History Main / Medusa

* The title character from ''Webcomic/ModestMedusa'' is a friendly medusa child. Her gaze does not petrify, the venom of her snake hair does. [[spoiler:It is eventually revealed that medusas are the larval form of hydras. Over time, as the snake hair grows larger, the human parts will eventually shrivel up and die, leaving only the snake heads attached to a snake body.]]]

* In VideoGame/{{Majesty}}, Medusa are a type of enemy, who not only have snakes for hair, but are also serpent from the waist down. ''The Northern Expansion'' introduces the stronger Greater Gorgons.

* The song "[[https://youtube.com/watch?v=c4WCK8P-LHg Medusa]]" by folk artist Music/HeatherDale (which provides the page quote) describes a Medusa who has chosen to own her identity as a monster in the face of other people's scorn.

* The title character from ''Webcomic/ModestMedusa'' is a harmless medusa child.

The other origin is that Medusa was a virgin priestess of Athena, but her incredibly beauty attracted the attentions of the god Poseidon. Reciprocating, she (with a little help from her sisters) let Poseidon into Athena's temple and slept with him on the altar. Athena, understandably pissed that her priestess not only broke her vows but did the nasty in her temple, punished her by turning her into her new hideous form. She was then banished to a desolate island until Perseus slew her.

* During the (first) Creator/GregRucka run, Franchise/WonderWoman fought "Medousa", who has the requisite stone-gaze, ''plus'' the claws and wings, ''[[ComboPlatterPowers plus]]'' a CompellingVoice to force people to look at her. [[spoiler:Diana protected herself by [[EyeScream using a piece of the snake-mane to squirt venom into her own eyes]], and then decapitated Medousa.]] Several runs earlier, Diana faced a much-less intelligent (but only slightly less deadly) Medusa during a tournament to choose a new Wonder Woman. Petrification from ''this'' one [[NoOntologicalInertia ended as soon as it died]].

Medusa is the trope namer to GorgeousGorgon. Some of her depictions make her one of the SnakePeople.

* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' features the actual Medusa (or, more precisely, her Heroic Spirit, i.e. superpowered ghost) as the Servant [[spoiler:Rider]], under the backstory of having been born as an incomplete goddess that was mocked and cursed. While her eyes still turn people into stone, her "snake hair" is explained to be a negative exaggeration of her [[RapunzelHair really long and luxurious hair]]...however, it turns out it would be more accurate to call this Medusa as the one ''before'' she became a monster. She also has the ability to summon her son Pegasus as a mount. One summonable version of her in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' (specifically summoning her as the Gorgon of legend) ''does'' have the snakes for hair and all versions of her can apparently shift to [[SuperPoweredEvilSide the monster she eventually became at the end of her life at the cost of her sanity]], which can only be described as a [[EldritchAbomination giant monster made of snakes that can shoot lasers from its single eye]]. A third summonable version appears in the form of a child that represents her time as a goddess, wielding the weapon that in myth was used by Perseus to decapitate her.

* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' features the actual Medusa (or, more precisely, her Heroic Spirit, i.e. superpowered ghost) as the Servant [[spoiler:Rider]]. While her eyes still turn people into stone, her "snake hair" is explained to be a negative exaggeration of her [[RapunzelHair really long and luxurious hair]]...however, it turns out it would be more accurate to call this Medusa as the one ''before'' she became a monster. She also has the ability to summon her son Pegasus as a mount. One summonable version of her in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' (specifically summoning her as the Gorgon of legend) ''does'' have the snakes for hair and all versions of her can apparently shift to [[SuperPoweredEvilSide the monster she eventually became at the end of her life at the cost of her sanity]], which can only be described as a [[EldritchAbomination giant monster made of snakes that can shoot lasers from its single eye]].

* ''LightNovel/KagerouDaze'': Azami, an immortal being as old as the planet whose long black hair grows as snakes. She can petrify people with eye-contact, but she controls when/if that happens. [[spoiler:She also happens to be the source of the cast's eye powers and creator of the Heat Haze world]]. She and her descendants (daughter Shion and granddaughter Mary) are called 'medusae' as a species, and regarded as monsters. Shion and Mary also inherited her abilities, but they get weaker as the medusa-blood is diluted (Shion is a HalfHumanHybrid, hence her daughter is only 1/4 medusa) - by Mary's generation, the most she can do is freeze people in place for a few minutes at a time and make her hair wiggle like snakes when highly emotional.

* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' cartoon captioned "Medusa Starts Her Day" featuring one of his dowdy, bespectacled women showering, wearing a shower-cap through which a snake has poked its head.
** Another cartoon has Medusa growing up (her snake hair becoming GirlishPigtails, braids, beehive...).
* The Franchise/MarvelUniverse used to feature a supervillain/superhero named [[http://marvel.wikia.com/Medusalith_Amaquelin_(Earth-616) Medusa.]] Her superpower was [[PrehensileHair long hair that could be used as tentacles to grab people]]. She was in the Comicbook/FantasticFour for a while. She was eventually PutOnABus to go and live in space with her fellow [[ComicBook/TheInhumans Inhumans]], and mostly appears in Marvel Cosmic books these days.

* During the (first) Creator/GregRucka run, Franchise/WonderWoman fought "Medousa", who has the requisite stone-gaze, ''plus'' the claws and wings, ''[[ComboPlatterPowers plus]]'' a CompellingVoice to force people to look at her. [[spoiler:Diana protected herself by [[EyeScream using a piece of the snake-mane to squirt venom into her own eyes]], and then decapitated Medousa.]]
** Several runs earlier, Diana faced a much-less intelligent (but only slightly less deadly) Medusa during a tournament to choose a new Wonder Woman. Petrification from ''this'' one [[NoOntologicalInertia ended as soon as it died]].

* ''{{Discworld}}'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5464274/1/So-You-Think-You-Had-A-Bad-Hair-Day Bad Hair Day]]'', by Creator/AAPessimal, expands on the throwaway canonical mention of a Medusa as a Watchwoman, explores the particular day-by-day trials of a gorgon policewoman, and expands on the Discworld's Fantasy Counterpart of UsefulNotes/{{Greece}}, Ephebe.

* In the first ''Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' film, she's played by Creator/UmaThurman. So, not so much hideous. When she discovers that Percy is the son of Poseidon, she snarks "[[FromACertainPointOfView I used to date your daddy."]]

* In Dante's ''[[Literature/TheDivineComedy Inferno]]'', Dante and his guide Virgil are initially barred from entering Lower Hell at the Gate of Dis in Circle Six. Those at the gate threaten to bring out Medusa to turn Dante to stone; Virgil, not trusting Dante to keep his own eyes closed, covers Dante's eyes with his own hands while they wait for divine aid to come to let them pass through.

* Medusa heads are a recurring enemy in the ''{{Franchise/Castlevania}}'' games, with the gold variant able to inflict a petrification StatusEffect starting in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood''. Many games of the series have Medusa herself appear as a {{Snake Pe|ople}}rson. Two games have her appear as a gigantic head instead for some reason.

* ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'' has Medusa as the boss for Route B of the Ancient Temple Ruins. Here, she has the lower body of a snake, scaly green skin, and monstrous clawed hands in addition to the traditional snakes for hair. In addition to her petrifying gaze, she could also summon snakes and shoot EyeBeams. Completing the Request to defeat her solo reveals her history. [[spoiler:Combining both of the classical Medusa origin stories, this Medusa is the youngest of the three Gorgon sisters who desecrated the resident Athena {{Expy}}'s temple by meeting with men there, whereupon [[DisproportionateRetribution she was turned into a monster as punishment]]. She then hid herself away with her sisters, who stayed with her out of pity, until she started showing up again at the temple]].

* ''Webcomic/TheStoryOfAnima'' [[http://tapastic.com/episode/43378 has a little girl in a straight jacket with gigantic snakes for hair appropriately named Medusa, or "Medi", for short]].

* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''. The show had Sedusa; a character with tentacle-like hair (wasn't snakes but definitely had a life of its own) whose speciality was to, [[MeaningfulName yes]], [[InstantSeduction seduce men]].

* In ''Disney/{{Hercules}}'', Medusa was TheWoobie, who makes a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with Hades]] to make herself look like a regular girl.

* Medusa appears in ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]'' thanks to Franchise/WonderWoman connecting the Greek pantheon to this show. Franchise/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} have to be blindfolded in order to meet her - and she sounds like she was raised in New York.

