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You are here: Home / Mythology / What Were the Gorgons In Ancient Greek Mythology and Were Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale Immortal?

What Were the Gorgons In Ancient Greek Mythology and Were Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale Immortal?

May 3, 2020 by Karen Hill

The Gorgons in Greek mythology were hideous snake haired female monsters.

Their necks were covered with the scales of a dragon, they bristled with sharp tusks, and they had hands of bronze and wings of gold.

A glance from any of the three Gorgons turned the viewer to stone.

Only three Gorgons lived in the world, and they stayed hidden in a cave so no one would behold their terrible features.

They were named Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale.

Two were immortal, but Medusa had originally been a beautiful mortal woman.

She performed an act of disrespect to the goddess Athena when the god Poseidon seduced her in Athena’s temple.

The angry goddess cursed her beauty and transformed her fair features into twisted images of horror.

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Filed Under: Mythology

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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