ZAP’S FACTS!
GREEK

Medusa had living snakes for hair and a stone-turning stare.

According to Greek myth, one look from Medusa's eyes would turn any living creature instantly into stone.

2 min read
Medusa had living snakes for hair and a stone-turning stare.
THE FULL STORY

Medusa is one of the most famous monsters in Greek mythology. The ancient Greeks said she had living, hissing snakes growing out of her head instead of hair. Worse, anyone who looked her in the eye would turn instantly to solid stone. Statues of unlucky travelers were said to surround her lair.

According to the myth, she was one of three sister monsters called the Gorgons, but only Medusa could be killed. A hero named Perseus was sent to fetch her head. He used a polished bronze shield as a mirror so he could see her without looking directly at her, and chopped off her head while she slept.

The Greeks believed her head kept its stone-turning power even after death. Perseus carried it around in a bag and used it to defeat his enemies. Eventually he gave it to the goddess Athena, who fixed it onto her shield as protection.

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