Gorgons/Definition

From Greek mythology, they were three monstrous sisters discussed in the Theogony by Hesiod who have snakes in their hair and who have the power of transforming, with their gaze, living creatures into stone. One of the three sisters is Medusa; the hero Perseus cuts off her head and uses it as a weapon against his enemies; he used a mirror to be able to see her without himself turning into stone. Source: Elizabeth Vandiver, Classics scholar, authority on Greek mythology and Greek tragedy, including the Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid, Homer, and Virgil. This definition is based on her course Classical Mythology for The Teaching Company.