View source for 5e:Medusa

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<div class="bctop">{{backto|{{SRD5|Monstrosity}}}}</div>
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[[File:Medusa.jpg|thumb|180px|Medusa<br />Painting by: Arnold Bocklin (1827-1901)<br />Public Domain Image<br />''Image is not a part of the SRD'']]<br />
[[File:DnD Medusa.png|thumb|180px|Medusa<br />by [[LadyofHats]]<br />via [[Mediawiki Commons]]<br />[[Public Domain]]]]
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{{5e Monster Short|Medusa|Medusa|Overview|Monstorsity, Medusa
|habitat=Desert
|refs=<ref name="srd">{{Cite Pub|SRD-OGL v5.1}}</ref> <ref name="mm5">{{Cite Pub|Monster Manual (5e)}}</ref> <ref name="moot.206">{{Cite Pub|Mythic Odyssey of Theros|pages=206}} Licensed: &copy; Wizards of the Coast {{fairuc}}.</ref>}}

{{refstart}}In Greek mythology, Medusa (/mɪˈdjuːzə, -sə/; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those who gazed into her eyes would turn to stone. Most sources describe her as the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto, although the author Hyginus makes her the daughter of Gorgon and Ceto.

Medusa was beheaded by the Greek hero Perseus, who then used her head, which retained its ability to turn onlookers to stone, as a weapon until he gave it to the goddess Athena to place on her shield. In classical antiquity, the image of the head of Medusa appeared in the evil-averting device known as the Gorgoneion. {{refend|<ref name="wp.medusa">{{cite|accessdate=2022-04-22|title=Medusa|website=Wikipedia <!--website name-->|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medusa
}} Licensed: [[CC-BY-SA]].</ref>}}

==In Theros==
{{5e Setting|Theros}}{{refstart}}The medusas of Theros differ from those <!--in the Monster Manual--> [in other realms] in that they have long, serpentine bodies in place of legs.{{refend|<ref name="moot.206" />}}

==List of Medusas==
{{5e Monster List|Medusa}}
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==Sources and Notes==
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{{5e Footer|Monstrosity|Varied}}
{{5e Monster Data}}
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