Medusa was the most beautiful of 3 sisters. She was sensuous and loving. Poseidon raped her in Athena's temple. For this desecration of her temple, Athena turned Medusa into a hideous gorgon with snakes for hair. Athena was born from her father Zeus' head in full armour, ready for war. She is identified with patriarchal values like reason, strength and victory. She is also the goddess of technology. The two characters of Athena and Medusa represent two sides of the feminine: civic vs primal, logos vs eros, obedient vs wild. The name Medusa (Medha in Sanskrit, Metis in Greek, and Maat in Egyptian) means ‘sovereign female wisdom.' Her rape by Poseidon, and murder by Perseus, can be seen as the destruction of Goddess religions by patriarchal religions. It is the cultural subjugation of the wild and unruly feminine. In order to survive, women have had to become like Athena, aligned with her father's values in order to thrive. --- Source: [[Belonging]]