Meeting the Minor Gods

   

The Gorgons are a group of three sisters, the daughters of the sea deities Phorcys and Ceto.

• Stheno (strength)

• Euryale ( wide leaping)

• Medusa (ruler)

The gorgons were ugly monsters, with huge wings, sharp fangs and claws, bodies covered in scales, and hair made of living snakes. They have the ability to turn to stone, anyone who lays eyes on their faces. Of the three sisters only Stheno and Euryale are immortal, Medusa is mortal.

 

The gorgons were originally beautiful women, and Medusa served as a priestess for the goddess Athena. She and her sisters were however turned into the monsters they are now by Athena, some say for protection and others say as punishment, when Poseidon took Medusa in the temple.

 

The sisters lived together in a cave on the island of Sarpedon. They killed anyone who trespassed onto the island, with Stheno becoming known as the most vicious and having the highest kill count. That was until the hero Perseus set out to kill Medusa.

Perseus was aided by Hermes who gifted him a pair of flying shoes, and Athena who gifted him a shield. He was able to locate the Gorgons by threatening their sisters, the Graeae (another group of three deities), into revealing the location of the cave. Equipped with the shoes, the shield, and his sword, he set off to find Medusa.

He fought and beheaded Medusa, and later used her head as a weapon, until he gave it to Athena who placed it on her shield. Medusa’s two sons were born of the blood from the duel. Their names were Pegasus, the winged horse, and Chrysaor.

 

Fun Facts:

• Stheno is the oldest and most vicious, Euryale is the middle, and Medusa is the youngest.

• Blood from the right side of a Gorgon can heal anything.

• Blood from the left side of a Gorgon is deadly poisonous.

• Medusa leaves her head as a spoil of war, while Stheno and Euryale leave their blood.

• They have the power of persuasion which they use to try force people to open their eyes.