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| Gorgon (Medusa) |
Gorgon, in Greek mythology, a frightful monster with brazen claws, huge teeth, and hair entwined with snakes. Homer refers to a gorgon as one of the phantoms of Hades. Hesiod, however, mentions three gorgons. Two of them were immortal, but Medusa, the only one who figures prominently in ancient legends, was subject to death. Any mortal who looked upon a gorgon was turned immediately to stone. Medusa was slain by Perseus, and her head given to Minerva, who placed it in the center of her shield. The word gorgon is used frequently to desÃgnate anything which is unusually hideous. Hawthorne has retold the story of Medusa in
The Gorgon's Head.
