1 - 4 of 4 Posts

mj_toronto8

Active member
I’ve been diving into Greek mythology lately, and one story that keeps catching my attention is the myth of Perseus and the Gorgons — especially Medusa.

I know the basic outline: Perseus is sent on a quest to bring back Medusa’s head, he receives help from the gods (like Athena and Hermes), and he manages to behead her by using a reflective shield so he won’t turn to stone. Then he escapes using winged sandals and later uses Medusa’s head as a weapon.

But beyond that, I realize I don’t know much about the deeper meaning or variations of the story. Were the other Gorgons, Stheno and Euryale, involved much in ancient sources? Was the myth originally meant to be a heroic tale, or did it have symbolic meaning for ancient Greeks?
 
The Perseus myth is more than just a heroic adventure. Ancient sources highlight divine support and symbolism, with Medusa representing danger and fear. Stheno and Euryale appear briefly, mostly as immortal guardians mourning their sister. Interpretations vary, but the tale remains central to Greek mythology. Stories like this, much like real journeys in Seattle here or Miami here, show how narratives and travel both shape perspective.
 
I’ve been diving into Greek mythology lately, and one story that keeps catching my attention is the myth of Perseus and the Gorgons — especially Medusa.

I know the basic outline: Perseus is sent on a quest to bring back Medusa’s head, he receives help from the gods (like Athena and Hermes), and he manages to behead her by using a reflective shield so he won’t turn to stone. Then he escapes using winged sandals and later uses Medusa’s head as a weapon.

