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Medusa was the most famous incarnation of the Writhing Dread, and by extension, the gorgons, a type of hybrid beast created by the Isu as part of the Olympos Project. Medusa was originally a human but taken over by an Atlantis artifact known as the Prize of the Medusa, to act as a guardian for it in order to seal the Gates of Atlantis.[1]
History[]
Myths[]
In Greek mythology, she was described as having had hair composed of live venomous snakes, wings and a gaze so deadly that all who faced it turned into stone. She was slain by the hero Perseus with a Sword of Eden,[2] a harpe according to legend, given to him by Hermes Trismegistus. Hermes also helped Perseus by giving him winged sandals, and the goddess Athena gave Perseus a bronze shield polished mirror-bright.[3]
After Perseus cut off her head, the winged foal Pegasos sprung from Medusa's neck,[3] along with his brother Chrysaor.[4]
Influence and legacy[]
In Korinthia, the story of Medusa inspired someone to carve a monumental statue of her grimacing head, known as the Cyclopean Head of Medusa, though later its creation was attributed to the Cyclopes.[5]
It was also said that after Perseus had brought Medusa's head to Argos, the head was found in a mound of earth near Argos' agora.[6]
During the Peloponnesian War, the Spartan misthios Kassandra was asked by the Spartan noblewoman Damia to tell the story of Perseus to her children Danae and Kristos and their friends.[3]
In 47 BCE, the Medjay Bayek of Siwa acquired a rare heavy weapon named after Medusa, owing to her ferocity.[7]
Behind the scenes[]
The mural depicting Perseus and Medusa in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is based on a painting on a hydria from the 6th century BCE.
Though the creature fought in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey memory Writhing Dead is in dialogue consistently referred to as the "Writhing Dread", during the battle the creature bears the name "Medusa".[8]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed III: Liberation (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Origins (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (artwork only)
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (artwork only)
References[]
- ↑ Mel MacCoubrey (@melqartiii) on Twitter "Yeah it's a person that comes in contact with the artifact and then their image manifests as one of the guardians based on which artifact they hold." (screenshot)
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Glyph #5: "Instruments of Power"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – A Treasury of Legends
- ↑ Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece – Arkadia: The Cattle of Geryon
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Historical Locations – Korinthia: Cyclopean Head of Medusa
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Historical Locations – Argolis: Buried Head of Medusa]]
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Origins
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey