![]() The ancient Greeks saw the Gorgon sisters as terrifying creatures, with the word Gorgos meaning grim and dreadful, but where exactly did these winged demons come from? Where did the Gorgons Come From? It wasn’t too uncommon for Gorgons to be described as having extreme hate for men, and I know this, coupled with the description I’ve just given you, makes them sound and look like modern-day feminists, but I assure you, Gorgons are far more interesting. They existed long before and described as having snakes intertwined in their body, around their waist and arms, and most importantly, even within their hair. The Gorgons appearance is very reminiscent of the Harpies and the Erinyes. Initially, the Gorgons were described as three powerful winged demons, with swine light tusks, talons for feet and iconic head of hair made from snakes and sometimes even a short stubbly beard. This whole sentiment of Medusa been somewhat attractive didn’t manifest until around 490 BC, when the Greek poet Pindaros described her as ‘fair cheeked Medusa.’ This was later echoed in the work of the Roman poet Ovid, who popularized the idea that Medusa was once a beautiful maiden, turned into a Gorgon by the goddess Athena. On the other hand, Medusa is described as being born human and possessing a great deal of beauty, but this wasn’t the case.Īll three sisters were born Gorgon. The two sisters are often described as being born immortal but being extremely ugly. I guess the best place to start here would be with the most famous examples we have, Medusa and her two sisters, Stheno and Euryale. Now that we’ve gone over the modern depiction of a Gorgon, we can discuss how they appeared in classical Greek mythology. But it’s an exciting example of how myth can change so drastically in a short period of time. I do honestly believe that the modern images of Gorgons are terrifying in their way because they seem far less human than they did before. ![]() This not only allows her to move in a different and almost more sinister manner, but it also transforms her from a woman of a physical abnormality into a literal monster. In this scenario, that would involve removing her legs and replacing them with the body of a snake. If you already have a woman of a head of hair made from snakes, it’s a fairly natural transition to then remove more for human aspects and qualities. I think most of this change can be attributed to fear, and the movie industries need to create a truly terrifying monster. But why did this change happen in the first place? This means that those who have learnt about Greek mythology through these varying forms of media would have already really known this one particular image. We even see this in the God of War franchise which depicts Medusa and her sisters in the same way. ![]() And the years that followed, many of the movies, TV shows and artwork depicting Medusa and her fellow Gorgons showed them as snake-haired women with the body of a snake. Medusa has always been a famous Greek tale, but in 1981 with the release of the original Clash of the Titans movie, the image of Medusa as a snake was well received by most audiences, and thus the trend began. The image of the Gorgon that we paint today has been so much skewed and distorted by the media we consume, to the point where it barely even resembles the original stories of Gorgons within Greek mythology itself. Although you may be correct because Medusa was, in fact, a Gorgon, it’s a question that is far more difficult to answer. If I were to ask you the question, ‘what is a Gorgon?’ Many of you would likely point towards the most famous example that you can think of, Medusa. Like her immortal sisters, she had snakes for hair, and one look at her face could turn any living man or thing to stone. The only mortal of the three was Medusa, the victim of the Greek hero PERSEUS. The Gorgons were the three sisters named Stheno (meaning Strength), Medusa (meaning Queen) and Euryale (meaning Wide-leaping), and were the children of Phorcys, son of Gaia. What do Gorgons look like? Who were the Gorgons of Greek Mythology?.Who were the Gorgons of Greek Mythology?.
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