What Makes a Monster?

Every year, I both kick off and end summer by reading a Greek mythology retelling. It always puts me in the mood for the sunshine after exhausting myself within the depths of most Ohioan’s seasonal depression spells. Do you know how all-consuming it is to survive a vitamin D deficiency year after year? Woof. This year, my first (and most likely favorite) retelling of the summer was by far Stone Blind, by Natalie Haynes. Stone Blind tells the story of Medusa, her Gorgon sisters, and her murderer, Perseus.

Medusa might be the youngest of the three gorgon sisters, yet she carries the most notoriety through very little action or initiative of her own. Medusa is born mortal, and she has a fairly human upbringing until she is assaulted by Poseidon while worshipping in the temple of Athene. Athene takes offense to this slight and seeks revenge, seeking revenge on Medusa, rather than her assailant. Medusa is transformed and her lovely, delicate, attractive human form has now been replaced by a head of snakes and a lethal glare. As her own practice of penance, Medusa vies to live a life of solitude and seclusion so that no one will suffer at the weight of her stare, a burden she carries alone. This life of seclusion comes to a halt when a mediocre Perseus crosses Medusa on his path to glory. In this unique Greek myth retelling, readers find themselves questioning what is the true definition of a monster? Are monsters born or are monsters made?

In traditional Greek lore, Perseus is touted as a hero for slaying the monstrous Medusa and using her head as the ultimate weapon in battle, as Medusa’s eyes are known to cast men to stone upon looking into them; however, Haynes offers a creative reinterpretation of Medusa’s eyes and the control she had over them. Medusa is not a monster, but a misunderstood teen girl trying to mature in a hostile world. She actively seeks out affection from those she loves most in the world, understanding on what she did to deserve such a tragic fate, and simplicity to freely savor the small piece of the world she can still safely inhabit. Her thoughts are too pure for her own good. At the same time, she thoroughly grasps just how lethal her glare is and the scale of the power she could wield, should she so choose. Yet, she consciously chooses to sheathe her weapon, for reasons that only make sense to her, and she pays the ultimate sacrifice in hopes that it will spare her loved ones.

Overall, Stone Blind is probably my favorite book by Natalie Haynes, and one of my favorite Greek retellings I’ve read. The humanity, empathy, and grace that has been missing from Medusa’s centuries year old story is the reason that Natalie Haynes is a leader in the Greek myth retelling space. She brings such tenderness and benevolence to a historically cold and violent character.

The book doesn’t just focus on Medusa and her untimely demise. Haynes brings in a cast full of Greek mythology’s forgotten women, like Andromeda, Danae, and Cassiope, women who previously served as a nothing more than a footnote on the storied pages of Greece’s male heroes. These women finally get their moment in the spotlight. In the same breath, Haynes depicts one of Greece’s prolific heroes as nothing more than an airhead. Her portrayal of Perseus had me laughing out loud, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading just how insecure and vapid he was interpreted to be. This is my new reality for Perseus.

And let the record show, with the way female authors of the 2000’s are rewriting Greek myths by bringing women and their complex yet valid emotions to the forefront, I have no doubt that within the next couple of decades, the way schools teach Greek mythology will completely flip on its head. We have women like Natalie Haynes to thank for this.