God Killers: The 7 Most Devastating Weapons in Greek Mythology

TIMESTAMPS:10:40 - end of events leading up to the TitanomachyHey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video we're going to discuss the seven most devastating weapons in Greek mythology, weapons so powerful they won wars, structured the cosmos, and even dictated the destinies of Primordial Deities, Titans, and Gods.Let's get into it. Starting off our list is Medusa's head.Medusa is one of three Gorgon sisters, creatures of such overwhelming hideousness that one look turned a person to stone, though, in some accounts, it is Medusa alone who has this power, or curse, depending on how you look at it. Of the three, only Medusa was mortal, meaning she was the only one who could be killed, which is why she, not either of her two sisters, was chosen as the object of Perseus' quest. Depending on the version, Medusa was either transformed from the beautiful woman that she was into a snake-haired monster, or was born a Gorgon, the daughter of Phorcys and his sister Ceto, both of them sea deities, though perhaps Ceto, whose name was a generic term for sea monster, was more monster than goddess. Per the account of Apollodorus, the Gorgons had writhing nests of snakes for hair, golden wings, boar-like tusks that jut from their maws, and hands of bronze that could slash a person to pieces.Perseus did succeed in his quest to slay Medusa; however, in large part, this achievement can more so be attributed to the gifts he was leant than to his prowess as a monster slayer. Outfitted in winged sandals that granted flight and a helmet that bestowed invisibility, wielding an impossibly sharp sword and a shield so burnished it could be used as a mirror, he came upon Medusa unawares and decapitated her while she slept. Now, for the reason Medusa's head earned a spot on this list. Perseus had a run in with Atlas, the Titan holding up the sky, before he gave the head to Athena and had returned home. Atlas wouldn't grant the hero hospitality, telling him to move on, so Perseus, feeling slighted, unveiled the head and turned the Titan to stone. To be fair, this version of the myth was written by Ovid, a Roman poet notorious for thinking Greek myths nothing more than fanciful tales told in bygone time, this giving rise to much embellishment, but still, anything that can turn a Titan, which is just a name for a group of gods, to stone, indicating that it would have the same effect on other gods, is a weapon of superlative potency. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices