The Gorgoneion was the scary mask that came to be synchronized with Medusa, but not all Gorgoneion masks are Medusa. The mask was simply meant to portray the most terrifying, hideous thing (a kind of death’s head), in order to protect the building or wearer or the mystery behind it. All ancient, Greek theatre masks had exaggerated expressions. Perhaps this was the one worn by the character playing Medusa, and, as it is today, people loved the thrill of the scare, so both the villain and mask became very popular. Medusa sporting the mask (actually Athena, but it’s complicated) graced the temples of other gods.
I had been looking at a lot of Medusa and Gorgoneion imagery and was inspired to play with clay, but also was starting to see them when I shut my eyes. It’s powerful mojo.
Obviously these are not intended to be pretty, quite the opposite. But I hope they’ll still have a thread of humour. It’s an illusion, after all.
The Boggy ones have the most mojo. Why Bog? Well one theory I read about the Gorgoneion face was, because it looked ‘bloated’ it was meant to portray a drowned person’s face peering out of the water. I though that was a stretch, but imagined the personification (again of wild nature, as opposed to rational Athena) of the dark boggy waters where amphibious things make their residence. As if to say, this primal goo is from whence we came! This is the mother’s womb [lolls tongue]!
