Apsyrtides
placeIslands in the Adriatic Sea said to have formed where Medea scattered the dismembered parts of her brother Absyrtus.
The Myth
Every island was once a piece of a murdered boy — at least, that is what the Greeks believed. The Apsyrtides (modern Cres and Losinj in Croatia) were said to mark where Medea threw the parts of Absyrtus into the sea. Apollonius of Rhodes names them in the Argonautica, connecting real geography to mythological violence. Jason and Medea were cursed by Zeus for the murder and had to be purified by Circe on Aeaea. The speaking beam of the Argo, made from Dodona's sacred oak, told them they could not reach home until the bloodguilt was cleansed. The islands served as a permanent geographical reminder that even heroic quests have a body count.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Apsyrtides correspond to the real Cres-Losinj archipelago in modern Croatia.
Explore Further
Aeaea
placeAeaea was the mythical island home of Circe, the divine sorceress who transformed Odysseus's men...
Aeaea (Isle of Circe)
placeThe mythical island home of the enchantress Circe, where Odysseus's men were transformed into swine...
Argo (Ship)
placeThe Argo was the ship built by Argus for Jason's quest — the first long-voyage ship in Greek myth,...
Dodona
placeDodona in Epirus was the oldest oracle in Greece, where priestesses interpreted the will of Zeus...
Dodona Oak Oracle
placeThe oldest Greek oracle, where Zeus spoke through the rustling leaves of a sacred oak tended by...
Dodona Oracle
placeThe oldest oracle in Greece, where priests interpreted the rustling of Zeus's sacred oak.
Absyrtus
heroSon of King Aeetes of Colchis, murdered and dismembered by his sister Medea to slow their father's...
Apollo
godGod of light, music, poetry, and prophecy. Apollo embodied the Greek ideal of youthful masculine...
Apollo (Light)
godApollo was the most complex Olympian — god of light, music, poetry, prophecy, healing, plague, and...
Apollo Loxias
godAn epithet of Apollo meaning "the Oblique One," referring to the deliberately ambiguous nature of...
Circe
godA powerful sorceress who lived on the island of Aeaea. Circe transformed Odysseus's men into swine...
Circe (Sorceress)
godDaughter of Helios and powerful sorceress who transformed Odysseus's men into pigs on the island of...