Thank you, thank you, thank you for this. Natalie Haynes opened my eyes to the real Medusa tragedy and I cannot bear to read anything that denies her innocence and the evil of Athena and Perseus (not a hero). I was worried when I started reading you might be one of ‘those’ - still intoxicated by the vile exploits of Perseus and the ongoing destruction by Athena - she is the mythic equivalent of Margaret Thatcher. Wouldn’t be surprised if MT has a secret tattoo of her!
YES! To this and to people trying to convince me that Persephone/Hades is a sweet marriage...
I have some thoughts (albeit probably rambling and incoherent, sorry!) that this has brought up for me:
I am always struck by the lack of nuance when it comes to female characters, specifically in mythology. Either she (and by she I mean Medusa but also a lot of other female figures) is wholly a tragedy or the epitome of a feminist icon. And I think it speaks to a broader use of women as devices rather than seeing them as complex individuals, capable of embodying many aspects of personhood at the same time. It can at once be that she was abused and suffered injustice, but at the same time relishes the power she has been given despite it being meant and conceived as a punishment. Not sure why so many retellings find this an odd concept..? Perhaps a reluctance to attribute empowerment to an abuser- which I kind of get, but I think simply reimagining said abuser as someone with good intentions is equally, if not more damaging than having a sensible conversation about the disconnect between intentions and consequences.
One thing that I don't often see discussed is the possibility that in the myth Athena, rather than being some sort of feminist liberator, has actually just simply misconstrued what the ultimate punishment for a human woman would be. Which is very much telling of the masculine perspective she is coming from. Sure to a man, to an all powerful goddess, to a patriarchal society the worst thing a human woman can be is repulsive and unwanted, but for someone who has known powerlessness and abuse there is something liberating in those qualities, which those with power cannot quite comprehend or forsee. In embracing this new "monstrousness" Medusa likely shocks those who thought she would be cowed by this transformation, reinforcing the idea that she is not normal, not human. In a way it is interesting because, the smile in the face of such a situation is what makes her so monstrous to some constituents. It’s the very lack of shame, the acceptance of the unacceptable that makes her so dangerous.
And yet, I really like to see ancient/mythological women being this shameless and being horrible to the point of monstrosity especially in response to injustice, because for me that actually makes them more human (uh, who wouldn't be righteously pissed in such a situation??).
I also think there is more scope for men to be savage without ever being called monstrous or having their humanity called into question. Fundamentally I don't think monstrous looks or behaviour is something in-human (I actually think it is very human) it’s just that there seem to be more conditions placed on the humanity of women, which is something we need to unpick.
All that to say, yes. Wholly agree. Loved it.
ALSO I am so determined to make it to one of your events- they look fab- it’s just the universe seems to be conspiring against my attendance/availability. I hope all is well for you :)
My first mythology teacher always said that “the worst thing you can be, for an ancient Greek, is on the gods’ radar at all—good or bad, the attention of the divine rarely works out well.”
Medusa always struck me as two (or three) particularly horrific and prime examples of that.
What a fascinating and informative read. I'd never heard of a 'herm' before, my life is now changed. Regarding casually reinterpreting things as feminist, I went to a talk last week where Ronald Hutton was talking.He did some research that showed that witches were killed because they were users of the magic arts and not specifically because they were women.In other cultures where men are the main practitioners of sorcery it was predominantly men who were killed.In Iceland, 97% of witches killed were men for example.It turns out that in Europe witchcraft and magic is largely practiced by women hence the higher figure for women's deaths.It gives a different take on the hackneyed phrase:'We are the daughters of the witches you couldn't burn'. Regarding medusa, preferably non-visually, I love that last quote.There's so much going on with the media myth that it needs to be discussed.I mean a deadly female with phallic hair, just that alone is an essay! Thanks again for posting.
Ooh I’d love to read some papers about those male witches, that sounds fascinating!! And strongly agree re the whole phallic-hair angle, it is absolutely wild 🐍 (and I’m very glad the herms changed your life).
