<P> Near them their sisters three, the Gorgons, winged With snakes for hair--hatred of mortal man--</P> <P> While ancient Greek vase - painters and relief carvers imagined Medusa and her sisters as beings born of monstrous form, sculptors and vase - painters of the fifth century began to envisage her as being beautiful as well as terrifying . In an ode written in 490 BC Pindar already speaks of "fair - cheeked Medusa". </P> <P> In a late version of the Medusa myth, related by the Roman poet Ovid (Metamorphoses 4.770), Medusa was originally a ravishingly beautiful maiden, "the jealous aspiration of many suitors," but because Poseidon had raped her in Athena's temple, the enraged Athena transformed Medusa's beautiful hair to serpents and made her face so terrible to behold that the mere sight of it would turn onlookers to stone . In Ovid's telling, Perseus describes Medusa's punishment by Minerva (Athena) as just and well earned . </P> <P> In most versions of the story, she was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who was sent to fetch her head by King Polydectes of Seriphus because Polydectes wanted to marry his mother . The gods were well aware of this, and Perseus 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 . </P>

How did medusa's hair turn to snakes
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