EP 24: Medusa and Perseus - Bad Hair Day

Garner's Greek Mythology

… Welcome to Podcast 24. This episode excavates the story of Medusa. I say ‘excavate’ because today we think of Medusa as a monster whose glance could turn men to stone.

But there’s much more to her story. It’s been buried. So first we shovel aside the stones and debris. What do we find?

Before she was a monster, she was a beautiful girl. While a temple attendant, she was seduced by one of the gods. She was punished for the indiscretion, while the god who seduced her got away scot-free.

Medusa was an innocent. We’ve seen this before. Zeus was the worst at taking young girls, then turning his back on their fate. Here he fathers the Greek hero, Perseus. Perseus eventually kills the innocent girl-become-monster Medusa.

However horrendous all this is, then Perseus becomes one of Greece’s most famous heroes. Of course there are back stories, prophesies, kings and princesses ...

This episode is narrated by mythologist and best-selling author, Patrick Garner. His Garner's Greek Mythology is unlike any other Greek history series. Here the Greek gods are viewed as if they were anything but mythical...
If you love these podcasts, you'll also enjoy Garner's novel Homo Divinitas, now available as an audio book on Amazon.com and Audible.com. Hear new stories about the gods.

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