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MYSTICAL: Medusa
00:32:37
For millennia, the legend of Medusa has haunted the human imagination, a creature so terrifying that a single glance could turn the living to stone. While most dismiss her as pure mythology, some researchers point to serpentine monsters appearing independently across ancient cultures and ask: were they all describing the same thing? But look closer at Medusa's story, and something shifts. Because some say she wasn't born a monster; she was made into one.
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- [00:02]
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For thousands of years, people have turned to holy books, legends, and religion to make sense of the world around them. We built stories to explain why life is the way it is. Where the magnificent rainbows and majestic mountains come from, where thunderbolts fall from. And one of the biggest questions. What waits for us after we die? But somewhere along the way, we agreed to call them just that. Stories. Useful windows into how ancient cultures thought and felt. Not something that's literally true.
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But what if we were wrong? What if the figures from old legends, like Greek mythological characters, actually walked among us? What if Mount Olympus wasn't just a myth, but was an actual home? Because if the gods were real, the monsters might have been real, too. Today, we're exploring one of the most iconic figures in all of Greek mythology. She has snakes for hair, and one glance at her could turn you to stone. That's right. We're talking about Medusa. And a recent archaeological discovery suggests that she may not be as fictional as we once thought. I'm Racha Pecorero.
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And I'm her sister, Yvette Gentile. We're back for another episode of so Supernatural.
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Thanks to movies like Disney's Hercules, the Percy Jackson series, and Christopher Nolan's new film, the Odyssey, most of us know the basics about Greek mythology, like how Zeus was the king of the gods. He lived on Mount Olympus along with other deities and mythological creatures. And then there's the Trojan War, maybe the most famous story in all of Greek mythology. I mean, who hasn't watched Brad Pitt in Troy, right?
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You know, I've watched it 150,000 times. Just saying.
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Well, it all started because a goddess offered a mortal man the most beautiful woman in the world. It ended because the Greeks were clever enough to hide an army inside a wooden horse. Afterwards, the ancient city of Troy burned to the ground.
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Or take Pandora, a woman. The gods themselves assembled from clay, each Olympian adding something of their own. Beauty from Aphrodite, a shrewdness from Hermes. Then Zeus handed her a sealed box and said, don't touch it. The first woman ever made had already been set up to fail.
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And if you're a fan of Disney's Hercules like I am, we've got some bad news for you. The real legend is completely different from the movie. The legend says that Hercules was an incredible warrior, but one day, the gods cursed him with madness, and he murdered his entire family in a frenzy. Later, he regained his senses and realized what he had done. He felt so guilty, he decided to earn redemption by performing 12 incredible feats. Among other things, he killed a giant monstrous lion, a creature with nine snake heads known as a hydra, and a flock of horrible man eating birds.
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But when it comes to infamous mythological creatures, nothing beats Medusa, a supposedly monstrous yet misunderstood woman with snakes for hair. And anyone who looked at her immediately turned to stone because she was so unattractive. What most people don't realize is that Medusa's story doesn't always begin with snakes and stone. It begins with something far more human in the aftermath of trauma. And once you know that, the myth looks a lot different.
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Medusa's tale, as far as we know, was first written down in 700 BCE, give or take. It was a time when gods walked amongst the mortals, when a prayer at the right temple could change your fate overnight. When heroes made headlines and monsters were very, very real threats. Among them were three Medusa, Stheno and Euryale. There are many different myths about who they were and where they came from. One says that they were the daughters of sea gods, born as Gorgons, winged creatures with snakes for hair that could turn anyone to stone. And they had several other siblings that were dragons or snake monsters. So you could say that there were pretty shocking features that ran in that family.
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However, most accounts claim Medusa, Euryale and Theno were actually born human. This legend says that Medusa was one of the most beautiful women to ever walk the earth. She had long, wavy hair that caught the attention of every man, and probably some women too. Medusa could have dated or married anyone that she wanted, but she wasn't interested in love or romance. Medusa wanted to dedicate herself to her faith. Her dream was to become a priestess to the goddess Athena, who ruled the realms of war and wisdom. Being a priestess was a tough job and Medusa would be very busy making sacrifices to the goddess, basically organizing religious festivals and making public prayers. More importantly, she had to swear an oath that she would never have sex, fall in love or get married, which
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was not an issue for Medusa. She didn't want any of that. So she took vows to serve Athena for as long as she lived. She swore off romance and built a happy life for herself working in the local temple. There was just one Athena's uncle, Poseidon.
