In Greek Mythology, The Gorgons are a group of menacing sisters that strike fear in all the combatants who hear their names, these women reigned turning people into stone. The three sisters are Stheno (Strong), Euryale (Wide-Stepping) and Medusa (Guardian, Queen) . Stheno and Euryale are Immortal women meaning they cannot die, however Medusa is Mortal meaning she can die. The gorgons are described as Golden winged women with hair if serpents and claws of brass with tusks of boars for teeth and scales for skin. The Gorgons also can turn any bystander into stone just by the look of their eyes. According to Bruce Murphy, The Gorgons are daughters of Keto and Sisters of Graeae. The sister of Graeae were known as “The Gray Ones”.
They were old women
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Giant alerted the other gorgons of Perseus’s presence; Perseus later escaped with his winged sandals and his invisibility helmet. Although Medusa died she retained her power to turn people into stone.
Stheno and Euryale were the two-original sisters, Medusa was the third and Medusa was the final sister to come along. Medusa wasn’t born a gorgon, In the Story of Athena, Medusa used to be a beautiful woman. According to Salem Press Encyclopedia, “Medusa was a virgin woman who dedicated herself to the goddess Athena.” Medusa lived the life of a Priestess which required for her to stay a virgin. Poseidon God of The Sea was attracted to Medusa golden hair.
Poseidon took Medusa into Athena palace and laid with her. Athena felt betrayed by Medusa,
Athena then turned Medusa into a gorgon. However, Medusa didn’t become immortal she remained a mortal woman. Medusa decided to enact revenge on Medusa for turning her into a gorgon. Medusa paid the goddess a visit at her palace, Medusa was let in by servant who was not loyal. Medusa then disguise herself in wraps to hide her face. Medusa thus concocted
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Medusa revealed it was her and Athena Declared a war on Medusa
After Medusa’s from pursues her decapitated head still retained the power to retain the power to turn people into stone. Perseus used Medusa to defeat his enemies before giving it to
Athena. Athena gave the head of Medusa to her father, Zeus. Funk & Wagnalls New World
Encyclopedia says, “A shield or breastplate, the aegis served as the symbol of Zeus’s power; it not only protected him but terrified his enemies. Zeus used it to create thunder. Originally made for Zeus by Hephaestus, the god of artisans, it became the ordinary dress of Athena in later mythology. In art, Athena’s aegis was frequently depicted as a breastplate or as a shield fringed with serpents. The garment was also occasionally used by other gods.” (1).
The Gorgons Significance to Greek mythology help to contribute to Perseus development as a hero. The Gorgons also have a rivalry with goddess Athena, this is grueling period in Greek mythology. After Medusa was killed, peace was restored, and Athena no longer had to
Medusa had once been a beautiful women and was a normal person. She was not beautiful until she was turned into a gorgon by goddes Athena, because she caught her with poseidon in the temple. Medusa was killed by poseidon's son Percy Jackson, by killing her with a riptide sword and cutting off her head. Medusa was born during the Bronze age, and was ancient in that time. Her age was unknown, but she was a mortal in her existence.
Medea is often very demanding in getting what it is that she wants; Antigone, will do what she need to do in order to get what she wants. With Antigone she is defies the law of a king to uphold the law of her spiritual belief. In the middle of the night she lives the house and sneaks into a field to bury her dead brother. Medea killed many people, including her own sons and a princess, in order to only spite her unlawful and cheating husband. The two women are like alligators, waiting motionless for the right time to strike. In the case of Medea, swift, violent strikes. And with Antigone, a cool collected precise one. These women are always determined to get what they want.
Medea is a tragedy written by acclaimed Greek playwright Euripides.fortunately, had the opportunity to view last night's performance. Euripides cleverly uncovers the reality of Ancient Greek society, shining a light on the treatment of women and the emotions and thoughts that provoked during their time in society. As they were voiceless, Euripides acted as a voice. The scene is set during a male- dominated society, Medea the protagonist challenges the views and chooses to ignore the normality of civilisation. Treated as an outsider her passion for revenge conquers the motherly instincts she possesses, provoking a deep hatred and sparking revenge towards her once loved family.
Although Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, she had a magic girdle that she wore that made everyone fall in love with her. She could hardly ever be persuaded to lend it to anyone. Since Aphrodite had the magic girdle and was so beautiful, all of the gods fell in love with her. All of the goddesses were jealous of Aphrodite because all of the gods loved her instead of the other goddesses. Because of this, Zeus arranged a marriage for her with Hephaestus, the lame smith-god.