This is the first post from you that I've read and I'm already hooked! Love reading all the comments adding to your piece too. I used to be intrigued by myths, legends, the classics when I was a teenager, but somehow lost that interest along the way. You're bringing this back for me, thank you 😊
my favourite depiction of medusa has to the pan painter's vase of her post-beheading, with perseus and athena on either side of her. all of the figures have an almost slapstick energy
Greeks: the OG victim blamers. I think feminist reinterpretations are nice in that they tell us something about OUR society—namely, that it has evolved past the original framing of the myth and is still looking for meaning in it—but the original telling, in all of its versions, is remarkable because it’s so tragic. Framing it as a feminist allegory feels like trying to make an inspirational story out of Anne Frank. If it doesn’t leave you with “the ick”, to coin a GenZ term, you’re not telling it right. Medusa was a girl who was punished for being a victim and then victimized again. (I don’t understand where her sisters come in here.)
One of the aspects of Medusa’s appearance that I find interesting is that she resembles the features of death, which surely would have been more familiar to the Greeks than they are to us. Leave a human body out in the sun for a few days and its eyes will bulge out and its tongue will protrude from its mouth. That’s why coins on the eyes: sure, maybe it’s a Styx toll, but mostly bulging eyes are unsettling. That’s why Steve Buscemi doesn’t win beauty contests.
Please tell the story of how Alcibiades got himself charged and convicted for desecrating all of the hermai in Athens before the Sicilian expedition.
I’m so glad you touched on the reinterpretations of mythology in modern contexts because though I love those, I always feel the need to say, Ancient Greece was soooo sexist. The ancient philosophers of Greece and Rome? Sexist. So it tracks that their mythology is rooted in misogyny, and the rape and murder of Medusa was one that comes from a defilement of a woman, by a man (and not only a man, but a GOD) and that the woman was blamed and punished). That being said, I’ll eat up modern reinterpretations of mythology any day (not sure if you’ve read Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill, but I LOVE that book and highly recommend)
However, I do think that the crux of the issue lies with people creating feminist narratives that forgive Medusa’s abusers — not necessarily with ALL contemporary feminist interpretations of Medusa, many of which do make room for nuance (as you demonstrate at the end).
The title of this piece seems to suggest that all empowering representations of Medusa’s stories do harm, which I don’t think is your ultimate point? It’s an important distinction to make, because a lot of survivors of sexual assault often see themselves in Medusa and are comforted by the idea that her story can be turned into something empowering. And I don’t think we should discourage that.
Surrealism before it had a name. Her face is a mirror of the dead. People died in the streets during this era. You couldn’t avoid seeing death alongside the beauty of the natural world.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this. Natalie Haynes opened my eyes to the real Medusa tragedy and I cannot bear to read anything that denies her innocence and the evil of Athena and Perseus (not a hero). I was worried when I started reading you might be one of ‘those’ - still intoxicated by the vile exploits of Perseus and the ongoing destruction by Athena - she is the mythic equivalent of Margaret Thatcher. Wouldn’t be surprised if MT has a secret tattoo of her!
You’re so welcome!! It was such a cathartic topic to write about ✍️
“The mythic equivalent of Margaret Thatcher” is my favorite niche Substack quote yet
It was painfully clear who was really at fault
When Lot’s Wife was turned into a pillar of salt.
But can Gorgon Medusa be plausibly blamed
If some powerful goddess had wanted her framed?
It’s Promachos I mean. She is brilliant, but callous.
Born from Zeus’ split head, glowing warrior, Pallas.
For in dealing with mortals, no goddess is meaner
Than the Virgin of Victory,
Grey-eyed Athena.
Poor Medusa was raped on a Parthenon’s stairs, by Earth Shaker, Poseidon (before the snake hair).
So Athena should fault the sea god with the Trident,
But she fears Zeus’ brother
And dares not be strident.
Athena’s bold protégé, Perseus by name,
By beheading Medusa, Bellerophon came.
