Myths and legends * Medea. Myths and legends Medea - who is it

Medea, in Greek mythology, a sorceress, daughter of the king of Colchis Eetus and the Oceanid Idia, granddaughter of Helios, niece of Kirke (Hes. Theog. 956 next; Apollod. I 9, 23) (option: Medea’s mother patroness of sorceresses Hecate, sister of Medea Kirke , Diod. IV 45-46). The myth of Medea is connected with the myth of the Argonauts. When the Argonauts, led by Jason, arrived in Colchis, the gods who patronized them instilled in Medea a passionate love for Jason. For the promise to marry her, Medea helped Jason overcome the trials that Aeetes subjected him to. Putting to sleep
With a magic potion from the dragon guarding the Golden Fleece, Medea helped Jason take possession of the treasure. More ancient version: Jason killed the dragon. Together with Jason, Medea fled from Colchis. To detain Eetus, who was pursuing the fugitives, Medea killed her young brother Apsyrtus, who had fled with her, and then scattered pieces of his body across the sea, realizing that the grief-stricken father would stop the pursuit in order to collect parts of his son’s body for burial (Apollod. I 9, 24); option: Apsyrtus did not flee with Medea, but led the Colchians who were chasing the Argonauts. Medea lured her brother into a trap, and Jason killed him. When Medea and the Argonauts reached the island of the Phaeacians, the Colchians sent by Eetus demanded the extradition of Medea.

The king of the Phaeacians, Alcinous, replied that he would hand over the fugitive if she had not yet become Jason’s wife. Warned by Alcinous's wife Areta, Medea and Jason hastened to get married. When the Argonauts returned to Iolcus with the fleece, Medea helped Jason take revenge on the usurper Pelius, who killed his father and brother. Medea destroyed Pelias by convincing his daughters that their decrepit father could be rejuvenated. To do this, Pelias’ body must be cut into pieces, boiled in a cauldron, and then Medea, with the help of magic potions, will restore his youth. To convince her daughters, she chopped up a ram, boiled it in a cauldron, and then turned it into a lamb; when the daughters of Pelias agreed to cut their father, Medea did not resurrect him. After this, Medea and Jason were expelled from Iolcus and settled in Corinth, where Medea gave birth to Jason two sons, Mermer and Feret. When Jason decided to marry the daughter of the Corinthian king Creon Glavka (option: Creuse), Medea, cursing her ungrateful husband, decided to take revenge on him.

She sent her rival a peplos (robe) soaked in poison, wearing which Glavka burned alive along with her father, who was trying to save his daughter. Having killed her children, Medea flew away in a chariot drawn by winged horses (option: dragons). According to another version of the myth, Medea left the children praying at the altar of Hera, and the Corinthians, avenging Glaucus, killed them. Having fled from Corinth, Medea settled in Athens and became the wife of Aegeus, giving birth to his son Meda (Apollod. I 9, 28). When Theseus, the heir of Aegeus, unrecognized by his father, returned to Athens, Medea, fearing that he, and not Med, would inherit his father’s power, convinced her husband to try to destroy the stranger. But Aegeus recognized his son, revealed Medea’s treachery and expelled her from Athens. After this, Medea and her son Med returned to Colchis, where by that time Aeetes had been overthrown from the throne by his brother Persian. Honey killed the Persian and reigned in Colchis, subsequently conquering a significant part of Asia (option: Honey died in a campaign against the Indians, and Medea herself killed the Persian and returned power to her father (Apollod. I 9, 28)).