Mythology was very important to the men and women of ancient Greece. They worshipped the gods and goddesses, wrote poems about them, and based a great deal of art work off of them. The people of Greece looked to the gods and goddesses for help in all aspects of their lives; including health, agriculture, and war. Reading about Greek mythology can inform people about the society of Greece itself because the Greek gods were created by the people of Greece. Three main goddesses who were worshipped by the Greeks were Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. These three goddesses represent three different types of women in Greek society. Sarah Pomeroy, author of Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, believed that “the goddesses are archetypal images of human females, as envisioned by males” (8). Pomeroy understands the significance in the differences between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, and what those differences meant for the women of Greece who were required to follow three important rules. The first rule was for the women to live a life of domesticity and motherhood. This was very important to the men in the society. The women were the only ones able to bear children. Also, if they were forced to stay in the house, men could keep a greater control on their wives, and not have to worry about them having affairs. The second important trait was virginity until marriage. Its importance to the Greek culture lied in the fear of a woman’s power. The men of the society felt it best that a woman remained a virgin until she was married; however this same attribute was not required of a man. Their belief can be explained by this quote written by P. Walcot in the article “Greek Attitudes Towards Women: The Mythological Evidence”: “The Greeks believed women...
As you can see Athena was a very important figure in Greek mythology. She was very close to the same person in some cultures and completely different person in others. Her influence on the people varies widely depending on which stories you read and from what culture they are
To stop his sad feelings, Poseidon wanted to find a bride. On his way, he stumbled upon the mermaid Amphitrite, a sea nymph with golden hair and sparkling blue eyes, dancing on the island of Naxos with her friends. Taken by her extraordinary beauty, Poseidon couldn't help but falling in love with her and asked her to be his wife. Amphitrite, a granddaughter of the Greek god of the seas Oceanus and the daughter of the gentle Sea god Nereus, was trying to protect her virginity i...
The tragic play Medea is a struggle between reason and violence. Medea is deliberately portrayed as not a ‘normal woman’, but excessive in her passions. Medea is a torment to herself and to others; that is why Euripides shows her blazing her way through life leaving wreckage behind her. Euripides has presented Medea as a figure previously thought of exclusively as a male- hero. Her balance of character is a combination of the outstanding qualities of Achilles and Odysseus.
Athena’s interesting life started by a very strange birth. When Athena’s mother Metis was impregnated, Athena’s father, Zeus, swallowed her. (2) Soon Zeus had great head pains, so he got Hephaestus to cut open his head with an axe. (5) When he sliced open Zeus’s head, Athena emerged fully grown and with a set of armor on. (2) Even though Zeus had many other children, Athena became his favorite. (8) She had many half brothers and sisters to compete against for this title including Hermes, Hephaestus, Apollo, Ares, Hebe, Artemis, Aphrodite, Persephone, and Tityus. (3)
Euripides, one of Ancient Greece’s most famous playwrights, could be considered as one of the earliest supporters of women’s rights. With plays such as Alcestis and Medea, he clearly puts an emphasis on the condition of women, and even integrates them in the Chorus of the latter play, a feat that was not often done in Ancient Greece. Throughout the years, it has been argued that the two central characters in each of those plays offer conflicting representations of women in those times, and I can safely say that I agree with that argument. I will expand on my view by pointing out an important similarity between Alcestis and Medea, followed by a key difference, and will finish it off by contrasting them with the Ancient Greek depiction of an “ideal woman.”
Her hatred toward Greek women continues as she discusses the fact that she should not have to bear children or have a strong maternal instinct in order to be considered a woman of societal worth. Women should be as important in battle as men are, as she states on page 195 when she says “They say that we have a safe life at home, whereas men must go to war. Nonsense! I had rather fight three battles than bear one child. But be that as it may, you and I are not in the same case.” The gender imbalance in the ancient Greek civilization is greatly upsetting to Medea, creating her mindset that Greek women are weak and simple minded while Greek men are oppressive and inequitable. Medea shares
Earth's Daughters: Stories of Women in Classical Mythology. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Resources, 1999. Print. The. Stebbins, Elinor. The "Athena".
Ironically, Medea’s actions are similar to a man when she takes charge of her marriage, living situation, and family life when she devices a plan to engulf her husband with grief. With this in mind, Medea had accepts her place in a man’s world unti...
Athena was the goddess of war and wisdom. Daughter of Zeus and Metis, but born from only Zeus. Gaea the Earth goddess told Zeus that his child would u...