But beyond that, I realize I don’t know much about the deeper meaning or variations of the story. Were the other Gorgons, Stheno and Euryale, involved much in ancient sources? Was the myth originally meant to be a heroic tale, or did it have symbolic meaning for ancient Greeks?
Perseus is the Persian god Mithras/Mitra who sacrificed Haoma [Soma] the Moon god in bull form. See the constellations Perseus and Taurus. The Gorgons are the three Erinyes [Furies]. Phorcys is Ares [Norse Hildisvini/Calydonian Boar/Ninshubur/Nergal/Pelias] who attacked Adonis [Oeneus] in the form of a boar.
Ceto [Medea/Anahita/Angitia] was Phorcys' wife.
Scylla is Skyllaros meaning hermit-crab/constellation Cancer.Scylla was also called Megara or Megaera in Greek myth. Scylla is another name for Amphitrite, the wife of Poseidon [Neptune] and was called Nephthys in Egypt. Set is Poseidon [ Yam ] and Osiris is Hades [ Mavet/Mot ]. Amun is linked to Zeus [ Ammon ], but Amon-Ra is in reality Saturn.Roman Caelus is Greek Uranus [Anu]. Tanit [Mut] is Juno Caelestis [Aphrodite Urania].
Medusa is Echidna [ Viper-woman/Delphyne/Helice ],the wife of Set-Typhon [Telipinu].
Argus Panoptes [Celtic Esus; depicted cutting down a willow tree,the symbol of Hera of Samos], is, however,Horus/Sol [Erisichthon/Erichthonius].
Sol [Aton/Aten/sun-'disc'] is Perseus' discus.
Medusa [Scylla] lived in the far west [Scilly Isles].
Perseus' reflective shield with which he was able to slay Medusa using his harpes [Hebrew hereb/sickle]
is the aegis of Athena and is Kadmos/Cadmus [meaning round shield in Greek] and is a name for Aquarius [between Capricorn/Aegeus and Pisces/
Athene/Neith of Latopolis].Hence Ganymede [Khnum] was Catamitus in Rome. Scylla [Skyllaros] is the constellation Cancer and her face is reflected in the shield.
Medea [Anahita/Angitia/Anguitia/
Saranyu/Sirona/Seren/Asteria/Shala] as Virgo, was also reflected in the shield.
It is Scylla who is raped by Poseidon [Talos or Talaus,who is also called Polytekhnos/
Polytechnus].
It is Scylla [Medusa/Chelidon/Swallow] who is the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. Medusa [Ariadne/
Ariane/Arianrhod/Selene/Ariagne/Arachne] was killed by Perseus, with the assistance of Athena [Penelope/Anat/Antum].
Saranyu [Demeter Erinys] was chased and raped by Surya [Apollo]. Virgo or Cancer is the wicked stepmother in the story of Snow White [Chione in Greek/Athene/Brigid].Leo's head is shaped like a sickle. Autonoe[Harmonia] should be the wife of Cadmus [Aristaeus/
Autumnus/Atum]. Harmonia is Antimache.
Campaigns ended in Autumn. Arachne [Black Widow spider] is Scylla [Deianira/Aglaea/Anticleia].
See Sumerian Uttu who Enki seduced/raped.
Perseus was also called Theseus in Greek myth and Arthur Pendragon in Britain [ constellations Bootes/Arcturus and Draco].
As Perseus is a name of Pluto the name Theseus is likely to be linked to Thasos,
a source of gold ore [Aurora/Eos]
that Paros [Autolycus/Parnassus/Paros-Island] invaded.
Euryale [ 'Wide Sea'] was Aphrodite [Tamtu/Medea/Aphrodite], and Apollo Abae/Euryalus was Ares [Abas/Abzu]. Euryale [Danu] was the mother of Orion [Osiris/Vala/Vali] by Apollo [Linus/
Lynceus/Lug]. Linus and Danu were parents of Sati of Philae [Philyra/Linden tree/Philonoe/Phylonoe/Philonis/
Phaedra]. Minos is Daedalus [Daedalion/
Autolycus],son of Hermes and Chione.
Philyra was the mother of Chiron [Centaurus/anagram of Kurunta].
The three Gorgons are Venus [Morrigan].
Perseus Chrysogenia [Pluto/Mithras] is Theseus Aurigenia.
Thesauros/Thesaurus is Greek and Latin for treasure or treasure-house/treasury.
Zeus Ammon [Aegeus/Saturn/Priapus] was the father of Perseus [Mithras/Misharu/'Law'/Orion/Urien/Osiris]. Perseus was born from Zeus in the form of a shower of gold [golden shower]. Orion was born from Zeus' urine in Greek myth.
Arthurian Lot and Biblical Lot, son of Haran, are both Lleuad/Moon-god/Sin/Laban. Abraham is Mercury.
Terah is Tereus/Terambus/Triambika/Triopas i.e. Shiva [Dionysus/Osiris/Arthur Pendragon/Achilles]. Anahita [Lotis/Vesta/Medea/Ino/Halia/Anna] is Morrigan,
the wife of Lot [Lohita/Mangala/Menelaus] and the sister of Medraut [Daksha-Prajapati/Ammon/Amman/Hammon].
Gorge is the Gorgon Medusa. Andraemon is Androgeus [Indra]. Thoas is Thoth [Hermes/Odysseus].
Andromeda of Joppa [Greek Ioppe] is Iope [Phaedra],wife of Theseus [Perseus].
The Linden-tree [famous for its longevity]
was sacred to Freyja [Aphrodite/Rhea/Philyra/Merope,the daughter of Merops].
Poseidon and Medusa were the parents of Pegasus [Arion]. Arion is Uranus. Chrysaor was the father of Demeter Khrysaoros.
Aristaeus is Sol/Helios [Horus son of Isis/
Har sa Iset].Proteus [Shu/Cetes/Actaeon] is Periclymenus [Mercury]. Menelaus is Mangala [Ares/Phorcys]. Diodorus Siculus wrote that Proteus was also called Cetes.
Ceto [Aphrodite/Nut] was the daughter of Cetes [Proteus]. Set [Heracles] was said to have violently ripped himself from Nut's womb. Tithonus is Thutmosis IV. Memnon [Mnemon] is Amunhotep III. Proteus is Akhenaton [linked himself to Shu and his father to the Aton/Atum-Ra/Helios].
Theoclymenus and Busirus are Hades Clymenus [Osiris] and linked to Telegonus, husband of Io [Isis]. Iphigenia/Iphianassa is Ariadne/Medusa [Hera].
Crotopus is Erisichthon [Argus Panoptes/
Helios].Crotopus was the father of Proteus and Psamathe. Proteus and Psamathe were the parents of Linus [Cygnus constellation/Lot/Lohita].Linus was the father of Theoclymenus [Osiris/Arthur]. Brahma was the father of Kumara [see 4 kumaras]/Kartikeya/Cretheus/Mangala. Aethra [Aphrodite/Theia/Pitys] is the daughter of Aether/Atreus [Mercury/Uther/Acrisius] or Pittheus [Moon-god/Men/Proetus/Pirithous/Anpu].
Kartikeya's symbol was a rooster [Alectryon/Electryon].
Pollux [Mithras] is Phanes [Shiva/Dionysus].
Hades Clymenus [Pallas/Mavet/Mot] was the father of Neleus,
and was wounded defending him from the attack of Heracles,at Pylos. Clymene [Pero] is Athena.Bias [Merops/Aeetes] is Mercury.
Merope is Aphrodite [Pleione].Paean [Pan]
healed Hades. Pleione, mother of the Pleiades/Peleiades [doves/pigeons] is Aphrodite Area [Bellona].
 
