Research Files: The Gorgons

Disclaimer: I am not a myths scholar. I am simply interested in myths and how they shape human behavior and stories. The post below is a synthesis of my research about Gorgons and my personal thoughts and should not be taken as verified fact, though I have done my best to ensure its accuracy. My sources are included at the end of the post.

Who were the Gorgons?

Today, we understand the Gorgons as three ugly monsters in Greek mythology who had hair made of snakes. Two of the sisters, Euryale and Stheno, were immortal, while the most well-known Gorgon, Medusa, was not immortal. Perseus killed Medusa by cutting off her head, and her power was so great, that even after her death, anyone who looked in Medusa’s eyes turned to stone.

Some stories about Medusa say she was once a beautiful woman, born human and not as a Gorgon. But, after she lay with Poseidon, the sea god, in Athena’s shrine, Athena turned her into an ugly Gorgon as punishment. Still others say that Athena turning Medusa into a gorgon was not a punishment but an honor, because then Medusa possessed the same powers as her sisters.

Gorgons have often been often depicted with wings and grotesque faces. Some stories say they had scaly skin and huge claws. And unlike the Gorgons in modern popular culture, those from the original myths more resembled a human with legs and wings than a monster with the lower body of a snake.

Often, the image of a Gorgon was used to ward off evil and protect people’s homes. In some myths, Athena even placed Medusa’s head on her shield after the Gorgon’s death.

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How to use the Gorgons as Inspiration

Monsters from mythology are, in my opinion, some of the most fun inspiration-starters. Here’s how I used the gorgons to inspire the main antagonist and her family in Amethyst in Ashes.

I knew I wanted the antagonist to mirror the protagonist in a few different ways, and the first way I chose was to give them both two sisters. Talullah is the oldest of her family, while Renevelda is the youngest.

The name Stheno, the eldest of the Gorgon sisters, is said to mean “strong,” and she was the inspiration for Renevelda’s eldest sister, Thena, who chooses to use her physicality to get her way. Euryale, the next oldest Gorgon sister, was said to have a cry that could keep people away. Eurielle, Renevelda’s sister, is based on Euryale, and uses her words to gain advantage or harm as she pleases.

Like the Gorgons, Renevelda’s two sisters are both immortal while she—inspired by Medusa—is not. As the offspring of a Divinity and a human, Renevelda can be killed, though she has a longer lifespan than a typical human.

Renevelda’s eyes are also a main source of her power, though she reads her victims minds instead of turning them to stone.

Some questions you can use to inspire your own stories:

What effect would it have if two siblings had the same power or status while a third did not? How would that affect the relationships between them? How would it change how each saw themselves?
Medusa’s eyes turned people to stone. What other kinds of powers could eyes have? What about hands or ears?
What kinds of punishments could gods give to those who have displeased them?
How would changing from beautiful to ugly or ugly to beautiful change how a person feels and acts? How would it change how others treat them?