Medusa was one of the gorgonians that lived in the vicinity of the land of the dead. His gaze could turn to stone whoever was reached by it.
Medusa had a characteristic that differentiated her from the rest of the gorgonians, since she was the only mortal and the most beautiful than her sisters.
His beauty was so great that he came to dazzle Poseidon, who, seeing himself in love with Medusa, decided to seduce her (or rape her) in the temple of Athena. Athena's anger was so great that she knew what happened in her temple, that her immediate reaction was to punish Medusa; who turned out to be equal to her two sisters, Esteno and Euríale. Not satisfied with this punishment, Aphrodite was jealous of the beautiful hair that Medusa had, which is why in the punishment was made instead of hair there are snakes available; In this way, Medusa was banished to live in the Hyperborean lands.
Of that fortuitous idyll that there was between Poseidón and Medusa, a pregnancy arose that did not do more than increase the resentment of Athenian, that orders to Perseus that it kills to Medusa. Perseus in his mission, had to wear winged sandals that Hermes had provided. This additional protection prevented him from Medusa's gaze, as well as from a very bright shield, so that if he ever looked at it, he could repel the attack of lethal light from his eyes. He did not need to use it, since he was waiting for Medusa to sleep in his lair. Perseus, flying with his sandals, managed to place himself above Medusa by cutting off his head in one act.
With this cut, through the middle of the neck of Medusa, came his sons Pegasus and the giant Crisaor. The head of Medusa was for Athena, who used it as a shield in all her battles, as Perseus did previously to rescue Andromeda and be able to kill Polydectes.
The blood shed in the beheading of Medusa was jealously guarded for purposes that only the gods knew, since the blood in his left vein represented a deadly poison, and the blood on his right side had healing characteristics that were used even to be able to resurrect to the dead.
