Medusa美杜莎

粟茜

In Roman and Greek Mythology; Medusa is one of three terrible Gorgon sisters. She has snakes in her hair and bronze claws on her hands. Anyone who looks directly at Medusa immediately turns to stone.



Medusa began her life as a beautiful human, admired for her long, flowing hair. when the sea god Neptune (the Greek god Poseidon) began to fall in love with her, the goddess Minerva (the Greek goddess Athena) became jealous and changed Medusa into a hideous Gorgon, a creature with a head full of snakes. Years later Minerva completed her destruction of Medusa when she helped the young hero Perseus slay the hideous Gorgon.



In order to save his mother, Perseus was ordered by Polydectes, the cruel king of the island Seriphos to kill and behead Medusa. Minerva helped him by giving him her shield as protection.



After days of traveling, Perseus finally spotted Medusa. To avoid being turned to stone, Perseus looked at the monster through her reflection in Minerva's shield. As he moved nearer, he grew more and more horrified by her repulsive appearance. With one sweep of his sword, Perseus severed Medusa's head from her body. Perseus quickly stuffed Medusa's head inside his sack.



When Perseus decapitated the gorgon Medusa, she was already pregnant by the sea god Poseidon who had visited her in the form of a stallion. As her body fell to the ground, the two offspring of this union. Pegasus and the warrior Chrysaor leapt fully developed from her body.



The young hero took flight for the island of Seriphos in the winged sandals given to him by the god Dis (the Greek god Hades). When Perseus arrived on Seriphos, he rescued his mother from Polydectes by turning him to stone with Medusa's still deadly head. He then gave the head to the goddess Minerva, who attached the head to her shield to help her in future battles.

粟茜

在古希腊的阿尔戈斯有一位国王。一天，他到神庙里去求神问卜，得到的神谕说，他将死于自己的女儿和宙斯所生的外孙珀耳修斯之手。

老人听了这话非常害怕，他狠了狠心，趁女儿和珀耳修斯熟睡之机，把母子俩放进一个大箱子里，然后投入了大海。他以为这个大箱子就是不被惊涛骇浪所吞没，母子俩也迟早会饿死的。孰料大神宙斯暗中庇护母子俩，他使木箱子漂洋过海，一直来到了一个岛国，被一位渔夫搭救了。岛上的国王听说了这件事很觉诧异，又见小珀耳修斯生得灵气十足，就收他做了养子。

国王对自己的这位养子喜爱异常，他用心抚育珀耳修斯，为他请来了岛上各个领域的能人。珀耳修斯也许因为具有神的血统，所以生来聪明好学，不出几年，世上又多了一位无所不能的英雄豪杰。

珀耳修斯的英雄业绩很快就传到了上天，一天，智慧女神雅典娜（她是宙斯最喜爱的女儿，是希腊人特别是雅典人最崇拜的女神，雅典城就是用她的名字命名的）找到了他，要珀耳修斯把女妖美杜莎的头取来给她。珀耳修斯是个喜欢迎接挑战的人，他非常痛快地答应了女神的要求。

美杜莎原来是个十分美丽的少女，长着一头披肩的秀发。可她自视长得好，竟然不自量力地和智慧女神比起美来。雅典娜被激怒了，她施展法术，把美杜莎的那头秀发变成了无数毒蛇。美女因此成了妖怪。更可怕的是，她的两眼闪着骇人的光，任何人哪怕只看她一眼，也会立刻变成毫无生气的一块大石头。

为了取得美杜莎的头，珀耳修斯设法得到了三件宝物：一双穿上以后就可以腾云驾雾的飞鞋，一只皮囊，一顶戴在头上就可以隐形的狗皮盔。有了这三件宝物，再拿上他的青铜盾和宝刀，珀耳修斯起身向美杜莎盘据的地方飞去。

到达时，美杜莎正在熟睡。珀耳修斯不敢看她，他从青铜盾的反光中找准了美杜莎的位置，走上前去，一刀砍下了她长满毒蛇的头。珀耳修斯把这颗血淋淋的头装进了革囊，并赶紧飞到天上。这时，和美杜莎生活在一起的两个女妖被惊醒了，她们发觉同伴被杀，急忙来追。幸亏珀耳修斯戴着狗皮盔，才没被她们发现。这时，从美杜莎的身子里变出了一匹飞马，珀耳修斯立即跳上去，飞马长啸一声向远方飞去。