Editing Gorgons (section)

===Gorgon cry===
The loud cry that came from the Gorgons&mdash;perhaps related to 'Gorgon' being derived from the Sanskrit ''garğ'', with its connotations of a growling beast&mdash;was also part of their mythology.<ref>According to Howe, p. 212, "It is clear that some terrible noise was the originating force behind the Gorgon: a guttural, animal-like howl". Mack, p. 599, n. 5 notes that sound, "though only indirectly a feature of the face, was central to the conceptualization of Medusa's terrifying power". See also Feldman, pp. 487&ndash;488.</ref>

The Hesiodic ''[[Shield of Heracles]]'' (c. late seventh&ndash;mid-sixth century BC), which describes Heracles' shield, has the Gorgons depicted on it chasing Perseus, with their shrill cry seemingly being heard emanating from the shield itself:
{{blockquote| The Gorgons, dreadful and unspeakable, were rushing after him, eager to catch him; as they ran on the pallid adamant, the shield resounded sharply and piercingly with a loud noise.<ref>Most's translation of [[Hesiod]], ''[[Shield of Heracles]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-shield/2018/pb_LCL503.19.xml 230&ndash;233].</ref>}}

Pindar tells us that the cry of the Gorgons, lamenting the death of Medusa during their pursuit of Perseus, was the reason Athena invented the flute.<ref>Gantz, p 20; Howe, pp. 210&ndash;211; Vernant, pp. 117, 125.</ref> According to Pindar, the goddess:
{{blockquote|wove into music the dire dirge of the reckless Gorgons which Perseus heard pouring in slow anguish from beneath the horrible snakey hair of the maidens ... she created the many-voiced song of flutes so that she could imitate with musical instruments the shrill cry that reached her ears from the fast-moving jaws of Euryale.<ref>Svarlien's translation of [[Pindar]], ''Pythian'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0033.tlg002.perseus-eng1:12 12.7&ndash;11, 18&ndash;21]. According to Vernant, p. 117, Pindar is saying here that the sound emitted by the pursuing Gorgons came "both from their maiden mouths and from the horrible heads of snakes associated with them".</ref>}}

[[Nonnus]], in his ''[[Dionysiaca]]'', also has the fleeing Perseus "listening for no trumpet but Euryale's bellowing".<ref>[[Nonnus]], ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' [https://archive.org/details/dionysiaca02nonnuoft/page/254/mode/2up?view=theater 25.58]; see also ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' [https://archive.org/details/dionysiaca01nonnuoft/page/434/mode/2up 13.77&ndash;78], [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/nonnos-dionysiaca/1940/pb_LCL354.417.xml 30.265&ndash;266].</ref> The desire to evoke this Gorgon cry may account for the typical distended mouth seen in Archaic Gorgon iconography.<ref>According to Howe, p. 211, the "reason that the Gorgon appears on monuments with a great distended mouth [was] to convey to the spectator the idea of a terrifying roar"; Vernant, p. 118, lists a "terrifying cry" and a "gaping grin" as one of several elements "linking the monstrous face of Gorgo to the warrior possessed by ''menos'' (murderous fury)".</ref>