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What form of Medusa are you most familiar with?

A thought-provoking, artistic representation of Medusa combining elements of beauty and monstrosity, featuring snakes adorning her head and a visually striking background that reflects both ancient Greek art and contemporary interpretations.

Discover Your Inner Medusa

Uncover the depths of your understanding and feelings about Medusa through this engaging quiz! Reflect on the multifaceted nature of one of mythology's most iconic figures, and discover how her legacy resonates with modern interpretations of beauty, power, and identity.

Explore Medusa's varying representations.
Assess your perceptions of beauty and empowerment.
Engage with thought-provoking questions about ancient myths and modern culture.

12 Questions3 MinutesCreated by ReflectiveSiren742

Which image of Medusa are you most familiar with?

(image from Sarah Bernice Wallace)

(image from Leemage via gettyimages.com)

Which do you most associate with Medusa's appearance? (image from Ingo Jezierski via gettyimages.com)

Snakes

Wings

Scales

Stone

Do you think of Medusa as beautiful? (Image from PaoloGaetano via gettyimages.com)

Yes

Was Medusa a... (image from fotofojanini via gettyimages.com)

Monster

Victim

Seductress

Protector

Warrior

Is the story of Medusa...

A warning-- she warns of what happens when the Gods are defied

An explanation-- she was created to explain ancient disappearances and as a way to prove the existence of the Gods

A tragedy-- Medusa was a victim who was persecuted unfairly and symbolizes the demonization of female sexuality

Just a story-- she was a myth and now is just a pop culture figure

Are you familiar with Medusa as Pegasus's mother? (image from Bettmann via gettyimages)

Yes

Over time, some people believe Medusa became beautiful, as Sarah Wallace discusses: "It can be safely said that the surviving legacy of Medusa's character is her monstrousness and nothing more. As we begin to look at the ancient Medusa, however, we see her as an entirely complex being,... We come to realize that she had a much closer relationship with representations of emotion and passion, both of which are reflected in her many and complex artistic representations. With this in mind, the appearance of the beautiful Medusa in around the 5th century BC should come as no surprise." What was the purpose of Medusa's newfound beauty? (image from Michael M. Santiago via gettyimages.com)

To make her pitiable

To make her desirable

To increase her power

To make her more familiar and more human

To make her more "other"

What medium have you most commonly seen Medusa portrayed in? (image from The Met)

Ceramics

Sculptures

Paintings

Armor

Media

Oral stories

A popular use of Medusa has been to degrade other women. Mary Beard, an author speaking to HyperAllergic, says that “There have been all kinds of well-known feminist attempts over the last fifty years or more to reclaim Medusa for female power- not to mention the use of her as the Versace logo- but it’s made not a blind bit of difference to the way she has been used in attacks on female politicians.” Do you think that Medusa has become a symbol of female power, or is she still a tool of oppression?

Medusa is a tool of empowerment-- she was a victim, but in her victimization she found power and no one else was able to hurt her.

Medusa is a symbol of female power-- she is one of the most powerful monsters in history, and her modern image connotes strength and commands respect

Medusa is a tool of oppression-- she is used to put women down and represents a scorned and bitter woman, encouraging women to hide their anger lest they become a Medusa

Medusa is degrading-- all of her power stems from her appearance, whether it's ugly or beautiful, suggesting that all of a woman's power comes from her looks alone

Do you have empathy for Medusa? (image from PHAS via gettyimages.com)

Yes

What do you think is today's most influential image of Medusa?

The Classical Medusa-- Ancient Greek interpretation, whether it's classic literature, sculptures, or ceramics

The Hollywood Medusa-- the version in Clash of the Titans and other pop culture creations

Medusa as a brand-- her head as the Versace logo, a symbol of luxury and status

Jeffery Cohen "offers seven theses toward understanding cultures through the monsters they bear," then lists seven theses. Which category does Medusa fall into?

The monster is a cultural body-- this is never just a monster, but always a representation of something more. Medusa's beautification represents a cultural obsession with appearance and the pressures placed on women to appear a certain way.

The monster always escapes-- here, the monster is never fully vanquished, but always retains some of it's original power. Even in death, Medusa is still dangerous and her power is never able to be contained.

The monster is a harbinger of crisis-- this is a "disturbing hybrid," something that defies logic. Medusa is a hybrid of woman, snake, Gods, and sometimes others, depending on the story.

The monster dwells at the gates of difference-- this is a monster that represents the "other," and is alarming because of it's unfamiliarity. Medusa, especially pre-beautification, is completely alien and is scary because we've never seen anything like her.

The monster polices the borders of possible-- a monster like this guards borders we can't cross, whether they are physical, social, or cultural. Medusa in ancient times was a border in that she and the myths enforced physical borders by dwelling in the valleys between villages, keeping people in their localities. Today, she defines the borders of powerful women and women's sexuality.

Fear of the monster is really a kind of desire-- when a monster represents a secret desire, a fantasy, or something so intriguing we can't let it go. Medusa is a representation of female sexuality, a topic that is historically extremely taboo.

The monster stands at the threshold of becoming-- this monster forces us to question our perception of the world and question what we think we know. As Medusa becomes more beautiful, she becomes more human and familiar, and opens the possibility that we could become like her- or, makes us question how we see female sexuality or where we draw the lines of victim versus monster

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