In Greek mythology, what was Medusa’s relationship to the sea gods Phorcys and Ceto?

In Greek mythology, Medusa was the daughter of the sea deities Phorcys and Ceto.

This genealogy places Medusa among a family of ancient marine beings and monsters. Her sisters Stheno and Euryale were also children of Phorcys and Ceto, making the three Gorgons siblings.

The same parentage is often assigned to the Graeae, the sisters who possessed one shared eye and one shared tooth. That family connection helps explain why the Graeae could direct Perseus toward the Gorgons, although the two groups were distinct.

Some modern retellings alter Medusa’s family history or portray her as transformed from an ordinary human. Those versions draw especially on Ovid, whose account differs from the older genealogical tradition. The Phorcys-and-Ceto parentage is the standard mythic genealogy.