Gorgon (composition) a ceremonial work, used the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra's commission to see its realization. "Gorgon" was inspired by the legend of the three Gorgons from Greek mythology: Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa. Rouse described the creatures in the score program notes, writing: He added, "Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the gorgon has become a symbol for any terror too immense — and too horrible — to be faced. It has thus become an image of sublimated brutality and savagery, perhaps a metaphor for our own private and subconscious monsters." He concluded, "In addition to certain intentional similarities common to musical
Greek mythology to prove, as in the case of the Greek Moirai and the Norns of Norse mythology. It appears that the Mycenaean religion was the mother of the Greek religion and its pantheon already included many divinities that can be found in classical Greece. However, Greek mythology is generally seen as having heavy influence of Pre-Greek and Near Eastern cultures, and as such contains few important elements for the reconstruction of the Proto-Indo-European religion. Consequently, Greek mythology received minimal scholarly attention in the context of Indo-European comparative mythology until the mid 2000s. Archaeology and mythography have revealed influence from Asia Minor