"Rock star classicist" Natalie Haynes explores the story of Medusa, the once beautiful Gorgon turned monster. Joined by Professor Edith Hall, they discuss her portrayal as both victim and monster. Illustrator Chris Riddell contemplates how she managed her serpentine hair and whether super-sunglasses could help. The podcast challenges the common perception of Medusa, highlighting the power of her gaze and its significance in art and challenging the male gaze.
Medusa's portrayal as both a monster and a beautiful woman has influenced the depiction of villainous female characters in popular culture, highlighting the duality of power and vulnerability.
Medusa's petrifying gaze challenges traditional notions of power dynamics, inviting us to contemplate her perspective and the concept of forbidden gazes.
Deep dives
Medusa: From Monster to Beauty
Medusa, the iconic monster from Greek mythology, has a complex and evolving portrayal across different sources. While she is often depicted as a frightening creature with snakes for hair and a petrifying gaze, she didn't start out as a monster. According to ancient poets, Medusa was described as beautiful and had suitors. Over time, her image transformed from monstrous to alluring, although still dark and dangerous. Medusa's portrayal has extended into contemporary culture, with various interpretations in art, fashion, and film. The combination of monstrosity and beauty in Medusa has influenced the depiction of villainous female characters in popular culture. Despite her fearsome reputation, Medusa is more than just a monster and carries elements of tragic history and the duality of power and vulnerability.
The Enigma of Medusa's Gaze
One of the key elements of Medusa's mythology is her powerful gaze. Her ability to turn people to stone with a single look is the source of both fear and fascination. Medusa's gaze represents an inversion of the traditional male gaze, as her female gaze possesses the power to kill. In modern interpretations, the concept of forbidden or prohibited gazes has been explored, relating to the idea of things we are allowed or not allowed to see. Medusa's petrifying gaze challenges traditional notions of power dynamics and invites us to contemplate her perspective and inner world. The motif of Medusa's gaze can be found in various ancient artworks, particularly in representations of her wide mouth, lolling tongue, and tusks.
Medusa: Mythical Evolution and Symbolism
Medusa's mythology is a tale of transformation, punishment, and revenge. She was turned into a monster as punishment for being sexually assaulted by the sea god Poseidon. Medusa's transformation includes her beautiful hair becoming a writhing mass of snakes. From ancient times to contemporary culture, Medusa has been associated with a variety of animals, such as the lion, the weasel, and the serpent. The fusion of these different elements contributes to her status as an iconic and enigmatic figure. Medusa's representation in art and popular culture reflects broader societal attitudes towards female beauty, power, and otherness. As a character, Medusa embodies both the terrifying and alluring aspects of femininity, leaving us to ponder the complexities and interpretations of her story.
"Rock star classicist" and reformed stand-up Natalie Haynes is obsessed with the ancient world. In these series she explores (historical and mythological) lives from ancient Rome and Greece that still have resonance today. They are hilarious and tragic, mystifying, revelatory. And they always tell us more about ourselves now than seems possible of stories from a couple of thousand years ago.
Today Natalie tells of Medusa, she of the snaky locks and stony glare. Medusa is truly terrifying, but she wasn't always a monster. She was once the most beautiful of the Gorgon sisters, turned into this hideous version of herself by the goddess Athene, after being 'seduced' by Poseidon. Which may make her - literally - the original monstered victim.
Natalie is joined by Professor Edith Hall, who says that Medusa is not just a victim or a monster. She's a beloved sister and mother (to winged horse Pegasus and hero Chrysaor). Her lithifying gaze gives her something in common with Midas but there's a difference in how we are invited to view them: we fear her and pity him.
Illustrator Chris Riddell draws Medusa as he talks to Natalie, contemplating how she managed her serpentine hair (a hairdresser's nightmare, presumably) and whether some kind of super-sunglasses might help out with the problem of turning everything she looks at into stone.
Producer, Mary Ward-Lowery
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