#my translation specifies that one person in this is a woman/maiden | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

astra-and-atlas · 3 years

Text

On Medusa: The Myth

Part IIa: Some of her myths

It’s been a while, but I finally have time to keep sharing my thoughts. This section of “on Medusa” will discuss the various interpretations of her myth, and the modern reception. I’ll be covering a few ancient versions of her myths and their most common interpretations.

This section includes a content warning for the themes discussed in Medusa’s myth, namely, her r*pe and m*rder.

Check part one of the series here, or visit here to see my other original posts on the Theoi. Let’s begin!

Her Story in Summary:

Sections in brackets are where accounts differ.

Medusa was a [monster or human], who, at one point in time, [laid with] the sea-god Poseidon. Here, accounts differ on [where, and why]. She was then [turned into, or banished] because of her monstrous appearance. Accounts differ again on [who, and why]. The various stories all say she was then living in a far off cave usually referred to as “the cave of the gorgones”, which was either [in Libya or the Island of Cisthene]. There, she terrified men and was accordingly a danger to many. She was beheaded by Perseus as part of his quest, and gave birth from her corpse Pegasos and Khyrsaor. What happened to her remains varies on the myth.

This is an long post- longer than I anticipated. Whoops.

Hesoid

The first account to cover is Hesoid, who writes of her twice. The myth is not covered in great detail by him, but this is both from what I can find, and from the issue that most accounts of Medusa are from what we can piece together from Perseus’s myth. However, accounts of the Gorgones we can find elsewhere, which help characterize Medusa in later works.

Hesoid is the first author to fully develop the story of Medusa- Homer writes of Gorgon-heads and Perseus, but makes no connection between the two. The other two depictions are in art at the time, however it is unclear how the story formed in full.

Hesiod, Theogony 270 ff

“ Medousa, whose fate is a sad one, for she was mortal, but the other two immortal and ageless both alike. Poseidon, he of the dark hair, lay with one of these, in a soft meadow and among spring flowers. But when Perseus had cut off the head of Medousa there sprang from her blood great Khrysaor and the horse Pegasos, so named from the springs of Okeanos, where she was born."

Medusa is characterized by her mortality-- both in this account and in all other tales of her myth. It sets her apart from her siblings. She retains her monstrous form in this account, and is never referred to as beautiful or enviable in any way. She is a figure of pity-- doomed from the start.

In this quote it’s not directly specified which of the three sisters Poseidon sleeps with, however, as later Medusa gives birth to the two it is clear Hesoid was referring to Medusa when he says “one of these”. What is also important to note is that Poseidon and Medusa’s relationship is gentle. Their union happens in a meadow, not a temple, and there is no implication of violence. There is no “transformation”, or wrath, in this myth beyond the mortal wrath of King Polydectes (who orders the beheading of Medusa, forcing the role upon young Perseus).

Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 216 ff

The head of a dreadful monster, the Gorgo, covered the broad of his back, and a bag of silver--a marvel to see--contained it: and from the bag bright tassels of gold hung down.

Hesoid’s later descriptions of Medusa describe her when she is already dead, but we can see here she is a monster for her entire life. Not only does he list her mother as Keto (Keto being the mother to sea-monsters), but in this depiction she is a “dreadful monster”.

She is also referred to as “the Gorgo” most likely just as the singular of Gorgones because of her central role, but also similar to how Aix, the Elder Gorgo, is referred to during accounts of the Titan Wars. Their myth has similarities in their death, as they are both beheaded and turned into the aegis.

Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 216 ff

And after him rushed the Gorgones, unapproachable and unspeakable, longing to seize him : as they trod upon the pale adamant, the shield rang sharp and clear with a loud clanging. Two serpents hung down at their girdles with heads curved forward: their tongues were flickering, and their teeth gnashing with fury, and their eyes glaring fiercely. And upon the awful heads of the Gorgones great Phobos (Fear) was quaking."

This is further detail towards the appearance of the Gorgones. This scene describes the sisters of Medusa, Stheno and Euryale, chasing Perseus. Their descriptions match how gorgones are formed in grecian art at the time. As Homer and Hesoid are mentioned at the beginning of this post, so a piece of art should also be referenced, namely, the gorgenia, which had wide, grinning faces with snakes for hair, and often grotesque features. At the time when Medusa’s myth is first being formed, Gorgones are not beautiful like Medusa is sometimes called in later myth. True to their birth, they are monsters.

