Medusa, in Greek mythology, most famous of the three monstrous Gorgon sisters. She was once a beautiful woman, but she offended Athena, who changed her hair into snakes and made her face so hideous that all who looked at her were turned to stone. When Medusa was with child by Poseidon, Perseus killed her and presented her head to Athena. Chrysaor and Pegasus sprang from her blood when she died. Medusa's head retained its petrifying power even after her death. Because of this power, her image frequently appeared on Greek armor. In some myths Athena used the Medusa head on her aegis.

medusa, in zoology, scientific name for the jellyfish, i.e., the free-swimming stage of various animals in the phylum Cnidaria. See polyp and medusa.

In zoology, one of the two principal cnidarian body forms; the typical form of the jellyfish. Its name derives from its tentacles, resembling the snakes borne by Medusa in place of hair. The medusoid body is bell- or umbrella-shaped. Hanging downward from the center is a stalklike structure, the manubrium, bearing the mouth at its tip. The mouth opens into the main body cavity, which connects with radial canals extending to the outer rim of the bell. A free-swimming form, the medusa moves by rhythmic muscular contractions of the bell, providing a slow propulsive action against the water. The other principal cnidarian body type is the polyp.

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In Greek mythology, the most famous of the monsters known as Gorgons. Anyone who looked directly at Medusa turned to stone. She was the only Gorgon who was mortal. The hero Perseus, looking only at her reflection in a shield given to him by Athena, killed her by cutting off her head. Perseus later gave the severed head to Athena, who placed it in her shield; according to another account, he buried it in the marketplace of Argos.

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Medusa is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Albany County, New York in the United States. The population was 376 at the 2000 census.

Medusa is a community in the Town of Rensselaerville.

Geography

Medusa is located at (42.434449, -74.127248).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.9 square miles (17.8 km²), of which, 6.8 square miles (17.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.02%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 376 people, 147 households, and 104 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 55.4 per square mile (21.4/km²). There were 183 housing units at an average density of 27.0/sq mi (10.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 99.20% White, 0.27% Native American, 0.27% Asian, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.27% of the population.

There were 147 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 105.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.9 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $44,688, and the median income for a family was $50,000. Males had a median income of $35,833 versus $28,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $19,716. About 4.6% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

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