The story of the gorgons is actually quite pathetic. It goes something like this:
Once upon a time there was a beautiful woman named Medusa (don't freak, just hear me out). Medusa caught the attention of Poseidon, god of the sea. So together they planned a date. It was to take place in Athena's Temple.
Medusa acquired the help of her two sisters, Stheno and Euryale, to get her into the temple. This entire thing generally upset Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. Athena already shared a rocky history with Poseidon (see The Story of Athens), so, as you can imagine, Athena did not take pleasure with him bringing his latest fling in for a date in her house. As a punishment, Athena then turned Medusa and her sisters into the three gorgons. Medusa got an extra special punishment with her petrifying (literally) eyes.
Later, Medusa was killed by the hero Perseus and and out of her severed neck came the beautiful winged-horse Pegasus.
Sad huh.
We have never been quite clear on the appearance of Medusa and her sisters except the fact that they are absolutely hidious. Here is a list of some popular gorgon attributes:
Snake hair
Fangs
Boar tusks
Chicken legs
Wings
Scaled skin
Serpent Body
Bronze hands/claws
They sound like happy beings don't they?
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