Musings on Medusa Part II

Hello luvs,

As you may recall the last post left off with Medusa and her possible African origins. As an Black American (or African American depending upon what year of the census I am filling out), I am always intrigued and searching for the Black feminine everywhere. Now according to Ovid and others, they deem that the rivalry between Athena and Medusa was due to Medusa making claims to be more beautiful then Athena. Now, if just examining the surface I could understand how that claim could anger any woman especially a Goddess. Yet, Medusa has been argued to not be an orginal myth created in Greece but actually to have been found much earlier in several different African countries such as Lybia and Eygpt.

In the African depictions of Medusa she was an aspect of the Greek Athena, her feminine side. The African Medusa was worshipped as a symbol of the sacredness of the feminine. Her beauty, grace, charm, as well as ability to be able to protect those who worshipped her made her the quintessential essence of woman. African depictions of Medusa show her with dreads that often resemble the snakes that we see upon her head in later Greek illustrations. Depending on your source and the particular part of the world, Medusa was viewed as the Mother of all who could create, destroy and transform, the link between Earth, heaven and the underworld, the forces of nature particularly those associated with the serpent, or the knower of all wisom. The concensus though appears that Medusa was not just a vain Gorgon but was herself a divine being.

The Eurocentric and patriarchal decent of the Greece matched that of Medusa. Taken from her divine pedestal, Medusa was stripped of her femininity and beauty by the asexual Athena. Along one viewpoint, Athena was sprung from Zeus already whole and mature after Zeus swalled Medusa's Gorgon sister Athene to gain her wisdom. Athena then is forever linked to Medusa.

Reading these different renditions of the Medusa and Athena story immediately made a connection with me. Studying beauty standards, I linked the beauty and femininity associated with African and early early European descriptions of Medusa being stripped away by the European male Greek authorities. I could not help but correlate this tale to that of what happened with African women as they were taken from Africa and transported to the New America. Where as in Africa, thier clothing styles and behaviors were that which were per thier culture, when the European explorers "dis-covered" Africa the women were not recognized in thier beauty or femininity. Instead they were either hypersexualized or asexualized and unfortunately it appears that Black women today may have accepted this either/or simplicity. What I am then proposing is that Black women take back the Medusa image as well as thier sexuality and femininity. I will present further musings and illustrative posts on such topics as behavior, body, being, and autonomy in the upcoming "Embracing Medusa" series.

Blessed be,
Rose