In this meticulously researched and engagingly written book, historian and mythologist Dr. Lila Andrews explores Medusa’s various historical interpretations and portrayals. Dr. Andrews also examines the cultural and historical contexts that gave rise to the myth, unveiling the deeper meanings and symbolism behind Medusa’s story. West, M. L. (trans.), 1988. Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, Oxford: Oxford University Press.] When the blood dripped from Medusa’s head onto the plains of Libya, each drop of blood transformed into venomous serpents. The power of Medusa’s head is seen again when Perseus encountered the Titan Atlas. When Perseus asked Atlas for a place to rest for a short while, his request was refused. Knowing that he would not be able to defeat the Titan with brute force alone, he took out Medusa’s head and Atlas was turned into a mountain. At first I didn’t like it was a young adult These books allow you to engage with a captivating mythological character, gain cultural and literary knowledge, and explore thought-provoking themes that resonate beyond the ancient world.

Medusa was a fourteen-year-old girl who had drawn the attention of Poseidon and Athena for the wrong reasons. Stalked by Poseidon she is sexually abused by him in Athena’s temple but far from sympathy you would expect from Athena, instead the goddess turns her beautiful hair to a mass of venomous snakes with a promise “woe betide any man fool enough to look upon you now”.

You could take away my arms and legs, my body and my breasts; you could cut off my head and still not end the myth. You will not find my answer in the puzzle of a stony foot, you will not find me in my snakes. You will not find me in my deeds, nor in poems written by long dead men. But you will find me when you need me, when the wind hears a woman’s cry and fills my sails forward. And I will whisper in the water that one must never fear the raised shield, the reflection caught in an office window, or the mirror in a bathroom.

The entire story was just so tragically beautiful. Medusa was painted as the victim in her own story and not the vengeful killer or the objective to be slain, that she has often been made out to be. She was, instead, viewed here an ordinary girl wishing to live a quiet and solitary existence and with no desires for the power from or notice of the gods. I marvelled that we could fall for each other without meeting face to face, that the mortal mind was capable of such gymnastics when it wanted.” A powerfully feminist, elegiac, and original twist on this old story." -Madeline Miller, bestselling author of The Song of Achilles Perseus also encountered Andromeda, the daughter of the Aethiopian king Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia. Using Medusa’s head, Perseus succeeded in rescuing the princess, who was being sacrificed to Cetus, a sea monster sent by Poseidon to punish Cassiopeia for boasting that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids. Medusa’s petrifying power is also used on Phineus, Andromeda’s uncle whom she was betrothed to, Proetus, the usurper of the throne of Argos, and finally Polydectes himself. Perseus’ friend Dictys took the throne and, now finished with the relic, Perseus gave Medusa’s head to Athena, who wears it on her aegis whenever she goes into battle.

Once activated by a fresh imagination, the stories burst into fresh life,” Higgins observes. It’s true of not just her own luminous, astute retellings, but also of Burton’s bracing and powerful Medusa. As always, I prefer the original Greek myth, which didn’t have any involvement from Poseidon, but instead focused on Medusa’s innate power that came from being born the mortal Gorgon. However, I think Burton did a great job of blending the various interpretations in hers, both from the Greek original as well as from Ovid’s more popularised Roman retelling. Burton’s retelling read like a faery tale, its lyrical tone pulling me along on Medusa’s journey. At Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exist countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained.