Stone Blind

Much of Natalie Haynes’s Stone Blind concentrates on the genealogy and history of Greek gods. The works of Hesiod and Homer, two ancient Greek poets who were likely contemporaries or near contemporaries, have been essential in documenting the myths and legends of the gods, which were previously told through oral traditions. Hesiod’s epic poem the Theogony (often dated to the eighth or ninth century BCE) details the importance of divine lineage: Uranus (personification of the sky), Chronos (a Titan, son of Uranus), and Zeus (god of the sky, son of Chronos) form one such lineage. However, these familial bonds do not produce peace or loyalty; rather, they create chains of paranoia and rebellion. Chronos rebels against Uranus, castrating his father in the process. In turn, Chronos, fearing his prophesized overthrow by a son, swallows each child he has with his fellow Titan Rhea until she gives birth to Zeus, whom she successfully hides. When Zeus returns to battle his father, his grown siblings are expelled from Titan’s stomach. In Stone Blind, Zeus worries about a future son similarly vanquishing him. Following his sexual assault of the Titan Metis, he fears their child will be this son. He absorbs Metis, but their daughter Athene lives on as a goddess. These genealogies go beyond the Olympians, as Gaia (goddess of the earth) has children with Pontus (god of the sea) following Uranus’ castration. This union produces sea gods Ceto and Phorcys, the parents of Medusa and other mythological monsters. As for Medusa herself, Stone Blind changes her story in plausible ways, making her physically weaker and younger than her Gorgon sisters, Sthenno and Euryale.

The Greek myths of Medusa, Perseus, and Andromeda have been adapted into two films: The Clash of the Titans in 1981 and its remake in 2010. Medusa also features in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which comprises six young adult novels, two film adaptations, and a Disney+ show. While such adaptations depict Medusa as an antagonist, Stone Blind reframes the Gorgon’s story—including the birth of Athene and Perseus’ journey—to trace how female perspectives in myths are largely silenced or shaped by male authors. In revisiting existing myths, the novel highlights how contemporary gender and power inequality have affected the portrayal of women like Medusa.