* ''Webcomic/SkinDeep'': Gorgons are a very rare species of AlwaysFemale magical creatures resembling human women with snakes for hair, scaly skin, brass claws and great feathered wings, as well as the famous petrifying gaze. The gorgon shopkeeper Madame U, the only gorgon character in the comic, is blind, and as a result does not have her deadly gaze any longer. The eyes and tongues of her snake hair still work fine, though, giving her a limited ability to see and feel the world through them.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has been known to throw in Medusas in the background, so far without ever being part of the plot. There is one standing in line for the ladies' bathroom in the first dungeon the [=PCs=] explore.
** One of the bonus strips in the Dragon Magazine book depicts Durkon meeting a medusa who is being employed by a dwarf to create cheap building materials. Not that there are many job openings for medusas:

* ''Webcomic/TheWotch'' has Scott, who perennially is petrified (and turned into the opposite sex). On one occasion, this happened when his girlfriend was temporarily changed into a Medusa and looked at him, after ''he'd'' been turned into a female elf. They both got better.
** Naturally, it happens ''just'' after he says, after getting turned into a female elf, [[TemptingFate that at least he can still move this time]].

* She is the main character of ''Webcomic/OlympusInstitute''.

* She's one of the main characters in ''WebComic/{{Nightmarish}}'', portrayed as a [[Main/{{Pun}} ston]][[Main/TheStoner er]] with Main/BlindingBangs

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* She's one of the main characters in ''[[https://nightmarish-adventures.tumblr.com Nightmarish]]'', portrayed as a [[Main/{{Pun}} ston]][[Main/TheStoner er]] with Main/BlindingBangs

* Medusa is the AlphaBitch for Athena in the children book series, "Goddess Girls".

* Medusa shows up in the first ''VideoGame/GodOfWar''. Her sister Eurayle was also a boss in the second game. In both games, Kratos chops off their heads and uses them as weapons to petrify enemies.

* In ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'', chosing to worship Hera when you advance to the Mythic Age lets you train Medusae at your temple. Yes, Medusae, [[AKindOfOne plural]]. As expected, their special ability lets them turn one enemy unit into stone (except Seige Weapons and Heroes). Their scientific name is ''Gorgon chrysaorus'' (while the genus is obvious, the species derivates from Chrysaor, her son with Poseidon).

[[folder:Anime And Manga]]

* MagicTheGathering has its fair share of Gorgons. Most of them have some variety of Deathtouch, which will destroy any creature that gets close to them.
** One that deserves particular mention is the [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=253728 Xathrid Gorgon]] which is the only one to actually [[TakenForGranite petrify]] its enemies.
** Special mention also goes to the gorgon [[DimensionalTraveler planeswalker]] [[Characters/MagicTheGatheringPlaneswalkersPostMending Vraska]].
* In ''{{TabletopGame/Pathfinder}}'', Medusas are rather tragic, as they are not innately evil, but rather are driven to pursue their dark desires out of spite, scornful of those who shun them for their curse. They can mate with any race capable of reproduction with humans, although their children are always female and always bear their curse. They also have literal hearts of stone that are constantly petrifying and un-petrifying themselves, and the places they live [[WalkingWasteland tend to be blighted]] because their petrifying gaze indiscriminately wipes out the local wildlife (including pollinators such as birds and insects).
** The 6th Bestiary introduces the Euryale, an epically powerful Medusa variant supposedly representing ancient Medusa {{sages}} corrupted by [[OneBadMother Lamashtu]]. They have the lower body of a giant serpent, with stony plate-like scales and are ''enormously'' more powerful -- Challenge Rating 20, which is just behind things on the level of DemonLordsAndArchDevils! As well as the spellcasting abilities of 18th level Oracles, they have a wide array of extra abilities. For starters, not only can they turn the petrified corpses of their victims into [[AnimateInanimateObject animated statue defenders]], but if those corpses [[LiterallyShatteredLives shatter]], they can "consume some of the victim's essence" and [[VampiricHealing restore health by doing so]]. Perhaps not coincidentally, they also have several powerful [[MakeMeWannaShout sonic attacks]], in the form of spell-like abilities for Greater Shout, sonic analogues of Fireball, and even the "kills you if you hear it" Wail of the Banshee spell, and a special trait that makes it easier for them to shatter petrified creatures with their sonic attacks. Their venom and their serpents are much nastier than those of their little sisters, and they can turn any blunt weapon they wield into a Rod of the Viper -- an enchanted item consisting of a [[LivingWeapon live and angry serpent]] they can use to simultaneously beat someone to death and bite repeatedly with venomous fangs. Oh, except their version can also spit fangs like poisoned darts.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Banestorm}}'' has a ''race'' of medusas, with the traditional features (including a petrifying gaze weapon — just looking at one is okay, which may be just as well given that they tend to be [[GorgeousGorgon quite good-looking]]). They are always female; they interbreed with humans, elves, or orcs to produce more medusas (or occasional male babies with a recessive medusa gene). Unfortunately, the petrifying gaze thing means that they are widely treated as monsters, which may in turn be enough to explain their mostly negative view of other races. One online article describes an island village on this game-world ruled by a noble family whose womenfolk are all, unbeknownst to the outside world, medusas.

