Sometimes stories leave an impression. This article did that for me. It retold the tale of Medusa, the serpent-haired monster that turned sailors into stone with just a glance. Considering mythology is in fact A MYTH and a device primarily used to teach more broad lessons on our own humanity and interactions with “the gods,” I now think - what the hell was the point of the original tale told to begin with?
Maybe misogyny?
Yeah. Probably that (see how it reemerged here).
“In Western culture, strong women have historically been imagined as threats requiring male conquest and control, and Medusa herself has long been the go-to figure for those seeking to demonize female authority.” -Elizabeth Johnston
But lady-hating aside, the retelling of this story shares a stronger message that I think regardless of your feminist leanings, might encourage self-reflection and push us toward a greater effort to revise our own perceptions of history.
The Roman Poet Ovid tells us Medusa was a beautiful, mortal woman who had maintained a life of celibacy. She swore to it. Not humping was her jam.
The story I recall implies that Medusa and Poseidon had a fling, and Athena was massively peeved off by this, so she cursed Medusa to have a head of snake hair and a gaze that would turn any ding-a-ling into stone.
Ovid says this wasn’t a fling but, straight up rape, considering Medusa’s vow of celibacy. So the interpretation might shift to Athena offering Medusa a pretty intense form of pepper spray to protect herself from these pillagers and rapists. These snakes and stares would allow Medusa to return to her vow of celibacy. Medusa didn’t have to fear that male gaze anymore.
Did that rock your world? Are you attached to the monster version? Are you rolling your eyes at me yet?
Listen, I like the version of a monstrous Medusa. In the more commonly told tale, she’s filled with villainy. I have a deep appreciation for an evil lady character. An Ursula. A Cruella DeVil (cannot wait for her backstory, but also how was a villain skinning Dalmatians a suitable story arch for children? WTF Disney). I understand the argument that these complex women are being turned into monsters in order to reinforce the perception that powerful women are evil. But I still think they’re cool. I admire them. Their psychotic strength. Their confidence and mystery. Because the alternative was a bemused young woman willing to give up her voice for an exceedingly BORING young man.
In general, I appreciate that our history is incomplete, that there are deeper wells from which to pull from for our storytelling than we see on the surface. On the same side of that coin, I’m intensely frustrated by the whitewashed education I received and how many gaping holes I have in my understanding of the world as a result. A lot of perspectives were left out because a select group of people were allowed to write down these stories and history. And the second you give voice to those left out, there’s backlash.
WHY?
Why is it so hard to find out “heroes” long-lost and dead actually weren’t that great? Does it mean that we need to course correct our own behavior and beliefs? Do we need to tap into our own empathy ? Is that such a bad thing?
Our existing conceptions of the world are usually incomplete and wrong. Why must we dig our heals into the ground over what we thought might have been real?
Let’s take snakes. In part, because Medusa’s head was a bunch of snakes. And the other part - well, I’ve bought two articles of clothing in the past month featuring these belly-crawlers. I wondered if ‘evil’ was calling me. It was worth an investigation.
I’ve clearly bought into the western vilification of the snake. This likely stems from how many of us interpreted the bible. The snake was Satan. Satan tempted Eve. That’s a bad thing. Because now we all exist and live in this hellscape of a planet.
Oh wait, you like it here? Thank Eve, then. She’s awesome.
Save it for another time, Tera.
ANYWAY, we got this idea in our heads that snakes are evil - they’re poisonous and bite. Ssssneaky and sssscaly and sssslithery.
But if you look back on traditions older than Christianity, snakes are complex and revered creatures. They represent rebirth (shedding old skin and becoming new), transformation, fertility, eternity, renewal of life, even good luck.
But because they can bite and release venom, they can be both associated with creation and destruction. Same coin, different sides.
Now I use these symbolic and mythologic examples to press into revisionist history at large, but my strength lies not in conveying those complex details at a representative scale (I’m a basic bitch, after all). My strength lies in being a kermudgen that ruins the things you love.
Regardless of which version you believe (remember none of this is real so don’t get bent out of shape if I’ve shattered a world view here), the point is maybe you didn’t have the full story that you thought you did. Maybe you already knew this. For that I gift you the feeling of superiority in this moment. You’re welcome.
I get frustrated finding out something I thought I knew was missing a bunch of important details. It would have been far more constructive to have a complex, accurate discussion about the contributions and flaws of people, myths and symbolism in school. Instead I keep finding things out that make me yell “WHY THE F#*! DIDN’T I KNOW THIS?!” I don’t think romanticizing history has done us any favors. To embrace accurate representations of history builds up the stories we use to create a future. And hopefully it’s a good one - for everyone.
Humans have the distinctive and unique ability to share and pass stories. We can edit and embellish to drive home a point or lesson. We have a tendency to leave out the more complicated, sorted details that don’t allow for a clear hero or winner. We see our own country having to face itself in the mirror, with systemic racism and inequity. The watered down version of the past is what we learned in school, with any level of concerted effort toward analysis of these subsects being shelved off as “electives.” Very few of us have a full grasp on the complicated nature of how we got to this place in our evolution as a country, as a planet. But we don’t want to see the complicated web of maltreatment and abuse that became a part of our journey. For some, it’s all too prevalent and unfair that these darker sides get ignored.
We also owe that introspection to the stories, to the memories of those that went through those periods. Have you ever heard your own story retold by someone else? Did they omit details that presented the story unfairly? Have you ever felt the need to provide clarification regarding an anecdote that you feel doesn’t paint the full picture? Are you a lady with snake hair that protects you, but instead are called a monstrous slut?
On the other hand, sometimes I just want a good entertaining tale. I’m so difficult to please.
As frustrating as my blind spots may be, I really do enjoy the process of course correcting. I’ve been profoundly impacted by the deep journalism and story-telling that so many have worked to share on broader platforms. I enjoy a good paradigm shift.
What have you learned that shifted some perceptions of old? Send them to me. I’m hungry for more.
Here are a couple of mine:
Revisionist History — The Powerball Revolution, Dragon Psychology 101, Analysis, Parapraxis, Elvis, My Little Hundred Million
This Land Podcast
1619 Podcast (I’m pretty sure at this point, everyone has listened to this, but just in case someone hasn’t I think it’s worth reinforcing)