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Serpent's Gaze ~ Handmade Candle inspired by Medusa
‘Serpent's Gaze’: A Homemade Artisanal Candle Inspired by Medusa, the Avenging Gaze of Sacred Fury
She who stands unyielding in shadow, her sorrow coiled into strength, her silence echoing power
Serpent’s Gaze is the scent of legend and defiance, of a power both feared and revered. A tribute to Medusa: cursed, monstrous, human, and eternal. It begins with a top wisp of incense and the cold, sharp bite of spearmint, like a breath from ancient temples where whispers coil through the air, carrying prayers and curses alike. At its heart, smoke unfurls in dark tendrils, heavy with the weight of transformation, the moment where beauty and terror become one. As the base deepens, oud and the sacred resins of frankincense and myrrh weave through the shadows, rich and eternal, the scent of forgotten altars and power reclaimed. Beneath it all, amber, musk, and the raw edge of leather coil, a final whisper of something untamed, something unbroken. A warning. A promise. A legend that will never fade.
Serpent’s Gaze is the scent of vengeance turned to divinity, of myth and memory carved in stone, of a woman who was made into a monster and became immortal instead.
Curious about how the layers of scent unfold? Learn more about scent profiles ~ top, heart, and base notes at this blog post: Scent Profiles, Top, Heart, and Base Notes.
Our candles are lovingly handcrafted in our home studio, Nimue’s Lair, nestled in Walnut Creek, CA. Each one begins with a luxurious blend of coconut-apricot wax, carefully infused with premium fragrance oils. Poured by hand into elegant glass vessels and amber jars, they’re finished with hand-cut labels and enchanted final touches. Every candle is a small ritual, infused with magick, intention, and the quiet glow of story.
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Scent Notes:
Top: Incense, Spearmint
Heart: Smoke
Base: Oud, Frankincense/Olibanum, Myrrh, Amber, Musk, Leather
Seasonal Resonance: Winter’s Gaze ❄️🔥
A fragrance steeped in power and mystery, where time stands still, and the air hums with an unshakable presence. Smoky tendrils of incense curl through the darkness, ancient resins smolder beneath golden embers, and a quiet, commanding warmth lingers in the still air.
This scent captures the essence of winter’s solitude: deep, reflective, and filled with the weight of unspoken truths.
🔥 Primary Category: Spicy & Warm
Incense, frankincense, myrrh, and amber weave a veil of sacred intensity, evoking forgotten temples, whispered incantations, and the eternal glow of embers untouched by time.
🌿 Secondary Category: Woody & Earthy
Oud, musk, and leather form a dark, grounding foundation, raw and unyielding, like stone shaped by time and will.
A scent that mirrors winter’s stillness: resinous, commanding, and steeped in the echoes of the past. ❄️✨
Please visit this blog post for more information on Scent Profiles, Top, Heart, and Base Notes.
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12 oz Deluxe – Amber Aura Glass · Coco Apricot Wax
Burn Time: 60+ hours
Bold and enduring, this candle fills your space with myth and memory. Crafted for spacious sanctuaries, this candle shines in wide-open living rooms, high-ceilinged studios, and sacred hearths ~ places where scent is free to roam and the flame becomes a luminous companion to stillness and story.8 oz Classic – Amber Jar · Coco Apricot Wax
Burn Time: 50–60 hours
A perfect size for quiet corners and thoughtful pauses. Let it warm your reading nook, home office, or bedside altar, where its flame flickers like a whisper of intention.4 oz Petite – Amber Jar · Coco Apricot Wax
Burn Time: 20–25 hours
Small in size, rich in presence. This candle is ideal for travel, gifting, or sanctifying intimate spaces - guest rooms, personal altars, or quiet corners where scent and flame are invited to linger with intention. -
For detailed information about our waxes, wicks, fragrance blends, and vessels, please see our Ingredients & Materials Guide.
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For guidance on how to tend your flame with care, ensuring the cleanest, safest, and most enchanting burn, please visit our Candle Care Guide.
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Please visit the Shipping and Returns Information page for details.
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All photographs, images, and written content on this website are original works of Hekate's Torch Apothecary, LLC (doing business as Hekate’s Flame Apothecary) and are protected by copyright. They may not be used, altered, shared, or reposted on any platform without explicit written consent. All label designs, photos, images, and content are the exclusive property of Hekate's Torch Apothecary, LLC.
