Medusa’s story has been told for thousands of years, but has it really done her justice? Most of us know her as the terrifying, hateful Gorgon who turned innocent people to stone until she was defeated by the mighty Perseus. In actuality, Medusa was a priestess who devoted herself to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle. One day, Poseidon, the god of the sea and Athena’s rival, became mesmerized by Medusa’s beauty. As celibacy was part of her loyal duties to the goddess Athena, Medusa rejected Poseidon. In response to this, Poseidon took advantage of Medusa and assaulted her on the steps of Athena’s temple. After this, Medusa prayed to Athena for guidance and forgiveness, but Athena rejected her and looked down at her in anger, cursing her to become a Gorgon and casting her away to a far-off island.

The common story of Medusa fails to recognize her origins, and how she was a victim of sexual assault. Because of this, many assault survivors use Medusa as a symbol of their perseverance. With all of this taken into account, I wanted to illustrate Medusa in a way that shows her inner sadness, but still exemplifies her strength.