And the sire of Pegasus, yclept Pelagios?
Athena keeps Uncle Poseidon quite close.
Apó ti vóreia chora,
Glenn
INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!! As always 💛💛💛💛
I dreamt my hands were slowly moving earth,
‘Though where I was, or why I could not say.
Was there some treasure in an earthen berth?
A vessel or a pot devised of clay?
My fingers touched, and then my eyes discerned,
A full foot down, obscured by sand and moss,
The lovely shape an ancient hand had turned:
It was an Attic white-ground lekythos!
My dream-state heart was thumping in my breast
I must use special care, not push too hard;
But as I tried, I knew I’d failed the test:
My perfect pot was shattered into shards.
Beautiful memories, carelessly exhumed,
May safer be if they remain entombed.
Glenn Ebo Perry
Thoughts On Dusting a Red-Figure Calyx
I love this multi-scape of Medusa. Amazing! And if you do a Minotaur theme event, please keep me posted—I’d love to attend!!
I’ll absolutely keep you posted! I’m thinking July 🐂
YES! To this and to people trying to convince me that Persephone/Hades is a sweet marriage...
I have some thoughts (albeit probably rambling and incoherent, sorry!) that this has brought up for me:
I am always struck by the lack of nuance when it comes to female characters, specifically in mythology. Either she (and by she I mean Medusa but also a lot of other female figures) is wholly a tragedy or the epitome of a feminist icon. And I think it speaks to a broader use of women as devices rather than seeing them as complex individuals, capable of embodying many aspects of personhood at the same time. It can at once be that she was abused and suffered injustice, but at the same time relishes the power she has been given despite it being meant and conceived as a punishment. Not sure why so many retellings find this an odd concept..? Perhaps a reluctance to attribute empowerment to an abuser- which I kind of get, but I think simply reimagining said abuser as someone with good intentions is equally, if not more damaging than having a sensible conversation about the disconnect between intentions and consequences.
One thing that I don't often see discussed is the possibility that in the myth Athena, rather than being some sort of feminist liberator, has actually just simply misconstrued what the ultimate punishment for a human woman would be. Which is very much telling of the masculine perspective she is coming from. Sure to a man, to an all powerful goddess, to a patriarchal society the worst thing a human woman can be is repulsive and unwanted, but for someone who has known powerlessness and abuse there is something liberating in those qualities, which those with power cannot quite comprehend or forsee. In embracing this new "monstrousness" Medusa likely shocks those who thought she would be cowed by this transformation, reinforcing the idea that she is not normal, not human. In a way it is interesting because, the smile in the face of such a situation is what makes her so monstrous to some constituents. It’s the very lack of shame, the acceptance of the unacceptable that makes her so dangerous.
And yet, I really like to see ancient/mythological women being this shameless and being horrible to the point of monstrosity especially in response to injustice, because for me that actually makes them more human (uh, who wouldn't be righteously pissed in such a situation??).
I also think there is more scope for men to be savage without ever being called monstrous or having their humanity called into question. Fundamentally I don't think monstrous looks or behaviour is something in-human (I actually think it is very human) it’s just that there seem to be more conditions placed on the humanity of women, which is something we need to unpick.
All that to say, yes. Wholly agree. Loved it.
ALSO I am so determined to make it to one of your events- they look fab- it’s just the universe seems to be conspiring against my attendance/availability. I hope all is well for you :)
I love these comments, the best 10 minutes procrastinating from paid work I have ever spent.
My first mythology teacher always said that “the worst thing you can be, for an ancient Greek, is on the gods’ radar at all—good or bad, the attention of the divine rarely works out well.”
Medusa always struck me as two (or three) particularly horrific and prime examples of that.
-
loved this piece!
