A Gorgon head on the outside of each of the Vix-krater's three handles. From the grave of the Celtic Lady of Vix, 510 BC

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In Greek mythology, the Gorgon (plural: Gorgons) (Greek: Γοργών or Γοργώ Gorgon/Gorgo) was a terrifying female creature. The name derives from the Greek word gorgós, which means "dreadful." While descriptions of Gorgons vary across Greek literature, the term commonly refers to any of three sisters who had hair of living, venomous snakes, and a horrifying visage that turned those who beheld it to stone. Traditionally, while two of the Gorgons were immortal, Stheno and Euryale, their sister Medusa was not, and was slain by the mythical demigod and hero Perseus.

Gorgons were a popular image of Greek mythology, appearing in the earliest of written records of Ancient Greek religious beliefs such as those of Homer. Because of their legendary gaze, images of the Gorgons were put upon objects and buildings for protection. For example, an image of a Gorgon holds the primary location at the pediment of the temple at Corfu. It is the oldest stone pediment in Greece and is dated to c. 600 BC.

Origins[link]

Minoan gold ring of Mochlos, 1600-1500 BC. A sea-goddess with a monstrous head in a boat. Heraklion Archaeological Museum

The concept of the Gorgon is at least as old in mythology as Perseus and Zeus. The name is Greek, being derived from "gorgos" and translating as terrible or dreadful.

Author Marija Gimbutas (Language of the Goddess) believed she saw the prototype of the Gorgoneion in Neolithic art motifs, especially in anthropomorphic vases and terracotta masks inlaid with gold.

A female figure, probably a sea-goddess is depicted on a Minoan gold ring from the island Mochlos in Crete. The goddess has a monstrous head, and she is sitting in a boat. A holy tree is depicted, probably related with the Minoan cult of the tree. ^[1]

The large eyes, as well as Athena's "flashing" eyes, are symbols termed "the divine eyes" by Gimbutas (who did not originate the perception), appearing also in Athena's bird, the owl. They can be represented by spirals, wheels, concentric circles, swastikas, firewheels, and other images.

The fangs of the Gorgons are those of snakes and are likely derived from the guardians closely associated with early Greek religious concepts at the centers of oracles. In some cruder representations , blood flowing under the head of the Gorgon has been mistaken for a beard or wings.

Other possible origins have been suggested from similarities of the Babylonian creature Humbaba in the Gilgamesh epic.

Classical tradition[link]

An archaic Gorgon (around 580 BC), as depicted on a pediment from the temple of Artemis in Corfu, on display at the Archaeological Museum of Corfu

First century BC mosaic of Alexander the Great bearing on his armor an image of the Gorgon as an aegis - Naples National Archaeological Museum

Gorgons are sometimes depicted as having wings of gold, brazen claws, the tusks of boars, but most often with the fangs and skin of a serpent. The oldest oracles were said to be protected by serpents and a Gorgon image was often associated with those temples. Lionesses or sphinxes are frequently associated with the Gorgon as well. The powerful image of the Gorgon was adopted for the classical images and myths of Zeus and Athena, perhaps being worn in continuation of a more ancient imagery. The Gorgons were said to be the daughters of the sea god Phorcys and his sister-wife, Ceto the sea monster. Homer, the author of the oldest known work of European literature, speaks only of one Gorgon, whose head is represented in the Iliad as fixed in the centre of the aegis of Zeus:

"About her shoulders she flung the tasselled aegis, fraught with terror...and therein is the head of the dread monster, the Gorgon, dread and awful, a portent of Zeus that beareth the aegis."(5.735ff)

Its earthly counterpart is a device on the shield of Agamemnon:

"...and therein was set as a crown the Gorgon, grim of aspect, glaring terribly, and about her were Terror and Rout."(11.35ff)

Gorgon Medusa 200 AD (Romano-Germanic Museum in Cologne)

The date of Homer was controversial in antiquity, and is no less so today. Herodotus said that Homer lived 400 years before his own day, which would place Homer about 850 BC;^[2] but other ancient sources gave dates much closer to the Trojan War. ^[3] Those who believe that the stories of the Trojan War derive from a specific historical conflict usually date it to the twelfth or eleventh centuries BC, often preferring the dates given by Eratosthenes, 1194–1184 BC, which roughly corresponds with archaeological evidence of a catastrophic burning of Troy VIIa. For modern scholarship, 'the date of Homer' refers to the date of the poems as much as to the lifetime of an individual.