Ovid

I consider this to be the most well-known version of her myth, and the one most commonly used for retellings and poetic twists. Do I have statistics for this? No. Shh.

In this version of her story, Medusa was not yet a Gorgon before her tragedy, but presumably a fetching woman. She would be desirable to a god such as Poseidon, and to many others as well. The following quotes attest to her beauty.

Ovid, Heroides 19. 129 ff

“nor Medusa when her locks were not yet twined with snakes,”

Ovid, Metamorphoses 4. 770 ff

Her beauty was far-famed, the jealous hope of many a suitor, and of all her charms her hair was loveliest; so I was told by one who claimed to have seen her.

You may note it doesn’t specifically state she is not a Gorgon, and this is because technically she is- but not as we know them. I wrote above that she was “not yet a Gorgon” because it is easier to understand here when we look at the next few aspects of her myth: violence, wrath, and transformation. She is only truly referenced in these texts from a time after her transformation, and while I would not want to presume what Ovid intended for her to be, he does say that before Athena’s wrath, she had lovely tresses and they were turned to snakes afterwards. If we look at nearly all of the mosaics and pottery that represent the Gorgones, the most identifiable piece of their figure is their hair of snakes. Her lack of this here presents the idea that she is a woman, not a monster.

In the next part of her myth, she and Poseidon have sex in Athena’s temple. Whether this is consensual or not is unclear, as it depends on what translation you’ve used- here I’ve attached multiple translations so you can decide for yourself. Personally I believe it is most likely she was raped, given Poseidon’s characterization in his other myths and the violence that Ovid uses in his telling of her myth.

From Ov. Met. 4.706

(translation: Golding)

Fame declares the Sovereign of the Sea attained her love in chaste Minerva's temple. While enraged she turned her head away and held her shield before her eyes. To punish that great crime Minerva changed the Gorgon's splendid hair to serpents horrible. And now to strike her foes with fear, she wears upon her breast those awful vipers—creatures of her rage.

(translation: More)

It is reported how she should abusde by Neptune bee In Pallas Church: from which fowle facte Joves daughter turnde hir eye, And with hir Target hid hir face from such a villanie. And lest it should unpunisht be, she turnde hir seemely heare To lothly Snakes: the which (the more to put hir foes in feare Before hir brest continually she in her shield doth beare.

(translation: Melville)

She, it's said, was violated in Minerva's [Athena's] shrine by the Lord of the Sea (Rector Pelagi) [Poseidon]. Jove's [Zeus'] daughter turned away and covered with her shield her virgin's eyes. And then for fitting punishment transformed the Gorgo's lovely hair to loathsome snakes. Minerva [Athena] still, to strike her foes with dread, upon her breastplate wears the snakes she made.’"

Already we can see how each translation uses words with specific connotations, which is quite compelling to study. Moving on from this, in these three translations I’ve also included the second piece of her myth, the wrath of Athena, where she transforms Medusa into the form we know (and love) so well: that of a monster.

Athena’s wrath is one of power, as she is commonly portrayed. The punishment here is removing Medusa’s beauty, her hair, for the desecration of her temple. Athena’s wrath is appropriate in the way it is shown later- Athena is often credited to helping Perseus slay the Gorgo and this thread of vengeance rationalizes why Athena might be favoured towards Perseus.

Ovid, Metamorphoses 5. 250 ff :

"Through all these mighty deeds Pallas, Minerva [Athena], had availed to guide her gold-begotten brother [Perseus]."

Medusa’s death is told by Perseus in the following manner:

Ovid, Metamorphoses 4. 769 ff :

Along the way, in fields and by the roads, I saw on all sides men and animals--like statues--turned to flinty stone at sight of dread Medusa's visage. Nevertheless reflected on the brazen shield, I bore upon my left, I saw her horrid face. When she was helpless in the power of sleep and even her serpent-hair was slumber-bound, I struck, and took her head sheer from the neck.--To winged Pegasus the blood gave birth, his brother [Chrysaor] also, twins of rapid wing.’

Medusa is a monster when Perseus kills her- no trace of the enviable maiden Ovid once hints at. She is sleeping when he slays her, and thus defenseless. It is largely unclear whether Medusa had the power to petrify before her transformation- it is a common power of Gorgones but a power such as this could also be reasonably granted by a goddess during Athena’s transformation and curse to Medusa. This version is often used to make Perseus into a monster himself, or to make Athena a hero and to vilify the power of men in Greek mythology. This is all valid (although poor Perseus had no choice but to kill her? Don’t make this his fault, but I will discuss this and other modern interpretations later).

