And let’s not forget the Gorgon, Medusa. Anthropologist Marija Gimbutas explains that before Medusa became a monster slain by Perseus (her face, encircled by live snakes, could turn man to stone), she represented one-half of the goddess. The symbolism of the snakes is no accident. While Medusa became a monster—or, as Beard points out, a popular meme for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election, with Trump posed as Perseus—she was originally so much more.