The scholarly consensus is that "the Iliad and the Odyssey date from the extreme end of the ninth century BC or from the eighth, the Iliad being anterior to the Odyssey, perhaps by some decades."^[4] They are presumed to have existed as an oral tradition that eventually became set in historical records. Even at that early time the Gorgon is displayed as a vestige of ancient powers that preceded the historical transition to the beliefs of the Classical Greeks, displayed on the chest of Athene and Zeus.

In the Odyssey, the Gorgon is a monster of the underworld to which the earliest deities were cast:

"...and pale fear seized me, lest august Persephone might send forth upon me from out of the house of Hades the head of the Gorgon, that awful monster..."(11.635)

Around 700 BC, Hesiod (Theogony, Shield of Heracles) increases the number of Gorgons to three—Stheno (the mighty), Euryale (the far-springer), and Medusa (the queen), and makes them the daughters of the sea-god Phorcys and of Keto. Their home is on the farthest side of the western ocean; according to later authorities, in Libya. Ancient Libya is identified as a possible source of the deity, Neith, who was called Athene in Greece.

The Attic tradition, reproduced in Euripides (Ion), regarded the Gorgon as a monster, produced by Gaia to aid her children, the Titans, against the new Olympian deities and she was slain by Athena, who wore her skin thereafter. Of the three Gorgons, only Medusa is mortal.

Winged goddess with a Gorgon's head. Orientalizing plate, ca. 600 BC, from Kameiros, Rhodes

The Bibliotheca (2.2.6, 2.4.1, 2.4.2) provides a good summary of the Gorgon myth. Much later stories claim that each of three Gorgon sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, had snakes for hair, and that they had the power to turn anyone who looked at them to stone.

According to Ovid (Metamorphoses), a Roman poet writing in 8 AD who was noted for accuracy regarding the Greek myths, Medusa alone had serpents in her hair, and that this was due to Athena (Roman Minerva) cursing her. Medusa had copulated with Poseidon (Roman Neptune) in a temple of Athena after he was aroused by the golden color of Medusa's hair. Athena therefore changed the enticing golden locks into serpents. Diodorus and Palaephatus mention that the Gorgons lived in the Gorgades, islands in the Aethiopian Sea. The main island was called Cerna and, according to Henry T. Riley, these islands may correspond to Cape Verde.^[5]

It is mentioned that the Gorgons lived in the entrance of the Underworld in the Aenid.

Pausanias (5.10.4, 8.47.5, many other places), a geographer of the second century A.D., supplies the details of where and how the Gorgons were represented in Greek art and architecture.

Perseus and Medusa[link]

Perseus killing Medusa, from the temple C at Selinus. Archaeological Museum of Palermo

In later myths, Medusa was the only one of the three Gorgons who was not immortal. King Polydectes sent Perseus to kill Medusa in hopes of getting him out of the way, while he pursued Perseus's mother, Danae.

Some authors say that Perseus was armed with a scythe from Hermes (Roman equivalent Mercury) and a mirror (or a shield) from Athena. Perseus could safely cut off Medusa's head without turning to stone by looking only at her reflection in the shield. From the blood that spurted from her neck and jumping into the sea sprang Pegasus and Chrysaor, her sons by Poseidon. Other sources say that each drop of blood became a snake. He gave the head, which retained the power of turning into stone all who looked upon it, to Athena. She then placed it on the mirrored shield called Aegis and gave it to Zeus. Another source says that Perseus buried the head in the marketplace of Argos.

According to other accounts, either he or Athena used the head to turn Atlas into stone, transforming him into the Atlas Mountains that held up both heaven and earth.^[6] He also used it against a competing suitor.

Ultimately, he used it against King Polydectes. When Perseus returned to the court of the king, Polydectes asked if he had the head of Medusa. Perseus replied "here it is" and held it aloft, turning the whole court to stone.

Protective and healing powers[link]

Archaic (Etruscan) fanged goggle-eyed Gorgon flanked by standing winged lionesses or sphinxes on a hydria from Vulci, 540–530 BC

In Ancient Greece a Gorgoneion (or stone head, engraving, or drawing of a Gorgon face, often with snakes protruding wildly and the tongue sticking out between her fangs) frequently was used as an apotropaic symbol ^[7] and placed on doors, walls, floors, coins, shields, breastplates, and tombstones in the hopes of warding off evil. In this regard Gorgoneia are similar to the sometimes grotesque faces on Chinese soldiers’ shields, also used generally as an amulet, a protection against the evil eye. Likewise, in Hindu Mythology, Kali is often shown with a protruding tongue and snakes around her head.