I couldn’t agree more with your teacher! And I’m so glad you enjoyed 😊
What a fascinating and informative read. I'd never heard of a 'herm' before, my life is now changed. Regarding casually reinterpreting things as feminist, I went to a talk last week where Ronald Hutton was talking.He did some research that showed that witches were killed because they were users of the magic arts and not specifically because they were women.In other cultures where men are the main practitioners of sorcery it was predominantly men who were killed.In Iceland, 97% of witches killed were men for example.It turns out that in Europe witchcraft and magic is largely practiced by women hence the higher figure for women's deaths.It gives a different take on the hackneyed phrase:'We are the daughters of the witches you couldn't burn'. Regarding medusa, preferably non-visually, I love that last quote.There's so much going on with the media myth that it needs to be discussed.I mean a deadly female with phallic hair, just that alone is an essay! Thanks again for posting.
Ooh I’d love to read some papers about those male witches, that sounds fascinating!! And strongly agree re the whole phallic-hair angle, it is absolutely wild 🐍 (and I’m very glad the herms changed your life).
This is the first post from you that I've read and I'm already hooked! Love reading all the comments adding to your piece too. I used to be intrigued by myths, legends, the classics when I was a teenager, but somehow lost that interest along the way. You're bringing this back for me, thank you 😊
Oh that makes me so happy! I hear similar things from so many people who loved mythology when they were kids and are coming back to it now 🏺
my favourite depiction of medusa has to the pan painter's vase of her post-beheading, with perseus and athena on either side of her. all of the figures have an almost slapstick energy
Perseus looks completely insane (like a drunken circus performer) but Medusa’s closed eyes make me a little ❤️🩹
she's just sleeping,,,
with the fishes :/
rip :((
could not agree more with all of this
!!!!! <3
Apotropaic! What an awesome word! I didn't know it existed in english also.
Great read as always!
It’s such a fabulous word! And I’m so glad you enjoyed 💛
Greeks: the OG victim blamers. I think feminist reinterpretations are nice in that they tell us something about OUR society—namely, that it has evolved past the original framing of the myth and is still looking for meaning in it—but the original telling, in all of its versions, is remarkable because it’s so tragic. Framing it as a feminist allegory feels like trying to make an inspirational story out of Anne Frank. If it doesn’t leave you with “the ick”, to coin a GenZ term, you’re not telling it right. Medusa was a girl who was punished for being a victim and then victimized again. (I don’t understand where her sisters come in here.)
One of the aspects of Medusa’s appearance that I find interesting is that she resembles the features of death, which surely would have been more familiar to the Greeks than they are to us. Leave a human body out in the sun for a few days and its eyes will bulge out and its tongue will protrude from its mouth. That’s why coins on the eyes: sure, maybe it’s a Styx toll, but mostly bulging eyes are unsettling. That’s why Steve Buscemi doesn’t win beauty contests.
Please tell the story of how Alcibiades got himself charged and convicted for desecrating all of the hermai in Athens before the Sicilian expedition.
I’m so glad you touched on the reinterpretations of mythology in modern contexts because though I love those, I always feel the need to say, Ancient Greece was soooo sexist. The ancient philosophers of Greece and Rome? Sexist. So it tracks that their mythology is rooted in misogyny, and the rape and murder of Medusa was one that comes from a defilement of a woman, by a man (and not only a man, but a GOD) and that the woman was blamed and punished). That being said, I’ll eat up modern reinterpretations of mythology any day (not sure if you’ve read Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill, but I LOVE that book and highly recommend)
This is a great piece!! And I totally agree.
However, I do think that the crux of the issue lies with people creating feminist narratives that forgive Medusa’s abusers — not necessarily with ALL contemporary feminist interpretations of Medusa, many of which do make room for nuance (as you demonstrate at the end).
The title of this piece seems to suggest that all empowering representations of Medusa’s stories do harm, which I don’t think is your ultimate point? It’s an important distinction to make, because a lot of survivors of sexual assault often see themselves in Medusa and are comforted by the idea that her story can be turned into something empowering. And I don’t think we should discourage that.
Anyway. Fuk u athena
Surrealism before it had a name. Her face is a mirror of the dead. People died in the streets during this era. You couldn’t avoid seeing death alongside the beauty of the natural world.