Perseus shield. Perseus then proceeded to the Gorgons' cave. In the cave he came upon the sleeping Medusa. By viewing Medusa's reflection in his polished shield, he safely approached and cut off her head. From her neck sprang Pegasus ("he who sprang") and Chrysaor ("sword of gold"), the result of Poseidon and Medusa's mating. The other two Gorgons pursued Perseus, but, wearing his helm of darkness, he escaped. From here he proceeded to visit King Atlas who had refused him hospitality; in revenge Perseus turned him to stone. On the way back to Seriphos Island, Perseus stopped in the kingdom of
Cultural depictions of Medusa and Gorgons name is particularly apt, for the Combatant's face is permanently marked with scars and destroyed flesh, terrifying men. When Tom Raines defeats her at the Capitol Summit in "Insignia", it can also be considered a reference to the way Perseus slew Medusa using a mirrored shield. In Kendra Preston Leonard's poem, "Professor Medusa," Medusa teaches Greek Language and Literature at a college, where she tries to protect her students. In Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel Gone With the Wind, the character of Ashley Wilkes wears a lapel pin with the head of Medusa in it. The mythological creature is thought to