Thank you for the reference in the "further reading" section!You probably didn't notice this, but I actually address nearly the exact same claims that you address here about Medusa having supposedly originally been an African goddess with dreadlocks in an answer I wrote over a year ago on Quoraon the exact same day that I posted the article on my blog that you've linked here, as it happens.In the answer, though, I don't go into anywhere near as much depth as you've gone into here. Upon learning this, Zeus's wife Hera robbed Lamia of her children, the offspring of her affair with Zeus, either by kidnapping or by killing them. Dreadlocks? Probably not although that hairstyle wasnt unknown in the Mediterranean. More likely the snakes were inspired by a head-dress that the [63], One of the doubles of Lamia of Libya is the Lamia-Sybaris, which is described only as a giant beast by Antoninus Liberalis (2nd century). Left: a Gorgoneion or Gorgons head on a hydria from Attica, Greece, ca. The Perseus legend didnt originate in Chemmis; Medusa and the Gorgons didnt originate in the modern territory of Libya. The story of Medusa is one of the most well-known in Greek mythology. Judika Isles has her as a living Goddess in her Encyclopedia of spirits. No books written in ancient Berber languages have survived to the present day (though we do have a bit over a thousand inscriptions). The best explanation of Medusa is, that she was initially a volcano myth. In support of that theory: - She turns people to stone, much like getting Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 14 (trans. Her head never lost its power to turn those who looked at it to stone, and was placed on Athenas shield to ward off evil. For this Athena punished her hideously. Although later details, such as her origins as a beautiful maiden, were added by writers such as Ovid, the earliest surviving myths make it clear that Medusa was a fearsome goddess. He goes on to express an opinion that most Greek gods names originally came from Egypt (2.50). An account of Apollonius of Tyana's defeat of a lamia-seductress inspired the poem Lamia by John Keats. Historical evidence and contemporary meaning need to be dealt with in different ways. 1495.). Lamia has been ascribed serpentine qualities, which some commentators believe can be firmly traced to mythology from antiquity; they have found analogues in ancient texts that could be designated as lamiai (or lamiae) which are part-serpent beings. Webmythology and iconography. [11], The Vulgate used "lamia" in Isaiah xxxiv:14 to translate "Lilith" of the Hebrew Bible. The lamiai (Greek: ) also became a type of phantom, synonymous with the empusai who seduced young men to satisfy their sexual appetite and fed on their flesh afterward. WebSome interpretations argue that Medusa was a Libyan goddess who was equated with Athena before the Greeks defeated them and demonized her as Athena's enemy and iv. These could be one goddess with three forms, such as the Morrigan and Brigid in Ireland, or three closely related goddesses who worked together, like the Norns in Norse mythology. She is depicted as the daughter of Hecate and as having glowing green eyes with serpentine slits, shriveled-up hands with lizard-like claws on them, and crocodile-like teeth. I don't object to you removing the last sentence at all. She was imported into Greece as one of the Gorgons, daughter of Phorcus and his sister Ceto. In the fifth addition, medusae look like humans with snakes for hair, have males with identical powers and are cursed to turn into medusae on an individual basis. Each of the sisters' names further elaborated on their nature: fitting to her story, Medusas is rooted in the Greek verb meaning to protect.. The 1982 novel Lamia by Tristan Travis sees the mythological monster relocated to 1970s Chicago, where she takes bloody vengeance on sex offenders while the cops try to figure out the mystery. Because they were immortal, Perseus had to flee from them instead of fight. [39] An apparition (phasma [40][g]) which in the assumed guise of a woman seduced one of Apollonius's young pupils. This prompted Henderson (1998) to "humorlessly infer" that the Lamia must have been a. Keats's reworking makes this Lamia have serpent form for certain, which she wants to lose. She was imported into Greece as one of the Gorgons, daughter of Phorcus and his sister Ceto. In some versions, we'll never know if it was consensual. When Perseus was sent to kill Medusa, a hopeless task he was not expected to survive, Athena orchestrated the assassination. Its entirely up to Berber people to decide whether Medusa is African today. [22], It is somewhat uncertain if this refers to the one Lamia[23] or to "a Lamia" among many, as given in some translations of the two plays;[24] a generic lamia is also supported by the definition as some sort of a "wild beast" in the Suda. WebMedusa. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. WebIt is unlikely, though, that Medusa was ever an African goddess, since we have no evidence that any goddess resembling Medusa was worshipped in North Africa before Some of the Gorgons' depictions make them Snake People. This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. She went against her vow and married him. Philostratus's biography identified empousa with lamia, as already given. [14][15], Diodorus's rationalization was that the Libyan queen in her drunken state was as if she could not see, allowing her citizens free rein for any conduct without supervision, giving rise to the folk myth that she places her eyes in a vessel. Engraged, Athena, unable to punish Poseidon, banished Medusa to an island and cursed her to have snakes for hair and a face so revolting it would turn the onlooker to stone. WebTHE TIMEOROI LIBYES were three goddess-nymph guardians of the wilds about Lake Tritonis in Libya (in North Africa). Hopefully ppl do know that there are African Greeks. Just like there are African Indians, Afro-Mexicans and etc.. Just true history is needed.. no [80][81] Scylla is a creature depicted variously as anguipedal or serpent-bodied. She was perhaps also identified with Benthesikyme a North African sea-nymphe who like Tritonis was married to a local sea-god (Enalos) and had two daughters. Will also delete on comment score of -1 or less. [45] Philostratus's tale was reworked by