Before the serpents
“But beauty is no shield against the will of gods.”
From “Before the Serpents,” page 7
Medusa’s story begins with a woman, before the image that would come to define her.
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A paperback from Skirnir Studios
Medusa & Arachne
Two Illustrated Retellings After Ovid
By Jonathan Morin
Two lives. Forever changed.
A woman remembered for a crown of serpents. A weaver whose skill brings her face to face with a goddess.
Reflective verse and seventeen illustrations in a warm pencil-and-parchment style invite readers to remember the women before their transformations.
40 pages · 6 × 9 inches · Premium-color paperback
Buy the paperback on Amazon ↗$9.99 USD on Amazon.com, checked November 2, 2026. Current price and availability are shown at checkout.
For mature readers. These retellings contain references to sexual violence, physical violence, death, and attempted suicide.
A glimpse inside
Verse & illustration
The weaver & the goddess
“In Lydia, a dyer’s daughter drew fine colors through the loom.”
From “The Weaver,” page 23
A mortal artist challenges Athena. Their tapestries tell different stories.
After Ovid, in a new voice
The book brings two stories from Ovid’s Metamorphoses together in an original poetic adaptation. It is not a literal translation. Source notes distinguish the ancient accounts from this new interpretation; the Medusa notes also draw on Pseudo-Apollodorus.
Original pencil sketches and art direction by Jonathan Morin. Poetic text and illustrations developed with generative AI under his direction.
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A place on your bookshelf.
Find Medusa & Arachne on Amazon ↗Paperback · ISBN 9798982167606 · Published by Skirnir Studios