Subsequently, Medea was transferred to the islands of the blessed, where she became the wife of Achilles (Apoll. Rhod. IV 811 next; Apollod. epit. V 5). Such features of the image of Medea, such as the ability to revive the dead, fly across the sky, etc., suggest that Medea was originally revered as a goddess. Perhaps the image of Medea merged the features of the solar goddess revered in Colchis, the powerful sorceress of Thessalian fairy tales (Iolcus was in Thessaly) and the heroine of the Corinthian epic, in which M. and her father were considered to be from Corinth. The fairy-tale features of Medea underwent significant changes in the works of Greek and Roman writers. The theme of Medea's unrequited love for Jason, outlined by Pindar, was developed in the tragedy of the same name by Euripides, where Medea became the murderer of her children. In Seneca’s tragedy “Medea,” she appears as a stern avenger, acting with cruel consistency.

In ancient fine art (in vase paintings, on the reliefs of sarcophagi, frescoes) scenes were reflected: Medea helps Jason get the Golden Fleece, the death of Pelias, the murder of children. European art has been turning to myth since the 14th century. first in book illustrations, then in painting (plots: “Medea kills her children” by P. Veronese, N. Poussin, K. Vanloo, E. Delacroix; “Medea rejuvenates Pelias” by Guercino, etc.).

Greek myths are rich in descriptions of extraordinary heroes. Their characters are gods, fantastic creatures and mere mortals, whose lives and biographies are closely intertwined. Medea is one of the important female images of mythology. Several myths are dedicated to her. Painters, sculptors and filmmakers were inspired by her story.

Origin story

The name Medea translated from Greek means “my goddess.” The meaning of the name corresponds to the origin of the heroine. The daughter of the king of Colchis Eata and the oceanid Idia, the granddaughter of the god Helios, Medea is endowed with magical powers. The goddess gave strength to the girl in the form of a kind of help to her pet and -. The man arrived in Colchis in search of the Golden Fleece and met a girl with whom he connected his life, becoming her husband.

Mythology is distinguished by the presence of chronological inconsistencies, the duality of the plot and literary devices, which are not always correctly interpreted by historians and researchers. Perhaps related to this is the fact that today the public knows two characters with the name Medea. The girl is mentioned twice in the story of the Argonauts, but her appearances do not coincide chronologically, from which we can conclude that the authors were describing two different heroines. The key lies in her relationship with.

Myths about Jason are inextricably linked with the biography of Medea. , Theseus, Jason and are images bordering on semi-divine principles, therefore two worlds are available to them: the pagan one, in which shamans, old deities and matriarchy have power, and the new one, in which the gods. Initially, Medea was compared to the Greek goddess, as she could fly and had magical powers. In addition, she was loved by the people of Colchis and was similar to the witches from Thessalian fairy tales and the heroines of the Corinthian epic.

The plot telling about Medea and the campaign of the Argonauts led by Jason is described in the work of Apollonius of Rhodes in the 3rd century BC. e. In 431 BC. dedicated a play of the same name to the heroine in 424 BC. e. wrote the tragedy "Medea". He also worked on the image of the famous woman in his work. used her image in the tragedy "Colchis Women". Many lesser-known authors of Ancient Greece devoted their works to the biography of Medea, drawing facts about her from myths.

Myths and legends

The myth about the adventures of the Argonauts has reached modern readers in different variations, so the characterization of Medea in them is presented in a different light. The girl is always one of the main characters in the story, because Jason’s feat would not have happened without her help. From the myth of Jason, the image of the queen passed into the legend of Theseus. The heroine appeared before the public in different images: she was seen as a murderer of her own children, a passionate woman dying from disappointment.

The myth of Jason says that Medea helped the leader of the Argonauts take possession of the Golden Fleece thanks to a magic potion. Jason overcame all the trials set up by the king with the help of the girl’s advice. He plowed the field with fire-breathing oxen, sowed it with dragon teeth, from which warriors grew, and was able to defeat them by pitting them against each other. Medea put the dragon to sleep, and Jason stole the fleece. The origin of feelings between the characters is questionable. One version says that the love between Jason and Medea was the work of his patrons - Hera and Athena.

