Medusa: The Ancient Greek Myth of the Snake-Haired Gorgon

Table Of Content

• Do Garter Snakes Bite? 4 Signs That A Garter Snake Is About to Bite
• Snake Hair Claw Infused with Quartz * Beautifully crafted metal!!!
• Other Article Mentions of Medusa
• Head and Pupil Shape
• Frequently Asked Questions About Medusa
• Northern Mojave Rattlesnake
• Common Questions
• Most of the Venomous Snakes in California are Vipers

She took refuge on an island named Sarpedon, located in the depths of the underworld, where she would remain imprisoned for the rest of her days. In this article, we will delve into the life phases of Medusa, shedding light on her captivating story. It lives in Ventura County, eastern LA County, the edges (eastern and western) of San Bernardino County, most of Riverside and San Diego counties, and the northeastern side of Imperial County.

Do Garter Snakes Bite? 4 Signs That A Garter Snake Is About to Bite

Temple of Artemis on Corfu, though interestingly this depiction leaves out Perseus and the beheading. Just as Medusa exists in multiple types of stories in the mythological record, she is also portrayed in multiple ways in ancient art. Her appearance changes drastically through the centuries, but she is always recognizable due to her striking frontality.

Snake Hair Claw Infused with Quartz * Beautifully crafted metal!!!

As the ultimate cruelty, Medusa's severed head was brandished by her tormentor Athena as a weapon and object of fear. The ancient Greeks themselves used the terrifying image of Medusa's head, called a gorgoneion, as a protective charm. Medusa’s life took a dramatic turn when the Greek hero Perseus, son of Zeus crossed paths with her. This snake is pale gray to a lighter gray-brown on its sides with a yellow or tan stripe down the middle of its back. This subspecies has a cream or light yellow body with dark brown bands going around most of its body.

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Other Article Mentions of Medusa

She looked at him and in an instant, her confidant had turned into a stone statue. The Gorgons continued to feature in the literature of much later periods. Many ancient sources sought other explanations for the true meaning of the myth of the Gorgons.

Head and Pupil Shape

The Long-nosed Snake lives in grasslands, deserts, and shrubby areas. It is a nocturnal snake that is generally lives most of its life burrowed underground. Another unusual feature of this snake is that its pupils are vertical. Though, it has been noted that when flash photos are take of this snake at night the pupils appear more round.

The young priestesses had to give up on love and remain forever a virgin. In most ancient sources, Medusa and the Gorgons were imbued with a terrifying appearance. The family covers around one hundred species, including the most common types of snakes such as garter snakes, kingsnakes, rat snakes and coachwhips. The picture at the top of the page shows a pair of Garter Snakes. Medusa’s story begins with her origin as a beautiful mortal woman. According to ancient Greek mythology, Medusa was born as one of the three Gorgons, daughters of the sea deities Phorcys and Ceto.

When Percy travels to a garden to find the Pearl of Persephone with his friends, they stumble across statues and realize they were humans she turned into stone. Lest for my daring Persephone the dread,From Hades should send up an awful monster's grisly head.

You would be most like to see them by lifting up rocks or logs, or around dusk. There are three subspecies of Ring-necked Snake in Southern California- the San Bernardino Ring-necked Snake, the San Diego Ring-necked Snake, and the Monterey Ring-necked Snake. They are also a more aggressive snake and will bite if threatened or attempted to be handled.

Most of the Venomous Snakes in California are Vipers

These little guys can look like rattlesnakes in a lot of ways but they are much smaller (10-16 inches), don’t have rattles, and are nocturnal. They are technically venomous but nothing for a human or a large animal to worry about. They are beautiful snakes with a cream colored body and alternating red and black speckled banding. The speckles in the banding are the cream color of the body. This subspecies also has a cream or light yellow body but the bands going around its body are black with thin red crossbands in between. Some of their black bands do completely encircle the body but the red ones do not.

Seeing claims that Athena saw Medusa in her temple and instead of catching her in the midst of consensual intercourse, she found Poseidon raping her. The goddess was so upset over what she saw and the issues she had with Zeus who was her father that she flew into a rage. Greek Mythology is known for its many fearsome beasts such Mantikhoras and Cyclopes.

They have pits on the side of their heads that sense heat and help them target prey. These snakes are anywhere from 1-5 feet long, and have a stripe behind the eye extending behind the corner of the mouth. They have the triangular head that is common with all pit vipers. Many people tend to think that the rattlesnakes they seeing in the LA/OC/SD area are Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes, but those snakes do not live in this area. If you see a rattler near these heavily populated urban and suburban areas, it is very likely a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake. Kingsnakes are one of the more common species of snake in Southern California.

As the myth goes, she caught the eye of the sea god Poseidon. Overwhelmed by his desire for her, Poseidon violated the sanctity of Athena’s temple by seducing Medusa within its sacred walls. Thus, Medusa became a terrifying Gorgon, feared by all who dared to cross her path. With Athena’s guidance, Perseus approached Medusa while looking only at her reflection in his polished shield. This tactic enabled him to land the fatal blow without succumbing to her petrifying gaze.

Different groups of snakes also have different head shapes. The rattlesnakes have broad, robust heads, while species like the California garter snake have longer, narrower heads. He first meets the sisters of the Gorgons, the Graeae, creatures old from birth who are not exposed to the light of the sun or that of the moon. Then the nymphs, who showed him the direction of the abandoned temple of Medusa.

As such, Medusa was not just a fantastical beast, but part of a shared past and present in the minds of ancient viewers. She signified a historical menace—the story of Perseus vanquishing and harnessing her energy was not just a story, but a chapter in the shared allegorical and historical record of the Greeks. Three genera, covering about forty species of rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths, inhabit various areas of the United States. Arriving at the scene, he squeezed his way between the hundreds of stone statues that surrounded him. Covered with the mask of invisibility and looking away, the young man approached her using the mirror shield as a guide. Perseus then flew away to give the monster’s head to the king, but on the way his blood spilled over the Libyan desert, giving rise to the many snakes that burrow under the sand.