Hesiod, a later Greek poet, expanded the number of Gorgons to three: Stheno (the Mighty), Euryale (the Far Springer), and Medusa (the Queen), and made them the children of the sea deity Phorcys and his sister-wife Ceto. According to some sources, they were also half-sisters of Ares and Athena.
They lived in what is now Greece, around 800 B.C., and their stories were very popular throughout Europe at that time. The sight of their names was said to be enough to turn anyone to stone.
Stheno kept her face concealed under a helmet, while Euryale had only one eye and Medusa was represented with snakes for hair. They all lived in Sicily too, around 500 B.C.
It's possible that these characters may have inspired other women to take on multiple masculine titles in order to appear more powerful. For example, the Egyptian queen Nitocris adopted the title "King's Daughter" to demonstrate her authority over others. She did this by wearing a crown designed by her husband and carrying a scepter in public ceremonies.
In ancient Greece, it was common for men to use symbolism to indicate their status or role within society.
Gorgon is a mythical Greek monster. According to some sources, they were even married to Poseidon in order to gain dominion over the ocean.
Gorgons were female monsters with hair of living death, venomous stings for teeth, and claws for hands. They were protected by powerful charms that would turn anyone who looked at them to stone. The Gorgons were famous for their hideous faces and scaly skin, but they were also described as having brazen tails that could sweep away heroes who challenged them to battle.
Gods or not, the Gorgons were certainly fearsome creatures. No one dared look at them directly because if you did, you would turn to stone. However, many myths have come down to us about Gorgons.
Medusa (queen or ruler) was one of the three Gorgon sisters, born to the sea deity Phorcys and Ceto (Phorcys' wife and sister). Stheno (strength) and Euryale were the other two sisters (wide-leaping). Medusa, according to the Greek poet Hesiod, resided among the Hesperides in the Western Ocean at Sarpedon. She was described as a beautiful woman with hair that flowed down her back like the rays of the sun and eyes that could turn people to stone.
According to myth, Medusa killed her husband Sarpedon when he disobeyed her order not to go to war. After his death, she became ruler of the Mimallons who lived near the coast of Lycia in what is now Turkey. It is from this tribe that Jason and the Argonauts received their quest when they went looking for the Golden Fleece.
After becoming queen, Medusa married Phegeus son of Agenor, a prince from Crete. They had two children named Palamedes and Pelopia who became queens of Crete later on. One day while walking in the palace garden with her children, Medusa was attacked by Perseus who was sent by his father Zeus to kill him. In order to do so, he used his sharp sword to cut off her head which still produces snakes instead of hair. When Medusa's body fell to the ground, her children fled in fear; only Palamedes stayed behind to fight against Perseus.
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