The Gorgon Medusa

Perseus left the cave and flew straight to the Island of the Gorgons. He searched the island for Medusa and found her sleeping next to her two sisters. They were truly as horrible as Perseus had been told. Their bodies were not pink like humans, but green like a snake; their hair, which was all snakes, seemed to fight with itself; and the air was thick with their terrible smell.

Very quietly, Perseus walked up to Medusa's sleeping body, pulled out his sword, and prepared to cut of her head. Just then, her snake hair woke up and hissed at him. The three Gorgons awoke and Perseus quickly turned around so that he would not see Medusa's eyes and be turned into stone.

The horrible monsters jumped at Perseus, but he avoided their terrible arms with his quick steps. He used the inside of his shield, which was as clear as a mirror, to watch out for the Gorgons as he ran into a forest nearby. The three women carried bows and arrows and hunted him in the woods.

After finding a safe place to hide, Perseus had an idea how to kill Medusa. He hung his shield on a tree and then hid behind another tree nearby. He moved his body so that his face was reflected in his shield and waited for Medusa to see it. When Medusa noticed his face in the shield, she thought it was him and jumped at it. Just then, Perseus came up behind her and, with one strong movement of his arms, cut off her head.

Perseus knew that Medusa's head was still very dangerous and did not look down at it. Instead he used his shield as a mirror, reached down behind him, picked up the head, and put it into his bag. He then closed his bag and flew off the island.

(end of section)