Medea ran away from home with Jason and the Argonauts, taking with her her brother, Apsyrtus. He became the girl's victim when their father's ship began pursuing the Argonauts. Medea dismembered her brother, and the king of Colchis had to stop the chase to pick up his remains. According to an alternative version, the brother led the pursuit of Medea and was killed by Jason. The young people got married on the island of Scheria. Medea found salvation from grave sins from her aunt, Circe.

The Argonauts' ship headed to the Mediterranean Sea and near Crete collided with the bronze giant Talos. The warrior, created, walked around the island three times a day and threw stones at those who threatened to attack. Uninvited guests became victims of the fiery streams that Talos directed at them. Medea helped deal with the warrior by pulling out the nail that plugged the hole in his body, and the ichor, which was a life-giving liquid for Talos, flowed out. There are different interpretations of this myth, but their ending is the same: Medea contributed to the death of the warrior.

Having reached his homeland, Jason gave Uncle Pelius the Golden Fleece, which was a condition for receiving the throne. The king refused to give up power. Medea assured his daughters that they could give their father youth. The result of her persuasion was the death of Pelias, who was impossible to resurrect. The heroes fled to Corinth. Famous for her magical abilities, Medea invented a paint that can rejuvenate. In addition, she stopped the famine in Corinth. Medea and Jason became rulers of the city.

In alternative variations, he fell in love with a woman, but she rejected his claims, for which Medea’s children gained immortality. Jason found out about this and left for Iolk. Medea killed her offspring - this is how Euripides and Seneca describe it.

According to another version, the king of Corinth, Creon, offered Jason his daughter as his wife. Medea poisoned the king and fled. Since she could not take the children with her, the woman killed them so that innocent souls would not be trampled upon by the Corinthians.

The third variation tells about the feelings that flared up between Jason and Creon’s young daughter. In a fit of revenge, Medea made a magical dress, which she presented to her rival as a gift. The outfit caught fire, and the girl burned down along with her father.

The woman, in anger, killed her children born from Jason and fled to Thebes. She was expelled from there by the townspeople who knew about the crime committed.

Film adaptations

Myths about Medea are classic dramatic material for theatrical productions. With the development of television, the genre of teleplay became popular. In the Soviet Union, productions of classics were often broadcast on screens. In 1967, a film adaptation of the play “Medea” was presented to the public, directed by Nikolai Okhlopkov, Alexey Kashkin and Alexander Shorin. Spectators saw the performance of the theater. Mayakovsky accompanied by a symphony orchestra. Evgenia Kozyreva performed the role of Medea.

In 1969, Pier Paolo Pasolini, inspired by the play of Euripides, released the film “Medea”, where she appeared in the image of the main character. For the opera singer, this role became the only one in cinema.

The Dane presented an interpretation of the mythological plot about the crime of Medea in 1988. Kirsten Olesen appears as the main character.

Medea Medea

(Medea, Μηδεία). The daughter of Ayet, king of Colchis, a skilled sorceress. She helped Jason obtain the Golden Fleece (see Argonauts) and accompanied him to Greece. She stopped her father's pursuit by killing her brother Absyrtus (see Absyrtus) and throwing his body in pieces into the sea. For the further history of Medea, see Jason.

(Source: “A Brief Dictionary of Mythology and Antiquities.” M. Korsh. St. Petersburg, edition by A. S. Suvorin, 1894.)