Last edited:
That’s one of my favorite myths too! What’s fascinating is how Medusa’s story evolved over time. In early Greek art, all three Gorgons, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, were monstrous sisters, but only Medusa was mortal. Later interpretations, especially in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, turned her into a tragic figure, once beautiful, cursed by Athena after being violated by Poseidon in her temple.

Perseus’s quest was certainly a heroic tale, but symbolically it also represented the triumph of reason and divine order (Athena’s guidance) over chaos and the primal feminine force. The Gorgons weren’t just monsters, they embodied awe, fear, and the sacred feminine power the Greeks both revered and feared.
 

Who were the Greek Fates?

I've been spending a lot of time reading about Greek mythology lately, and one group of figures I keep coming across are the Greek Fates. The more I read, the more fascinating they seem. From what I understand, they were responsible for determining the course of every person's life, but I'd love to learn more from people who have studied the myths in greater depth.

How were the Fates viewed by the ancient Greeks? Were even the Olympian gods subject to their decisions, or did Zeus have authority over them? I've seen different interpretations depending on the source.

I'm also curious if there are any myths where the Fates play a particularly important role that you'd recommend reading. Greek mythology is such a deep subject, and I'm always looking for new stories and perspectives to explore. I'd love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!

Learning About Cronus of Greek Mythology

I’ve been learning more about Cronus lately and realized that I only knew the most basic parts of his story. I knew he was one of the Titans and the father of Zeus, but there is much more to his role in Greek mythology.

Cronus overthrew his own father, Uranus, and later became ruler during what was sometimes described as a Golden Age. He was also warned that one of his children would eventually overthrow him, which led to the famous story of him swallowing each of them after they were born. Zeus, of course, escaped that fate and eventually defeated him.

I’m curious how others view Cronus. Do you think of him mainly as a villain, or as a more complicated figure shaped by fear and prophecy? Are there any lesser-known stories about Cronus that you think are especially interesting or important to understanding him?

Which Greek myth feels most relevant to modern life?

I am curious, which Greek myths feel the most relevant to you in modern life? I’ve been thinking about this lately and I’m curious how others see it.

For me, the myth that feels most relevant right now is Narcissus. The focus on reflection, self-image, and the need for validation feels very familiar in a world shaped by social media. So much of modern life revolves around how we look, how we’re perceived, and how much attention or approval we receive.

The story feels less about vanity and more about becoming absorbed in an image and losing real connection in the process. That idea seems especially timely.

What about you? Which Greek myth feels most relevant to modern life, and what makes it stand out to you today?

Unsung Heroes of Greek Mythology?

Greek mythology is full of larger-than-life figures like Heracles, Odysseus, and Achilles, but I’ve always been fascinated by the lesser-known heroes who don’t get as much attention. There are so many incredible stories that fly under the radar: Meleager and the Calydonian Boar, Bellerophon taming Pegasus, or even Diomedes, who faced the gods themselves in battle.

I recently came across the story of Atalanta again, the only woman among the Argonauts, raised by a bear, unbeatable in a footrace, and I can’t believe she isn’t talked about more! These “side characters” often feel more human and relatable than the famous ones.

Which lesser-known hero (or heroine) stands out to you? Do you have a favorite overlooked myth or backstory that deserves more love? I’d love to hear which of these hidden legends captured your imagination and why.

Understanding Hades and the Greek Underworld

I’ve been spending some time reading Greek mythology purely out of curiosity, and I keep coming back to Hades and the Underworld. It’s often portrayed as something dark or frightening, but the more I read, the more complex it seems. Hades himself doesn’t always come across as evil so much as stern, bound by rules, and responsible for maintaining order among the dead.

I’m curious how others interpret the Greek Underworld as a whole. How did ancient Greeks actually understand it? Was it mainly a place of punishment, or more of a neutral destination for most souls? I’ve come across references to different regions like the Asphodel Meadows, Elysium, and Tartarus, and I’m trying to understand how these fit together in the broader belief system.

If you’ve studied this topic, read specific myths, or have favorite sources or interpretations, I’d love to hear how you make sense of Hades and the Underworld.
Share and discuss Greek mythology!

WorldwideGreeks.com is a free online forum community where people can discuss Greek food, travel, traditions, history and mythology.
Join Worldwide Greeks here!

JOIN COMMUNITY FOR FREE

LOGIN TO YOUR ACCOUNT
Back
Top