Read Hesiod’s Theogony 270–286 and Ovid’s Metamorphoses 4.790–803. Both belong to the history of Medusa, but they were composed in different languages and periods and give different information.
Learning task
Record what each passage says about Medusa’s identity and the origin of her appearance. Note what is absent from each account. Then write a short introduction that identifies the version being retold.
Model response
Hesiod places Medusa among the Gorgons and distinguishes her mortality from the immortality of her sisters. Ovid supplies the influential story in which her hair is changed after Neptune violates her in Minerva’s temple. The second account should not be inserted into Hesiod as if it were a detail he happened to leave unstated.
Why this matters
Ancient authors can share a mythic figure while shaping very different narratives. Recognizing the differences improves both accuracy and interpretation. It also helps readers recognize a later creative retelling when it changes the ancient story again.
Extend the exercise
Write two sentences about a modern interpretation of Medusa, explicitly identifying it as modern. The goal is to understand its relationship to the earlier sources, not to deny later readers the freedom to interpret them.