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The Medusa mythology · From the Book of Medusa

The Amethyst and the Guardian.

A soul that turned to stone, a vow that would not break:
from a monastery wall to the grottoes, all for love’s sake.

Freely inspired by the Romanian legend of Ana and Master Manole. Ana’s transformation into an amethyst, Luxara and Medusa’s fate belong to the universe of this book.

Act I

The Wall

A sacrifice that does not end with death.

Ana, in a white embroidered blouse and headscarf, arrives on the muddy road to the monastery under construction, where Manole waits.

IBefore the sacrifice

The Road to the Monastery

Up the muddy road to Argeș, Ana climbswith bread for the man she loves, as many times.Among the scaffolds Manole stands and waitshe knows the price the trembling wall dictates.

Manole lays the stones of the wall around Ana, who watches him from behind the masonry.

IIThe walling

Stone by Stone

He lays the stones around her, row by rowshe laughs and thinks it is a game, and sothe wall climbs to her heart and holds her tightand the church that always fell stands firm that night.

Manole kneels by the monastery wall, where Ana’s glowing silhouette shows through the stone.

IIIMemory in the wall

The Light in the Stone

Her sacrifice does not end where breathing endsher soul stays in the stone, and light ascendsthrough every carving, pulsing like a vowwhile Manole rests his brow against her now.

A violet amethyst forms in the dark earth, surrounded by golden light.

IVBirth of the amethyst

A Soul Made Stone

The years go by; her ashes and her namesink into earth and burn without a flame.Deep in the dark a violet crystal glowsher soul made stone, the truest gem earth knows.

Act II

Luxara

A cosmic paradise of light, water and white stone.

A planet of white clouds and violet seas floats beneath a vast spiral galaxy, with a small moon beside it and amethyst rocks in the foreground.

VThe passing of ages

When Ages Turned to Dust

Above the world the spiral heavens turnthe centuries go by, the empires burn.Whole ages fall to dust, and names grow dimwhile one far planet waits at heaven’s rim.

The white palaces of Luxara rise among waterfalls, bridges and blossoming gardens, under a violet sky with giant moons, framed by white flowers.

VIThe world of light

The Gardens of Luxara

There Luxara rises, white on stone and spraywith waterfalls that never fade awaywith towers of crystal, bridges spun of golda paradise of light the stars behold.

The veiled Divine Mother, crowned with crystals, cradles a glowing planet Earth between her hands among the galaxies.

VIIA world found again

The Earth in Her Hands

From Luxara’s heights the Divine Mother seesa small blue world adrift on starry seas.She lifts it gently, as one holds a birthand finds again the long-forgotten Earth.

The Divine Mother, a white silhouette covered by a single veil and crowned with a great diamond crown, holds the amethyst between her palms.

VIIIThe sacred stone

From the Holy Mother’s Garden

Earth’s oldest songs recall a land of gracethe Romanian lands, the Holy Mother’s placeher Garden, as a people long since gonehad named the soil their prayers were built upon.From that holy ground, where Ana’s ashes lieshe lifts a stone of violet to the skyand feels what it has kept through ages flownlove, sacrifice and shelter, turned to stone.So time retells the legend, line by linein steel and neon light its heroes shine.

The Divine Mother keeps watch beside the amethyst, set on a marble pedestal in the gardens of Luxara.

IXUnder Luxara’s protection

The Stone on the Pedestal

She sets it on a pedestal of whitewithin Luxara’s gardens, drowned in lightand speaks one law for every soul to ownno hand shall ever touch the sacred stone.

Young Medusa, with long chestnut curls and a white draped dress, smiles from behind a marble column wreathed in jasmine, glancing toward the amethyst on its pedestal in the gardens of Luxara.

XA daughter of Luxara

Medusa, the Mother’s Ward

Among Luxara’s gardens grew a girlMedusa, pure as dew and fine as pearla daughter of its light, whom, as her ownthe Divine Mother sheltered near her throne.From pillars wreathed in jasmine, shy and slightshe steals a smiling glance at violet lighta stone she must not touch, and yet its glowcalls softly, with a heart she does not know.

Medusa, with chestnut hair and a white dress, kneels beside the amethyst on its pedestal.

XIThe encounter

Medusa, Still Human

Day after day her footsteps draw her nearuntil she kneels beside the stone, and herewithin the violet, faint as prayer, she hearsa woman’s love that outlived all her years.No greed is in her, only a nameless callto keep it safe, whatever may befall.

Medusa holds the amethyst tight against her chest, looking back over her shoulder in the gardens of Luxara.

XIIThe broken rule

Held to the Heart

Not for its worth, nor for the power it bringsshe lifts the stone, as one lifts fragile thingsand holds it to her heart, a mother’s holdand breaks the law the Divine Mother told.

Act III

The Abyss

Beneath the light of paradise, a universe of grottoes and sanctuaries opens.

The Divine Mother points accusingly at Medusa, fallen to the ground, her hair turning into metal serpents, the amethyst at her chest.

XIIIThe curse

The Transformation

The Empress finds her fallen to the groundthe curse moves through her body without soundher hair turns serpent steel, her eyes a cyan flameher skin to stone and armour, never more the same.Her sentence, spoken once, will echo without endall that is sacred, she must forever defend.

Medusa falls from the shattered threshold of Luxara into the abyss, holding the amethyst to her chest.

XIVThe exile

The Fall

The threshold of Luxara breaks apartshe falls into the dark, the stone against her heart.Above her, paradise recedes from sightbut in her arms she holds the violet light.

Medusa walks down stone steps toward the underground grottoes and sanctuaries, the amethyst in her hand.

·The descent

The World Below

Below, a world no living eye has knowngrottoes and falls and sanctuaries of stone.Step after step she walks into the deepstill holding Ana, whom she swore to keep.

Medusa kneels in the underground sanctuary, receiving a new soul crystal while holding the amethyst to her chest.

XVA new purpose

The Soul Stones

Here every soul that dies becomes a stoneand none of them will ever lie aloneMedusa gathers each one in her handand sets it by the amethyst, where all the others stand.

XVIThe eternal guardian

She Who Keeps Watch

Medusa seen from behind on a promontory, her sceptre crowned with the amethyst, looking over the grottoes and sanctuaries below.

Upon a cliff above the endless deepshe stands, the sceptre’s amethyst to keep.Powerful and alone, bound by her vowa cursed hero, keeping watch, even now.

End of the first chapter

Cover of the book Medusa: cyan serpent eyes above a glowing amethyst among violet nebulae, with the line From Dust, a Vision. In Stone, a Story.

The book · Coming soon

The Book of Medusa

The story you have just walked through is the first chapter of a book: Ana’s sacrifice, the light of Luxara, the curse and the long watch below. The rest is still being written.

Epilogue

The Same Being.
Another Fate.

I · The face

II · The silhouette