Medusa was the only mortal among the Gorgons. In later myth, she was once a beautiful woman punished by Athena and transformed into a snake-haired figure whose gaze turned men to stone. Perseus killed her by looking only at her reflection, then carried away her head as a weapon.

Her image had another life. In the ancient world, the Gorgoneion appeared on shields, armor, temples, and thresholds as an apotropaic symbol: a protective image meant to repel harm.

Medusa’s myth has never stayed still. She is victim, monster, weapon, guardian, and amulet. Her power lies in that refusal to settle into one simple meaning.