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Poseidon was the God of the sea and he had an intense rivalry with Athena. They were always competing to see who was the most powerful, who had the most followers and who could accomplish the greatest feats. Poseidon also liked to embarrass his niece, basically undermine her or put her in her place. And he didn't care who he hurt along the way.
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So one day, he was near Athena's temple when he spotted Medusa tending to her chores. As soon as he laid eyes on her, he realized how truly beautiful she was. Poseidon could tell Medusa was a priestess of Athena from the way that she was dressed. He thought that if he could seduce Medusa and make her break her vows, that would really get under his niece's skin. So he asked Medusa to be his lover. But Medusa said, no, thank you. And that rejection sent him into a rage.
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A warning here. We're about to touch on issues of sexual assault. And if that's a triggering topic for you, please consider fast forwarding about a minute or so. Poseidon tried to overpower Medusa and force himself on Earth. She managed to get away from him, but she knew that she couldn't fight off a God or even hide from him forever. She needed divine help. Madame Medusa fled into Athena's temple, hoping that once she was inside, she could pray or perform a ritual and the goddess would come to her rescue. But before Medusa could even begin, Poseidon caught up to her and he sexually assaulted her right inside Athena's temple. When Athena heard about what had happened, she was outraged. But the thing is, she didn't blame her uncle. She blamed Medusa.
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Of course, we have to acknowledge that this is totally backwards thinking. Medusa was clearly the victim, and she couldn't have done anything differently to prevent her assault from an actual God. But the Greek gods weren't always reasonable. All Athena cared about was that Medusa wasn't a virgin anymore and that she'd had sex right there in her temple, which was extremely insulting to the goddess. So she punished Medusa by turning her into a monster.
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Her hair became snakes and she grew tusked like a boar's, right out of her mouth. The flesh on her hands turned to bronze and the rest of her skin became gray. Finally, two golden wings sprouted from her back. She looked like something out of a nightmare. In fact, Medusa was so terrifying that anyone who saw her face would instantly turn to stone.
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Medusa's sisters heard about what had happened and were heartbroken. They also realized how unfair it was for her to be punished as the victim of a violent crime. So Euryale and Stheno went to Athena's temple and begged the goddess to reconsider. They said Medusa deserved mercy. Except, like most gods, Athena did not like to have her judgment questioned. Instead of sparing Medusa, she decided to Curse her sisters for daring to suggest that she was in the wrong. And they suffered the same fate. Snakes for hair, tusks from the mouth, bronze hands, gray skin and wings. Features so hideous they could also turn anyone to stone. All three of the Gorgons had to go away and live in a remote cave far away from civilization. It was the only way to ensure no one would accidentally catch a glimpse of them and die.
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So Medusa, Euryale and Stheno went to Africa, which many Greeks consider to be the very end of the world. At the time, they assumed nothing laid beyond that continent but an endless ocean. And once they arrived, they walked up and down the coastlines, searching for a place to settle. Each time they took a step, serpents would fall off their heads and slither away. Somewhere along the shorelines of Africa, the Gorgon sisters found a remote cave. It was far from any city or trade route, so they figured no mortal would ever have a reason to disturb them there. They felt that it was the safest place to live out their lives. What they didn't realize was Athena was still very upset. She hated the fact that Medusa had broken her vow of virginity, whether it was her fault or not. And Athena was seething over the fact that Euryale and Seno had stood up to her. Let's just say the goddess knew how to hold a grudge. The more that she dwelled on it, the angrier she grew. Until she finally convinced herself that Medusa needed to die. And in Greek mythology, the gods always got what they want.
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According to the ancient Greek myth, the goddess Athena turned Medusa into an ugly snake monster, otherwise known as a Gorgon. But she still wasn't satisfied. She wanted Medusa dead. For reasons that aren't super clear from the mythology. Medusa was particularly vulnerable. Her sisters had also been turned into Gorgons, but they were given immortality. Medusa, on the other hand, could still die. So Athena let all of the bravest, strongest and fiercest warriors throughout Greece know if anyone found and killed Medusa, she'd give them blessings and favor. After that, countless men headed to Africa, hoping to slay the Gorgon and make the goddess happy.
