The figure of Medea is one of the most famous female characters to appear in the tales of Greek mythology; for Medea was a central figure of the quest of the Golden Fleece, and the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts.
MEDEA IN ANCIENT SOURCES
Medea appears in the majority of the most famous ancient sources, including Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius, Histories by Herodotus, Theogony by Hesiod, and Metamorphoses by Ovid. There were also several plays in antiquity dedicated to Medea, including Medea by Euripides.
THE SORCERESS MEDEA
In these texts it was said that Medea was a princess of Colchis, for she was the daughter of King Aeetes born to his first wife, the Oceanid Idyia. Thus Medea had two siblings, or half-siblings, in the form of a sister, Calciope, and a brother, Apsyrtus.
Being a daughter of Aeetes meant that Medea was a granddaughter of the Greek sun god Helios, and also a niece of Perses, and the sorceresses Pasiphae and Circe.
Sorcery would flow through the female line, and in Colchis Medea was the priestess to the goddess Hecate, goddess of witches, and had skills equal to that her aunts.
MEDEA AND JASON
It was to Colchis that Jason and the Argonauts would sail, when Jason was tasked by Pelias to bring the Golden Fleece to Iolcus.
Jason was a favoured mortal of Hera and Athena, and it was these two Olympian goddesses who enlisted the services of Aphrodite to ensure that Medea fell in love with Jason.
Medea would thus offer to help Jason in the removal of the Golden Fleece from the grove of Ares if he would promise to marry her; and of course, Jason readily agreed to marry Medea.
Aeetes would set Jason a number of deadly tasks to ensure that the Golden Fleece remained in Colchis, but with each task, Medea would come to the aide of Jason.
Thus, Medea helped Jason to yoke the fire breathing bulls of Aeetes, providing the Greek hero with a potion to prevent him from being burnt. Medea also told Jason how to ensure that the Spartoi, the warriors born from sown dragon’s teeth, killed each other, rather than Jason; and finally, it was Medea who put the Colchian dragon to sleep ensuring Jason could remove the Golden Fleece from its perch.
Now a princess going against her father normally ended with the death of the daughter, as was the case with Scylla, daughter of Nisos, and Comaetho, daughter of Pterelaos, but in the case of Medea this was not the case, and Medea left Colchis on-board the Argo.
Now for most people this would be where the story of Medea ends, for this is where the story does finish in Jason and the Argonauts the 1963 Colombia Pictures film, but this is but a fraction of the tale of Medea, and the story of the Colchian princess gets a lot darker in content.
MEDEA MARRIES JASON
The journey back to Iolcus was a long and dangerous one; and had a number of stopping off points.
One such stopping of point was on the island of Circe. Circe was of course Medea’s aunt, and it was said that Circe absolved Medea, and Jason, of the killing of Apsyrtus.
A second stopping off point proved to be the island of Crete, and it was here that Medea perhaps helped saved the Argo and its crew. At the time Crete was protected by Talos, the bronze automaton, who circled around the island protecting it from invaders, and throwing rocks at unwanted ships. Medea, with the use of herbs and potions, disabled Talos, and perhaps, ensured that the lifeblood of the automaton drained away.
It was also said that Jason kept his promise to Medea on the return journey, with Medea and Jason being married. The marriage of Medea and Jason was said to have occurred upon the island of Phaeacia, which at the time was ruled by King Alcinous. The Colchian fleet had once again caught up with the Argo, but as Queen Arete had married Medea and Jason, Alcinous would not give the pair up, and so the fleet of King Aeetes returned home, empty handed.
MEDEA AND JASON IN CORINTH
Jason and Medea would not benefit from the death of King Pelias, for Acastus, the son of Pelias succeeded his father to the throne. Despite Medea being responsible for the death of Pelias, she could not be tried for murder, for it was Acastus’ own sisters who had done the deed. But, Acastus did exile Medea and Jason, forbidding them from returning to Iolcus.
Medea and Jason would make a new home for themselves in Corinth, a city where they stayed for perhaps as long as 10 years.
Medea would give birth to a number of children by Jason, anywhere from two to six children.
Where it is said that Medea had two children, then these were sons, Mermerus and Pheres, but if Medea had six children then there were five sons, Memerus, Pheres, Alcimenes, Thessalus and Tisandrus, and one daughter, Eriopis.
Still, Medea and Jason were not to live out their lives happily in Corinth.
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