Common depiction of a Gorgon by Deviantartist DH666
A Gorgon is a magical monster originating from Greek mythology and has existed in the earliest examples of Greek literature. This malevolent creature appears to be a female humanoid, but where human women have hair growing from their heads, Gorgons instead have living, writhing, venomous snakes growing from their scalps. Greek legend describes three such creatures, the sisters known individually as Euryale, Stheno and, perhaps the most familiar of all, Medusa. The name "Gorgon" is derived from the Greek word "gorgos" which means "dreadful".
The three Gorgon sisters, daughters of Ceto and Phorsys, were said to live out in the Ultimate West and guard the entrance to the Underworld.
Traits and Abilities[]
Gorgon physiology has been re-imagined in various ways over time; such traits include hands made of brass, bodies covered in armour-like scales and even having the lower body of a serpent rather than humanoid legs. One characteristic that has always remained constant since the beginning of the legend is the snakes for hair. These snakes are all alive and constantly writhe and hiss atop the Gorgon's head and are said to be extremely venomous.
The most well-known ability of the Gorgon is their power to turn living beings into stone with but a glance. How this power works has been described in such ways as the Gorgon's eyes meeting her victim's or victims being so repulsed by the creature's horrible visage that the life is literally frightened out of them. The Gorgon sisters are also stated to be immortal, with the exception of Medusa who was actually slain by the hero Perseus.