Ghoul Star

Oil on Canvas by Lesley Anne Burke, 2022. The title “ghoul star” is a reference to the star, Algol (Al Ghoul), which can be seen in the constellation of Perseus as the star in the center of Medusa’s forehead. Algol is known to be a malefic star, bringing bad omens when it can be seen overhead. Medusa is one of the most misunderstood figures in mythology- a rape survivor who is then killed by the angry wife of her rapist. Her severed head, a symbol of her own trauma, used as a weapon of war by men to turn their enemies into stone.