MEDUSA (Μέδουσα)
(Photo by Leon Grodski de Barrera)
Hailing from a Greek island, Medusa carries a destiny forever commanded by the sea. On the verge of sunrise one morning, as schools of glistening red mullet fish met the sun and turned the day a fiery red, a little girl was found skipping through the sand, her long tresses waving against a bright sky. Villagers quickly spinned stories and deemed her a goddess; to this day, her immortality is unclear. Growing up, Medusa carried with her both the pleasure and burden of a passionate culture striving toward balance. Just as the sea roars and whips on a wave of tempestuous strength one moment and subsides into a calm, sizzling tide the next, Medusa’s life was fated to extremes. Forced into the spotlight because of the mysterious intrigue attached to her origins, Medusa was consistently pursued by suitors blinded by legend. They could never see into her heart, she always said. As passionate and feminine as she felt, she was much happier being free, tending to her goats, enraptured in books of poetry or dancing on mountaintops. One day, a particular suitor with connections to Mt. Olympus felt especially slighted. Medusa woke up along the shore with a seething headache. She walked into the sea and was met with a new reflection – her tresses transformed into slithering snakes and a face more hideous than her goat’s. She glanced over at a nearby fisherman in shock. He mistakenly looked into her eyes and instantly turned into stone. Medusa pondered her predicament and considered this forced metamorphoses a sign. Her feminist heart sung as she ravaged the village searching for all the hateful, heartless people who thought a woman’s place was beside a man as his trophy. With one look, she petrified them all and set out maniacally to release all the tightly-coiled energy now unleashed by this new persona. She found strength as a warrior, proving that beauty is defined by one’s determination to fight against unjust oppressive powers. She found her place as a true luchadora at the wrestling games in Athens, leading to stints around the world. Lucha libre set her free from society’s expectations. Her innate extremes, though, will never die. Medusa’s smile is as pure as her heart, but, when challenged, so is her anger…
