Medusa and the Gorgons within games

Gorgon by JohnSilva
Gorgon. John Silva.

Medusa is the mythological monster that took the form of a human female along with several serpentine features. She was said to be the only mortal Gorgon out of the three Gorgon sisters. Medusa is known for her ability to turn people to stone using her hideous appearance, and was later slain by Perseus.

Medusa, the Gorgon species, and implementation in games:

It should be noted that Medusa was a mythical being who is classified as being a Gorgon in Greek mythology. Gorgons themselves are essentially humanoid serpents, and are usually associated with having snakes in place of hair and scaly skin. Some game companies have given adaptations in which Medusa is equipped with Greek attire or armour that appears to have a serpentine design. While it is not specified, there are existing modern depictions of Medusa and Gorgons that are bipedal, and those that have a snake's tail below the torso.


Assassin's Creed Oddyssey
Image result for mythical creatures in games
Medusa Gorgona, Assassin's Creed Odyssey. [Video Game], Ubisoft Quebec.

In Ubisoft Quebec's Medusa design, the visible serpent aspect is not as dramatic as most illustrations would depict. Medusa in Assassin's Creed is still represented to be faithful to the original myth, where the crown of snakes and scaled skin is clearly present. The design team have also opted to outfit Medusa with royal attire that matches the Greek period of the game. It can be argued the it appears more zombie-like due to the obscure facial profile, glowing eyes and pale skin tones. This results in the Medusa seeming like a significant monstrosity as it is described in the myth.

League of Legends
Image result for mythic cassiopeia league of legends
Mythic Cassiopeia, League of Legends. [Video Game], RIOT Games.

RIOT is very simplistic in their approach to representing Medusa's character. Cassiopeia's upper body is originally entirely human, which could be why RIOT's art team negated to add a snakeskin texture to the character. Regardless, the general figure of the Gorgon hybrid creature is present, although without the use of the snake hair. This wouldn't be as faithful to the myth as other illustrations have interpreted Medusa, but it still fits within the premise if viewers pay attention to the peripheral objects in the artwork, and, inside of the game, her ability to turn her targets to stone.

Sources:
Garcia B. (2013), Medusa, Ancient History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.ancient.eu/Medusa/
Prof. Geller (No Date), Gorgon, Mythology.net. Available at: https://mythology.net/greek/greek-creatures/gorgon/
Silva J. (2014), Gorgon. Available at: https://www.deviantart.com/johnsilva/art/Gorgon-457816300

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