Medusa was a Gorgon with long wings and venomous snakes in place of hair. Gazers upon her face would turn to stone, making her both feared and unstoppable. Her head was cut off and gifted as a wedding present, then placed on Zeus’ shield to protect him. Hence her face being immortalized on shields and breastplates throughout antiquity as a totem to ward off evil. Now, she has emerged as a symbol of feminism and female strength and fierceness.