The cunning snake convinced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge, telling her that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. When God learned of Adam and Eves transgression, he banished both of them from Eden and cursed the snake for its role, saying You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. Debate has long raged over whether the serpent in Genesis was a literal reptile, an allegory for sexual desire or temptation or even Satan himself. They continued to believe this even after the development of the story that told of her punishment by Athena. [22] It seems to have originally been the attendant of the Underworld god Ninazu,[22] but later became the attendant to the Hurrian storm-god Tishpak, as well as, later, Ninazu's son Ningishzida, the Babylonian national god Marduk, the scribal god Nabu, and the Assyrian national god Ashur.[22]. Usually the wisdom of snakes was regarded as ancient and beneficial towards humans but sometimes it could be directed against humans. Italian fashion company Versace took a completely different view of Medusa when they made her their logo. Medusa - Symbolizing the Power of the Feminine - Symbol Sage "In mythology, the Medusa can petrify people with a look, which is a good thing, I think. The story of the monster Medusas death at the hands of the great hero Perseus is one of the most widely told myths from the Greek world. Medusa - Jane Manalo by Pernastudios on DeviantArt Either way, the Book of Job employed both Leviathan and Behemoth to demonstrate to Job Gods power of creation, and the futility of questioning Him. According to various sources, Medusa was the only Gorgon who was mortal, so she was able to be beheaded by the Greek hero, Perseus. As the next item in our list of mythical creatures, Medusa is another addition from Greek mythology. The Mayan sky-goddess was a common attribute. The Norns of Norse mythology, the Morrigan and Brigid in Ireland, and the Hindu Tridevi are examples of this motif. 100 Greek Mythology Baby Names (Gods & Goddesses) - MomJunction The earliest version of the story describes Poseidons seduction of the Gorgon as taking place in a meadow filled with flowers. -Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2. Athena gave some of the Gorgons blood to the legendary surgeon Aesclepius. The blood could be used to destroy or restore and enabled him to bring people back from the dead. Though Irelandlike New Zealand, Hawaii, Greenland, Iceland and Antarcticais in fact devoid of snakes, that has less to do with St. Patrick than with the fact that since the post-glacial age its been surrounded by water, and before that its climate was too cold for any snakes to survive. In ancient Mesopotamia, Nirah, the messenger god of Itaran, was represented as a serpent on kudurrus, or boundary stones. Early Greek and English authors also said that Athena was the help Perseus had to behead Medusa. We strive for accuracy and fairness. They were created by Gaia to help the giants in their war against Zeus and the Olympians. Homer, however, mentions only one Gorgon and does not give her name. His first mission was to find and defeat the Graeae. According to most sources, she had two sisters that lived alongside her. The religion went into decline around a thousand years ago when Christianity swept through the north of Europe. Snakes were also commonly associated with water especially myths about the primordial ocean being formed of a huge coiled snake as in Ahi/Vritra in early Indian myth and Jormungand in Nordic myth. In ancient Greek mythology, Medusa is a Gorgon, one of three hideous sisters whose appearance turns men to stone. While her sisters Stheno and Euryale were immortals Medusa was a mortal being. The runic inscription reads: "Hrvisl and Farbjrn and Gunnbjrn". But later depictions tell a much darker tale. The Gorgon was mentioned again in the Odyssey. In this case Athena punished the sisters as well, although they had no involvement in the desecration of her temple. Was the Griffin a Bird from Greek Mythology? The cloak of invisibility that belonged to Hades allowed him to escape the lair of the Gorgon sisters without being seen after he killed Medusa. In popular culture, Medusa has retained the duality between a sympathetic female figure and a dangerous monster. He is almost always portrayed as a serpent or dragon depending on the particular myth. Horned Serpents were major components of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex of North American prehistory. Ovid, however, makes it very clear that Poseidons actions were not romantic. The Gorgons Of Greek Mythology Medusa, Stheno, And Euryale The snakes are painstakingly gathered and washed before the ceremony, which also involves members of the Antelope Clan. mythology - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help Outside a specifically Greek context the monsters are now seen as a universal type. The earliest stories of Medusa said that she always had a terrible, inhuman form. Early writers, for example, did not mention whether or not Medusa looked any different than her sisters. Later writers would identify this as Libya, and in the Roman era Virgil said that it was at the gates of the Underworld. To them, the initial punishment and the subsequent death were both justified. Medusa. Snakes were associated with wisdom in many mythologies, perhaps due to the appearance of pondering their actions as they prepare to strike, which was copied by medicine men in the build-up to prophecy in parts of West Africa. Pegasus (Greek: , translit.
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