Disk-fibula with a gorgoneion. Bronze with repoussé decoration, second half of the 6th century BC. Louvre

In Greek mythology, blood taken from the right side of a Gorgon could bring the dead back to life, yet blood taken from the left side was an instantly fatal poison. Athena gave a vial of the healing blood to Asclepius, which ultimately brought about his demise. Heracles is said to have obtained a lock of Medusa’s hair (which possessed the same powers as the head) from Athena and to have given it to Sterope, the daughter of Cepheus, as a protection for the town of Tegea against attack. According to the later idea of Medusa as a beautiful maiden, whose hair had been changed into snakes by Athena, the head was represented in works of art with a wonderfully handsome face, wrapped in the calm repose of death.

Cultural depictions of Gorgons[link]

Gorgons, especially Medusa, have been a common image and symbol in Western culture since their origins in Greek Mythology, appearing in art, literature and elsewhere throughout history.

References[link]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.  Additional material has been added from the 1824 Lemprière's Classical Dictionary.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gorgons

• F. T. Elworthy. "s:Folk-Lore/Volume 14/A Solution of the Gorgon Myth" Folk-Lore. Volume 14 (1903).

This article does not follow Wikipedia's guidelines on the use of different tenses. Please consider copy editing to past tense if historic, present tense if not time-based (e.g. fiction), or future tense if upcoming. (December 2007)

Silver Samurai is the name of two characters in Marvel Comics.

Publication History[link]

The first Silver Samurai is Kenuichio Harada. His first appearance was in Daredevil #111 (July, 1974). In Japan his name is Harada Kenichirō (原田剣一郎)^{[citation needed]}, since 'Kenuichio' is not an actual Japanese name.

Fictional character biography[link]

Kenuichio Harada[link]

Kenuichio Harada is the illegitimate son of Shingen Yashida. He is a Japanese mutant with the power to charge almost anything, most notably his katana, with mutant energy (described as a tachyon field) which enables it to slice through any known substance excluding adamantium. He also sports a suit based on traditional samurai armor. It is made of a silver metal, hence his name.

He became a professional criminal, and first appeared to clash with Daredevil when he was hired by Mandrill and Black Spectre.^[1]

Harada was once the bodyguard for the international terrorist known as the Viper and was subsequently an occasional mercenary. When working for Viper, he fought Spider-Man and Black Widow.^[2] After recovering Viper's teleportation ring, he fought Spider-Man again on Saturday Night Live and encountered the original Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time-Players.^[3] He joined Viper and Boomerang in fighting Spider-Man, Nick Fury, Shang-Chi, and Black Widow on the original S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier.^[4] He and Viper attempted to kidnap Michael Kramer, and fought the original Spider-Woman.^[5]

Alongside the Viper, he attempted a theft of cavourite crystal, and battled the New Mutants.^[6] Alongside the Viper, he battled the X-Men and Yukio.^[7] He attempted to possess the Black Blade, and battled Wolverine, Lindsay McCabe, and O'Donnell. He rescued Wolverine and a depowered Jessica Drew from cultists.^[8]

He became the Oyabun (leader) of Clan Yashida after his half-sister Mariko Yashida's death.^[9] He attempted to pay off his clan's debts to the Yakuza and restore its honor.^{[volume & issue needed]} Though once one of Wolverine's greatest enemies, he had apparently impressed Wolverine so greatly that Wolverine entrusted him with the care of his adopted daughter, Amiko Kobayashi.^{[volume & issue needed]}

The Samurai even once helped Wolverine destroy the monster known as "Doombringer",^{[volume & issue needed]} and later helped Logan rescue Amiko and Yukio from their kidnappers.^[10] During his time as hero, the Silver Samurai became the leader of the first Japanese superhero team, Big Hero 6.^[11]

Silver Samurai was brainwashed by the mutant Blindspot into forgetting his time as a hero, believing his redemption was just a result of Professor X's brainwashing.^{[volume & issue needed]} As a result, he had returned to his previous criminal activities.^{[volume & issue needed]} However, it now seems that Harada is currently operating as the chief security officer for the Prime Minister of Japan.^[12]

For unclear reasons, the Samurai was abducted, incarcerated in the Raft prison in America without trial, and official records stated he was dead. He was freed by Madame Hydra and the Hand, who transported him back to Japan. They wanted him to lead the Hand and unite the Japanese criminal underworld, hoping he could take on shadowy figures controlling both Hydra & SHIELD that Madame Hydra was reluctant to name. However, Harada wasn't interested in a war and even helped the Avengers defeat them. Afterward, he decided to try to earn his good name back by serving the people of Japan once again.^[13]