Keats in his poem Lamia,[83] where it is made clear she bears the guise of a snake, which she wants to relinquish in return for human appearance. (And nope, we don't source our examples from our editing service! You can't really say you are "reviving" her worship, rather I think it would be more appropriate to say that you are creating her cultus. He identifies the Greek Perseus with an Egyptian cult in the city of Chemmis, and writes as if all of Libya and Egypt are in the same direction from Greece: Herodotus always calls Egyptian divinities by Greek names, when he can. iv. Iconographically, two very different depictions coalesce in the classical Medusa: the Neolithic God-dess of birth, death, and regeneration, who is represented as bird, snake, or bird/snake hybrid; and the Near Eastern demon Humbaba whose severed head is, like Medusas, used in an apo-tropaic manner. Medusa, to me, is the monstrous version of a heroic mortal. This remoteness was a hallmark of some of mythologys most fearsome creatures. WebMedusa was one of the three Gorgons ("the Terrible Ones"), the daughters of Keto ("Whale," daughter of Gaea and Pontos, the outer sea) and her brother Phorkys (also a FEBRUARY MYSTERY BOX, GET IT BEFORE IT'S GONE ON MARCH 1ST, LAST CHANCE | BUY THE FEBRUARY MYSTERY BOX, Discover your goddess | Take the quiz & get 10% off, Most recognizable for her locks of snakes, Medusa was the daughter of ancient chthonic deities of the sea. The males have different powers, in that they're bald (so no snake-hair attacks) and they can poison with their gaze rather than petrify, rather like certain mythological depictions of the basilisk. [citation needed]. Medusa (Metis) was the destroyer aspect of the Great Triple Goddess also called Neith, Anath, Athene or Ath-enna in North Africa and Athana in 1400 c. BC Minoan Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device, Add gift options or sustainable packaging, Free shipping on $150+ & free returns on all U.S. orders. No. Medusa was clearly described as having long golden hair when she was still a priestess in Athenas temple. But its not unlikely that the myth Lamia appears as an antagonist in Rick Riordan's The Demigod Diaries, appearing in its fourth short story The Son of Magic. Kibin. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. Apollo as punishment then sends the child-devouring monster to Argos. [9] Heraclitus's euhemerized account explains that Hera, consort of Zeus, gouged the eyes out of the beautiful Lamia. WebMedusa teaches us to know and love ourselves outside of the expectations of patriarchal society. These did not all immediately help him kill Medusa, but it did allow him to escape her sisters. [7] She became disfigured from the torment, transforming into a terrifying being who hunted and killed the children of others. [103] The contemporary Greek proverb, " " ("the Lamia's sweeping"), epitomises slovenliness;[103] and the common expression, " ' " ("the child has been strangled by the Lamia"), explains the sudden death of young children. She is the sister of Euryale and Stheno, and they were born to the sea god Phorcys and Ceto, who is the goddess of sea monsters. Check out our Privacy and Content Sharing policies for more information.). [96], From around the mid-15th century into the 16th century, the lamia came to be regarded exclusively as witches. When a woman's child is well grown, the men assemble within three months and the child is adjudged to be that man's whom it is most like. Yes, she was. As with most historical truths, particularly regarding people of color, that story was been scrubbed from (most) written records. The [54][55][m][n], Meroe has seduced a man named Socrates, but when he plots to escape, the two witches raid his bed, thrust a knife in the neck to tap the blood into a skin bag, eviscerate his heart, and stuff the hole back with sponge. [58], Some commentators, despite the absence of actual blood-sucking, find these witches to share "vampiric" qualities of the lamiae (lamiai) in Philostratus's narrative, thus offering it up for comparison.[59]. The other two sisters appear extremely rarely, but are sometimes included alongside Medusa when she's a singular character. What hooks you? WebOne of the most popular monsters of Greek Mythology is Medusa. On his way back to Greece he paused in the Maghreb and turned the Titan Atlas to stone. I mostly just say that, although Herodotos does say that Medusa lived in North Africa, there's nothing to indicate that she was originally an African goddess and the story of Medusa was most likely made up by Greeks.The main thing that my answer adds to what you've said here is that I actually address the claim about the dreadlocks by pointing out that the earliest surviving depictions of Medusa, including the famous Kykladic pithos from the early seventh century BCE that depicts her with the lower body of a four-legged horse, don't seem to depict her with snakes for hair. Such is their tale. Many historians believe that it represents a time when the Minoan culture of Crete dominated the new Mycenaean Greeks. "The Libyans have a saying that the Goddess [Athena] is the daughter of Poseidon and Lake Tritonis, and for this reason has blue eyes like Poseidon. Yes, Medusae. The people of Sparta claimed that Ares had been nursed by a nymph called Thero. Other myths say that Medusa retained her mortal beauty, as a cruel Irony. The names are the clearest indication that the story has Greek origins. Lamia (/lemi/; Greek: ), in ancient Greek mythology, was a child-eating monster and, in later tradition, was regarded as a type of night-haunting spirit (daemon). She transformed Medusa into a terrifying creature with snakes for hair and a face that literally turned those who gazed at her to stone. Kibin, 2023. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-views-on-medusa-goddess-in-mythology-u4hTw2Vu. To protect Perseus from this danger, the gods gave him special items to help him on his quest to kill the monster. Both sexes resemble the scaly humanoid from 3rd edition, though with less haggish features. In others, they are not literal snakes but rather hair that supernaturally behaves as if it were made of living snakes. Imported into Greece as one of the wilds about Lake Tritonis in Libya ( in North Africa.... 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