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On a chariot-pole finial from 1st-2nd century Rome, Medusa is almost angelic with her flowing hair (and a pair of snakes peeking through her tresses), yet her penetrating eyes of inlaid silver recall her petrifying gaze. Medusa and Athena: Ancient Allies in Healing Women's Trauma by Laura The 11 spiritual messages of the medusa goddess can help you understand more about your life and the virtues you carry. If we go back to Greek antiquity, Medusa was a mighty force endowed with the power to both kill and redeem. Installation view of Dangerous Beauty: Medusa in Classical Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (photo by the author for Hyperallergic), Terracotta pelike (jar) with Perseus beheading the sleeping Medusa, attributed to Polygnotos (Greek, 450440 BCE), terracotta, height: 18 13/16 inches, diameter: 13 1/2 inches (courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1945), Madeleine Glennonin a 2017 essay on Medusa in Ancient Greek Artfor the Met notes thatClassical and Hellenistic images of Medusa are more human, but she retains a sense of the unknown through specific supernatural details such as wings and snakes. As Karoglou points out, the majority of hybrids (half-human, half-animal monsters like sirens or Gorgons) in ancient Greece were female. It takes a high level of creativity to achieve this feat. Her symbols were a shield that frequently appeared above her head in ancient hieroglyphics which was why she was killed with a reflective shield in Greek mythology. I aim to share everything I know about history on this blog, hope you enjoy reading too! Hyperallergic is a forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today. Founded in 2009, Hyperallergic is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. is derived from a conviction that women lack a penis. She was the child of Ceto and Phorcys. Emailus. All of this points to one thing, which is Intellectual power. the mouth becoming the vagina) the woman, in essence, loses her voice, or rather she is denied of her voice. Jeenah Moon for The New York Times. Cixous disagrees with this analysis. 9 Spiritual Meanings, 11 Ankh Spiritual Meanings: Egyptian Cross Symbol, Triangle Spiritual Meaning: 11 Symbolisms (Its Good or Bad? When it comes to relationships, medusa is a lesson to learn. In other words, symbolic decapitation, is a symptom of the real dangers that women face in a culture that is anxious about the powers of masculinity. Cixous demonstrates these points by claiming Freud himself is reductive and neglects to address the female experience in the Medusa myth, thereby erasing her experience, or, symbolically decapitating her as well. Use this symbol to keep you safe on your travels as did ancient sailors who would paint it on the sides of their boats. Well, let me tell you a secret. It bears worth mentioning that Im very new to Hellenism, so Im a little confused as to how this all works. Because of the origin of medusa, she is an emblem of deep spirituality. Medusa was a worshiper of Athena and a guardian of her temple. Her decapitation is in direct result of male anxiety about maintaining power and control. On a 570 BCE terracotta stand, Medusa is comically hideous, and fully bearded, sticking out her tongue between two tusks. In order to punish her, Athena curses Medusa by replacing her beautiful hair with a head of venomous snakes and making it so anyone who looks into her eyes will be turned to stone. In Greek mythology, Medusa was a Gorgon, one of three monstrous sisters comprised of Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale. There is an alluring nature to Medusa, as she is both siren and saint she is the complicated woman we all understand and fear.