Gorgon Symbol (Gorgoneion) – History And Meaning

In ancient Greece, Gorgon or gorgoneion was an amulet used in apotropaic magic, where evil entities were warned off by ugly words or images. The apotropaic amulet showing the Gorgon head was famously used by the deities Zeus and Athena in Greek mythology. They are often depicted wearing gorgoneia with Medusa’s head, which they had both used as a protective pendant. 

If you want to learn more about the Gorgon symbol, read on to find out the meaning, history, and significance of this Greek symbol.

Gorgon Symbol (Gorgoneion) – History And Meaning

Three ghastly sisters called Stheno, Euryale and Medusa make up the Gorgons. They were the daughters of the primordial sea god Phorcys and his wife and sister, Ceto. They lived in the west, near the setting sun.

The Gorgons, like the rest of their family, were hideous monsters. These three sisters had writhing snakes for hair and dragon-like scales for skin. They had massive wings and deadly fangs and claws, but deadlier still was their gaze. In fact, their gaze was petrifying—literally—because whoever beheld them automatically turned to stone.

Now the Gorgons had three sisters, old women known as the Graeae or the gray ones, who shared one eye and one tooth, taking turns to use them. They guarded the way leading to the Gorgons. The demi-god Perseus, who was both intelligent and strong, stole their eye and tooth, forcing the Graeae to help in his quest to find and slay the only immortal Gorgon, Medusa. 

The myth goes that Perseus, with the goddess Athena’s help, killed and beheaded Medusa. This he had done so to protect his mortal mother, Danae, from King Polydectes. Athena would later put an image of Medusa’s head—a gorgoneion—on her armor.

Gorgon History

The Gorgon images appeared often in Greek art at the turn of the 8th century BC. An early representation of gorgoneion or the Gorgon symbol was on the electrum stater of Cyzicus excavated at the Greek city of Parium, which was one of at least 37 Greek ancient cities that placed gorgoneia on their coins. 

A similar image was discovered from the Palace of Knossos on the island of Crete, which is said to date to the 15th century. A gorgoneion ceramic mask from the Sesklo culture also demonstrates that the Gorgon goes way back to at least 6,000 BC. The prototype of the Gorgon symbol in Neolithic art motifs was also identified in human-shaped vases and terracotta masks with gold inlay.

In the 6th century, lion-mask-type gorgoneia abounded in Greek temples. Gorgoneia were also pretty common in Sicily, the earliest said to occur in the Temple of Apollo in Syracuse. 

In modern times, the gorgoneion or the Gorgon symbol is widely recognized as the logo for the Italian luxury fashion company, Versace. 

The Gorgon Symbol

Physical ugliness, most especially in females, was often associated with evil in ancient Greece. But although seen as abominable creatures, images of the Gorgons were commonly found in Greek and Roman homes in ancient times. 

Gorgoneia or Gorgon symbols adorned entrances to houses as a way to protect those who lived there. It was common to see wooden door panels with a carved gorgoneion intended to guard the house against unwelcome guests or hostile intruders. 

The Gorgon imagery also appeared on household items like bowls, plates, pots, and drinking vessels. They were placed in homes for a purpose: not as decorative items but to act as some sort of protectors against negative forces, because ancient Greeks and Romans believed that the unsightly faces warded off evil. 

As mentioned, Gorgons are usually seen as representations of ugliness. The same goes for their sisters the Graeae. Both the Gorgons and the Graea also symbolize the bonds of sisterhood for their closeness and sticking up together. And since they have few interactions with the world, they are symbolic of solitude as well. 

Gorgon Symbol Meaning

The word ‘Gorgon’ is commonly used to call any of these three sisters: Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa. The term is derived from the ancient Greek word gorgós, which means ‘grim,’ ‘terrible,’ or ‘dreadful.’

Defined as a European image by some, the gorgoneion was claimed by others as part of numerous primitive cultures that used ritual masks with images comparable to the Gorgon image. This practice was done to make an ‘ugly face’ at the owner—to scare him from doing evil or wrong, basically. 

Descriptions of Gorgons vary in the oldest examples of Greek literature. A Gorgon, however, is generally seen as a rather ugly mythical creature in mythology. In later descriptions, Gorgons had hair made of living snakes, with such terrifying faces that transformed those who looked at them to stone.