Mythology · 2
In Ovid's account, which feature of Medusa did Athena turn into snakes as part of her curse?
Answer
Her hair
Ovid describes Medusa as once famed for her beautiful hair, which Athena transformed into a mass of venomous snakes as punishment following the assault in her temple.
💡 Did you know?
Medusa wasn't always a monster. Ovid's Metamorphoses reveals she was a beautiful priestess cursed by Athena for being assaulted in her temple.
Other options people guess
- Her eyes
- Her skin
- Her voice
Topics
- greek-mythology
- medusa
- ovid
- transformation
Know your mythology trivia?
Play a free Mythology quiz and see how many you get right — no signup needed to start.
More Mythology facts
Mythology
In Ovid's version of the Medusa myth, which god assaulted Medusa in Athena's temple, prompting the goddess to punish Medusa?
Medusa wasn't always a monster—Ovid's version claims Poseidon assaulted her in Athena's temple, and the goddess punished the victim by transforming her into a gorgon.
Mythology
According to Ovid's Metamorphoses, why did Athena transform Medusa into a Gorgon?
Medusa wasn't always a monster—Ovid's version claims Poseidon assaulted her in Athena's temple, and the goddess punished the victim by transforming her into a gorgon.
Mythology
Which Roman poet's work Metamorphoses recounts the story of Medusa's transformation from a beautiful priestess into a monster?
Medusa wasn't always a monster. Ovid's Metamorphoses reveals she was a beautiful priestess cursed by Athena for being assaulted in her temple.
Mythology
According to Korean legend, which figure founded the ancient kingdom of Gojoseon in 2333 BCE?
Korean creation myth features Dangun founding Gojoseon in 2333 BCE through the union of a divine being and a bear-woman who transformed into human form—legitimizing a real kingdom's origins.
Mythology
In the Sumerian myth of Ninhursag's wrath, how many diseases did she inflict on her grandson before forgiving him?
Ninhursag, a Sumerian mother-goddess, once cursed her own grandson with eight diseases out of spite—then healed him when he finally apologized.
Mythology
In the Greek myth solved by Oedipus, the Sphinx's riddle described one creature that changed its number of what over the course of a single day?
The Sphinx asked Oedipus a riddle about four-legged, two-legged, and three-legged creatures—ancient Egyptians had sphinx statues centuries before Greeks added the deadly quiz twist.