It has been around for many centuries. The first tattoo was discovered on a princess of Ukok in the 5th century BC. In the novels of many famous writers from different countries, such as Beaumarchais, V. Hugo, people with “signs” and “symbols” on their bodies are described. The term “tattoo” was brought to Europe by J. Cook after a trip to Tahiti. The body designs of the Rus were first mentioned in 920 in the stories of the Arab traveler Ibn Fadlan.
Then for many centuries our ancestors did not have a tradition of making tattoos. Then tattoos began to be done by sailors on ships in the early 20th century. Then the criminals picked up the tradition. Of course, there was no talk of any art here. They just wanted to stand out, to indicate their hierarchy and belonging to the criminal world.
And only in recent years has the tradition of simply decorating your body with drawings come to our country; the masters are famous throughout the world, considered one of the best, especially the masters of St. Petersburg and Moscow. Many styles have emerged. Tattoo festivals are held. In tattoo parlors, there may be a waiting list for a good artist for several months in advance. People from Europe come to them to leave an unforgettable design on their bodies. The Gorgon Medusa tattoo is very popular.
The legend of the death glare
The youngest daughter of the sea elder, Medusa, was one of three sisters. She had very beautiful hair. The sea god Poseidon really wanted to get her, and the girl disappeared, not wanting to see him. The insidious Poseidon turned into a bird, flew into the temple and possessed it. The goddess Athena was angry at such treachery in her temple and, instead of punishing God, she turned the unfortunate girl into a monster. Instead of her wonderful hair there were evil hydras, and when they looked at her, people turned to stone.
Over time, the girl’s heart became so hardened by this horror that she deliberately began to kill people. Only Perseus, with the help of Athena's advice, was able to overcome the monster, cutting off its head with a sword. He looked only at the reflection of the Gorgon in the shield.
The meaning of tattoos for men
Men choose the Gorgon Medusa tattoo because of its severity and strong energy. Often guys choose it in the form of a severed head, thereby symbolizing their invincibility and fearlessness. The deceit of women does not affect the wearer of the Gorgon Medusa tattoo. He considers himself invulnerable under a woman's magical gaze.
If she is depicted in full growth, with all the curves of her body, then this has the meaning of terrible deceit. The guy wants to show that outwardly he can be alone, soft and balanced, but in his soul there is a riot going on. The furious look of the Gorgon is chosen by guys who want to show their fearlessness and fortitude. It’s better not to approach this; a retaliatory strike will not be long in coming.
The meaning of the Gorgon Medusa tattoo for women
The woman who chose such a tattoo wants to show her willfulness and magical sexuality. She is an outwardly beautiful woman, but try to offend me. Revenge will be unpredictable. Also, the Gorgon Medusa tattoo is chosen by independent and proud girls who want to show that it is not recommended to “play cat and mouse” with them. They can stand up for themselves. Sometimes women choose this image to emphasize their mystery. Rarely, there are cases when a deceived woman takes on such an image in order to protect herself from the attacks of the unworthy. The tattoo gives her strength and self-confidence, shows others that she is better than her, that she will not bear insults, and no one will be able to offend her.
Preparing for a tattoo
Before applying the image on the body, the master must make a sketch. The salons have albums with samples, and the client chooses a suitable tattoo from them. More often than not, people look at tattoos on the Internet before going to the salon. Having chosen, for example, a “Gorgon Medusa” tattoo, the photo is shown to the artist in the salon. Usually tattoo artists work only in their own style. If the master’s work style is neotradition, then he will not want to do a tattoo in realism or finished work. Especially if it is a good master.
Usually a professional tattoo artist is a good artist and draws the designs himself. In order for the master to make an individual sketch, you need to come to him in advance and make an application. As the drawing progresses, the tattoo artist may suggest adding different elements to the plot. If you like the idea, he will finish it. However, super cool artists like to tattoo only according to their vision, so that their work can be recognized by their handwriting. So the client just has to obey and proudly bear the masterpiece of the famous tattoo artist.
Types and location on the body
The size of the tattoo is chosen according to desire and location. If the tattoo is on an arm or leg, then, of course, these will be small or medium-sized pictures. If you decide to stuff it on your back or chest, you can take a large size. There are color and black sketches.
The meaning of the Gorgon Medusa tattoo demonstrates strength and courage; it can have an evil, scary face, with fangs and furious mouths. The severed head is depicted with its eyes closed, blood flowing from the neck. Sometimes the image is complemented with roses, especially if it is old school. Also, the location of the snakes in different sketches differs from one another. Sometimes a mask is painted on the face.
When choosing a tattoo for yourself, you need to think carefully and carefully about what exactly you will have to wear on your body for the rest of your life. Read the meaning of the tattoo and decide whether it matches your character. It happens that even a weak person is given courage by a beautiful tattoo that has strong energy.
