Greek Mythology Notes

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Medea (Sorceress)

hero

Μήδεια

Sorceress princess of Colchis

Medea was a granddaughter of Helios and priestess of Hecate whose sorcery saved Jason — and whose revenge destroyed him.

The Myth

Medea helped Jason win the Golden Fleece, murdered her own brother to aid their escape, and rejuvenated Jason's father Aeson. When Jason abandoned her for the Corinthian princess Glauce, Medea sent a poisoned robe that burned Glauce alive, then killed her own children to destroy Jason completely. She escaped in a chariot drawn by dragons. Euripides' Medea is the most psychologically complex play in Greek tragedy — a mother who deliberately calculates the worst possible revenge.

Parents

Aeëtes and Idyia

Children

Medus, two sons by Jason (killed)

Symbols

dragon chariotpoisoned robecauldronherbs

Fun Fact

Euripides' Medea shocked Athens in 431 BC — earlier versions had the Corinthians kill her children. He made Medea do it herself.

Explore Further

Aeson

Aeson was Jason's aged father whom Medea rejuvenated through sorcery — cutting his throat, draining...

Corinth

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Golden Fleece

The fleece of a golden-wooled ram, hung in a sacred grove in Colchis and guarded by a sleepless...

Jason

The hero who assembled the Argonauts and sailed to Colchis in quest of the Golden Fleece. Jason's...

Medea

A powerful sorceress and princess of Colchis who betrayed her family to help Jason win the Golden...

Achilles

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