This is an excerpt from my recent article on the Temple of Artemis in Corfu and the symbolism of Medusa’s head for TheCollector. Read the full article here.
“Medusa in antiquity was also a symbol of the Other. Like most half-man, half-animal beings, she was the Other as found in nature. A symbol of the raw force of nature that can conquer us with a simple look.
Medusa was also the Other of a deeply oppressive patriarchal society, a woman. She can even be viewed as the most extreme Other of this hierarchal system; a powerful woman, deadly and chaotic. The myth of the Medusa itself is a strong reminder of the irrationality of the divine. A power in front of which the mortal remains completely powerless. Medusa’s punishment forces us to confront the truth that the natural boundaries, which in Greek mythology stem from divine laws, cannot be overstepped, even unintentionally.”
Antonisch 
Nice article but it seems that there are a lot of different versions of the myth? Is there not a definitive Greek Myth manuscript or an “oldest version” to reference? Its quite good to start from there when reading any interpretations of these things as mis-translations are so common you can quickly get the completely wrong end of a meaning.
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I think the virtues to be found in myths coincide with the external fact of them having a transcendental originality wherein one runs back into them again and again.
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