Stheno (mythology)

Stheno (Greek: Σθεννώ, English translation: "forceful"), in Greek mythology, was the eldest of her sisters Euryale and Medusa, the great Gorgons, vicious female monsters of legend with brass hands, sharp fangs and "hair" made of living venomous snakes. The daughter of the primordeal titans Phorcys and Ceto, she was born in the caverns beneath Mount Olympus. She and her sister Euryale were both immortal, and the third sister, Medusa, was mortal until she was immortalized in her hideousness by Athena.

Of the three Gorgons, she was known to be the most independent and ferocious, having killed more men than both of her sisters combined. In Greek mythology, she was transformed into a Gorgon because of standing with her sister Medusa, who was raped by the sea god Poseidon in the Temple of Athena. Athena was furious with Medusa. As a punishment, Medusa was changed into a terrible monster, along with her sisters Stheno and Euryale. Stheno tends to be depicted as a thin gorgon monster with red snakes curling around her head instead of hair.