A roman cameo of medusa s head from the 2nd or 3rd century.
Head of medusa attic stone.
In the british writer iris murdoch s novel a severed head 1961.
In ancient greek mythology medusa is a gorgon one of three hideous sisters whose appearance turns men to stone.
The sculpture stands on a square base which has bronze relief panels depicting the story of perseus and andromeda similar to a predella on an altarpiece.
There are also numerous coins that bear not only the imagery of perseus holding the head of medusa but also the head in its own right.
On his travels he used the head to turn his enemies to stone and rescue the princess andromeda from a sea monster 20 192 16 before giving it to athena for her aegis 34 11 7.
Heracles hercules is said to have obtained a lock of medusa s hair which possessed the same powers as the head from athena and given it to sterope the daughter of cepheus as a protection for the town of tegea against attack.
Pindar s twelfth pythian ode recounts how stheno and euryale s angry pursuit of their sister s killer resulted in another chapter of the medusa myth.
Medusa was raped by poseidon then beheaded by the hero perseus who thereafter used her head which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone as a weapon until he gave it to the goddess athena to place on her shield.
It is located in the loggia dei lanzi in the piazza della signoria in florence italy the second florentine duke duke cosimo i de.
In classical antiquity the image of the head of medusa appeared in the evil averting device known as the gorgoneion.
Perseus with the head of medusa is a bronze sculpture made by benvenuto cellini in the period 1545 1554.
Sailko cc by sa 3 0.
In classical antiquity the image of the head of medusa appeared in the evil averting device known as the gorgoneion.
In modern culture she represents vital sensuality and a power that is threatening to males.
Medusa was beheaded by the hero perseus who thereafter used her head which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone as a weapon until he gave it to the goddess athena to place on her shield.