Medusa, in Greek mythology, is one of the three Gorgons, monstrous female creatures with hair made of living, venomous snakes, and the power to turn anyone who looked directly at them to stone. Unlike her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, Medusa was mortal. She was originally a beautiful maiden, priestess of Athena, who was transformed into a Gorgon as a punishment by Athena, following a desecration of her temple by Poseidon, with whom Medusa had been involved. Medusa's story is central to the myth of Perseus, one of the earliest heroes of Greek mythology. Tasked with killing Medusa as part of a quest to save his mother from a forced marriage, Perseus, assisted by gifts from the gods including Hermes' winged sandals, Hades' helm of invisibility, and a reflective shield from Athena, managed to behead Medusa while looking at her reflection to avoid being turned into stone. From Medusa's severed neck sprang Pegasus, the winged horse, and Chrysaor, a giant wielding a golden sword, both fathered by Poseidon.