(Μήδεια), in Greek mythology a sorceress, daughter of the king of Colchis Eetus and the Oceanid Idia, granddaughter of Helios, niece of Kirk (Hes. Theog. 956 next; Apollod. I 9, 23) (option:
M.'s mother is the patroness of sorceresses Hecate, M.'s sister is Kirk, Diod. IV 45-46). The myth about M. is connected with the myth about Argonauts. When the Argonauts, led by Jason, arrived in Colchis, the gods who patronized them instilled in M. a passionate love for Jason. For the promise to marry her, M. helped Jason overcome the trials that Eet subjected him to. Having put the dragon guarding the Golden Fleece to sleep with a magic potion, M. helped Jason take possession of the treasure (Apollod. I 9, 23). More ancient version: Jason killed the dragon (Pind. Pyth. IV 249). Together with Jason M. fled from Colchis. To detain Eetus, who was pursuing the fugitives, M. killed her young brother Apsyrtus, who had fled with her, and then scattered pieces of his body across the sea, realizing that the grief-stricken father would stop the pursuit in order to collect parts of his son’s body for burial (Apollod. I 9, 24) ; option: Apsirt did not flee with M., but led the Colchians who were chasing the Argonauts. M. lured her brother into a trap, and Jason killed him (Apoll. Rhod. IV 452 next). When M. and the Argonauts reached the island of the Phaeacians, the Colchians sent by Eetus demanded the extradition of M. King of the Phaeacians Alkina replied that he would hand over the fugitive if she had not yet become Jason’s wife. Warned by Alcinous's wife Areta, M. and Jason hastened to get married (IV 1100 next). When the Argonauts returned to Iolcus with the fleece, M. helped Jason take revenge on the usurper Pelias, who killed his father and brother. M. ruined Pelias by convincing his daughters that their decrepit father could be rejuvenated. To do this, Pelias’ body must be cut into pieces, boiled in a cauldron, and then M., with the help of magic potions, will restore his youth. To convince her daughters, she chopped up a ram, boiled it in a cauldron, and then turned it into a lamb; when the daughters of Pelias agreed to cut their father, M. did not resurrect him (Paus. VIII 11.2; Ovid. Met. VII 297 seq.). After this, M. and Jason were expelled from Iolcus and settled in Corinth, where M. gave birth to Jason two sons, Mermer and Feret. When Jason decided to marry the daughter of the Corinthian king Creon Glavke(option: Kreuse), M., cursing her ungrateful husband, decided to take revenge on him. She sent her rival a peplos (robe) soaked in poison, wearing which Glauca burned alive along with her father, who was trying to save his daughter (Hyg. Fab. 25). Having killed her children, M. flew away in a chariot drawn by winged horses (optionally, dragons). According to another version of the myth, M. left the children praying at the altar of Hera, and the Corinthians, avenging Glaucus, killed them (Paus. II 3, 6-7; Diod. IV 55; Apollod. I 9, 28). Having fled from Corinth, M. settled in Athens and became the wife of Aegeus, giving birth to his son Med (Apollod. I 9, 28). When the heir of Aegeus Theseus, unrecognized by his father, returned to Athens, M., fearing that he, and not Med, would inherit his father’s power, convinced her husband to try to destroy the newcomer. But Aegeus recognized his son, revealed M.’s treachery and expelled her from Athens (Plut. Thes. XII; Apollod. epit. I 5-6). After this, M. and her son Med returned to Colchis, where by that time Eetus had been overthrown from the throne by his brother Persian. Honey killed the Persian and reigned in Colchis, subsequently conquering a significant part of Asia (Strab. XI 13, 10; Diod. IV 56 next) [option: Honey died in a campaign against the Indians, and M. herself killed the Persian and returned power to her father (Apollod I 9, ​​28)]. Subsequently, M. was transferred to the islands of the blessed, where she became the wife of Achilles (Apoll. Rhod. IV 811 next; Apollod. epit. V 5). Such features of M.'s image, such as the ability to revive the dead, fly across the sky, etc., suggest that M. was originally revered as a goddess. Perhaps the image of M. merged the features of the solar goddess revered in Colchis, the powerful sorceress of Thessalian fairy tales (Iolcus was in Thessaly) and the heroine of the Corinthian epic, in which M. and her father were considered to be from Corinth.
The fairy-tale features of M. have undergone significant changes in the works of Greek and Roman writers. The theme of M.'s unrequited love for Jason, outlined by Pindar, was developed in the tragedy of the same name by Euripides, where M. became the murderer of her children. In Seneca’s tragedy “Medea,” she appears as a stern avenger, acting with cruel consistency.
M. N. Botvinnik.

