Medusa's Transformation

Medusa is the snake haired gorgon woman whose gaze turns men to stone. She was beheaded by Perseus who avoided her gaze with the use of a mirror. In some images she also has huge feathered wings. Her snake haired image is emblazoned on the aegis (shield/armour) of Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and is a symbol of protection. This piece is made with smoky quartz, labradorite, serpentine and garnet. In Medusa’s story her power was that whatever she looked upon would turn to stone, transformed by the power of her gaze. This has been used as metaphor in many ways from a powerful weapon of self-protection, to the power of the feminine gaze to bring about crippling desire in those who meet it. She is both monster and most beautiful. She is a paradox whose power is transformation itself, yet in understanding her story we can find that perspective itself also can transform.