If you visit Istanbul, you will surely come to see "The Basilica Cistern" submerged in the subsoil of the city. One of the most impressive things you can see there is the base of two of the columns that support the roof of the cistern and that represent the head of one of the gorgons : jellyfish . Tradition states that these sculptures are oriented face down or turned to the sides so that they can not look directly into the eyes of those who observe them, as they would be immediately petrified. Medusa was not the only Gorgon, she had two sisters. Join us to know 3 Myths of the Gorgons, the fearsome female monsters.
3 Myths of the Gorgons
The gorgons were fearsome female monsters daughters of Focis and Ceto. The word gorgon comes from "gorgon" which in Greek means "terrible". The names of the three gorgons they were Medusa, Esteno, Euríale. These terrifying female deities called gorgons they were known from the most remote antiquity and there are representations before the classic myths . His attributes were a belt with two serpents facing each other and instead of hair plus serpents. They were women of great strength and enormous size. Sometimes they also had boar teeth and bronze claws and they were even represented with wings. Although they were terrifying, the Greeks used to use their image as protection against the evil eye by placing them in the entrances of houses and temples, since it was believed that they could turn whoever looked at them into stone.
The best known myth of the Gorgons: Medusa and Poseidon
As we explained in the post: The myth of Medusa revised. Did you know that she was raped by Poseidon? , this mythological story represents the first gender betrayal of which we have news.
Medusa was at first very different from her sisters. They were terrifying, but immortal, while Medusa was beautiful but mortal and to defend herself from the attack of humans she was granted the power to petrify them with her gaze. One day he was offering a sacrifice in the temple of Athena was seen by Poseidon, who excited by his golden mane came to her and raped her. Athena considered that her virginal sanctuary had been desecrated and instead of punishing Poseidon she acted against the young woman. He turned her into a monstrous being like her sisters and turned her blond hair into snakes.
Myth of the Gorgons and the hero Perseus
Another of the Myths of Gorgons he relates them to a hero: Perseus. He was deceived by the suitor of his mother, King Polidectes, who asked for the head of Medusa to get him away from his kingdom. The young man, armed with a shield-mirror, was able to approach the gorgon and cut off his head.
According to the classic myth, the horse with Pegasus and the giant Crisaor were born from the cut with which Perseus sliced his head, since Medusa had become pregnant after the rape of Poseidon. The sisters of Medusa ran after Perseus with the intention of catching him and taking revenge, but they could not do anything since he had an invisibility helmet and Aladas shoes. Esteno and Euríale, the gorgonas that they were alive, they mourned the death of their sister and their bad luck.
The head of Medusa was delivered to Athena who placed it on his shield as protection.
The myth of the blood of the Gorgons
The sisters of Medusa, Esteno and Euríale, were different from each other. Esteno was wild and caused a lot of deaths among humans. Possessor of a great mental power concentrated its energy in the look and hypnotized its enemies to finish them off. Euríale, the largest of the three gorgonians , unlike her sisters, was in principle a beneficent deity with maternal feelings. She is the one who really mourned the death of her little sister. His job was to protect and control various oracles and shrines.
Some of the Myths of Gorgons they refer to their blood. If blood was drawn from the right side of one of the gorgons, it had among other healing powers the ability to resuscitate the dead and if it was extracted from its left side, it acted like a poison causing instant death. Athena gave away two vials of gorgon blood to Asclepio, the god of medicine, who used it wisely to resurrect some heroes and mythological characters.
Some Greek myths They explain that the gorgons were not the only daughters of Focis and Ceto. They had other daughters, one of them named Toosa was a marine nymph. Poseidon took her as a lover and from her relationship was born the giant Polyphemus that was blinded by the protagonist of the Odyssey, Ulysses. Toosa had the constitution of what we know today as a mermaid, her torso was that of a woman, but instead of her legs she had a tail similar to that of a fish. Toosa was the goddess of the marine currents.
Other of the daughters of Focis and Ceto were the monstrous Scylla, similar to a mermaid but from whose English came the bodies of six dogs and Echidna, with the body of a woman and the tail of a snake.
Did you know these Myths of Gorgons ? Do you know any more? Share it with us!
Image: Carlomorino