Medusa: A beautiful and profound retelling of Medusa’s story

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Medusa was killed by the hero Perseus, a son of Zeus and the mortal Argive princess Danae. Perseus had been sent to fetch Medusa’s head by Polydectes, a cruel king who wished to have Perseus out of the way so he could marry his mother, Danae. Perseus was assisted by the gods, who provided him with a mirrored shield, winged sandals, a helmet of invisibility, an adamantine sword, and a magical satchel that could carry Medusa’s head. Wow this book is another in a Medusa mythology retelling and it was needed! This tells Medusa’s story and gives her a voice which very few mythology tellings give notice to. In the synopsis it is stated that Burton's aim with was to "reclaim Medusa's story" and that is exactly what she did! None who read this can relate to owning sentient hair but many can relate to being punished by society, paying for the mistakes of powerful others, being subjected to the whims of those in authority, and being viewed as one of few accepted binaries. Burton allows us to see and to believe that we contain multitudes, and that we can be the hero of our own story. this book was literally two characters reading the wikipedia articles of their respective greek myths with the other occasionally going “oh no!” or “i understand” Athena somehow cursed Medusa, changing her head that she was so jealous of into venomous snakes. From that moment forward, anyone who dared to glance at Medusa’s face would be instantly petrified. The head of Medusa helped the hero to accompany several other missions, for instance.

Perseus eventually gave Medusa’s head to Athena, who placed it on her breastplate or shield, called the aegis. According to another tradition, however, the head was kept in the city of Athens, buried underneath a mound in the agora. [22] Chris Ofili’s The Riddle of the Sphinx, from Charlotte Higgins’s Greek Myths: A New Retelling. Illustration: Chris Ofili If I told you that I’d killed a man with a glance, would you wait to hear the rest? The why, the how, what happened next?” Medusa was a fourteen-year-old girl who had drawn the attention of Poseidon and Athena for the wrong reasons. Stalked by Poseidon she is sexually abused by him in Athena’s temple but far from sympathy you would expect from Athena, instead the goddess turns her beautiful hair to a mass of venomous snakes with a promise “woe betide any man fool enough to look upon you now”.siss-iling stars for the retelling and the reimagining of one of Greek Mythology’s greatest stories. Imaginative, different and a story that provides all the elements we have come to expect in a Greek tragedy. Me encantó leer a esta medusa que en muchos relatos es tratada como monstruo, cuando realmente fue una mujer que sufrió la venganza de una Diosa. At first I didn’t like it was a young adult but there were so many things that reeled me in snd I love the artwork. I leave you with a few pieces and a quote.

This book was described as "a dazzling, feminist retelling of a Greek myth," which is a perfect fit for my daughter's reading pile. However, I bought it for myself & thoroughly enjoyed it. Although based on a Greek myth author Jessie Burton grounds the story in strong, truly believable characters & it works brilliantly. The story is enhanced by some superb illustrations by Olivia Lomench Gill. Both Medusa and Perseus just youngsters, who were falling in love. Both forced to change, to be something they’re not. Medusa forced by the gods. Perseus forced by King Polydectes. Really enjoyed Jessie Burton’s take on this myth, especially the sisterly bond. It has the overhanging sense of dread throughout when you know it’s not going to go as hoped, the foreboding really shone through. But piecing Medusa’s story together through the course of this book, a story fractured by monstrous myths, proved to be at once satisfying and heartbreaking. the summary for this book touts a ‘feminist’ retelling, but it’s not. it’s the original retellings smashed together but medusa is super sad about it and her life. the conclusion is so forceful in its want to be a ‘feminist’ book too, as it ends with a warning about women who gain reputations like medusa. okay? what’re we supposed to do with that?Bremmer, Jan. “Gorgo/Medusa.” In The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 4th ed., edited by Simon Hornblower, Antony Spawforth, and Esther Eidinow, 622–23. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. This book tells the story from Medusa’s perspective, and that’s utterly unique. Also, it’s done very well in an exciting way. You realize that Medusa is not an absolute monster. She’s like a child. She was given to Athena, and something happened that tends to go against her. She underwent this transformation into a monster. She discovered horribly and painfully that her curse is indiscriminate in who it impacts. It makes you realize the situation that men put women in. The tragedies affected women because of the behavior of men.