Medusa is a famous figure from Greek mythology, known as a monstrous Gorgon with snakes for hair whose gaze turned people to stone, but she was originally a beautiful priestess cursed by Athena after being violated by Poseidon in her temple, a tragic tale leading to her slaying by the hero Perseus who used her head as a weapon before giving it to Athena, solidifying her image as a powerful symbol of protection and female rage, appearing in art and literature from ancient times to modern pop culture.