Perhaps Athena was the one to punish Medusa because the rape occurred in her temple. Or it was because Athena was the goddess of reason and the ancient Greeks believed she kept the world in order, therefore she was the one to punish someone for the discretion. Perhaps the most memorable myth that deals with Medusa is the one recounting her death told by Pindar and Apollodorus. Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danae.
But, Zeus, being Zeus, became a golden shower and impregnated her anyway. The child that was born was Perseus. The pair were rescued by Dictys and he raised Perseus as his own. Knowing this, Polydectes devised a plan to send Perseus away on a challenging quest that he assumed was impossible and would get rid of Perseus indefinitely.
Polydectes seized the opportunity and told Perseus that he could present the head of Medusa instead of a horse. Long story short, Perseus prevailed and beheaded Medusa with the help of a reflective bronze shield gifted to him by Athena to protect him from her powerful gaze. Her Gorgon sisters obviously attacked Perseus after the beheading but he was protected by yet another gift. This time it was the helmet of darkness from Hades, the god of the underworld, which rendered him invisible and he was able to escape.
On his way home, Perseus used this trick a time or two and eventually turned Polydectes and his royal court to stone. The idea is that this image was subsumed by the followers of Classical religion to transform her into an entirely negative character and express the submission of her cult, defusing the notion of female rage and the fears it might arouse in a male-dominated society.
In Greek art, Medusa, especially her fearsome head, became a very common motif very early on, namely in the Archaic period, in the 6th century BC or even before. It is impossible to tell whether the mythological tale was already fully formed then, or whether the image itself contributed to its formulation.
Precursor to the typical Medusa grimace? The motif might have been inspired by other factors than myth: e. It has also been suggested that masks worn in religious contexts in prehistoric Greece or elsewhere may have contributed to the development. One way or another, the grimacing gorgoneion was standardised by the early 6th century, having first appeared in the 7th.
It occurs in the context of narrative scenes only occasionally, but much more commonly by itself, most typically on akroteria , the decorated end-tiles visible on the edges of temple roofs.
It is considered an apotropaic symbol, i. The gorgoneion is by no means the only such symbol, but it is without much doubt one of the most widespread. Depending on the context, from mould-made terracottas to more carefully carved sculptures or painted vases, artists used the motif to express their own imagination. At the same time, often the Medusa or gorgoneion was simply a formulaic apotropaic image, probably not conveying anything much beyond that function.
But still, it seems too simple to see the gorgoneion simply as an example of how conflict with the Gods hubris and all that leads to certain doom, a common theme — it is just too powerful. Over time, however, the image shifted from the merely grotesque monster to a more differentiated, more multi-layered one, perhaps reflecting the development of the myth.
This image of a beautiful Medusa became immensely widespread until the advent of Christianity put a temporary halt to it. Late antiquity is not the end of Medusa imagery: since the Renaissance, Medusa and her slaying by Perseus have made frequent reappearances in art.
Such motifs became especially common in the 18th and 19th centuries, for example in a series of dramatic paintings by the English Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones.
For example, it serves as a centrepiece in the modern flag of Sicily , as a symbol of strength and beauty in the logo of a famous fashion designer , or in feminism as a personification of female rage and its marginalisation in society, a metaphor able to encompass victimhood, anger and power all at once.
Like so many mythical motifs, Medusa is, after all, what we make of her…. Be that as it may: the next time you visit a museum of art or archaeology, look out for the gorgon Medusa; you are likely to find her. A close look at her role in Greek mythology and art reveals a nuanced and complex character with multiple iterations and implications. Medusa is best known for having hair made of snakes and for her ability to turn anyone she looked at to stone, literally to petrify.
Multiple works by ancient sources, such as Homer, the eighth-century B. The best known myth recounts her fateful encounter with the Greek hero Perseus. A dishonorable king demanded that he bring him an impossible gift: the head of Medusa.
Perseus set out with the aid of the gods, who provided him with divine tools. On his travels, he used the head to turn his enemies to stone and rescue the princess Andromeda from a sea monster After hearing their anguished and furious cries, Athena was inspired to invent the flute to mimic them. When the goddess played the flute, however, she discarded it after seeing her reflection; her face distended and became ugly as she played While she purposefully and successfully mimicked the wails of the Gorgons, she also unwittingly imitated their wide and dreadful features.
The snake-haired Medusa does not become widespread until the first century B. The Roman author Ovid describes the mortal Medusa as a beautiful maiden seduced by Poseidon in a temple of Athena. While these stories sound fantastical today, to the ancient Greeks they were quasi-historical. Myths, as well as the stories recorded by Homer and Hesiod, were considered part of a lost heroic past when men and women interacted with heroes, gods, and the supernatural.
Tales from this period were repeated in every medium; the evidence from Greece presents a world saturated with heroes and monsters in poetry, prose, and art.
As such, Medusa was not just a fantastical beast, but part of a shared past and present in the minds of ancient viewers. She signified a historical menace—the story of Perseus vanquishing and harnessing her energy was not just a story, but a chapter in the shared allegorical and historical record of the Greeks. Just as Medusa exists in multiple types of stories in the mythological record, she is also portrayed in multiple ways in ancient art.
Her appearance changes drastically through the centuries, but she is always recognizable due to her striking frontality. It is rare in Greek art for a figure to face directly out, but in almost all representations of Medusa, despite style and medium, she stares ahead and uncompromisingly confronts the viewer.
The term gorgoneion refers to the head and face of Medusa, which was used often as a decorative motif. It is a prolific symbol of her particular power that appears in architecture , vase painting , and metalwork. The gorgoneion was a pervasive image in temple decoration of the Archaic period ca. Perhaps the largest example comes from Temple C built ca. In Sicily, southern Italy, and mainland Greece, temples were decorated with numerous antefixes ornamental terracotta roof tile covers that bore gorgoneia During this time, Medusa is depicted as a monster; she has a round face, wide eyes, a beard, and a gaping mouth with an extended tongue and gnashing, sharp teeth Medusa remains a popular image on later architectural components, but her form is more specifically human and female.
She loses the frightful teeth and beard, but is still recognizable Greek vases, cups, and related terracotta objects sometimes included a decorative gorgoneion as well. In some cases it was painted at the bottom of a drinking vessel Pieces from the seventh and sixth centuries B.
The circular shape of many of these ceramics offers a particularly appropriate space to depict the rotund face of the Archaic Gorgon; it is outrageous, with oversized features that combine the feminine curled hair and earrings with the masculine beard. She is present as the central decoration on many vases Just as in architecture , these late fourth- and third-century B.
Gorgons evolve from the grotesque to the feminine but retain their specific frontal quality. The fifth century B. Perfection and beauty became the standards of this new Classical style, and Medusa, despite her role as a monster, was not exempt.
0コメント