Eligible Wives and Monstrous Women: Andromeda and Medusa

The hero Perseus encounters both Andromeda and Medusa, two opposite types associated with the motif of the woman and the dragon. This chapter reveals the complexity of these related myths, while shifting the focus to their female protagonists. This epistemological perspective illuminates social views, desires, and fears concerning women in ancient Greco-Roman cultures. By contrasting the “good” and the “defiled” woman, the discussion clarifies why the sacred connection between a woman and a dragon must be severed at the threshold of marriage, and how her identity as a “Bride of Death” alludes to the transformation experienced in this moment. By contrast, a defiled holy woman, such as Medusa, cannot exist within patriarchal culture, and must be isolated, killed, or controlled.