Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea (/mɪˈdiːə/; Ancient Greek: Μήδεια, romanized: Mḗdeia; meaning "planner", "schemer") is a mythical granddaughter of the sun god Helios and a figure in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts. She aided Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece, married him, but later killed his children and his other bride. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress and is often depicted as a priestess of the goddess Hecate. She also appears in Hesiod's Theogony around 700 BCE, but is best known from Euripides's tragedy Medea and Apollonius of Rhodes's epic Argonautica.
| Medea | |
|---|---|
Princess and sorceress of Colchis | |
Medea on her golden chariot, by Germán Hernández Amores | |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | Aeëtes and Idyia |
| Siblings | Absyrtus, Chalciope |
| Consort | Jason, Aegeus |
| Children | Vary according to tradition (names include Alcimenes, Thessalus, Tisander, Mermeros, Pheres, Eriopis, Medus) |
Medea was daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis. Her mother might have been Idyia and was niece of Circe, an enchantress goddess. She plays the archetypal role of helper-maiden, aiding Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece. In said quest, she used her magic to save his life, and killing her brother to allow him to escape. Once he finished his quest, she abandons her native home of Colchis, and flees westwards with Jason, where they eventually settle in Corinth and marry.
Euripides's 5th-century BCE tragedy Medea depicts the ending of her union with Jason, when after ten years of marriage, Jason intends to abandon her to wed King Creon's daughter Creusa. Jason argues that their sons will have a better future in the city if he marries the King's daughter and his sons stay in the same city with him. He claims the sacred vows he has with Medea can be broken because she is a foreigner, which makes their marriage illegitimate. Medea is exiled from Corinth by King Creon, and is offered refuge in Athens by King Aegeus after she offers to help him get an heir with her magic.
In revenge against Jason, Medea murders her own sons and Jason's new bride, King Creon's daughter, with a poisoned crown and robes so that Jason will be without heir and legacy for the rest of his life. What happens afterwards varies according to several accounts. Herodotus in his Histories mentions that she ended up leaving Athens and settling in the Iranian plateau among the Aryans, who subsequently changed their name to the Medes.