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I Mean... What's Better Than Revenge? - Kaitlyn Terry

    I'm not gonna lie, Grendel's mom gave my mind so many different pop culture references and I don't know why. However, I do know that modern society loves a good revenge story. I mean some of the most popular songs of the past few decades are about revenge (e.x. Better Than Revenge- Taylor Swift, Before He Cheats- Carrie Underwood, Bust Your Windows- Jazmine Sullivan). I, as someone who adores revenge stories, was immediately off-put by the immediate villainization of Grendel's mom. I mean, if someone killed your son, would you not also want revenge? There have been so many stories portrayed this way over the course of human history, the grieving female usually being the villain. My personal favorite has always been the story of Medusa.

    I could tell something was off about the story when I first heard it at a young age, and as I got older I realized that I had been taught incorrectly. Medusa was not born a monster, she was taken advantage of. The male greek gods ordered Athena to punish her for "defiling" her temple, so Athena "punished" Medusa with something that would protect her from the thing that hurt her in the first place. Men. Then, she was targeted and killed for being protected by the goddess. Why was this side of the story never portrayed? Why was Medusa villainized? Why was Grendel's mother villainized? Was she actually evil or just made to appear that way by those writing the story. 

(ps I commented on Abbie and Isabelle's post)

Comments

  1. Jackson RiddleFebruary 23, 2021 at 12:02 AM

    That's so true!! I often forget about Medusa's true origin story and how she was basically taken advantage of by Poseidon and then was punished for something she had little to no control over. Poseidon desired her and the two did the *thing* in Athena's shrine, essentially destroying it, and what does Athena do? Does she lash out at Poseidon? Nope. She focuses all her anger on Medusa, who she curses because of something Poseidon did. Ugh. And with Grendel's mother, yes, I agree that I would want vengeance as well, but you have to remember that this is the mother of a demon-like creature that has been plaguing the city for years, so it makes more sense why she is villainized in the poem.

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  2. Lily CaswellFebruary 23, 2021 at 7:46 AM

    I’ve always heard that there’s two sides to every story. It’s kind of interesting because I study Greek mythology for fun (yes I know I’m a nerd) and I’ve never heard that side of Medusa’s story. Grendel’s mother reminds me of a mom who would do anything to protect her kid from other kids but still is made out to be the villain because the other kid’s parents don’t like her or her actions.

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  3. Logan TurnerFebruary 23, 2021 at 9:34 AM

    I completely agree with you. That is one of the reasons that I feel like I can kind of empathize with Grendel's mom. If someone were to kill my son, I would want to get revenge on the guy who did it, so why should we make her out to be a villain for doing something we all would do if we were in her shoes?

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