For inquiries regarding the use of our content, please contact: care@hekatesflame.com
© 2025 Hekate's Torch Apothecary, LLC. All rights reserved.
Content Warning:
This post explores ancient myths that include themes of violence, including assault and warfare, which may be sensitive for some readers. Please proceed with care and be mindful of your well-being while engaging with these stories.
The myths surrounding Medusa are complex and multifaceted, often involving themes that reflect the values and conflicts of ancient Greek society. Below, we explore these stories, probing their cultural significance and how they have been interpreted over time.
Understanding the Gorgon Medusa: From Greek Myth to Modern Interpretations
Did you know that in Ovid's version of the myth, Medusa was not always the monstrous figure we've come to know, but was once a beautiful priestess before being cursed? We all know Medusa as a terrifying figure from ancient mythology, a woman cursed with snakes for hair, whose gaze could turn anyone to stone. However, her story, mainly as told by the Roman poet Ovid, is far more complex and tragic than the familiar tale of Perseus and his heroic conquest.
The Birth of Perseus and His Journey
Perseus and Danae's Ordeal
After Perseus was born, King Acrisius condemned him and his mother, Danae, to the sea, locking them in a wooden chest. Despite the danger, Poseidon stilled the waters, and thanks to Zeus's intervention, they miraculously survived the ordeal. The chest eventually drifted to the shores of Seriphos, where a compassionate fisherman named Dictys, the brother of King Polydectes, discovered them.
Dictys took them in, raising Perseus and guiding him to adulthood, with Perseus receiving his upbringing in the temple of Athena.
Life on Seriphos and Polydectes' Plot
On the idyllic island of Seriphos, Perseus and Danae lived a peaceful life. However, King Polydectes developed feelings for Danae and resolved to win her affection, regardless of her wishes. Danae was uninterested, and Perseus was fiercely protective of his mother. Polydectes realized he needed to get Perseus out of the way to win Danae.
The Quest for Medusa's Head
Polydectes' Challenge and Perseus' Promise
One evening, while feasting with the nobles, Polydectes asked each guest to present him with a gift, either as a tribute for a wedding he claimed to be planning with another woman or simply to honor him. In a moment of bravado, Perseus boldly vowed to bring him the head of Medusa, the fearsome creature whose lair no man had entered and lived to tell the tale.
Divine Assistance on the Journey
Perseus set out on his quest, but he wasn't unprepared. The gods themselves aided him, each providing divine tools for his journey: Hermes gave him winged sandals, allowing him to fly; Athena provided a polished shield so he could safely view Medusa's reflection and avoid her deadly gaze; Hades gifted him the Helm of Darkness, which rendered him invisible; Hephaestus supplied him with a special sword, sharp enough to behead Medusa; and the Nymphs (sometimes referred to as the Hesperides) gave him a magical bag, known as the kibisis (knapsack), to securely carry Medusa's head after her defeat.
Medusa's Defeat and Legacy
Medusa's Death and Birth of Legendary Creatures
With these gifts, Perseus ventured into Medusa's lair. Using the shield to view her reflection, he managed to behead the monster, whose upper body was that of a woman and lower body a writhing mass of snakes. Medusa, who had turned countless men to stone, was finally defeated.
In the moment of her death, Medusa's blood gave birth to two legendary creatures: Pegasus, the winged horse, and Chrysaor, a giant or winged boar born fully armed. These beings symbolize the paradox of Medusa's end: out of monstrous death came life, majestic and formidable.
Her severed head became a powerful symbol, later mounted on Athena's Aegis, where it continued to turn her enemies to stone.
Ovid's Reinterpretation of Medusa
Ovid's Version of Medusa's Origin
While the most familiar version of the Medusa myth is well-known, a Roman poet named Ovid, writing in the first century BC, offered a different perspective in his work Metamorphoses.
This alternate telling has since influenced many, especially in modern times, to reinterpret Medusa's story as a symbol of resistance against patriarchy and a reminder not to blame or victimize a woman who has been assaulted.
In the fourth book of Metamorphoses, Ovid describes a different version of Medusa's origin. He reveals that Medusa, originally named Gorgo, was once a beautiful priestess serving Athena in her temple. Gorgo was renowned for her long, silky hair. However, one day, Poseidon, who had a conflict with Athena, chose a cruel way to insult her. Unable to harm his sister directly, he violated Gorgo within the sacred space of Athena's temple.
