Gorgon
The most well known of the gorgons is Medusa (believed by some to have given birth to the giant Chrysaor and Pegasus by the sea god Poseidon) but Medusa also had two immortal sisters Euryale and Stheno.
Gorgons have the bodies of human women with wings, large heads and tusk-like teeth. Their skin has a green tinge and they have talons on their feet. the most striking feature of a Gorgon however is her hair, which is made up of a mass of writhing, deadly poisonous snakes.
Greek myth seems undecided on the physical charms (or lack of them) of the Gorgons. Some say that their faces are hideous and terrifying, others credit them with great beauty. Whatever they looked like, a direct gaze at a Gorgon's face results in immediate petrification.
The Gorgon Medusa was defeated by Perseus when he used his polished shield as a mirror to allow him to avoid looking upon her directly. By escaping this weapon he managed to cut off her head and then fled from her immortal sisters.
After their encounter with Perseus nothing is known of the fates of Euryale and Stheno although it is possible that they went to Japan. A Japanese legend mentions the Yama-uba describing it as an ogress with serpents for hair which lives in the mountains of Japan.