In ancient fine art (in vase paintings, on the reliefs of sarcophagi, frescoes) scenes were reflected: M. helps Jason get the Golden Fleece, the death of Pelias, the murder of children. European art has been turning to myth since the 14th century. first in book illustrations, then in painting (plots: “M. kills his children” - by P. Veronese, N. Poussin, C. Vanloo, E. Delacroix; “M. rejuvenates Pelias” - by Guercino, etc.).
Among the works of European drama on the plot of myth: in the 17th century. - “M.” P. Corneille; in the 18th century - “M.” F. W. Gottera, “M. in Corinth" and "M. in the Caucasus" by F. M. Klinger, "M." L. Tika; in the 19th century - “M.” G.B. Niccolini, "M." (part of the dramatic trilogy “The Golden Fleece”) by F. Grillparzer; in the 20th century - “M.” J. Anuya and F. T. Chokora. Myth was widely used in musical and dramatic art; among operas: in the 17th century - “M.” M. A. Charpentier and others; in the 18th century - “M.” I. Myslivecek, I. Bendy, I. G. Nauman, L. Cherubini and others; in the 19th century - “M.” S. Mercadante et al.; in the 20th century - “M.” D. Milhaud, E. Kshenecka and others.

(Source: “Myths of the Peoples of the World.”)

Enchantress. Daughter of Eetus and the oceanid Idia, granddaughter of Helios, niece of Circe, wife of Jason, and then Aegeus. She received the gift of magic from the goddess Hecate. The goddesses Hera and Athena decided to use her help to help out their favorite Jason, who had arrived in Colchis for the Golden Fleece. When Jason decided to leave her and marry Creon’s daughter, Medea sent the bride a poison-soaked peplos as a gift, then killed her two children from Jason, cursed him and flew away in a chariot drawn by dragons. After this, Medea ran away to Aegeus and married him, promising to return his youth to him. When Aegeus' son Theseus arrived in Athens, Medea tried to poison him, but this time her crime was exposed and Aegeus banished her from Athens. On a chariot drawn by winged dragons, shrouded in a cloud, Medea rushed away.

// Alexey FANTALOV: Jason and Medea // N.A. Kuhn: THESEUS IN ATHENS // N.A. Kun: JASON U EET // N.A. Kuhn: THE ARGONAUTS SEEK MEDEA FOR HELP // N.A. Kun: MEDEA HELPES JASON STEAL THE GOLDEN FLEECE // N.A. Kun: JASON AND MEDEA IN IOLK. DEATH OF PELIA // N.A. Kuhn: JASON AND MEDEA IN CORINTH. DEATH OF JASON

(Source: “Myths of Ancient Greece. Dictionary-reference book.” EdwART, 2009.)

Fresco from Pompeii.
I century

See what “Medea” is in other dictionaries:

- (Latin Medea, German Medea) 1. the heroine of the tragedy of Euripides “Medea” (431 BC). In Greek mythology, M. is a sorceress, the daughter of the king of Colchis, who helped Jason and the Argonauts obtain the Golden Fleece, and then fled with them and became Jason’s wife. IN… … Literary heroes

Greek Medea. The mythological daughter of the Colchian king Aetis, famous for her beauty, magic and cruelty. Medea took revenge on the infidelity of her husband, Jason, by killing his children who lived with her. Explanation of 25,000 foreign words included in... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- “MEDEA” (Medea) Italy France Germany, 1969, 110 min. Historical film, adventure film. “Medea” continues the cultural and historical cycle of Pier Paolo Pasolini, begun by the film “Oedipus the King.” Moving from the depths of centuries, from antiquity to the new... ... Encyclopedia of Cinema

Medea- Medea. Fresco from Pompeii depicting Medea and her sons. 1st century Medea. Fresco from Pompeii depicting Medea and her sons. 1st century Medea in the myths of the ancient Greeks is the daughter of the king of Colchis, a sorceress, and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Helped Jason get gold... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of World History

