This continues my previous post.
Rider: She is the mythical Medusa, that great monster of Greek mythology. One of the three Gorgon sisters (the other two being Stheno and Euryale), she was far deadlier than the others and was the scourge of the world. Her name, derived from the Greek word Medousa (which means to protect), has now become synonymous with a terrible woman.
The myth of Medusa is known to most people. Perseus defeated her, and he cut off her head full of snakes (Rider's long, long hair represents this), and from her blood sprang Perseus the winged horse (Rider's Noble Phantasm in the anime).
However, Greek mythology has far more to say about her. Apparently Medusa was once the most beautiful woman in the world. She was courted by the god Poseidon, and made love to him in a temple of Athena. Athena, enraged at this sacrilege, punished her by giving her snakes instead of hair, as well as that horrible curse of turning people into stone (which is why Rider keeps her eyes covered).
Medusa's myth has subsequently impressed many a classical historian, who has attempted to define her in various ways. Some see her as the embodiment of sexual lust (which is why Rider is portrayed as the sexiest of the Servants), while others believe her to be a basic part of our psyche that urges us to take risks. Feminists believe she is a wronged woman, who has been sadomasochistically defaced in order to hide her many virtues. Therefore, she has begun to be reassessed and reaccepted. |