** In 2nd edition, Medusas are a race that resemble elven maidens with serpents for hair and the ability to petrify with their gaze, even affecting creatures on the Ethereal or Astral Planes (which they can see into). Approximately 10% of the females are "Greater Medusae", who have super-toxic blood and [[SnakePeople a giant snake's body in lieu of humanoid legs]]. There are also male Medusae, called Maedar, who appear as [[BizarreSexualDimorphism bald muscular elven men]]. Maedar are ridiculously rare; whereas female Medusae produce 2-6 Medusa daughters by [[InterspeciesRomance mating with human men]], the result of a Medusa/Maedar coupling is 2-6 offspring, with 25% being male and the remaining 75% being female. Only ''1%'' of the males are Maedar; the rest of them, and ''all'' of the females, are pure human. In addition to lacking the hair-snakes, Maedar have no petrifying gaze; instead, they are immune to petrification, paralyzation and Medusa venom, can walk through stone, and can undo petrification with a touch.
** In editions 3 and 3.5, Medusae are an AlwaysFemale species with a humanoid body but serpentine skin. See page illustration. Petrifying Gaze attack as well as poison bites from the hair snakes come with the package. It is mentioned that Medusae can procreate with any humanoid species, the offspring normally becomes Medusae. There is no official cure for the petrification, but advanced magic can do the job.
*** In Savage Species, several intelligent monsters including Medusas were made into playable classes: If you wanted to play a Medusa under the standard rules you had to start at level 10 or higher, but with Savage Species you could start as a level 1 immature Medusa who had not yet developed her full potential. The same expansions also introduced a Feat that allowed Medusas to enable and disable their gaze attack at will or to focus it at specific opponents, allowing others to see their faces without being turned to stone unless the Medusa wants to do so. Sadly, like most monsters in the book, Medusas are CoolButInefficient due to not only losing so many class levels to normal player character races, but also because their two main powers (petrification and poison) are things that are extremely dangerous to normal PC races but something that [[UselessUsefulSpell many monsters are immune or highly resistant to]].

* MagicTheGathering has its fair share of Gorgons. Most of them have some variety of Deathtouch, which will destroy any creature that gets close to them. One that deserves particular mention is the [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=253728 Xathrid Gorgon]] which is the only one to actually [[TakenForGranite petrify]] its enemies.
** Special mention goes to the gorgon [[DimensionalTraveler planeswalker]] [[Characters/MagicTheGatheringPlaneswalkersPostMending Vraska]].

** Later in Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus. Percy meets the two other Gorgons, Stheno and Euryale. They can't freeze people though, they're also a little touchy about it so don't bring it up. Apparently they had faded away but were restored by a demigod [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve googling their names]].

* In ''Series/LandOfTheLost'' episode "Meddie," a version of Medusa, appears as a beautiful young woman at first, before her hideous true form is revealed.

* Medusa shows up in the first ''VideoGame/GodOfWar''. Her sister Eurayle was also a boss in the second game.

* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'': In "Heroes", Jeremiah Surd makes his Quest World avatar turn into Medusa. In addition to the stone gaze, the snakes could detach and their venom could partially petrify. He manages to petrify Race and Jessie, and his snakes petrify Jonny's hand and foot. Jonny defeats him by making his see his own reflection, which turns him to stone and restores the others.