Page 121 - Middle Georgia State University - Knighted 2019

into a hideous Gorgon and banishing her to an isolated island (Freeman 2013; “Myths and
Legends” 2006). Formerly, when Medusa was beautiful, she was lusted after by many men and
gods; however, once Athena had cursed her, Medusa became an image of fear. Medusa
frightened people so much that having her alive even on an isolated island was too much. She
had to be destroyed; therefore, Perseus in his myth beheaded Medusa in the name of Athena and
King Polydectes (Encyclopedia 2018).

When Medusa is raped by Poseidon, she becomes pregnant with his children who will
become Pegasus and Chrysaor. Despite having revoked the typical role of a woman, she was
forced by an outside power, Poseidon, into the role: “She has slept with Poseidon and given birth
to Pegasus and Chrysaor, but as soon as she fulfills the functions of a mother, she becomes a
disembodied head. She is frozen in her persona of death” (Dexter 37). In giving birth and then
dying, Medusa exhibits the characteristics of the Goddess of the life continuum (Dexter 37–39).
The life continuum consists of birth, death, and rebirth, and “goddesses were commonly
perceived as embracing the totality of life’s processes, the ongoing cycle of life, death,
regeneration, and transformation. Consequently, people regarded these primal goddesses as the
source of everything, both the beneficial blessings humans received and the fearsome events of
disease, punishment, and death they suffered” (Vivante 9). The demonization of Medusa for her
deadly gaze seeks to divide her into either the Goddess of Life or the Goddess of Death making
her personality very black and white: she is either pure and good or she is an evil monster
(Dexter 38). Life and death cannot be separated, though. From death comes life, and from life
comes death. This connection is exemplified when Medusa dies as her children are born. Life
and death are also connected through the female body. The womb of the mother is seen as the
tomb: “this raises the possibility of seeing Medusa’s gaping mouth of death as the vulva, the

120