Medusa: On victim blaming and the demonization of threatening women

TW: sexual assault

Medusa (Caravaggio, ~1595)

I would argue that Medusa is one of the most iconic figures in Greek mythology. Known by most for her serpent locks and lethal eyes, known by others as the embodiment of female rage, she is a force to be reckoned with. Though I believe her full story is often unknown, as it was to me. So I dove into a rabbit hole.

In Greek mythology, Medusa was one of the three gorgon sisters. Gorgons were typically depicted as winged creatures with broad, rounds heads, serpentine locks of hair, large staring eyes and wide mouths. Essentially, they were monsters, but they were later humanized in artistic depictions, as beautiful women. She was daughter to Keto and Phorkys, primordial sea gods, and she was the only mortal out of her siblings.

It seems the version of Medusa's story that is most known today is an adaptation by the Roman poet Ovid. He writes that Medusa was a beautiful young woman serving Athena, goddess of wisdom, warcraft, and handicraft, in her temple. Many visitors were captivated by Medusa's beauty. As was Poseidon, god of the sea. He had made several attempts to sleep with her but she refused every time, asserting that she was a virgin and intended to remain so. Athena was a notably celibate goddess and expected her staff to be as well, so even if Medusa would have wanted to, she couldn't. It would be a great insult to Athena. But Poseidon didn't take no for an answer. He violates her by Athena's shrine. This is how most sources I've read up on describe it, quite cautiously, perhaps looking to avoid harsh wording. But I take it to mean he raped her. Athena took offense by this act, but could not punish Poseidon. He was an older and more powerful god; she had no influence over him, and he knew it. She punished Medusa instead, turning her beautiful hair into snakes and condemning her to turn anyone who looks her in the eye into stone. With this, she is essentially sentenced to a life of isolation, silenced, in a physical form perceived as monstrous and hideous.

I wonder how Medusa spent her time in banishment. Where did she go? I've always imagined her to have sought refuge in a cave, though I haven't been able to find any information on it. It would make sense, though, I suppose. For what else are you to do when you literally petrify anyone you come in contact with? It must have been incredibly lonely. To only have snakes for company. I wonder if she spent her time sitting in her anger, or if maybe she was able to make peace with her devastating fate. She would be visited at times by men, for reasons unknown. Perhaps they were intrigued by her image, perhaps they thought themselves powerful enough to be unaffected by her gaze. They could have been after her body, or her demise. Most of those men met their own end not long after Medusa laid eyes on them, but one managed to get closer.

Perseus, a hero of mount Olympus, is commanded by king Polydectes to bring him Medusa's severed head. Why exactly, is unclear to me. I speculate that it's either because her powers are seen as a threat, mostly to men, or because her powers are so strong that Polydectes wanted to use them for his own gain. Perseus is given Hermes's winged shoes for speed, a curved sword for the deed, and a mirrored shield for protection, so as to not look her directly in the eye. He manages to finish the job, enraging Medusa's immortal sisters in the process but escaping their wrath. The severed head would continue to be used to petrify anyone who looked at it, her powers being stronger than death itself, as it were. Perseus would use those powers on his enemies, including king Polydectes, while he's on his way back to Athena, and Medusa's head is returned to the temple where her fate began.

Medusa (Edoardo Ernfini)

Modern interpretations

Medusa has often been used as an example of female rage and an icon in feminist discourse. I remember I used to view her at the archetype of "the angry woman". She seemed vindictive and aggressive to me - a true monster. But when digging deeper, the source of her rage is revealed, and you start to understand that it is a justified fury. She is not lashing out, killing men, for no reason. She was wronged over and over again, forced to take on her destructive physical form as a result of a traumatic act done unto her. Perhaps she has no intention of doing harm at all, but she inevitably hurts those who come close to her wether she wishes to do so or not. This turn in the interpretation of her story, though, really only came about in the 20th century. In her fantastic 1976 feminist manifesto Laugh of the Medusa, french author Hélène Cixous makes the argument that men have framed Medusa in the monstrous light as a deflection of their anxieties and fears of femininity. They quite literally can't even look her in the eye to search for something beyond her terrifying image. Cixous writes: "You only have to look at Medusa straight on to see her. And she's not deadly. She's beautiful and she's laughing". It is around this time that other feminist scholars, artists, and women in general start recognizing themselves in her story. In modern feminist discourse, her story is an example of rape culture, victim blaming, and the demonization that can come with it. Her likeness is commonly used as a tattoo for survivors of sexual assault, and still used as inspiration for many forms of art to this day.

I'm fascinated by her artistic depiction. It seems to go one of two ways. Either she's portrayed as the aggressive, teeth-baring, firey-eyed monster, or as the beautiful, elegant, seductive woman. She's been compared to the image of a femme fatale - the cinematic character of the seductive and alluring woman that, in her temptress tendencies, is meant to destroy and threaten men. It's a concept as old as classic folklore, but I'd say the most memorable examples come from the film noir genre, with Barbara Stanwyck's performance in Double Indemnity (1944) being viewed as the epitome of the trope. You could also think of "Bond girls", who, especially in earlier releases of the franchise, really only existed to be sexual, and perhaps to reveal later that they were working together with Mr. Bond's enemy all along. Making their body a tool to achieve what they want. Or actually, what another man wants in this case. I see a slight discrepancy between the femme fatale and Medusa though, as she never purposefully played into her femininity and sexuality in order to influence men. Medusa's body is sought out by men, first for her beauty and then for glory, like a literal trophy. But despite the heavy presence of men in her narrative, what I find so remarkable is that she always remains the main character. The story could have just as easily been a heroes epos centered around Perseus, but his actions come across as purely maniacal and unfounded. He is not ridding the world of an evil. He is unjustly murdering a traumatized woman, appropriating her powers to serve his own agenda. Literally using her body, as Poseidon had done in Athena's temple.

There hasn't been a complete feminist turn of Medusa's story, though. Negative imagery still remains and is often used today to express disdain for powerful - I would venture to say 'threatening' - women, mostly in politics. A photoshopped image of Donald Trump as Perseus, holding a beheaded Hillary Clinton as Medusa was widely printed on T-shirts and other Trump merchandise during the 2016 election. It is a fate shared with many other successful women, from Oprah Winfrey to Angela Merkel and from Madonna to Martha Stewart. Medusa's image is reduced only to her monstrous form. She is fearsome and scary, a menace that must be done away with. The gorgon, not the woman.

An icon and a muse

To end on a positive note and to return to my preferred interpretation of the story, I will leave you with an excerpt of May Sarton's 1971 poem The Muse as Medusa. And of course, a song to match.

I saw you once, Medusa; we were alone.

I looked you straight in the cold eye, cold.

I was not punished, was not turned to stone.

How to believe the legends I am told?

[...]

I turned your face around! It is my face.

That frozen rage is what I must explore —

Oh secret, self-enclosed, and ravaged place!

That is the gift I thank Medusa for.