Medusa, Medusa...

...with snakes in her hair. And eyes that can turn you to stone.

If only in myth. So the truth behind myth, I think, exists in the perceptions of the time period. For instance, let's take Medusa for example. In oversimplified summary, you have a broken Gorgon, ravaged by a horny god (Zeus) turned into an angry, man-hating monster. To perpetuate the masculine hypersensitivity, a demigod (Perseus) enters the scene, hellbent on destroying a woman-turned-monster over which his involvement is unnecessary. The removal of her head (acquired by the help of a beautiful god) releases a white horse, Pegasus from the blood of the silenced woman's throat. In essence, the infamous story, reformatted and rewritten for contemporary audiences from the ancient skew, is drenched in shame, wrath, and the oppression of women.

Contemporary versions of this very myth may reveal different truths about the reality behind the fiction. The modern differs from the ancient. One could argue today that Medusa is not the ugly Gorgon she once was portrayed to be, but an individual attacked and trying to vindicate herself against the world (and person) who betrayed her trust and harmed her. Pregnancy is a pop culture theme. Perhaps a modern spin on Medusa let's her consider an abortion.
Instead of dehumanizing the woman (Medusa) in a modern revisioning of the story; the myth would likely empower her to not become frozen by overwhelming anger, and instead, let her find her voice and discover an outlet for the wicked acts committed against her outside of herself. Perhaps through the acceptance and support of others -- which would be lost on an ancient audience -- Medusa would be able to forgive herself of that which she could not control and unbind herself from the guilt, that enrages her to snakes and stones.

The contemporary women should be empathetic to our modern Medusas. For we are many. And we are not to be maddened into exile, anger, and lonely silence. This is for the everyday Medusas, a beautiful sisterhood of Medusas, releasing thick tongues stuck to the back of throats, and outpouring our stories.