Silver Samurai is one of the few mutants that retained their superhuman powers after M-Day. Wolverine made his way to Japan in search of Harada and engaged him in battle. Wolverine had recovered all of his memories due to the events of House of M and asked Silver Samurai questions about his past during the course of their fight. Silver Samurai was able to run Wolverine through with one of his swords. Immediately afterward, Wolverine grabbed the Samurai by his right forearm and severed his hand at the wrist with his claws. When last seen, Silver Samurai was kneeling on the floor cradling the bloody stump where his hand once was.^[14]

After the Skrull invasion, Viper left the Silver Samurai to rejoin Hydra. She later came with a new Madame Hydra to negotiate support to be given to Typhon, Hydra's production front, from the Yashidas. Also, they took a mysterious box; the Yashidas claimed that those who opened it never lived to see another day.^[15] Some time later, warriors of the mysterious Leviathan group attacked the Silver Samurai to make him divulge the location of the box.^[16]

While defending his home from a group of ninjas, the Silver Samurai is mortally wounded. With his last bit of power, he makes his way to the grave of his half-sister Mariko and dies. ^[17] He later appears in Hell blaming Wolverine for the recent deaths of people and is beheaded by Satan's Soulcutter after speaking.^[18]

Shingen "Shin" Harada[link]

A new Silver Samurai appeared when Wolverine made a trip to Japan to visit Silver Samurai's grave. This version is the Silver Samurai's son Shin Harada who has been committing larceny with Wolverine's daughter Amiko Kobayashi.^[19]

Powers and abilities[link]

The first Silver Samurai is a mutant with the ability to generate a tachyon field, with which he can surround anything^{[citation needed]}. He commonly uses his power on his sword, enabling it to cut through nearly anything, except adamantium. When working with the Viper, he possesses a teleportation ring, which allows him to teleport from one location to another, granting him great mobility and stealth. As a self-styled samurai, he is a master of Kenjutsu (katana), and a martial arts master specializing in edged weapons, hand to hand combat, and tactics. He usually wears a suit of lightweight steel alloy body armor, modeled after traditional samurai armor, but made of modern protective materials. He carries a katana (long sword), shuriken (throwing stars), and other weaponry. Keniuchio has extensive knowledge of the operations of criminal organizations due to his shady past, which he now uses in the service of his government to combat such organizations. He is an expert in the history and customs of the samurai class (Bushido).

Other versions[link]

Age of Apocalypse[link]

In the most recent "Age of Apocalypse" story, published in 2005 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Age of Apocalypse storyline, the Silver Samurai was a key member of the X-Men. He wore no helmet, and had a red upside down Omega symbol tattooed on his forehead. Because he wears no helmet, it is probably a maedate, the crest of a Samurai kabuto. He was one of the team's more visible members, rash yet strong. It was revealed that the Samurai and Wolverine met each other in Japan, some time before Logan rescued Mariko from thugs. He was also aware of the existence of Psylocke, a rare telepath in the Age of Apocalypse, but how the Samurai was convinced to join Magneto's X-Men in the first place was not explained.^[20]

Marvel Noir[link]

In the Marvel Noir universe, a Lieutenant Kenuichio Harada appeared a Japansese policeman in X-Men Noir sequel, Mark of Cain.^[21]

Exiles[link]

In Exiles #83 (August 2006), another alternate version of the Silver Samurai was revealed. Originating from Earth-172, the Samurai appeared to have a good relationship between Mariko Yashida and that Earth's Wolverine, who was a briefly seen member of the reality-hopping counterpart team of the Exiles called Weapon X. As Wolverine had vanished out of their sight for months to join said team, he later on was killed in action and returned by the Exiles to his home-world. The Samurai and Mariko still don't fully know what happened to their Wolverine, but at least honored his death with a proper funeral by burning Logan's ashes.

House of M[link]

In the House of M, Kenuicho Harada was a powerful businessman and, secretly, the head of Clan Yashida, a powerful crime family. His daughter, Mariko Harada, was kidnapped by Madame Hydra, who wanted to blackmail Harada into revealing his illegal businesses.^[22]

Marvel Zombies[link]

In Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness #4, the Silver Samurai and Sunfire are bitten and infected by a zombie Quicksilver. During the Silver Surfer's globe-spanning travels, they are seen attacking innocent civilians.

