Medusa and Athena
Trigger Warning: Mentions of Sexual Assault/Rape
Everyone knows about Medusa’s story: she is the green mythological monster with snakes for hair who can turn any creature to stone. But Medusa’s story goes much deeper than this simple description.
Medusa is one of the three Gorgons since she and her two sisters, Stheno and Euryale, were all cursed with the same physical form. Medusa was the ultimate catalyst for her sisters becoming monsters, and the story actually starts with the sea god Poseidon.
Medusa was a beautiful woman and a priestess in Athena’s temple. One day while she was tending to the temple, Poseidon came to Medusa and raped her. Athena, in response to her perception that Medusa desecrated her temple, punished Medusa by turning her into the gorgon. Medusa was condemned to her fate, and Poseidon, as one of the most powerful Greek gods, never had to face the consequences of his actions.
As the myth goes, later in Medusa’s mortal life, the Greek hero Perseus was tasked by Polydectes, the king of Seriphos, with slaying Medusa and bringing her head back to the king. Athena, the patron of heroes, wanted to help Perseus complete his task and return home without humiliation. Therefore, Athena gave Perseus guidance along his travels in ultimately cutting off the head of Medusa.
At this point in the myth, it appears that Athena had deep animosity towards Medusa: Athena was ruthless with how she treated Medusa after the mortal’s rape, and Athena even assisted in the slaying of the gorgon. This is where interpretation of Athena’s intention runs two separate paths.
The first interpretation is that Athena was a promoter of the patriarchal powers of the gods. She not only allowed for Medusa to be raped, but she punished Medusa as well. This is similar to the ‘blaming the woman’ narratives that are often used to defend the actions of rapists and redirect blame onto victims. Why else would Athena turn the woman into an ugly monster and eventually help to slay her? Additionally, Athena’s shield, Aegis, has the head of Medusa brandished onto it, signifying her destruction over her enemies, including Medusa.
But could it be interpreted as Athena was protecting Medusa and saving her from men? Many people come to Athena’s defense, claiming that transforming Medusa into the gorgon and giving her the power to turn men to stone would help her escape other assaults. Athena, therefore, was protecting Medusa from mortal men when she could not get involved in stopping the actions of a more powerful god like Poseidon.
In my opinion, the second interpretation does not make as much sense. Athena could have protected Medusa in so many other, less isolating ways. Additionally, Athena still helped in the beheading of Medusa, which doesn’t add up with the story of a savior. Finally, the culture of Greek mythology does not typically question the raping by gods, it usually displays it as normal. Therefore, during the society in which these myths were written, it is difficult to imagine that the storywriters would believe protecting Medusa would be Athena’s first intention, as she is just as self-centered and conceited as the other gods.
In the modern meaning, the image of Medusa’s head is used to represent survivors of sexual assault. Her face has become synonymous with a sign of strength, and many relate to Medusa’s pain yet power. It is inspiring that even in such a tragic story, people have been able to find community in other survivors like Medusa.