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But it was easier said than done. Many found the cave where Medusa and her sisters were residing. But none of them were successful when it came to slaying the Gorgon. Anytime someone set foot inside the cave, they'd see Medusa, Euryale or Stheno, and in an instant, they'd turn to stone. While the sisters were grateful, each Time they survived. They hated being responsible for so many deaths. They wished people would just stop coming to fight them. But Athena refused to give up. Instead, she helped one of Greece's greatest heroes her half brother, Perseus with his attempt to slay Medusa.
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Perseus was the son of Zeus but his mother was a mortal princess named Danae. However, Danae lost her throne when Perseus was young. After that, she had no real home, no family to support her and no way of making a living. She fled to another country as a refugee. Then she tried to figure out how to keep herself and her son alive and safe. That's when the ruler of her new nation an evil, cruel king named Polydectes got involved with Danae. For years, he showered her with gifts food, clothes and a nice place to live. And he even helped raise Perseus. Polydectes wanted Danae to marry him, but she didn't love him like that. So Polydectes used his wealth and power to try and control her. He made it very clear that if she refused him, he would cut her off. So Danae tried to dodge the proposal whenever she could. As Perseus matured into an adult he became so bothered by the whole setup. He kept picking arguments with Polydectes and would crash their dates so his mom wouldn't have to give in to his proposals. Eventually, Polydectes got sick of the whole situation. He told Perseus he'd agree to marry a different woman under one condition. Perseus had to find and kill Medusa and bring her head back to him as a wedding gift. Deep down, Polydectes didn't believe Perseus was capable of it. He figured Perseus would die on his quest and then he'd be free to marry Danae. But Perseus had some handy tools to help him. The legends are contradictory on how, but many say Athena gave him a shiny shield a helmet that made him invisible while wearing it. He also had a sharp sword and a pair of sandals with wings on them. So Perseus was fully equipped when he finally found Medusa's cave.
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Perseus snuck inside and walked deeper into the tunnel. He kept seeing eerie statues scattered around the ground. They showed men in armor with horrified expressions etched on their faces. Perseus realized these weren't ordinary statues. They were human beings and they'd all been turned to stone by the Gorgon sisters. Perseus didn't want to meet the same fate. But luckily for him, his shield was shiny enough to function as a mirror. He could navigate by watching the reflections and he could avoid the sister's gaze.
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Eventually, Perseus reached a sleeping chamber where Medusa, Stheno and Euryale were all sleeping together. At that moment, they were defenseless. So Perseus lifted his sword as high as he possibly could. He double checked the reflection in his shield and then came down with a single slice. He chopped off Medusa's head. It rolled to the ground and Perseus picked it up and stuffed it in a bag. Unfortunately, Perseus wasn't very quiet about it and he woke up Theno and Euryale in the process.
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When they saw their sibling's headless body and her killer standing over it they flew into a vengeful rage. They tried to attack Perseus and punish him for the murder but he put on his helmet and turned invisible then flew out of the cave using his winged sandals. Perseus had gotten away with murder. He made his way back home. But throughout his travels, Medusa's blood kept dripping out of the bag. And some legends say that each drop became a snake.
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During that journey, Perseus also learned that Medusa's head still worked even though it had been separated from her body. Whenever he had to face off against a powerful enemy he just closed his eyes and pulled the head right out of the bag turning his rival to stone.
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Eventually, Perseus got back to Polydectes court. But when he arrived, he found the king had broken their deal. The whole time Perseus had been gone Polydectes had been harassing his mother for her hand in marriage. Some said she'd been ordered to marry him and others said that he'd thrown her into a prison and punished her for not loving him back. Whatever the case, he was a huge threat to Perseus and Danay's safety. But Perseus had a tool to make the evil king back off permanently. He asked Polydectes if they could talk. He agreed to let Perseus see him in his royal throne room. There he was surrounded by all his guards, political advisors and supporters. It ensured Perseus wouldn't try anything because he was massively outnumbered. But Perseus had something up his sleeve. As soon as their meeting began he reached into his bag and then closed his eyes and held up Medusa's head. The second Polydectes saw it, he turned to stone and so did everyone else in the room with him.
