Medusa

Medusa is a powerful snake woman that has appeared in nearly every Castlevania game to date. She is a woman with snakes instead of hair, also portrayed as having a serpent tail instead of legs, like the Lamia. She has the power to transform its victims into stone. Depending on the games, she appears either with a full body, or as a giant head.

Besides Medusa herself, several floating Medusa Heads appear as normal enemies in most games.

Castlevania
This Medusa (called Queen Medusa in the American manual) is a big flying Medusa head that drops snakes on the floor. She's worth 3000 points.

Haunted Castle
This is the first game where Medusa displays her serpent-tailed body form.

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Medusa was replaced with the Snake Man Sentinel in the North American release, most probably to avoid displaying nudity to western audiences.

Super Castlevania IV
Medusa appears as a mid-boss at the end of the Lake section of Level 2, she doesn't leave an orb to be collected after the battle and the River section continues immediately after facing her.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Medusa appears as the second boss summoned by the dark priest Shaft. Her appearance is a reference to the original Castlevania bosses, where she was the boss of the second level.

Castlevania: Bloodlines
Once you finally meet with Elizabeth Bartley, she will summon Medusa in a final attempt to stop you. If you manage to defeat Medusa, Elizabeth will confront you personally.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
In this game, Medusa wields a sword and a shield as a reference to her Greek origins.

She can block attacks with her shield, stab you with her sword, and shoot out a beam that will turn you to stone. If this attack connects, she will follow up with two projectiles that will do heavy damage if they manage to hit you before you break free from the stone. Speaking lines include "Stone!", when firing her beam; "Venom!", when following up; and "I'm petrifying!", whilst dying.

Castlevania Legends
In the Game Boy game, Castlevania Legends, Medusa is the sub-boss of the fourth stage.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
The corpse of Medusa can be found in a background of the Skeleton Cave.

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
In Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, Medusa has a number of attacks at her command:


 * Sshe can command the snakes on either side of her head to lunge forward as a sort of "snake punch". She can also do this with both sides in succession for a one-two punch.


 * She can rise into the air and spill a trail of her poisonous blood to keep you away.


 * She can also rise into the air to drop a plethora of smaller snakes onto the ground to overwhelm you.


 * She can, of course, project beams ("Turn to stone!") from her eyes that can temporarily turn you to stone. If successful, she'll roll herself into a giant ball and rebound around the room a random number of times to inflict heavy damage.


 * Finally, when her energy is low, she'll command large stones ("Damn you!") to surround herself before firing them toward you one after another.

There are two differences in "Crazy Mode": she'll do the snake punch in seven-step combos, and she'll do a stone gaze as part of the stone-throwing attack.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Medusa appears in this game as one of three Gorgon Sisters, along with Euryale and Stheno.

Knightmare


Medusa is the first boss of the shoot 'em up game, Knightmare, on the MSX system.

Gallery
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Trivia

 * She is voiced by Mary-Elizabeth McGlynn in Lament of Innocence.
 * The Medusa creature is based on a legendary monster from Greek mythology. A former mortal priestess of the goddess Athena, Medusa was assaulted by the god Poseidon inside Athena's temple. For the blasphemy, Athena turned Medusa into a Gorgon, a monster with snakes for hair and a glance that turned people to stone. Even after being killed by the hero Perseus, Medusa's head still possessed this petrifying power.
 * Medusa appears in Lords of Shadow 2, and for the first time along with her sisters Stheno and Euryale.