Gorgon

Sisters of Stone Death

Gorgons, also known as medusae, are snake-skinned humanoid women with hair made of snakes or snakelike tendrils, and have the ability to calcify organic entities that look at the gorgon's face. Incredibly deadly, these creatures are rare across the various planes.

The first creature to bear the type was Masked Gorgon in Judgement, though the Infernal Medusa from Legends was later issued errata in the Grand Creature Type Update to become a Gorgon instead of a Medusa.

Storyline

Dominaria

A gorgon named Visara served as one of the Cabal's pit fighters on Otaria. Unlike other gorgons seen throughout Magic's history, Visara had large, plated wings which enabled her to fly.

Ravnica

Ravnica is home to dozens of gorgons, including the Sisters of Stone Death and the planeswalker Vraska. After several battles with the Golgari parun, Svogthir, the Sisters of Stone Death were diminished to only one: Ludmilla. She was believed to be the sole gorgon left on Ravnica, though Vraska and others later appeared as members of the Golgari Swarm as well. When Vraska took control of the guild, she became a passionate voice for other gorgons as they had become the most downtrodden race of the Golgari.

Gorgons resemble green-scaled humanoids. In place of hair, a gorgon has a writhing mass of black, serpentine cables, and its hands are scaly claws. The gaze of a gorgon's glowing eyes causes living tissue to petrify. The transformation is rapid, leaving the victim as a stone statue, usually frozen in a position of abject fear or agony- a fine trophy for the gorgon's macabre collection. The gorgon must exert its will to effect this transformation, so the gaze of a surprised or friendly Ravnican gorgon is harmless. Only rare, powerful magic can reverse a petrification (usually resulting in a well-preserved corpse), and it is irreversible if the victim statue is broken beyond repair.

Shandalar

Various gorgons are in the employ of Xathrid, a demonic creature worshiped by some cults of Shandalar. This is represented by Xathrid Gorgon.

Theros

On Theros, gorgons appear more commonly than on other planes, though they are still quite rare. Unlike the gorgons of previous planes, gorgons on Theros have snakelike lower bodies (similar to Nagas). The god of affliction Pharika is worshiped and attended to by gorgons. One of the most powerful gorgons of Theros is Hythonia, referred to as Hythonia the Cruel. Another gorgon was encountered by Dack Fayden when he entered her lair searching for a magical artifact.

Notable Gorgons

• Damia, Sage of Stone — a sage whose knowledge of the arcane rivals that of any archmage.
• Hythonia — a powerful gorgon of Theros who sits atop a throne made of statues (Hythonia the Cruel).
• Pharika — goddess of affliction and the mother of all gorgons of Theros (Pharika, God of Affliction).
• The Sisters of Stone Death — the guildmasters of the Golgari Swarm during the original Ravnica block (Sisters of Stone Death).
• Visara — a pit fighter for the Cabal on Otaria (Visara the Dreadful).
• Vraska — a planeswalker associated with the Golgari Swarm (Vraska, the Unseen).

In-game references

Associated cards:

• Aspect of Gorgon
• Cast into Darkness
• Coils of the Medusa
• Evolutionary Leap
• Felhide Petrifier
• Gaze of the Gorgon
• Gaze of Granite
• Gorgon Flail
• Gorgon's Head
• Killing Glare
• Treasured Find