Heraclitus

They say that Medusa turns to stone those who gaze upon her and that a winged horse sprang from her when Perseus cut off her head. But here is the truth: Medusa was a beautiful hetaera, so anyone who gazed upon her was struck with her beauty and seemed to be petrified. We still say today, ‘I was petrified having gazed at her.’ When Perseus arrived, she fell in love with him, spent all her money, and ruined her youth. Having destroyed her youth and fortune, she grew old and began to resemble an old mare. For youth is everything, and that was what was taken away by Perseus.

Heraclitus, Cure for Ignorance, fifth century BCE