Before the snakes, before the stone gaze, Medusa was the most beautiful woman in Athens.
She was a priestess of Athena, sworn to a life of purity and devotion. Men traveled from across Greece just to glimpse her legendary beauty.
But beauty in ancient Greece was a dangerous thing.
One night, Poseidon saw her in Athena's temple. The god of the sea took what he wanted. Medusa had no power to stop him.
When Athena discovered what happened in her sacred space, she was furious. But not at Poseidon.
She punished Medusa.
The beautiful hair that men had praised became a nest of venomous snakes. Her perfect face became so horrifying that anyone who looked at her turned to stone.
Medusa was banished to a remote island. She lived alone, surrounded by the stone statues of anyone who dared approach her.
Years later, a hero named Perseus was sent to kill her. He used a mirrored shield to avoid her gaze and cut off her head.
He was celebrated. She was called a monster.
But look at the story again. Medusa wasn't a monster. She was a victim, punished for a crime committed against her.
The real monsters were the gods who made her.