Medusa received help. He received a mirrored shield from Athena, gold, winged sandals from Hermes, a sword from Hephaestus and Hades's helm of invisibility. Since Medusa was the only one of the three Gorgons who was mortal, Perseus was able to slay her while looking at the reflection from the mirrored shield he received from Athena. During that time, Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon. When Perseus beheaded her, Pegasus, a winged horse, and Chrysaor, a giant wielding a golden sword, sprang from her body. Jane Ellen Harrison argues that "her potency only begins when her head is severed, and that potency
Perseus with the Head of Medusa newly refurbished medium. Perseus was one of Cellini’s crowning works, completed with two different ideals in mind. He wanted to respond to the sculpture already placed within the piazza, which he did with the subject matter of Medusa reducing men to stone. Secondly, the Medici were represented by "Perseus" and the subject matter achieved that in the round sculpture and the relief below. Moreover, in that respect, Cellini also made a statement for himself in the actual casting of "Perseus". Cellini gave life with his new sculpture in his use of bronze and asserted the Medician control over the Florentine