Athena's Wrath and Medusa's Transformation
As Ovid tells it, Gorgo is unwilling to indulge him, but she is ultimately overpowered by Poseidon. Yet, unable to retaliate against her uncle, Athena directed her wrath towards her priestess instead. In her anger, Athena transformed Gorgo into a monster, turning her once beautiful hair into writhing snakes and cursing her with a gaze that would turn anyone to stone, forever altering her life. This transformation forced Medusa, once known as Gorgo, into exile, condemning her to live in isolation.
Ovid's Impact on Medusa's Myth
Ovid's Shift in Medusa's Portrayal
Ovid's interpretation of Medusa represents a notable shift from earlier versions of the myth. He was one of the first to present Medusa as fully human, a young maiden without the monstrous traits of her sisters. To better understand Ovid's approach, it's crucial to consider a few points:
First, his stories often had more dramatic flair than those of his predecessors.
Second, he held a critical view of the gods, frequently casting them in a negative light.
Lastly, Ovid was Roman, and the Romans had different views on certain deities than the Greeks, Athena and Ares being key examples.
Critique of Ovid's Portrayal of Athena
One of the primary concerns with Ovid's rendition of Medusa's tale is that it is the only version that includes the encounter between Medusa and Poseidon. Moreover, Ovid's portrayal of Athena differs significantly from that of other Greek poets. While Poseidon's or Neptune's behavior aligns with his established character, Ovid depicts Athena as envious of Medusa's beauty, portraying her as petty and irrational. This characterization is also seen in Ovid's account of Athena and Arachne, indicating that Ovid had a less favorable view of Athena, or Minerva, as she was known in Roman mythology. This portrayal aligns with the Roman preference for Mars (Ares) over Minerva (Athena).
Medusa's Transformation in Early Mythology
Medusa's Origins as a Gorgon
Medusa did not start out as a woman who was transformed into a Gorgon. It's crucial to recognize that the Gorgon figure has existed throughout Greek mythology, possibly dating back as far as 6000 BC. Over time, both their appearance and symbolism have evolved. The earliest references to snake-headed women come from the Erinyes, or Furies, who were responsible for punishing men guilty of heinous crimes. On earth, they were depicted as hideous, winged women with venomous serpents wrapped around their arms, waists, and especially their hair. Although the Erinyes were not considered Gorgons, they strongly resembled the earliest Gorgon figures.
The Elder Gorgon and Early Depictions
The first Gorgon, often referred to as the Elder Gorgon, was sometimes thought to be Medusa's father. In contrast, others believed this figure was actually Gorgo, the daughter of the Titan Helios. In early depictions, it was difficult to discern Gorgo's gender, as these figures did not resemble the seductive women with snake hair we think of today. Instead, they were shown with beards, tusks, and curly hair, which might have eventually led to the association with snakes.
Gorgo was ultimately slain by Zeus during the Titanomachy. During this period, the Gorgons lacked a clear purpose, and Medusa was yet to be part of the narrative.
The Evolution of the Gorgons
Gorgons as Guardians of Oracles
These bearded figures continued to appear until they were reimagined as the guardians of oracles. Their appearance underwent slight modifications; they now had scales for skin, sharp claws, wings, and hair entwined with snakes, resembling a combination of the Erinyes and Harpies.
Medusa in Homer's The Odyssey and Hesiod's Theogony
In Homer's The Odyssey, the Gorgon is mentioned again, but this time depicted as a terrifying monster. The way it's described suggests that Homer might have believed there was only one Gorgon.
By the seventh century BC, the story starts to become more familiar. In his Theogony, Hesiod states that there are three Gorgons, the daughters of the primordial sea deities Ceto and Phorcys. This is also one of the first times they're mentioned by name: Stheno, the mighty; Euryale, of the vast sea; and Medusa, the queen of these three sisters.
Medusa is the only one described as mortal, but it's unclear if she was mortal, as in she looked different from her sisters, or mortal, as in she would age. Sculptures and vases of this time suggest all three were seen as having a monstrous form.
Pindar's "Fair-Cheeked Medusa" and the Duality of Her Image
In 490 BC, the poet Pindar referred to Medusa as "fair-cheeked Medusa." Several hundred years after Homer's and Hesiod's work, Medusa, unlike her sisters, began to be shown as both beautiful and terrifying. As more poets mentioned Medusa and the Gorgons, they were established as not only having serpents for hair but also a stare that could turn anyone into stone.
