Gorgon
Gorgon is a creature in the Greek mythology. The legendary Medusa was considered the most famous of them. Stories of gorgons were born from a certain type of hybrid beasts created by the Isu as part of the Olympos Project.
History
In Ovid's Metamorphises, Medusa became a gorgon after the god Poseidon raped her in Athena's temple.
According to the stories, the legendary founder of Mycenae and hero Perseus slew Medusa with a shining sickle given to him by the messenger of the gods Hermes,[1] which might have been a harpe.[2]
During the Peloponnesian War a member of the Daughters of Artemis, Ligeia, fell prey to a Gorgon's stare. The Spartan misthios Kassandra later defeated the creature at the request of Ligeia's lover, Bryce.[2]
Influence and legacy
By the time of the Peloponnesian War in 5th century BCE, the image of a gorgon was used by the Greeks as a protective amulet used to decorate houses and shields. It was also implemented in various statues of the goddess Athena as part of her Aegis.[2]
Certain weapons were associated with gorgons: there was the Gorgon Slayer, a spear which belonged to the mercenary Zetes the Retired during the 5th century BCE,[2] and Medusa, a heavy weapon found in Egypt during the 1st century BCE by the Medjay Bayek of Siwa.[3]
Trivia
- The term gorgon is derived from the Greek γοργός (gorgós), meaning 'grim, fierce, terrible'.
Gallery
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Gorgon's head used as an apotropaic device on a house -
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Gorgon as part of the Aegis on the Statue of Athena in Athens -
Gorgon as part of the Aegis on a marble statue of Athena
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed: Origins (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (mentioned only)