- [19:23]
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It was a huge victory for Perseus. He'd finally defeated his enemy and saved his mother. Afterward, he showed his gratitude by giving Medusa's head to Athena, the goddess who had originally cursed her, and she attached it to the shield she carried into battle. That way, her enemies couldn't even look at her without risking instant death. As time went on, Medusa's image became associated with shields and defense. Her name in Greek translates to something like to guard and protect. In the centuries after her death, the Greeks would hang pictures of Medusa in their homes and workplaces to ward off bad luck and keep evil spirits away. But at its core, the story of Medusa was utterly tragic. Many ancient Greeks treated her like a monster, something evil that deserved to be killed because it was so dangerous. Though, as you just heard, that wasn't the case. Medusa was the victim. We didn't grow up hearing those stories at all.
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No, we did not. But for thousands of years, most people figured Medusa's story was just that, a story, not something meant to be taken literally. At least until 2019, when a group of archaeologists found a cave near the Strait of Gibraltar, a stretch of water between Spain and Morocco, right where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Local lore said it was the same cavern where Medusa, Steno and Euryale had once lived. It was called Gorham's Cave. So the team went deep into the tunnels looking for anything valuable. And that's where they discovered something incredible.
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Inside Goram's Cave were very old pieces of ceramic. It was clear that they'd once been part of an art piece that had shattered long ago. It took a lot of research and effort for the archaeologists to put the shards back together and learn what they'd once looked like, especially because some pieces were still missing. But eventually they determined they had once been part of a sculpture. Sculpture. And not just any sculpture, but one of Medusa. They think it may have been left as a warning to other travelers, a way of saying, hey, don't go any further. There are dangerous snake monsters living in here. Which was enough for the researchers to wonder if there might have been some truth to the old legend. Maybe Medusa was real after all.
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A few archaeologists went even deeper into the cave, looking for more artifacts. They searched every nook and cranny and dark corner. But unfortunately, they didn't find anything else in the cavern. Nothing to support the idea that Gorgons had once lived there. So maybe the legends weren't 100% accurate, but they might have had, I don't know, just a grain of truth to them.
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Absolutely. I mean, think about it. Many ancient stories exist as a way to explain the world around us. If they didn't know where a certain mountain or body of water came from, they would give it an origin story featuring the gods. Or if they wanted to understand the big questions, like why bad things happen to good people or why we die, they turned to mythology to make the world feel a little bit more logical and fair. I'm sure there were plenty of things about ancient Greek life that felt upsetting and confusing back then. Perhaps the story of Medusa was just another way to make sense of it all, and that included certain medical conditions.
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Well, it turns out there is a rare genetic disorder that seems to turn people into stone. The legend of Medusa may have been inspired by Fibrodysplasia ossificens progressiva, or in simple terms, fop. The condition causes bone tissue to grow in places where it's not supposed to be. And people with FOP can get hard tissue in or on their internal organs, or it might spread to cover their skin. FOP can eventually limit their ability to move entirely because bone forms over joints and muscles and stops them from working. It's almost like over the course of their lifetime, these patients are slowly turning to stone, which is why FOP is sometimes called stone man syndrome. Luckily, FOP can be treated and managed thanks to modern medical breakthroughs, but there is still no cure, and life expectancy doesn't go long past 40. But there's also a similar disease called stiff skin syndrome, which is exactly what it sounds like. A disease that makes people's skin turn hard and stiff. Like fop, it can advance to a point where the patient can't even move anymore. And sadly, there's very limited treatments and no cure. It's considered a chronic, progressive disease that's not fatal itself, but it can lead to complications that might be. Perhaps if people developed these conditions in ancient Greece, their doctors wouldn't have known how to explain them. Back then, they didn't understand genetics or mutations. So instead, they likely turned to supernatural explanations when their patients appeared to turn to stone. And it might have been tempting to say an evil woman was making people sick thanks to a curse from the gods.
