Medusa

Some people tend to cringe when they hear my name or are told of my powers, and I can't say that I blame them. I am Medusa, one of the three Gorgon ("monster") sisters. My name means "ruler" and "sovereign female wisdom", but I am not the stereotypical monster that you may have heard of. In fact, I used to be one of the most beautiful maidens in all of the land with magnificent long, silky hair. Many handsome and wealthy men even lined up to marry me. That is until one day I was in Athena's temple and was found with Poseidon. Athena, that jealous brat, turned my beautiful hair into living hissing snakes. My skin became scaly and extremely hard, in fact no sword could cut through it. I was turned into a gut-wrenching beast! The worst part of all though, was that I was made to be so horrible that any living thing that gazed into my eyes would be turned to stone. Because of this, I became known throughout the land as being a ruthless monster, and after a while, I even came to see myself as being one. I was relentless and angry about the whole experience so I became brutal and mean.

Not long after this tragic incident, Perseus (Zeus's son) tried to rescue his mother Danae from the king Polydectes. The king said that if he brought back my head, his mother would be returned. Many had tried to kill me before, and all failed, so I wasn't worried about this Perseus. To make a long story short, the evil and vile Athena as well as Hermes helped Perseus by giving him a shield to use as a mirror. Now, he didn't have to look directly at me. I was then decapitated. From my head sprang forth the winged horse Pegasus and the giant Chrysaor. My head was then used in many battles as a weapon, and then that witch Athena placed it on her shield where it remained.

To be honest, I am still quite bitter about the incident. I have received an unnecessarily vulgar reputation. After all, it was the angry goddess Athena who turned me from a beauty into a beast. When you hear my name, Medusa, don't run or fear, but remember that I can't help the way I am. I may appear frightening, but my wide unblinking eyes reflect my immense wisdom; I am all-knowing as well. Before you judge me as being a monster, think about my story and how you would feel if it happened to you.