What role does petrification play in mythology?

Answer 1

There is no single, one-size-fits-all explanation for the appearance of petrification themes in mythology. As Lévi-Strauss argues convincingly, the meaning of the same or similar phenomena can vary greatly, depending on the context of the particular episode. For example, in the Tsimshian story of Asdiwal, the hero is turned to stone on the side of a mountain in a symbolic representation of the hero's inability to reconcile his dual life among gods in the heavens, and humans on the earth. Belonging to both, and therefore neither, the hero is trapped and frozen. In a very different context, the famous story of the Medusa has often been interpreted as an example of the perceived debilitating power of female sexuality, and its potential to trap men and render them powerless. In yet other examples, petrification frequently seems to be a warning from the gods to future generations not to commit certain transgressions. For instance, in the story of Niobe, she boasted that she had greater cause to be proud on account of her fourteen children (seven sons and seven daughters) than Leto, mother of just two (Apollo and Artemis). Punished for her arrogance, her children were killed and she was turned to perpetually weeping stone, a lasting admonition not to vie with the gods. Thus, it seems clear that petrification, as common as it is in mythology, can take on any number of symbolic meanings.