Other Versions

There are a thousand different versions I could choose to write about (well, not thousands), but namely Nonnus, Suidas, Pindar, and Pausinias. Because of attention span, time and length constraints (this post is already so long), I’ve chosen to write brief summaries with key quotes as to the various remaining versions.

Rationalizations: Suidas, Pausanias

In these accounts, Medusa is credited as being a Libyan queen who terrorized others until Perseus had killed her. It is a rationalization of the myth- Pausanias says he “omits the miraculous”. She is described as beautiful yet warlike, explaining perhaps why she is monstrous to some and enviable to others. It gives a reason why Athena may have been angry specifically towards her (she harmed those who were sacred to Athena).

Pausanias, Guide to Greece 2. 21. 5 - 6 :

“going out hunting and leading the Libyans to battle. On one such occasion, when she was encamped with an army over against the forces of Perseus, who was followed by picked troops from the Peloponnesos, she was assassinated by night. Perseus, admiring her beauty even in death, cut off her head and carried it to show the Greeks.”

“ Among the incredible monsters to be found in the Libyan desert are wild men and wild women. Prokles affirmed that he had seen a man from them who had been brought to Rome. So he guessed that a woman wandered from them, reached Lake Tritonis, and harried the neighbours until Perseus killed her; Athena was supposed to have helped him in this exploit, because the people who live around Lake Tritonis are sacred to her."

Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 3. 52. 4

Now there have been in Libya a number of races of women who were warlike and greatly admired for their manly vigour...[Perseus] who accomplished the campaign against these women, and that this was his greatest Labour may be taken by any man as proof of both the pre-eminence and the power of the women we have mentioned.

Nonnus: Her death.

In Dionysiaca, Nonnus makes no mention of Medusa’s creation. We do not know if Poseidon forced himself on her or even if he is the father of Pegasos and Khyrsoar, although it is implied by the references to horses. However he does make the interesting claim that each of the Gorgons had one power: Stethno to turn others to stone, Euryale with her bellow, and Medusa with the hair of snakes. He also makes great reference to “harvest” when referring to her and the birth of her children, which is interesting to me, at least.

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 24. 270 ff

then shore off the snaky swathe of one Medousa (Medusa), while her womb was still burdened and swollen with young... and reaped the neck of the pregnant Gorgon, firstfruits of a horsebreeding neck? There was no battle when swiftshoe Perseus lifted the lifeless token of victory, the snaky sheaf of Gorgon hair, relics of the head dripping drops of blood, gently wheezing a half-heard hiss through the severed throats

listening for no trumpet but [the Gorgon] Euryale's bellowing--having despoiled a little Libyan hole!"

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 30. 264 ff

Have you set foot in Libya? Have you had the task of Perseus? Have you seen the eye of [the Gorgon] Sthenno which turns all to stone, or the bellowing invincible throat of [the Gorgon] Euryale herself? Have you seen the tresses of viperhair Medousa (Medusa), and have the open mouths of her tangled serpents run round you?

Pindar: The flute

Athena invented the flute to mimic the bellow of the gorgones when Medusa had been slain. He also says that Medusa is attractive in some way. In this version Athena is in support of Perseus as well.

Pindar, Pythian Ode 12. 8 ff

The art that long ago Pallas Athene invented [the flute], weaving in music's rich refrain the ghoulish dirge of the fierce-heareted Gorgones. From those dread maidens' lips was heard streaming, and from those writhing serpent heads untouchable

the head of the fair-cheeked Medousa

But when the goddess maid delivered from these labours the man she loved, then she contrived the manifold melodies of the flute, to make in music's notes an image of the shrill lamenting cries, strung from Euryale's ravening jaws. A goddess found, but finding, gave the strain to mortal men to hold, naming it the tune of many heads."

I’m really only adding in Pindar’s account here because the flute is an important piece of one of the next posts I have planned for Medusa and I figured it might be best to introduce the concept now.

If youŕe interested in further resources relating to Medusa, I recommend the book Perseus by Daniel Ogden, which provides an in-depth analysis of Medusa and the Gorgones as well as the myth of Perseus. (This was recommended to me by @adri-le-chat , and I recommend checking out their posts on Perseus as well).

You can also use Theoi. com to browse Perseus and Medusa’s pages, and the Perseus Tufts database to find some valuable translations.

