The Ferocious and the Erotic: “Beautiful” Medusa and the Neolithic Bird and Snake
This article looks at the figure of Medusa cross-culturally, through texts and iconography, in order to examine her origins as well as her multifaceted functions. Dexter shows that Medusa is a compilation of Neolithic European, Semitic, and Indo-European mythology and iconography. Iconographically,...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Indiana University Press
2010
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| In: |
Journal of feminist studies in religion
Year: 2010, Volume: 26, Issue: 1, Pages: 25-41 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article looks at the figure of Medusa cross-culturally, through texts and iconography, in order to examine her origins as well as her multifaceted functions. Dexter shows that Medusa is a compilation of Neolithic European, Semitic, and Indo-European mythology and iconography. Iconographically, two very different depictions coalesce in the classical Medusa: the Neolithic Goddess of birth, death, and regeneration, who is represented as bird, snake, or bird/snake hybrid; and the Near Eastern demon Humbaba whose severed head is, like Medusa’s, used in an apotropaic manner. Medusa is ferocious but, as this article shows, she is a healer as well as a destroyer. Because she is often viewed as frightening in Indo-European cultures, this other side of her is often overlooked. |
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| ISSN: | 1553-3913 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of feminist studies in religion
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