Moving snakes instead of a shock of hair, a murderous gaze that turns to stone, and at the same time a pretty woman’s face - that’s how she is, the mythical Gorgon Medusa. Of course, a tattoo with this creature cannot but attract attention. So, tattoos with the image of a gorgon are preferred by strong-willed people who know the taste of danger and love increased attention to their own person. An ominous gorgon tattoo is a kind of challenge to society.
The meaning of a gorgon tattoo is danger, deceit, and potential threat. Women who get gorgon tattoos tell the world about their resourcefulness, cunning and willingness to turn everything they don’t like into stone (not in the literal sense, of course, but figuratively). In this case, there is a direct associative connection between the insidious jellyfish and the woman.
A gorgon tattoo can be a talisman for the owner who has “tamed” this mythical creature. Then the magnetic gaze of the gorgon will protect him from ill-wishers. The Gorgon tattoo is clearly interpreted in different countries, since the myths of Ancient Greece are a heritage of world culture.
Medusa Gorgon is a very dangerous creature from ancient Greek mythology; she had the terrible gift of turning people to stone with just one glance. Perseus managed to defeat her with the help of a mirror shield, which reflected the deadly gaze.
A tattoo with the image of the insidious Gorgon jellyfish is the choice of creative, bright personalities who are no stranger to shocking. Such a tattoo is guaranteed to attract the close attention of others.
Due to the many details in the composition of the drawing. A gorgon tattoo cannot be made miniature. And, of course, special attention is paid to the gorgon’s “signature” magnetic gaze. The meaning of a gorgon tattoo is a potential threat, deceit and cunning hidden for the time being, but capable of appearing at any moment.
Also, a tattoo depicting this mythical monster has another meaning. A gorgon tattoo protects its owner from enemies, protects from troubles, scaring away with its creepy appearance. This tattoo can be successfully combined with other tattoos; they can be either a single large-scale “canvas” or separate fragments of one image.
Ancient Greek mythology was reflected in culture: ancient painters depicted gods, monsters and titans with oil paints on canvas, and sculptors carved heroes from marble. Modern creators continue to admire the culture of the inhabitants of the southeastern state. And, of course, the terrifying Gorgon Medusa still continues to inspire artists and directors to new feats.
History of appearance
Medusa is one of the Gorgon sisters, monsters who had poisonous snakes instead of hair. In the later version of the myth, which was conveyed in a work called “Metamorphoses,” the reason for the appearance of mystical creatures was.
The fact is that the angry goddess of organized war turned Medusa and her sisters into monsters after the ruler of the sea waves, who turned into a bird, took possession of Medusa in the temple of the goddess - there Medusa was hiding from persecution. Before her “reincarnation,” Medusa was an attractive girl with beautiful hair.
However, there is another variation of the legend, according to which the sisters of the unfortunate snake-haired girl - Euryale and Stheno - themselves wanted to become monsters out of compassion for their relative. They were immortal, while Medusa died from the sword of her son -. According to another version, the gorgons were the children of Typhon and Echidna.
In addition, some researchers have presented their own hypotheses about monsters. Scientists believe that gorgons are spirits of storms and cold winters, which periodically visit Boreas, located in the north of Ancient Greece.
However, this is not surprising, because from the gaze of Medusa and her sisters, even the water is covered with thin ice, and the Gorgons themselves fly through the air faster than the wind. The otherworldly nature of the relatives is indicated by the fact that they were given birth to by Forkis and Keto, that is, the foremother of sea monsters and the personification of the stormy sea. This means that Gorgons are chthonic monsters - creatures that originally personified the natural power of the earth, the embodiment of the hostile elements of water and air.
Others find a certain “dragon-like” appearance in the appearance of the Gorgons. The sisters' entire body was covered with scales as strong as steel, which only a sword could cut; their mouth was decorated with sharp fangs, and their fingers were long claws. The person who encountered these monsters on the way was unlucky: they tore the unfortunate man’s flesh and drank his blood. Some believed that gorgons only killed men. Scientists point to Medusa's resemblance to characters such as the old snake, which appeared in Slavic myths.
Russian and Soviet philosopher Yakov Golosovker believed that the Gorgons, along with the Grays and other mystical creatures, are the remnants of the pre-Olympic pantheon, but in the minds of the Greeks they gradually turned into monsters, which was facilitated by the influence of the “Olympians”. The ancients believed that the gorgons embodied the danger emanating from the distant West.
Medusa Gorgon in myths
Of the three sisters, only Medusa the Gorgon could turn all living things into stone. She literally enchanted with her own gaze. Perhaps the heroine of ancient Greek myths would have lived a quiet life in the far West near the banks of the Ocean River and fed on people, but Perseus killed the mortal Gorgon.
The son of Zeus was unlucky from birth. His grandfather King Acrisius received a prediction from the oracle that he was destined to fall at the hands of his own grandson. Therefore, initially he did not allow potential suitors near his daughter Danae, and when the girl had a son from the cunning Zeus, the owner of the crown imprisoned his daughter and grandson in a box and threw it into the sea.
