- Greek Mythology
The mythological and historical context surrounding Medusa is as fascinating as the coins themselves. The mythology can change depending on who in antiquity was telling it, but the basics of the most common version are this:
Medusa was the only mortal among the three Gorgon sisters. Daughter of the sea gods Phorcys and Ceto, she was once a beautiful maiden but was turned into a snake-haired monster by Athena for sleeping with (or being ravaged by) Poseidon in Athena's temple. Men who looked at Medusa turned to stone. The hero Perseus later killed Medusa at her home on an island off Libya by cutting off her head with a harpa (sickle), a scene depicted on some coins, finding her by looking at her reflection in a shield given to him by Athena to avoid being turned to stone himself. From Medusa's gaping neck sprang forth the winged horse Pegasus and the giant Chrysaor, her children by Poseidon. Perseus, chased by Medusa's hissing sisters, Stheno and Euryale, escaped with Medusa's disembodied head, giving it to Athena, who placed it in the center of her aegis. The dead head had the same power of turning to stone those who looked at it.
No doubt because Medusa was once a beautiful maiden, some images of her depict a tame or even beautiful face, with later images in both ancient art and coinage more likely to depict her this way. This depiction is sometimes called the Rondanini Medusa, after the work of the Greek sculptor Phidias (or possibly Kresilas), c. 440 BC, with an ancient Roman copy of this depiction preserved by the Rondanini family of Rome and that's now in the Munich Glyptotek. Even this Medusa face, however, is still surrounded by snakes.
Medusa may have originally been an Amazonian serpent-goddess who symbolized the female mysteries and the untamable forces of nature. At that time, Medusa was an aspect of the Amazonian Athena (Athene), but the Greeks according to this theory separated the two and made them enemies.
Athena wasn't the only one in mythology and history to carry or display an image of Medusa as a protective totem against enemies and evil. Medusa appeared on the shields and breastplates of soldiers as well as on pottery, sculpture, jewelry, furniture, gates, and buildings. Medusa may have been mythological, but her presence in the classical world was very real.
Medusa's frightening appearance on coins served a propaganda purpose, as did many coin designs, in this case announcing to enemies and would-be enemies, "Don't mess with us." Warfare was endemic in the classical world, a way of life, and death, as it has been throughout much of history. What we read about in the newspaper was experienced firsthand, in some way or another, by virtually everyone. Medusa served to both protect and terrify.
Medusa was the only mortal among the three Gorgon sisters. Daughter of the sea gods Phorcys and Ceto, she was once a beautiful maiden but was turned into a snake-haired monster by Athena for sleeping with (or being ravaged by) Poseidon in Athena's temple. Men who looked at Medusa turned to stone. The hero Perseus later killed Medusa at her home on an island off Libya by cutting off her head with a harpa (sickle), a scene depicted on some coins, finding her by looking at her reflection in a shield given to him by Athena to avoid being turned to stone himself. From Medusa's gaping neck sprang forth the winged horse Pegasus and the giant Chrysaor, her children by Poseidon. Perseus, chased by Medusa's hissing sisters, Stheno and Euryale, escaped with Medusa's disembodied head, giving it to Athena, who placed it in the center of her aegis. The dead head had the same power of turning to stone those who looked at it.
No doubt because Medusa was once a beautiful maiden, some images of her depict a tame or even beautiful face, with later images in both ancient art and coinage more likely to depict her this way. This depiction is sometimes called the Rondanini Medusa, after the work of the Greek sculptor Phidias (or possibly Kresilas), c. 440 BC, with an ancient Roman copy of this depiction preserved by the Rondanini family of Rome and that's now in the Munich Glyptotek. Even this Medusa face, however, is still surrounded by snakes.
Medusa may have originally been an Amazonian serpent-goddess who symbolized the female mysteries and the untamable forces of nature. At that time, Medusa was an aspect of the Amazonian Athena (Athene), but the Greeks according to this theory separated the two and made them enemies.
Athena wasn't the only one in mythology and history to carry or display an image of Medusa as a protective totem against enemies and evil. Medusa appeared on the shields and breastplates of soldiers as well as on pottery, sculpture, jewelry, furniture, gates, and buildings. Medusa may have been mythological, but her presence in the classical world was very real.
Medusa's frightening appearance on coins served a propaganda purpose, as did many coin designs, in this case announcing to enemies and would-be enemies, "Don't mess with us." Warfare was endemic in the classical world, a way of life, and death, as it has been throughout much of history. What we read about in the newspaper was experienced firsthand, in some way or another, by virtually everyone. Medusa served to both protect and terrify.
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