Medusa: The Girl Behind the Myth (Illustrated Gift Edition)

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He is Perseus, and he has been sent, against his will, to kill the mythical creature she has become. Stalked by Poseidon she is sexually abused by him in Athena’s temple but far from sympathy you would expect from Athena, instead the goddess turns her beautiful hair to a mass of venomous snakes with a promise “woe betide any man fool enough to look upon you now”. Nesta versão do mito, Medusa vive isolado numa ilha com as suas irmãs quando surge o jovem Perseu com uma missão. Four years on and exiled in a remote island with little company except her two immortal sisters, dog and the snakes that adorn her head, Medusa is entranced by the arrival of Perseus. This island is haunted, but by something far more powerful than a witch: my story, my exile, the reason I am here.

if i knew this was just going to be two characters repeating their backgrounds and then the actual myth part of the story happening in the last 5% or less, i would never have added this to my most-anticipated.one line would be beautiful and introspective, and the next would be a line you’d read in a stereotypical YA novel. Just as enraged as Poseidon, Athena turns each and every strand of Medusa’s beautiful hair into a snake. Though unhappy with her appearance, she shares an interesting relationship with her snakes who each have names and moods that need to be tended.

Burton tackles an old myth with unflinching honesty to reclaim Medusa's story as one of self-love and bravery.

So often [Medusa’s] robbed of agency, turned into a monster, and used as a stepping stone for heroes. it was clear from this debut piece, that Burton could handle a complex plot with style and subtlety. Her essays have been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, Vogue, Elle, Red, Grazia, Lonely Planet Traveller and The Spectator. I think the writing wasn’t bad either - just kind of insufferable at times - which feels crappy to say.