Transforming Medusa

  • Charlotte Currie University of Bristol
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_AMAL.2011.v3.37616
Keywords: Transformation, Homer, Ovid, myth, castration, Freud, feminism, Mother Goddess, Nature Goddess, sexuality, power, rape, rage, Goethe

Abstract

The mythic figure of Medusa is inherently linked with the idea of transformation; both her transformation from beautiful woman to monster as well as her ability to transform all who meet her gaze into statues have become fundamental elements of her story. While both these aspects of her character appear to be late additions to her myth, the idea of Medusa as a figure who both transforms and is transformed nevertheless became canonical and indeed she continues to transform throughout her subsequent history of reception. This paper will seek to understand the early mythic life of Medusa as a transformation before examining the disparate transformations she then endures, from the ancient period to the present day.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article download

Crossmark

Metrics

How to Cite
Currie C. (2011). Transforming Medusa. Amaltea. Revista de mitocrítica, 3, 169-181. https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_AMAL.2011.v3.37616
Issue
Vol. 3 (2011): The Double Self
Section
Articles | Miscellany

License

Amaltea. Revista de mitocrítica is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access."

Full-text articles published in Amaltea. Revista de mitocrítica are open-access and published under a CreativeCommons License Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en. Reproduction, distribution or public communication of these articles with commercial purposes requires the Editor’s prior written. Redistribution for academic purposes is permitted, provided that the source and authorship are properly acknowledged, and that the journal is credited with the first publication, by adding a link to the journal's official URL. If available, the DOI of the article in question should also be included.