Medusa, Beautiful Young Priestess Seduced and Cursed
Medusa ~
For all time she will wear the mark
Athena placed upon her head,
Once beautiful banned to the dark,
Became fearsome omen of dread.
Medusa, lovely young maiden
Born to the family of Gorgons,
Phorcys and his sister played in
Deities Underworld beyond.
Beyond in Kisthene’s dreadful plain,
Sisters three were sinfully born
After Phorcys and Ceto had lain
Together without care or scorn.
Fair cheeked Medusa so lovely,
Unlike sisters of beastly head
Covered with snakes and so ugly
Who lived in a cave with the dead.
To Athena did this beauty
Plead to be a Priestess of chaste
In the temple of purity
Never in life to ever taste
Never to taste pleasures of man
Or lowly ways of earthly love
Be Priestess of purity and
Serve Athena, goddess above.
Posiedon saw and did desire
Lovely Medusa in lust.
In the temple he did rape her
Athena knew of act unjust.
Enraged Athena turned maiden
Into a monster, nose like hawks
Hideous face, head was laden
With snakes instead of golden locks.
Once was desired by mortal man
Now turned into a beast to dread
Perseus came to slay the Gorgon
And returned home with her head.
~ ~ ~
© 2016 Phyllis Doyle Burns
I have always liked to write.It is important to me that writing comes from my heart and soul. When writing poetry, if I do not feel a spiritual connection to what I am writing on, I will discard it and go on to something I can connect with on a spiritual level. I live in the moment, I write from the past or beyond the veil. When writing fiction I go with whatever inspires me at the moment - it could be funny, sorrowful, romantic or sometimes done with the use of colloquial language from mountain folk or other cultural regions.
I began writing content online in 2007, starting with BellaOnline - A Voice For Women, where I was the Native American Editor, Folklore & Mythology Editor, and the Appalachian Editor. I also wrote articles forThe Examiner, Daily Two Cents, and Yahoo. I am currently an author on HubPages.
Most of what I write takes a lot of research and I love it. Even if it is a fictional story, I will research for accuracy in whatever it takes to make my characters, their era, their location, etc. become realistic to the reader.
I hope you enjoy my works. Thank you for visiting.
- Ode to Voices in Desert Sands - August 14, 2023
- My Secluded Mountain Forest Nook - July 24, 2023
- My Cozy Log Cabin in the Woods - July 22, 2023
I do love Greek mythology and the vivid stories thereof, and so I love this of Medusa, a sad tale and an image that has lasted centuries, those snakes for locks. Nicely penned in a classic mythological verse Phyllis. Love it!
Great ! Thank you, Tony. I love Greek mythology, too. I have studied it for years and can really get lost in it. So glad you love this poem.