In Greek mythology, Hesiod described Medusa’s death in the Theogony. The poem presents Medusa as one of the Gorgons and recounts her encounter with Perseus.
The Theogony is an early Greek genealogical poem about the origins and generations of the gods. Its account places Medusa within the family of Phorcys and Ceto and identifies her as the mortal Gorgon, unlike her immortal sisters Stheno and Euryale.
Hesiod’s account is much earlier than Ovid’s famous Roman retelling. Ovid added influential details about Medusa’s transformation and her former beauty, so readers sometimes attribute every familiar part of the story to the same author. The ancient versions do not all tell the myth identically.