What If?[link]

In the What If story "What If Wolverine Had Married Mariko", Kenuichio Harada unites with Mariko and Wolverine in their struggle against the Kingpin, who has taken control of the Yakuza and engaged in a turf war with the Shingen clan for control. At that time, however, the Samurai is secretly working for the Kingpin, and upon their final encounter, he assassinates Mariko, whereupon he is killed by Wolverine in retaliation.^[23]

In other media[link]

Television[link]

• Silver Samurai has appeared in the X-Men episode "The Lotus and the Steel", voiced by Igor Estrada. He is simply portrayed as a gang leader whose thugs terrorize every village for tribute to him each year. Wolverine first encounters him while gathering timber as Silver Samurai warns him not to interfere with his gang's affairs. The villagers stand their ground with the help of Jubilee and Wolverine bests the Samurai in single combat by taking advantage of Samurai's habit of teleporting behind him: Wolverine anticipates the move and disables the teleportation device, humiliating the Silver Samurai.

• Silver Samurai appears in the Wolverine and the X-Men episode "Code of Conduct", voiced by Keone Young. He is not depicted as Mariko's half-brother, but her husband, as well as a member of the Yakuza. He fought Wolverine before and ended up surrendering. Years later, Silver Samurai captures the X-Men (except Rogue) in order to force Wolverine to fight him again as a way to become the next leader of the Yakuza. After overhearing the talk between Wolverine and Mariko, he was angry and told Hura to get every ninja to the warehouse. At the fight of the warehouse near the docks, he knocked out Rogue with a shuriken loaded with knock-out gas. The Yakuza Leader says that they will have a non-mutant power duel (as part of the Samurai Code) by the next night. When they finally dueled, Silver Samurai mentioned that he only married Mariko so that Logan wouldn't marry her. Wolverine was once again besting Silver Samurai. Since Silver Samurai acted dishonorably by using his mutant powers when it was not allowed, he was then hit with a knock-out gas-filled shuriken. The Yakuza leader annuls the duel declaring that Silver Samurai dishonored the code and has his men take him away. After the Yakuza Leader agreed to release the captive X-Men, Mariko told Wolverine that Silver Samurai will be driven from the Yakuza in shame and that they will never admit him again.

Film[link]

• In the film X2, his name appears on a list of names Mystique scrolls through on Stryker's computer while looking for Magneto's file.
• In the featurette "Wolverine Unleashed: The Complete Origins", on the DVD release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the producer Lauren Shuler Donner reveals that 20th Century Fox has approved the making of a stand alone Wolverine movie focusing on the Silver Samurai, and Wolverine's time in Japan.
• Hugh Jackman, who plays Wolverine in the X-Men films confirmed that Silver Samurai will be the antagonist in the upcoming film The Wolverine.^[24]

Video games[link]

• Silver Samurai is a playable character in the Capcom fighting games X-Men: Children of the Atom and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. His mutant tachyon powers are not evident here, however, as he is seen throwing giant shurikens and his supers involve empowering his katana with elemental properties and attacks revolving around lightning, fire, and ice. He is one of the two Marvel characters that doesn't speak English during gameplay, because he speaks Japanese (Colossus, who speaks Russian during gameplay is the other). Although his speech is limited to mostly grunts and vocal protesting, he does utter a few phrases in Japanese: Appare! (あっぱれ^?), which means "Bravo!", in one of his victory poses and Raimei-ken (雷鳴剣^?), meaning "Thunder Sword", during his special attack.

• Silver Samurai appears in the game X-Men: The Official Game (which fills in the gap between X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand) voiced by Keone Young. In the game, Silver Samurai is a head of HYDRA, and mentor of Lady Deathstrike. Years before Weapon X, Silver Samurai and HYDRA collaborated with William Stryker in building the Master Mold and Sentinels robots. After Stryker's death, HYDRA was sent back in to remove all Sentinel equipment and files, and accidentally activated the Master Mold. Wolverine infiltrated HYDRA's headquarters and duels with Silver Samurai over how to shut down the Master Mold and the Sentinels. Conquering Samurai in combat, Wolverine emerges the winner, gains the information, and tells the team how to defeat Master Mold.

Others[link]

• In the comic prequels to the first X-Men film, Wolverine was revealed to have fought a Yakuza enforcer just prior to the film. This man, with an obsession with honor and the mutant ability to generate electricity, was referred as the Silver Samurai. He was killed at the end of the story. That story has been revealed to be out of the regular movie-continuity, because the Samurai was revealed alive in the game X-Men: The Official Movie Game, which is a lot closer to the movies than the movie prequels were.^[25]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Silver Samurai at the Marvel Universe wiki

Alexander Gorgon (Polish: Aleksander Gorgoń; born 28 October 1988 in Wien) is an Austrian-Polish^[1] footballer who plays for Austria Wien.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Profile at Transfermarkt (English)

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