Medusa (the Gorgon)

In the genealogical framing provided by the sources, Medusa is one of the three Gorgon sisters—Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno—who are usually described as daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, primordial sea-associated figures. This parentage places Medusa within an older generation of chthonic and sea-derived monsters in Greek mythic genealogies. Of the three sisters, the accounts cited emphasize that Medusa alone was mortal, a fact that shapes narrative possibilities within the mythic cycles where her mortal status allows confrontation by other actors.

The sources characterize Medusa as a woman whose hair is composed of living snakes. Her visage is described as hideous in the traditions summarized here, and that appearance is directly linked to a lethal effect: anyone who looked upon her was turned to stone. The provided material does not enumerate further specifics such as dress, height, or other facial details beyond these core features.

The defining and repeatedly attested power in the supplied material is a petrifying effect: Medusa's appearance—or the act of looking at her—causes observers to be turned to stone. This lethal visual attribute is presented as her primary capability in the cited descriptions. The sources do not expand on other behaviors, motive patterns, or additional supernatural functions in the excerpts provided.