should be "booed" just as much as someone claiming Ovid's version of Medusa is the "original".

If you ask me, the oldest version of a tale, the oldest record of a myth, should be considered the starting point of the legend, the... I will dare say "original" version of story. With the caveat that, indeed, there might have been older versions, non-recorded, oral, lost to time - but given we do not know what came before this oldest record, given we will likely never know what stood before this most ancient transcription, do we really need to keep beating us over the head and conjecturing about what came beforehand, especially since we are talking about just friggin' Tumblr posts and Youtube videos and the like? For a very advanced and thorough academical research, it is understood... But when it comes to just talking simply and plainly about things, maybe we should have some common sense and have a starting point of the chronology, and focus more on "That's the oldest version we have, and here is how it evolved and moved through from there" instead of "Let's go back into a past so obscure and so distant we actually won't see anything and won't have anything to say".

I will defend the use of the word "original" when it comes to myths and folktales, as long as it is an "original" that is actually the oldest version of a legend we have, and as long as the person that use it knows very well and agrees that there might have been previous versions and evolutions before it, but that were lost to time and thus that we will never know.

... And please, stop using the "there's no original" excuse to make up myths. Because listen: if you have a problem with a legend or myth, and then love a fictional adaptation's change to it, and you claim this new version "reconciled you" with the original... No. No you don't like what the myth or legend is actually about, no you don't like the folktale. You just like and enjoy a fictional retelling, a modern rewrite of the folktale. Not the actual story or the original myth.

[atrumvox]

The Fascination and Terror of Medusa: A Journey into Greek Mythology (Roman version)

Introduction to the Legend of Medusa

Medusa is one of the most fascinating and terrifying figures in Greek mythology. Known as one of the three Gorgons, Medusa is the only mortal among her sisters, Stheno and Euryale. Her most notable representation is that of a woman with snakes in place of hair, capable of turning anyone who meets her gaze to stone. The legend of Medusa has spanned centuries, influencing art, literature, and popular culture.

According to mythology, Medusa was not always a monstrous creature. Originally, she was a beautiful young woman, a priestess in the temple of Athena. However, her beauty attracted the attention of Poseidon, the god of the sea, who seduced her in the sacred temple. This sacrilegious act aroused Athena's wrath, who, to punish Medusa, transformed her into a monster. Her snake hair and petrifying power are the result of this transformation, which forever altered her fate.

Medusa is a complex figure rich in symbolism. On one hand, she represents beauty and innocence corrupted by violence; on the other, she embodies female power and vengeance. Her image has inspired numerous works of art, from ancient Greek amphorae to Renaissance paintings, and modern cinematic interpretations. Medusa continues to evoke interest and fear, remaining one of the most enigmatic and powerful figures in Greek mythology. Her legend is a powerful tale of transformation, punishment, and ultimately, resilience.

The Origins of Medusa

The origins of Medusa are deeply rooted in Greek mythology, where beauty and tragedy intertwine in a captivating and complex story. Initially, Medusa was not the monstrous creature everyone knows but a beautiful young woman known for her extraordinary beauty. She was one of the three Gorgons, daughters of the sea deities Phorcys and Ceto. Unlike her sisters Stheno and Euryale, who were immortal, Medusa was mortal.

Medusa became a priestess in the temple of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, requiring a vow of chastity and devotion. However, her life took a dramatic turn when Poseidon, irresistibly attracted by her beauty, seduced her in Athena's temple, an act of great sacrilege. Athena, furious at the desecration of her sanctuary, transformed Medusa into a monster. Her beautiful hair was turned into venomous snakes, and anyone who met her gaze would be immediately turned to stone. This radical transformation not only punished Medusa but isolated her from the world, making her a figure of terror.

Medusa's punishment can be interpreted in various ways. Some see Athena as a goddess who protected her temple and punished the violation of its sanctity. Others view the punishment as a symbol of divine anger and vengeance against corrupted innocence. Medusa's story reflects the complexities of relationships between mortals and gods, and the cruel irony of her fate continues to provoke discussions among scholars and mythology enthusiasts.

Despite her transformation into a monster, Medusa remains a tragic and captivating figure. Her story highlights universal themes of beauty, power, punishment, and redemption, making her one of the most intriguing figures in Greek mythology. Over the centuries, Medusa has become a powerful symbol, whose legend continues to inspire and frighten, representing an important chapter in the rich tapestry of Greek mythology.

The Transformation of Medusa: From Beautiful Priestess to Monster

The transformation of Medusa from a beautiful priestess to a petrifying monster is one of the most famous metamorphoses in Greek mythology, laden with symbolic and moral meanings. Originally, Medusa was a beautiful young woman known for her extraordinary beauty. As a priestess of Athena, she was bound by a vow of chastity, devoutly serving the goddess of wisdom and war in her temple. Her life took a dramatic turn when she caught the attention of Poseidon, the god of the sea.

