Io

Io was a priestess of the Roman goddess Juno. Juno was the jealous wife of Jupiter, the
king of the gods. Jupiter was very unfaithful. When Jupiter fell in love with Io, he
changed himself into the shape of a dark cloud to hide himself from his jealous wife
Juno.

However, Juno looked down on earth and noticed the small cloud. She knew it was her
husband. As soon as Juno arrived, Jupiter immediately transformed Io into a white cow
to avoid his wife's wrath. But Juno tied the poor cow and sent her faithful servant Argus
to watch over Io. Argus had a hundred eyes and only a few were ever closed at any
time.

To free Io, Jupiter sent his son Mercury to sing and tell boring stories to make Argus
sleep with all his eyes. Mercury told so many stories that finally Argus close all his
hundred eyes. Only then did Mercury kill Argus and untie Io who ran home free. Yet
when Juno discovered what had occurred, she was so furious that she sent a vicious
gadfly to sting the cow forever.

Meanwhile, Io who was still prisoner into the shape of a cow could not get rid of the
malicious gadfly. Finally, after Jupiter vowed to no longer pursue his beloved Io, Juno
released Io from her inhuman prison, and Io settled in Egypt, becoming the first queen
of Egypt.

Medusa, in Greek mythology, the most famous of the monster figures known
as Gorgons. She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of
hair consisting of snakes; unlike the Gorgons, she was sometimes represented as very
beautiful. Medusa was the only Gorgon who was mortal; hence her slayer, Perseus, was
able to kill her by cutting off her head. From the blood that spurted from her neck
sprang Chrysaor and Pegasus, her two sons by Poseidon. The severed head, which had
the power of turning into stone all who looked upon it, was given to Athena, who placed
it in her shield; according to another account, Perseus buried it in the marketplace of
Argos.

Heracles (Hercules) is said to have obtained a lock of Medusa’s hair (which possessed
the same powers as the head) from Athena and given it to Sterope, the daughter of
Cepheus, as a protection for the town of Tegea against attack; when exposed to view,
the lock was supposed to bring on a storm, which put the enemy to flight.