mythlogy primer

Fontana della Gorgone, The Fountain of the Medusa | Mastrolorenzi | Nemi, Italy, 2008

In the version of Greek mythology most of us grew up half-knowing, Medusa was a mortal priestess in the goddess Athena’s temple. That is, until Poseidon assaulted her there. Athena, enraged by the defilement of her sacred temple, punished Medusa for Poseidon’s crimes by turning her beautiful hair to snakes and cursing her with a gaze that turns men to stone.

More famous than Medusa’s origin is her demise. The mythic hero, Perseus, was sent to slay the “monster.” Ever his patron, Athena gifts him her own reflective shield to avoid Medusa’s deadly stare. Perseus snuck up on Medusa and beheaded her in her sleep. He then proceeded to mount her head on his staff, using its powers in battle as a weapon of his own.

The goddess Athena’s mythology spans generations. She is best known for her patronage of the heroes Odysseus and Perseus, as well as her brutal punishments of Arachne and Medusa. Athena is a goddess who loves to make monsters. All gods love their monsters.

Athena is the daughter of Zeus and Metis, Zeus’s first wife. The almighty Zeus feared that his children would overthrow him, just as he had overthrown the original Titans. To circumvent this fear of losing his power, he swallowed Metis, hoping that in doing so he would prevent the birth of any powerful progeny, as there was a prophecy that his son would overthrow him.

Unbeknownst to Zeus, Metis was already pregnant with Athena. While residing inside of Zeus, she began forging armor and weapons for her daughter, which resulted in an unbearable headache for Zeus. Unable to bear the pain, Zeus summoned Hephaestus (the divine craftsman, and a creep) to crack his head open with his legendary hammer. From his head sprang Athena, fully decked out in battle armor — golden and divine as fuck. She became Zeus’s greatest ally and supporter, and is known as the goddess of wisdom, intellect, and creativity.

Many see Athena as wrathful and vengeful, delivering punishment and favor with a cold, deft hand. She was the reason for Medusa’s curse. She handed Perseus her own shield to help him slay her. And when Perseus offered up Medusa’s severed head, Athena took it and mounted it on that same shield.