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Famous Women

Medusa, Daughter of Phorcus

Medusa was the daughter and heir of Phorcus, a very wealthy king whose opulent realm was located in the Atlantic Ocean. Some believe this kingdom is to be identified with the Islands of the Hesperides.

If we can believe the ancients, Medusa was so astonishingly beautiful that she not only surpassed every other woman but, like something wondrous and supernatural, commanded the gaze of many men. her hair was golden and abundant, her face was exceptionally attractive, and her figure was nobly tall and slender. Her eyes in particular had a power in them so lofty and tranquil that people she gazed upon favorably were rendered almost immobile and forgetful of themselves. Some sources also assert that her knowledge of agriculture explains why she acquired the name Gorgon. Thanks to this expertise, Medusa was able not only to preserve her father's wealth with extraordinary shrewdness but immeasurably increase it - so much so that informed persons believed her to be the richest of all Western rulers. Hence she acquired great fame even among far-off nations for her remarkable beauty as well as for her riches and sagacity.

Reports of her fame reached, among other peoples, the Argives. When Perseus, the most eminent young man in Achaia, had heard these reports, there was kindled in him the desire to see this beautiful woman and take possession of her treasure. He arrived in the West with amazing speed aboard a ship whose standard depicted the horse Pegasus. There Pegasus deployed his forces carefully, captured the queen and her gold, and returned home laden with rich spoils.

These events inspired the following poetic fictions: that the Gorgon Medusa commonly turned to stone those whom she looked upon; that an angry Minerva changed Medusa's hair into snakes because Medusa had defiled her temple by sleeping there with Neptune; that the offspring of this union was Pegasus; that Perseus, mounted on this winged horse, flew to Medusa's kingdom and conquered it using the shield of Pallas.

The possession of gold brings unhappiness. If the gold is kept hidden, it is of no use to the owner; if displayed, it gives rise to a thousand plots on the part of those who cover it. Even if violent persons do not lay their hands on it, the worries and cares of the owner do not cease. His peace of mind is gone, he loses sleep, falls prey to fear, loses his sense of trust, becomes suspicious - in short, the wretched fellow has a hard time enjoying life. If by some mischance he loses his wealth, the miser, now a pauper, is tormented by anxiety while the gentleman calls him fortunate, the envious man laughs, the poor man offers consolation, and the vulgar all turn the tale of his grief into song.

In the spring of 2001, I read Bocaccio's The Decameron in my renaissance literature and art class. I enjoyed the book much more than I had expected to, so when the New York Times Book review mentioned the translation of another Bocaccio book, I put it on hold at the library.

Famous Women is completely different than the Decameron. For one, it's written in Latin, for another it's more like an encyclopedia than a set of stories. But Bocaccio's charm still shines through.