UNLUCKY MEDUSA

Life is unfair. And it’s not fair that life is unfair

Edward Abbey

The Greek Mythology is quite an interesting antique, full of social themes that are present even in present-day life. Love, jealousy, betrayal, violence are just a tip of the iceberg. For my friends who might not have heard about Greek Mythology, it refers to a set of myths that belong to the people of Greece. Almost every tribe in the world has their narrative about ancient days, their gods and even how they came to existence. However, today am particularly interested in sharing my thoughts with you about a specific Greek myth. This particular story catches my attention and sets up a stream of thoughts that goes on and on and floods my mind. The story of Medusa

As most people may recall, maybe from movies, novels or from whomever that Medusa was a beyond-terrifying person(some may prefer to stick with creature). She was hunted by legends who wanted to have her head. Why her head? Was she born like this? Friends, sail with me in this sea of knowledge in a quest to discover her story . Let us turn back the hands of time. Medusa was one of the three gorgons, a normal girl born to a sea god( Phorcys) and a sea goddess( Ceto). Among the gorgons she was the only mortal. She was stunningly beautiful. Her hair especially enchanted and attracted suitors. However, she desired to be like the goddess Athena( the goddess of wisdom and war). To be a priestess in Athena’s temple she had to be pure…far from any sexual encounter. In this regard, she shoved off any interested party. She eventually became a priestess just like she dreamed.

In Athena’s temple, she still captivated the hearts of many. People came from far and wide to the temple to see her. She was one fine lass and unsurprisingly Athena became jealous. Y’all know comparison is the thief of joy, don’t you? During that time the goddess Athena and Poseidon( god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses) were not in the best of terms. Poseidon was one of the twelve Olympians(major deities of Greek mythology). He was the son of Cronus and Rhea, king and queen of the Titans. One interesting fact about Poseidon is that he and his two brothers ousted their father and he became the god of the sea by casting lot. “So how do Poseidon’s and Medusa’s paths converge?” One may ask.

I cannot proceed beyond this point without letting you know that the city of Athens was named after Athena. Poseidon and Athena were fighting for supremacy and Athena had won. He therefore began to plot for revenge. He came up with this cold plan…hurt Athena indirectly, why not destroy the very thing Athena advocated for( purity)? He planned to seduce Medusa since she was Athena’s most famous priestess. On a particular day he showed up and found Medusa just like he had planned. However, Medusa was keen to keep her purity and she rebuffed the advances by Poseidon and ran into the temple for safety. Overcome by lust and desire for revenge, he followed her into the temple and defiled on the temple stairs. By doing this, he had hit two birds with one stone. He had defiled Athena’s pure sanctuary and more so, he had had his way with Athena’s most precious jewel and so the oath was broken.

Some mythological narratives say Athena was in the temple at that time, some say she arrived later. Nevertheless, an angry Athena found Medusa sobbing after the encounter. For goodness sake she had already had a bad day that far. Put yourself in her shoe…totally unable to control a situation you found yourself in and the blame is hastily placed on you. This is what breaks my heart. Athena blames Medusa and goes on to curse her. Her curse is driven by bitterness and envy. Medusa’s beautiful hair is turned to horrifying serpents and whoever looks into her eyes is turned to stone. She flees from the turn in fear of what may happen.

My heart is weary and sad and alone
For its dreams like the fluttering leaves have gone
And why should I stay behind?  

                                                         Sarojini Naidu                       

Ladies and gentlemen, help me understand. In your opinion was this just? Could have Athena found a way to redeem all this? Isn’t this still the situation in our world? Where powerful people have their way with crime and it’s the poor and powerless that are left to suffer. This was Medusa’s life changing moment. A beautiful girl turned hunted creature eventually slayed by Perseus the son of Zeus. I really pity her. Athena aided Zeus by giving him the shield he used to reflect Medusa’s gaze. This shows how Athena’s mind was clouded by revenge on Medusa. Some say she was showing pity on Medusa. I don’t know. What do you think?

Someone told me c’mon Emmanuel it’s just a myth but then, have you never read a novel and got lost in an imaginary world? That’s what is is happening here. Imagine you were Medusa or even think of her as your sister or crush. What would you feel?

Share your thoughts with me. 😊