Medusa Pendant

A lovely, unique 925 silver pendant (45mm x 24mm – 1.80 inches x 0.95 inches) featuring the female form of Medusa, within an elaborately carved frame. A heavy pendant for those who love ancient Greek mythology.

Medusa in Greek mythology is mentioned as one of the three Mermaids. Of these three sisters, Medusa was the mortal. Her other name was Gorgo, which means wild look. According to Hesiod, she was the daughter of Phorcy or Phorceus and Cetus, sister of the Mermaids Sthenos and Euryales, and of the Ancients Deinos, Enyos and Pephridos, she was originally a Centaur.

In the later Roman version of the myth by Ovid, she was a beautiful priestess of Athena who was raped by Poseidon, transformed into a horse, in Athena’s sanctuary. The goddess, enraged by the event, could not break with Poseidon and so lashed out at Medusa. He transformed her into a hideous monster, which instead of hair had snakes. Her ugliness was such that anyone who looked at her face was petrified. However, according to the earlier Greek myth, Poseidon did not rape her, but Medusa “lay down with Poseidon in a meadow full of flowers” and there is no evidence of her being “punished” by Athena.

Finally, according to Hesiod’s version, Perseus killed her with the help of Athena in order to protect his mother, Danae, from Polydectes. From her miraculous blood, which was believed to be able to heal or kill people, the winged horse Pegasus and the hero Chrysaor were born. Her head, the famous “Gorgoney”, was taken by the goddess from the hero and affixed to her shield, because her head, even dead, petrified anyone who looked at it.

A unique and perfect gift!