The wooden box sailed to the island of Seriphos, which was ruled by Polydectes. The king fell in love with the beautiful Danaya, who did not reciprocate his feelings. Then the ruler wanted with all his might to gain the woman’s attention, and in her young son Perseus the king saw an obstacle preventing him from accomplishing his plan. One day, Polydectes allegedly doubted the divine origin of a young man, so he asked him to perform a similar feat and bring the head of Medusa. Perseus, wanting to prove to the ruler his blood connection with the thunderer Zeus, set off on a journey.
The ancient Greek hero could not have dealt with the monsters alone, so Athena and Hermes contributed to his heroic feat. The goddess of war gave Perseus a polished copper shield, in which everything was reflected as if in a mirror, and the young man received a curved sword from the patron of trade.
On the advice of his allies, Perseus went to the prophetic old women Graia (sisters of the Gorgons), who between them had one tooth and one eye. By cunning, the young man stole their secret things and then exchanged the loot for an invisibility cap, winged sandals and a magic bag. Among other things, the old women showed him the way to the Gorgons.
Having walked through terrible and dense forests, Perseus found the refuge of Medusa and her sisters. Using his enchanted attributes, he cut off Medusa's head, put it in a bag and ran away from the angry Gorgons. Since Perseus looked at the monster with the help of a shield, he did not turn to stone.
It is worth noting that Medusa’s abilities survived even after her death: everyone who looked at her severed head turned into a lifeless block of marble. Perseus took advantage of this, saving Andromeda and destroying the kingdom of Polydectes.
According to legend, during the duel with Perseus, Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon. Therefore, when she was beheaded, her children came out with a stream of blood - the winged horse Pegasus and the giant Chrysaor. The hero hid the Gorgon's head in a bag, and while traveling through Libya, the blood seeped through the fabric and turned into poisonous snakes that destroyed all life in this hot place. And from the flow of blood that fell into the waters, corals appeared - this is what the local legend says.
The god of medicine and healing, Asclepius, used the blood of Medusa. According to legend, the one that flowed from the left side of the head was poisonous and killed everyone alive in the blink of an eye, while the other, flowing from the right hemisphere, saved people’s lives.
Film adaptations
Famous directors also admire the myths of Ancient Greece, which migrated from the works of writers to the big screen. Let's consider popular cinematic works with the participation of Medusa the Gorgon.
Director Chris Columbus, whose track record includes films about, brought the writer’s book to the screens in the film “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief” (2010). The plot tells the story of a demigod, the son of Poseidon, who lives in modern America. When the boy learned of his divine origin, he faced a series of troubles.
The antagonist Medusa Gorgon was played by a favorite
Thanks to cartoons and fairy tales, even small children know what Gorgon Medusa looks like now. A beautiful woman with snakes for hair. The beauty who struck the god of the seas Poseidon in the very heart, but then herself suffered from his treachery.
Athena, burning with anger, brought down an unfair punishment on the unfortunate woman, turning her into a monster capable of killing with just one look. Unable to bear this fate and injustice, the Gorgon began to kill innocent people, unleashing her rage on them.
Anyone who tried to get close to her became a stone. Only Perseus was able to destroy the Gorgon Medusa, looking at her through a mirror shield.
History of tattoo
The Gorgon Medusa tattoo has been popular for many years. Such an image systematically appeared in the criminal environment, especially the peak of popularity of such drawings occurred in the 70s of the 20th century. Women prisoners then decorated themselves with Medusa. Its only meaning was: I will avenge evil.
Medusa Gorgon was revered as a talisman. The purpose of such a tattoo was to protect the owner from evil and injustice.
Over the years, Medusa Gorgon has ceased to be an adornment only for criminals. Gradually it came to the peaceful law-abiding population. Now she is popular among bohemians. It is filled by creative individuals seeking to express their inner world. They draw tattoos for both girls and men.
Meaning
Medusa Gorgon is a very controversial tattoo; it is worth remembering the history of the heroine herself. She personifies the combination of beauty and ugliness, rebirth from beauty to monster, love and betrayal, unfair punishment and revenge, victory over evil.
Now the meaning of the Gorgon tattoo is:
- duality of character of the carrier;
- ability to defend oneself;
- moderate aggression, reluctance to attack first;
- deceit.
Girls paint such a picture, as if talking about their magical look that kills. By this they emphasize their attractiveness and willfulness.
By the way, the symbol of the Versace house is the head of the Gorgon Medusa, and therefore some people get such an image on themselves, trying to emphasize their belonging to the fashion world.
Where to stuff
Masters recommend painting such a design on large areas of the body to emphasize all its beauty and exoticism. A small drawing will not convey all the dark charms of this image. But some are content with only a symbolic image, which in this case will only be a talisman, and not an adornment of the body.