In Greek mythology, Medusa is one of the three Gorgon sisters. Her name means “protectress”, “guardian”. She has snakes instead of hair, and the curse of petrifying the onlookers. As anyone looking at her would turn into stone, Medusa figures were used in order to avert evil minded people in ancient times.

Roman poet Ovid says that Medusa originally was a beautiful maiden, and a priestess in Athena’s temple. One day she is raped by the God of the Seas, Poseidon at the Temple of Athena, and Athena turns Medusa into a freak, into a monster with hair made out of snakes and the curse of turning anyone who looks at her into stone.

In the end, she is beheaded by the Greek hero Perseus, and her head is given to Athena, and placed on her shield. That is why Medusa head on a shield is an attribute of the Greek goddess Athena.

You will see two Medusa heads in the Underground Cistern, one is placed sideways, the other one is upside down. Although some art historians say that the heads were placed as such to eradicate paganistic beliefs, they must have been placed that way for convenience sake as the cistern would be completely filled with water with noone to see how the heads would be treated.