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However, some believe Gorgons were actually real living creatures, but very different from the women described in Medusa's myth. That theory comes from a writer and researcher named Leon Elshout. For years, he published papers online about mythology and fringe topics like UFOs and biblical prophecies. On February 20th of 2020, Leon shared some of his observations about Medusa he noted that many ancient accounts about Gorgons describe them as having gray skin. And this reminded Leon of other stories he'd heard about other beings with gray skin and the ability to paralyze their enemies. You know what we're talking about? Aliens.
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Okay. Well, we've covered enough UFO encounters here that longtime listeners can probably spot the similarities. Countless abductees and witnesses have described aliens as having gray skin and big black eyes, and they're not usually pretty. And it's said that when people see them or their ships, they often find themselves frozen. They can't physically move a muscle or even blink, which isn't the exact same thing as being turned to stone. But it might feel like it in the moment. So Leon and several other ufologists have speculated that maybe at some point thousands of years ago, an ancient Greek person saw a gray alien, and the sight made them freeze in place. They couldn't explain what they'd seen, so they used mythology to try and help. Instead of claiming they'd spotted a visitor from outer space, they said that they'd seen someone who was cursed by the gods. And from there, the legend of Medusa grew.
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If Medusa was real, and if we can believe the legends about her, then she's long dead after being murdered by Perseus. However, legend says her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, were immortal, meaning they might still walk the Earth today. And perhaps they might be responsible for some inexplicable cryptid sightings over the years. Take this account. From December 9, 1815. Historical records are vague, but it's said that a man named Captain Cleveland was sailing toward Gibraltar near the same region where Medusa's cave was found in the year 2019. As his ship got closer to shore, his crewmen reported seeing something in the water, but they weren't exactly sure what it was. All they could say was that it was some kind of creature. It was swimming alongside the boat, about 4ft deep, which was just close enough to the surface for them to make out its rough shape, but just far enough away that they couldn't make out the details. The crew said it appeared to have long teeth or tusks like a boar, but the rest of its body looked long and snake like. Captain Cleveland ordered his men to steer closer to the animal so they could get a better look. But as soon as the boat was pointed in the right direction, the thing swam away, and no one could tell where it had gone. Cleveland and his crew decided they'd just seen a sea sea serpent. But they weren't confident since they never did get a good look at the thing. Which may have been for the best. If they really had spotted a Gorgon in the water, they probably wouldn't have made it out alive to retell that tale.
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That story reminds me of another creature that I came across in my research and it's said to lurk in the lakes and ponds in South Africa. And according to lore, there's a large man eating snake monster that has been living in the area for centuries. It's called Mamlambo. It has a mermaid like tail, a long serpentine neck and a horse's head. Which admittedly doesn't sound much like a Gorgon. But we have to acknowledge that most eyewitnesses never got a good look at the Mamlombo because if anyone makes eye contact with the beasts, they'll become petrified. They can't move or even blink. It's like they've been turned to stone and they're unable to defend themselves against attacks. Which is a problem because the Mamlambo supposedly loves to eat human flesh. In 1997 in South Africa, there was an incident where supposedly a half fish, half horse monster devoured at least seven victims in a local river. The accounts are just similar enough that we have to wonder if the Mamlambo could be a Gorgon. Between its snake like features and its ability to petrify anyone who sees it.
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Ultimately, we may never know if Medusa was a real living being or not. But we can all agree that a story doesn't have to be literal to be about something authentic. Like how Little Red Riding Hood isn't exactly factual, but it teaches us about the danger of talking to strangers. Or how the tortoise and the hare has never once been about racing. It's about patience. How slow and steady always crosses the finish line first. Ancient myths also have deep meanings. Like how Medusa's story isn't really about a monster at all. It's about a woman who had something taken from her. Who was transformed by her trauma and then punished for surviving it. Who became a cautionary tale when really she was the one who deserved the warning. So perhaps the question was never whether Medusa really ever existed, because a part of her always has. She lives inside everyone who was ever wronged, then blamed for it. And everyone who was transformed by something they didn't choose and yet had to find a way to carry it.
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All. This is so supernatural. An audio Chuck original produced by Crime House. You can connect with us on Instagram @so supernatural pod and visit our website@sosupernaturalpodcast.com join rash and me next Friday for an all new episode. I think Chuck would approve.