Sympathy for The Gorgon, Part 2

Athena wearing the Aegis, from the tale
of Jason and the Golden Fleece 

In this image, Athena is seen defeating a sea monster. She bears the gorgon's head on her breastplate, the Aegis.  This word aegis signified various things, including a violent wind and a shield. Are we to infer that the horrid gaze of Medusa is Athena's last and most powerful line of defence? Athena represents rational strategy and planning, the rule of law, and social order... but when attacked, she will employ a more primal power?

The Gorgons are an ancient branch in the family tree of gods and titans... more ancient than Athena, and her Johnny-come-lately kinsfolk. In one account, they were spawned by the primal sea deity Phorcys, and are therefore grandchildren of Gaia, mother earth. The gorgons are monstrous forces of nature.

So what is the Gorgon Medusa doing as a mortal skivvy in Athena's temple?  Could it be that Medusa's humanity depends on her paying homage to rationality, purity and wisdom? Or  is the great poet Ovid just playing loose with the original legend in order to spin his yarn?

If you ask me (and you may as well - you read this far already... good for you) poetic licence is being put to excellent use here: Medusa's personality in the original was a bit too one-sided, and so was Athena's. It was just a case of good goddess v. bad gorgon. Ovid adds a twist. In his version, Athena is way too much of a Type A personality (a narcissist, we might add) and  Medusa is a Type C (some would say schizoid-oral). Athena goes around with a pickle up her arse: overbearing, officiously godly and deeply intolerant of playboys, tramps and unwashed hippies. Medusa is a compulsive caretaker, who sees others' needs as more important than her own. She can't express anger, and can't say no effectively.

Then along came a randy Poseidon.

Now, the goddess is well known for giving short shrift to lechery (she speared Hephaestos in the crotch for getting too feisty), so she ain't no easy lay. Even so she surely reckons she's the only broad worth having in that particular temple, and she would like the attention - just with a little more wooing... and less rape. Poseidon, however, picks Medusa. This should be no surprise: Medusa's demure exterior only barely conceals her heaving, monstrous sexual appetite - whether she knows it or not.

Poseidon knows.

And so, with little further a-do, the poor Gorgon is left with all her illusions shattered, traumatised and distraught. But Athena can't see it that way: her wrath is not directed at Poseidon: sea-gods will be sea-gods after all. She feels rejected by him, but takes it out on Medusa, projecting all her anger and sexual frustration onto the Gorgon, who is much more in touch with her passionate side... Even though poor Medusa was scrupulously avoiding those passions all along, as best she could.

Oh, Woe!

And there we leave our sad tale for now. Athena (being an eternal archetype of the mind) may never loosen up and get herself a toyboy. Medusa will always be just another snaky head in a bag, c'est la mythe grecque.

But we mortals are a bit more resilient, and can recover from such nastiness. Find out how in Part III, when we look at Perseus, Danae, and Andromeda. Stay tuned folks. ;