Many know the myth of the three gorgons, but very few know of the very first gorgon to
exist in Greek mythology.
Gorgo Aix, the elder Gorgon, the spirit of the stormy clouds.
Gorgo aix was an ancient Gorgon, who existed when the world was still young, during the
time of the ancient titans, before the birth and reign of the olympians.
It was a monstrous goat, the alter ego of Amalthea, the goatish nurse of baby zeus.
Its name literally meant "terrible goat", or "Fierce storm".
Similar to the later Gorgons, Gorgo had living serpents as hair, tusks as fangs, and long
lolling tongue.
However, it had the body of a goat, an ugly flat nose, and was of indescribable gender.
Gorgo could not be refered to as a he, or a she, because it was neither male, nor female.
It was described as either a woman who had manly features, such as a beard, or a man
with womanly attributes.
Gorgo was an effeminate monster, and was sometimes said to be the mother or father of the 3 gorgons.
Prior to the 10 year long war between the titans and the gods, Gorgo had spent most
of its life, hidden away by Gaia, in a secret Cretan cave. and during the war, the monstrous
goat joined forces with the Titans, the enemies of the gods.
Gorgo was slain at the start of the war, by zeus, who then used the goat's skin to construct
his famous Aegis, placing its hideous head at the front of the shield.
This possibly explains why Zeus already wielded an aegis decorated with a gorgon's head, long
before the time, and death of the gorgon - Medusa.
Modelling after her father, Athena also placed the gift of Medusa's head on her own aegis.
Like father, like daughter.
The images of Gorgons were carved on objects as protection against evil, in the later times,
supposedly due to their terrifying gaze.
Now it is rather suprising.
Why would a creature which brought only death, terror and misery, would be used as protection
against evil.
To some, there was nothing good about the gorgon, It was like using evil to ward off
evil.
The reason lies in the myths themselves.
The Gorgon was a creature of duality, and was not evil in its entirety.
On one hand, and as itself, it sought to only satisfy its evil tendencies, and on the other
hand, it became a tool against evil.
The blood of the gorgon was said to be the cure to all afflictions, and plagues.
With the gorgon's head, Perseus fell the mighty kraken, and ended the rule of the wicked king,
Polydectus.
In the hands of Asclepius, the blood drawn from the gorgon's left side was used to end
lives, and the blood drawn the right was used to raise people from the dead.
In the hands of Erichthonius, the two vials of the gorgon's blood were used as a deadly
poison, and the cure to all diseases.
In addition, Sterope placed a lock of the Gorgon's hair in her hometown, Tegea, to protect
it from enemies, and the lock cast great terror into any enemy who beheld it.