Gorgon

In Greek mythology according to the Greek poet Hesiod, any of three monsters; the sisters Stheno and Euryale, daughters of the sea god Phorcys and Ceto, and the mortal Medusa. They had wings, claws, enormous teeth, and snakes for hair; direct sight of them turned living creatures to stone. Medusa was slain by Perseus who watched her reflection in his shield, although her head retained its power to transform.

The gorgon also occurs singly in variations of the myth. Homer's Odyssey and Iliad described it as a monster of the underworld, whose head was fixed in the centre of Zeus' aegis (shield). Later the head appeared on the shield of Athena. In Ion, the Greek dramatist Euripides represented the monster as a single gorgon slain by Athena.