If anyone would like to go back in time and recover the Aeschylus, Phorcides, um, please do, because the Phorcides was the second in a trilogy and was supposed to focus specifically on Perseus’s encounters with Medusa. An entire play? About Perseus and Medusa? Imagine the information we could’ve had, I’m so upset that it was lost. Just imagine! But all we have is one fragment and it’s really not all that helpful, so if anyone would like to visit that time period and miraculously defy the laws of time so I can read about Medusa...

Anyways this post is long enough! I hope you enjoyed it and keep an eye out for the next section which will focus on my analysis of the myths presented!

| Part One | Other Theoi Notes | Resources |

#medusa #hellenic polytheism #hellenic devotion #cw: death #cw: rape mention #long post #hellenic heroes #I just love her so much sorry this is so long but FIGHT ME

10 notes · View notes

bysky99-blog · 6 years

Text

Hazel inspired by the tale of Hazel and Gretel

Either because of its background or that the gears in my head worked too much this week ...

In the story of Hansel and Gretel there is a brother named Hansel and a sister named Gretel left in the forest by his father lumberjack due to the poverty and insistence of his wife who is actually stepmother, before the impossibility of feeding them, they leave bread crumbs to return home, the first time it works and they cool down but again they leave them in the forest this time farther away, again they try to return to the path traced with crumbs but the birds eat them and get lost, they find a house made of sweets but they are caught by the witch who lives there, makes Gretel work at home while her brother is held captive, on one occasion Gretel throws the witch to the stake and rescues her brother who had been fattening with sweets to eat it later. ..

The name Hansel in English sounds "Hazel" almost without sounding the N, in my Spanish language the sound of the names is more evident if we forget that the proper names do not change from English to Spanish, also the names do not have to sound the same as the characters that elude.

His lastname “Rainart” is of German origin from where that tale is also original and mean and can translate as either "Brave Counsel" or "Strong Judgement"

An example would be Lie Ren a Fa Mulan, the reference is there without the names at least phonetically being similar ...

We already have Hansel from the story: if we rely on the name and that in the show it says a lot

But now ... where is Gretel?

Hazel is also a hazel tree that you obviously find in a forest ... or just the tree, in addition Hazel is a color composed of green and blue ... that's what the internet says ... but it reminds me of honey color ... colors that at least for me remind me of a forest a forest too.

Hazel eyes example

We already have the "witch" that is Salem

that can also be the "stepmother", I'll explain later. fulfilling say with the most evil figures in the story.

This Hazel is with the witch instead of being captured but again Gretel is not here ... the crumbs of bread may be the past that instead of taking her home I take him to the side of the Witch who is Salem and instead of attract him / capture him with the house of Ginger can use the same painful past to put him / her on his / her side ... the father who took them by order of the mother to that dangerous situation can be Ozpin and for his responsibilities maybe he put the theorized Gretel in a danger so great that it did not survive either a maiden, a being close to Hazel or Hazel himself.

As a note you do not have to see the birds ate the bread crumbs.

In the show there are two metaphorical and literal birds

that are Raven and Qrow of course.

that also in the past were the "eyes" of Ozpin, again with mythical birds that fulfilled that work for Odin, in the past since Raven currently left the obligations for which they gave him the gift of becoming a bird.

The father:Ozpin

Note: By the way, in this scene he also sees a forest and sends his students at random ... without maps, without certainty that they fall into a place we can say for sure ... in fact, many fell where there was immediately grimm...

Scars

This has terrible scars that give evidence of a critical event that may be the one that took him to Salem's side but not only to his side ... but to be one of his most reliable allies.

Not only does sitting next to the right side a very important position if we take it metaphorically but also she relies on the one important mission that is to ensure the loyalty of Sienna Khan. Since it only equals Tirian's, her unhealthy devotion to her can be equated in confidence, seeing how unstable Tiryan is we can understand that Salem knows how devoted and loyal this is to her no matter what in Hazel's regard on the same line and end at the same time we can theorize that Salem knows that the reason why this is on his side is comparable to the devotion of Tyrian

Relationship

A relationship that can be made between Hazel and Ozpin / Oscar is in addition to their first meeting at the train station is that the color of Oscar's eyes refers to the closest to that color in eyes

If he did not have them before his merger with OZ and he got them later he would have more weight, we have not seen that he noticed, maybe he did it while looking in the mirror but he did not have time to process it when he heard a ghostly voice in his head that only increased as the days passed

There is already the father, the witch, and even the birds. the forest is the circuntacias, past, ect.

But again, where is Gretel?

One possibility may be this as it is in another theory:

For me they seem a lot physically, almost like father and daughter but that is another theory that someone already raised and explained so I do not take credit.

In case it is a maiden in general without specifying amber or another, my theory in case it was a maid is that in the story Gretel is forced to work for the witch and it watches over her, the maidens are protected and their existence is known by few being the ringleader Ozpin. Then Ozpin fulfills the role of "Witch" in the context that he was in the first place, he used magic and while his actions to protect the Remnant are not evil, they trigger events that affect in a terrible way He plays the role of Witch while captivates Gretel as the maidens work for Ozpin, a way to put it. in case of the maid.

But in case the speculated Gretel exists, it does not necessarily have to be a maiden or a woman ... it can be a precious someone to Hazel

As mentioned in a post very cut the face of anger that puts in the trailer:

This face says: "danger" and fury!

It is from someone with a lot of anger, resent the end a very big resentment against Ozpin ... obviously this is angry with Ozpin the collective of consciences, the soul that the gods cursed is towards hatred ... but the past can involve one of the Ozpin avatars most likely the last ... but is it to the director Ozpin?

The body before the merger had a life before Oz was present, what if this was the one that was close to Hazel?

The eye color of Ozpin can also be said to be hazel, right?

A merger does not imply the complete salvation of the soul of the body that I occupy ... but that someone had life, relatives and so on, precious things that make him such a person and those he had to leave to be part of something "bigger", that hopefully, since while the achievements of this Ozpin as a collective Protect the Remnant of Salem and the Grimm the individual before him in the body can not say that they are his own achievements, it entails sacrifices for the close ones of the individual, this had, as Oscar, to force yourself to that path and not your own despite the fear ... in the case of Oscar I think your aunt has missed you a lot, as far as we know they only had each other, imagine if Hazel was in Aunt's place of Ozcar, lost someone prized by the bad luck of an entity that has existed and had many lives, can not leave his precious being at least for this life? What it costs if you always repeat the cycle.

Simplified:

Hazel may hate Ozpin because maybe one of the avatars was someone precious to Hazel

A maid that we already know her sad destinies of if it carries great power, also carries responsibilities that did not ask, pressures that did not imagine and of course truths that more than one make you question the same world where they live and was close to Hazel

A meeting between ozpin and Hazel that led to those scars ...

The role of Salem also as a stepmother is that she, faced with the responsibility of caring for children, prefers that the father abandons them in the forest because they have nothing to feed them and does not do it herself. Salem has created great tragedies throughout history and in some way is responsible for the current condition of Ozpin and therefore everything that triggers, or is it an agent of direct and indirect chaos and in all that came with Hazel. Because of her, Ozpin is a soul that reincarnates and he created the maidens. As soon as they return home, the stepmother is dead and they can live with the treasures they stole from the stepmother.

The outcome of the story is reversed, "Gretel" is not there, the witch lives, as a result Hazel takes the place of his sister and works for the witch because although it can be eaten, in the long term it is more useful helping him.

Certainly the "hunger" that is what triggers the facts, the stepmother takes them to the forest, and that the witch wants to eat them, is the centenary war that Ozpin and Salem have, has reached a point where none can give in, it's not that they could avoid it ...

When we met Hazel, we asked ourselves how someone like someone who proves to be fair and have compassion for lives is on the side of Salem, who apparently does not care about the lives that are disappearing in the final task of seeing humanity burn!

I also think someone who feels empathy for children and women, helped Oscar who is called more than once a child, showed sorrow for the death of Sienna Khan of course more for being a life that is removed than for being a woman but I fixed on that after seeing the cap in detail, and now her confrontation with Ren and Nora was to her that said she preferred not to fight, that she was a woman and could be interpreted at the same time as "young students" could be coincidence

The only thing that makes sense to me that Hazel is with Salem is of someone who loses everything by the only route that will guarantee revenge, since it is the only emotion I see when he shouts at Oz, he does not agree with Salem more has no more goals so maybe you see that humanity has no salvation ... if he fulfilled his goal, whatever he will do his word, just as part of his man says it: "Strong Judgment" to help Salem because she He did his part and to keep his word is part of his being even though what he promised is not something to say ... "good"

He will feel regret and know that what he does is bad, but he does not show signs of betrayal, he is aware of the treatment he did, he knows what to sign, he will not back down. Anyway, this is how in my head this takes place or feels .. Thank you!

Saludos desde Honduras

#rwby post #rwby theory #rwby 5x11 #rwby hazel #ozpin

25 notes · View notes