Closeup: Medusa's head on the shield of Athena, La Minerva, Governor's Palace, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico In Greek mythology, Medusa (/mɪˈdjuːzə, -sə/; Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress") was a monster, a Gorgon, generally described as a winged human female with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those who gazed upon her face would turn to stone. Athena was the goddess of wisdom, and today we might say goddess of technology and learning