I mean, Perseus is still acting out of heroism. You can have empathy for Ovid’s version of Medusa and recognize her importance in feminism without dismissing the earlier myth (since the archaic period, she was first and foremost a monster who had never been a woman, never been punished, and who consensually laid with Poseidon) and without acting as if Perseus killed her because he was selfish and patriarchal, when he was literally a young boy trying to save his mother from a forced marriage because a king had randomly decided he wanted her even if she was unwilling (and then saved a young girl from human sacrifice)
Haven't read Stone Blind but I have read Natalie Haynes' very thoughtful essay on Medusa in her book Pandora's Jar, which was both enjoyable and an eye-opener for me. (One thing I came across lately - you are probably already aware of it - was a piece by Jasmine Sun on how the post-literate society is providing us with 'heavy' characters (Trump and Musk, for example) not unlike characters from Greek mythology: https://substack.com/home/post/p-155295384)
This brought into context the rise in the popularity of medusa tattoo on SA survivors for me, as well as the tattoo artists and tiktok users (primarily men) making fun of or ridiculing this tattoo "trend" (another testament to patriarchy and misogyny). Super interesting.
I mean, Perseus is still acting out of heroism. You can have empathy for Ovid’s version of Medusa and recognize her importance in feminism without dismissing the earlier myth (since the archaic period, she was first and foremost a monster who had never been a woman, never been punished, and who consensually laid with Poseidon) and without acting as if Perseus killed her because he was selfish and patriarchal, when he was literally a young boy trying to save his mother from a forced marriage because a king had randomly decided he wanted her even if she was unwilling (and then saved a young girl from human sacrifice)
Haven't read Stone Blind but I have read Natalie Haynes' very thoughtful essay on Medusa in her book Pandora's Jar, which was both enjoyable and an eye-opener for me. (One thing I came across lately - you are probably already aware of it - was a piece by Jasmine Sun on how the post-literate society is providing us with 'heavy' characters (Trump and Musk, for example) not unlike characters from Greek mythology: https://substack.com/home/post/p-155295384)
Love this! I've always wanted to do some kind of creative project on Medusa at some point and so this was great to read
love this! muuuuch needed introspective.
thank you for reading !🫶🏼
I learnt a lot, thank you!
This brought into context the rise in the popularity of medusa tattoo on SA survivors for me, as well as the tattoo artists and tiktok users (primarily men) making fun of or ridiculing this tattoo "trend" (another testament to patriarchy and misogyny). Super interesting.
Love this essay! Also, this is relevant: https://youtu.be/RUcZFHclmiw?si=MsozJo7EFSrGaXBt
thank you for reading !!