Meduse, Medusa, and Jellyfish
Okorafor's Jellyfish Inspiration
In Nnedi Okorafor’s novella “Binti” it is rather evident that the antagonists, the Meduse, are inspired by jellyfish. The first description of the creatures explains “they were tall as grown men, their domes’ flesh thin as fine silk, their long tentacles spilling down to the floor like a series of gigantic ghostly noodles” (25). The description provides an image of a large, murderous jellyfish, which is honestly quite terrifying. Making Okorafor's inspiration even more evident is her dedication of the book to “the little blue jellyfish [she] saw swimming in Khalid Lagoon that sunny day.” The dedication to the jellyfish paired with the description of the Meduse certainly helps identify the primary inspiration for the Meduse. However, the jellyfish is possibly not the only inspiration Okorafor had.The Meduse and Water
The Meduse have very strong connections to water and although they were not necessarily inspired by water, understanding the connections could lead to another potential source of inspiration. The Meduse worship water as a god and are even descended from water. When at war, they are described as moving like water and their preferred method of killing is called “moojh-ha ki-bira”, which means “great wave” (26). Finally, their motive for war is often rooted in the fact that their planet has no water. Clearly, water plays a very significant role in the existence of the Meduse, even though their own planet lacks it. These strong connections to water coupled with the name “Meduse” create allusions to a certain figure in Greek mythology who could potentially have inspired the creation of the Meduse in some way.
The Meduse and Medusa
The obvious connection here is how similar the names are. They are only one letter off from being the same thing. However, there are other connections here that require an understanding of some Greek mythology. Medusa is a pretty well-known figure, famous for her snake-hair and her ability to turn people to stone. Although the Meduse have tentacles instead of snakes, the imagery is still very similar. Furthermore, Medusa is claimed to be the daughter of Phorcys. Phorcys is a sea god, meaning that Medusa has water ancestors just like the Meduse. Medusa is directly related to a water god and the Meduse worship water as god.Finally, medusa is also the name of a stage in the jellyfish life-cycle. Once jellyfish have reached adulthood and are able to reproduce, they can be classified as medusa. They are able to float freely in the ocean and are no longer attached to reefs, as they are in the early stages of life. Medusa are easily recognizable by their smooth, translucent domes; which also happens to be an accurate description of Okorafor's Meduse.
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