Medusa

In Greek Mythology, Medusa was a beautiful but terrifying monster, the only one of the three Gorgons who was mortal, the others being Stheno and Euryale. Medusa was slain by Perseus.
According to Hesiod, the Gorgons were human females with wings, live poisonous snakes instead of hair and could kill anyone who looked them in the eye by turning them to stone.

Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danae.
Perseus was the greatest Greek Hero and monster slayer in the days before Heracles.

Danae was the daughter of the King of Argos, Acrisius.
After consulting the Oracle and being told that one day he would be killed by his daughter’s son, Acrisius confined Danae inside a bronze enclosure in his palace courtyard, but which had no roof.
After Zeus had paid her a visit, Danae gave birth to Perseus. Acrisius was afraid to openly kill the son of Zeus, so he put the two into a wooden box and threw it into the sea.

The box landed on the island of Seriphos where it was found by Dictys, a fisherman who took care of Perseus until he was a man.
The king of Seriphos was Polydectes, the brother of Dictys. He fell in love with Danae, but Perseus protected his mother and kept him from her.
To get rid of Perseus, Polydectes held a banquet with many guests and invited Perseus, but told every guest that they had to bring a gift.
Perseus had no gift to bring but told Polydectes he would not refuse to deliver any gift that he chose.
Polydectes chose the head of the Gorgon Medusa.

Athena told Perseus that he must locate the Hesperides or Nymphs of the West who looked after Hera‘s orchard, and who would arm him for the conflict.
To find the Hesperides, Athena advised Perseus to find Medusa’s three sisters, the Greae. The Greae were three blind old women who shared one eye between them. Perseus snatched the eye and refused to return it until they had led him to the the Hesperides.
The Hesperides gave Perseus a shoulder bag to hold the Medusa’s head. Then Zeus gave him a sword, Hades an invisibility cloak, and Hermes a pair of winged sandals.
Athena gave him a polished shield with the instruction never to look at Medusa directly, but at her reflection in the shield.

Perseus then approached the Gorgons’ cave where Medusa was asleep.
Looking at her in the reflection of his shield he cut off her head and put it into the shoulder bag.
As soon as her head was chopped off the two Gorgons, Pegasus and Chryasor were born out of her neck, and attempted to pursue Perseus.
However, Perseus was able to escape by wearing the invisibility cloak.
He visited Atlas and using Medusa’s head to turn him to stone.

On his return to Argos, Perseus flew over Aethiopia and saw Andromeda chained to a rock. After freeing her from the sea monster Cetus, he married her.
Perseus and Andromeda had seven sons and two daughters, establishing the Perseid Dynasty and Mycenae.