Medusas are a race of snake-haired gorgons living out in the Medusa Desert near Llewdor.
Background[]
The sight or touch of one of the medusas is enough to turn one to stone. They have claimed many victims. Port Bruce has created a morbid industry of going out into the desert to collect the statues and selling them to other lands where they fetch good price as statuary. Though most crews are superstitious of carrying the statues on board their ships, seeing it as a form of grave robbing.[1]
Alexander defeated the original Medusa with a mirror.
It seems unlikely that they live in groups, as shown by Alexander they are not immune to each-others' gazes. Which would make living together very difficult.
While the desert of Llewdor is apparently home to many creatures known as medusas, in the Other World there was only one Medusa. She was one of three gorgons.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
The medusas race is mentioned in the King's Quest Companion and also mentioned in King's Questions, "...a Medusa". While gorgon would be a better choice of term, and more accurate for the name of the race by Greek mythological terminology, apparently "medusas" (plural) is common word used within Daventry, and books.
Gorgons are mentioned in An Encyclopedia of Daventry.
In general the race is spelled 'medusa', when talking about the individual proper-named individual it is 'Medusa'.