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Medusa

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

One of three Gorgon sisters, the only mortal one, whose gaze turned viewers to stone. Perseus beheaded her using a mirrored shield; from her blood sprang Pegasus and Chrysaor.

Detailed Definition
Medusa was once a beautiful maiden transformed into a monstrous Gorgon with snakes for hair; her gaze petrified those who looked upon her. Beheaded by Perseus, her head became a protective talisman. In poetry, Medusa symbolizes female rage, the terror of the gaze, and the transformation of beauty into horror.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Ovid’s "Metamorphoses," Medusa’s gaze turns men to stone, symbolizing petrifying fear; In Hesiod’s "Theogony," Medusa is mortal among immortal Gorgons; In Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “On the Medusa of Leonardo da Vinci,” Medusa embodies sublime horror; In H.D.’s “Medusa,” the figure reclaims power as protective mother; In modern feminist poetry, Medusa often signifies rage against patriarchal violence; In Tracy K. Smith’s “Life on Mars,” Medusa’s snakes echo cosmic turbulence.
Additional Notes
Medusa, Gorgon whose gaze turns onlookers to stone, symbolizes female rage, the monstrous feminine, and the power of the gaze reversed; poets reinterpret her from victim (raped by Poseidon, punished by Athena) to avenger—her severed head (carried by Perseus) becomes a protective apotropaic symbol, influencing feminist and psychoanalytic poetry.
Also Known As
Gorgon Snake-Haired Terror Petrifying Gaze
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