“In common parlance today, Medusa’s name is synonymous with monster. But Dante, Shakespeare, Shelley, and other writers have all invoked her name in poems that celebrate the paradoxical logic of her image as capturing monstrosity and beauty, threat and defense, toxin, and remedy. And feminists have reclaimed her, rehabilitating her as a figure who is not all “deadly” but beautiful. “She’s laughing,” Hélène Cixous tells us in an essay that urges women to assert their identity through writing.” ~ Maria Tatar, PhD
Medusa the Gorgon: A Powerful Symbol of Protection in Ancient Greek Mythology
The Gorgon-born Medusa we mentioned earlier was a symbol of protection. Her face appeared on amulets known as the Gorgoneion, which kept away evil spirits. In later years, her face was even painted on the front of women's shelters to let them know these were places where they could feel safe. Even in death, Perseus used her head to defeat Cetus and save Andromeda. After Medusa's death, Athena placed her head on the Aegis, the ultimate sign of protection and power.
From Renaissance to Modern Interpretation: Luciano Garbati's Sculpture: Reimagining the Myth of Medusa and Perseus
Luciano Garbati's 2008 sculpture offers a provocative reimagining of a well-known myth: Medusa holding the severed head of Perseus. This striking image reverses the roles we typically associate with the story, where Perseus triumphantly displays Medusa's head.
Garbati's sculpture draws inspiration from the 16th-century masterpiece by Italian Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini, Perseus with the Head of Medusa, which stands in the Piazza Della Signoria in Florence, Italy. In Cellini's original work, Perseus is depicted as the hero, holding Medusa's head aloft in triumph. However, Garbati's modern reinterpretation flips this narrative on its head, compelling us to question Medusa's traditional portrayal and the myth's power dynamics.
Symbolism and Social Commentary: Medusa as a Symbol of Resistance
This sculpture, which gained widespread attention when a replica was displayed outside the New York Criminal Court, is a powerful symbol of the ongoing struggle against patriarchy. Medusa, holding the head of Perseus, embodies women's resistance to a system that has historically blamed victims and survivors rather than perpetrators.
Medusa's Tragic Story in Ovid's Retelling
Garbati's work echoes the tragic story of Medusa as told by Ovid, where she, once the priestess Gorgo, was a victim of rape by Poseidon. Instead of receiving justice, Ovid's Medusa was punished by Athena and forced to live as a monster until she was beheaded by Perseus, who then used her severed head as a trophy.
Conclusion: The Message Behind the Sculpture
A Powerful Reminder Against Victim-Blaming
The sculpture's message is clear: the victim of rape is never to blame. Garbati's Medusa challenges us to rethink how society views and treats survivors of such trauma, rejecting the unjust treatment that Medusa, or Gorgo, endured in the myth. The piece stands as a potent reminder that no woman should be blamed for the violence inflicted upon her.
Medusa is a multifaceted figure, more than just a victim and survivor. If we focus solely on Medusa as a victim of injustice, we overlook the depth of her story. In Ovid's version, Medusa's significance is lessened, leaving little that is positive or empowering. This narrow interpretation diminishes the broader symbolism of Medusa and the Gorgons throughout history.
She embodies a range of identities: a monster, a villain, a maiden, a mother, a symbol of protection, a survivor, and a beacon of hope, all intertwined. Few characters in Greek mythology can be interpreted in such diverse ways, evoking a broad spectrum of emotions. Each interpretation is valid, leaving it up to us to decide which aspect resonates most and what we choose to take from her story.
References
Christou, M. (2020, January 31). The many faces of Medusa – Monster, victim or protector? [Video]. YouTube. Mythology & Fiction Explained.
Hamilton, E. (2017). Mythology (75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition): Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. Hachette UK.
Illes, J. (2010). Encyclopedia of spirits: The ultimate guide to the magic of fairies, genies, demons, ghosts, gods & goddesses. Harper Collins.
Littleton, C. S. (2002). Mythology: the illustrated anthology of world myth & storytelling. Duncan Baird.
Λουκόπουλος, Κ. (2020, October 19). Η Μέδουσα Έπεσε Θύμα Βιασμού και Σήμερα Γίνεται Σύμβολο! [Video]. YouTube. The Mythologist.
Monaghan, P. (2014). Encyclopedia of goddesses and heroines. New World Library.
Tatar, M. (2021). The heroine with 1001 faces. Liveright Publishing.