Poseidon, captivated by Medusa's beauty, seduced her in Athena's temple, a sacrilegious act that violated the sanctity of the place. Athena, enraged by the desecration of her temple, transformed Medusa into a monster, drastically altering her physical appearance and marking her future existence.

Medusa's metamorphosis was complete: her beautiful hair was turned into venomous snakes, and her gaze became so powerful that it could turn anyone to stone. This new aspect made Medusa a feared and isolated figure, relegated to the fringes of the known world. Her transformation is rich in symbolism: snakes, often associated with wisdom and rebirth, here become emblems of terror and death, while her petrifying gaze represents the paralyzing effect of fear.

This punishment can also be seen as a critique of female beauty and its perception in society. Medusa, once admired for her beauty, became a monster because of the very quality that made her special. The myth can be interpreted as a reflection on the fragility of beauty and its potential to provoke envy and destruction.

Despite her terrible transformation, Medusa remains a tragic figure, symbolizing corruptible beauty and the power of divine vengeance. Her story continues to be told and reinterpreted, an eternal reminder of the power of the Greek gods and the consequences of transgressions in their capricious and merciless world.

Medusa and Perseus: The Hero and the Monster

Medusa's story is inextricably linked with that of Perseus, one of the most famous heroes in Greek mythology. Their legend, rich in adventures and twists, tells of courage, cunning, and divine interventions, culminating in one of the most iconic battles between a hero and a monster.

Perseus was the son of Danae and Zeus, conceived under extraordinary circumstances. Danae had been imprisoned in a bronze tower by her father, Acrisius, king of Argos, due to a prophecy that foretold he would be killed by his grandson. However, Zeus, transforming into a shower of gold, reached Danae and made her the mother of Perseus. When Acrisius discovered his grandson's birth, he locked Danae and Perseus in a chest and cast them into the sea. The two survived and were taken in on the island of Seriphos.

Here, Perseus grew up to be a brave young man. His adventure began when the king of Seriphos, Polydectes, who was in love with Danae, sought to get rid of Perseus by sending him on an apparently impossible mission: to bring back the head of Medusa, the most fearsome of the Gorgons. Perseus accepted the challenge and received divine assistance for the task.

Athena and Hermes, the gods who protected heroes, provided Perseus with essential tools: a reflective shield, an adamantine sickle, winged sandals, a kibisis (a magical bag), and Hades' helm, which rendered him invisible. With these gifts, Perseus traveled to the land of the Gorgons.

Medusa lived with her sisters in a remote and inaccessible place. Perseus, using the reflective shield to avoid her petrifying gaze, approached Medusa while she slept and, with a precise stroke of the sickle, decapitated her. From Medusa's mortal wound sprang two extraordinary creatures: the winged horse Pegasus and the giant Chrysaor, symbols of beauty and power emerging from chaos and destruction.

Perseus not only succeeded in his mission but also used Medusa's head as a weapon, exploiting its petrifying power on numerous occasions. Eventually, he gave the head to Athena, who placed it on her shield, the aegis, as a symbol of protection and terror.

The story of Perseus and Medusa is rich in symbolic meanings. Perseus represents the archetypal hero, capable of overcoming impossible challenges through courage, cunning, and divine help. Medusa, on the other hand, embodies terror and corrupted beauty, a creature who, despite being a victim, becomes an instrument of destruction.

This legend continues to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration in culture, art, and literature, reminding us of the complex dynamics between heroes, monsters, and gods in the fascinating world of Greek mythology.

Symbolic Interpretations of Medusa

Medusa is a character steeped in symbolism, with interpretations varying over time and cultures. In Greek mythology, she represents divine punishment and the transformation from beauty to monstrosity, a reflection on the fragility of beauty and the destructive power of divinity. Her ability to petrify with her gaze can be seen as a metaphor for the paralyzing power of fear and terror. In psychological terms, Medusa can be interpreted as a symbol of repressed female power and vengeance. Carl Jung, the Swiss psychologist, saw Medusa as an archetype of the "terrifying mother" and female destructive power. In contemporary culture, Medusa is often revisited as an emblem of resilience and female strength, an icon of empowerment challenging traditional gender roles.

Medusa's Influence in Popular Culture

Medusa's influence in popular culture is vast and enduring, spanning literature, art, cinema, and fashion. In literature, she has appeared in works by authors such as Ovid and Dante, continuing to inspire contemporary writers. In art, her image has been immortalized by artists like Caravaggio and Rubens. Cinema and television have repeatedly revisited the myth of Medusa, with interpretations ranging from epic films like "Clash of the Titans" to TV series and video games. Fashion has adopted Medusa's iconography, with the brand Versace using her head as its logo, symbolizing beauty, power, and mystery. Medusa continues to be a powerful cultural symbol, capable of evoking strong emotions and stimulating deep reflections on human nature and society.