Order of the Gorgon's Head
The Order of the Gorgon's Head is a secret society at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Founded in 1896, the Order's records are kept in the Manuscript's Department Of the University of North Carolina's Wilson Library 1. However, they are under restricted access, available only to former or current members of the Order. Membership and initiation into the order is kept confidential, as are the collective activities of the society.
Legend
The society centers its rituals around the stories of the Gorgons, who consisted of three sisters often depicted in Greek mythology and Roman mythology. The three gorgon sisters — Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale — were children of Phorcys and Ceto, or sometimes, Typhon and Echidna, in each case chthonic monsters from an archaic world. Aeschylus' Prometheus Unbound places this trinity of sisters far off "on Kisthene's dreadful plain":
"Near them their sisters three, the Gorgons, winged
With snakes for hair— hated of mortal man—"
These monsters were described as having wings of gold, brazen claws, serpents for hair, and the tusks of boars. According to the myths, seeing the face of a Gorgon turned the viewer to stone. The most famous of the Gorgon sisters is Medusa who was beheaded in her sleep by the hero Perseus with the assistance of Hermes, Hades and Athena.
Structure
According to the Orange County, NC Tax Revenue website 2, the Order of the Gorgon's Head sits on East Franklin Street (Chapel Hill) near the University's outdoor amphitheater. The land is documented to have been purchased in May 1906.3 The building is reported to have been built in 1920. The building is a one story structure of approximately 1860 square feet. The property is shown to have a tax value of just under $500,000.00 4.
Other North Carolina collegiate secret societies
The Order of the Gorgon's Head Lodge is one of two secret male societies on the campus of the University of North Carolina. Along with the Order of Gimghoul, these two societies attract notable male students and faculty members for membership on the University of North Carolina campus. Along with the Society of the Seven at East Carolina University, these are the only three collegiate secret societies in North Carolina whose existence is well documented.
See also
- List of collegiate secret societies
- Order of Gimghoul