- (actually “Wise”) sorceress, heroine of ancient Greek myth. The daughter of the king of Colchis (in Transcaucasia) Eeta, M. helps the Thessalian hero Jason (see Argonauts) to obtain the “golden fleece”, flees with him to Greece, where with her magic she returns youth... ... Literary encyclopedia

In Greek mythology, a sorceress. She helped the leader of the Argonauts, Jason, get the Golden Fleece. When he decided to marry the daughter of the Corinthian king, Medea killed her rival, killed her two children from Jason and disappeared on a winged chariot... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

My Goddess; Meda, Deya Dictionary of Russian synonyms. Medea noun, number of synonyms: 4 asteroid (579) ... Synonym dictionary

While reading the myths and legends of Ancient Greece, I learned the full legend about Medea and Jason, which once, read in a children's book based on the epic of Apollonius of Rhodes "Argonautica", seemed to me a beautiful love story, but in fact it is a story of an incredible and terrible tragedy.

There are two main works - tragedies dedicated to Medea: the Greek Euripides and the Roman Seneca. Euripides' Medea was presented in Athens in 431 BC. e., before the Peloponnesian War. Euripides did not limit himself to one episode of the legend; in his tragedy he collected all the vicissitudes of Medea’s long life, right up to the final crisis. The legend is this: Jason was the son of King Polk and he lived on the Thessalian coast. His uncle Pelias took the throne from his father Polcus, and sent Jason to look for the Golden Fleece, guarded by a dragon, in Colchis, on the far shores of the Black Sea, hoping that he would not return. Jason sailed on the ship of the Argonauts and arrived in Colchis, in the possession of King Aeetes. Aeetes had a daughter, Medea. Temple priestess. Enchantress. Demigoddess. Her grandfather was Helios the sun himself. Seeing Jason disembark from the ship onto the shore, Medea fell in love with him at first sight, madly and forever. It seems to her, in the madness that has overcome her, that these are the features not of a mortal, but of a god. Then King Eet gives Jason instructions that are impossible to fulfill. And every time Medea saves him from death, helping him deal with fire-breathing bulls, helping to sow dragon teeth on the field of Ares, from which warriors are born who immediately take up arms. So, thanks to Medea, Jason receives the Golden Fleece. As the ship prepares to sail, the Argonauts are threatened by Medea's brother, Ascylt, and she kills him. Medea boards the ship and gives herself to Jason in a fit of feverish desire, in exchange for Jason to marry her. Jason returned to Thessaly, but Pelias even then refused to return his father’s throne to him. Medea and Jason decided to destroy Pelias. The daughters of Pelias, deceived by Medea, killed their father. The deception was this: the sorceress told the princesses that they could turn an old man into a young man if they cut him up and throw him into a boiling cauldron (and demonstrated this to them by slaughtering and resurrecting a goat). They believed her, killed their father and cut him up, but Pelia Medea, unlike the demonstration kid, did not resurrect.
The murder of Pelias forced Medea and Jason to flee from Iolcus. They settled in Corinth, with King Creon. Further, the myth has several versions. In Corinth, Medea stopped the famine by making sacrifices to Demeter and the Lemnian nymphs; Zeus loved her, but she rejected him, for which Hera promised immortality to her children. Jason and Medea reigned in Corinth. When Medea had children, she hid them in the sanctuary of Hera, thinking of making them immortal. But then she was exposed by Jason of treason with Sisyphus, Jason left for Iolcus, and Medea retired, transferring power to Sisyphus.
According to one of the sub-options, King Creon invited Jason to marry his daughter. Jason agreed, because she was Greek, and expelled Medea the foreigner. But Medea already had two children born from Jason while they were still in love with each other. For his sake, she betrayed her father, killed her young brother and killed Pelias, and now he rejected her. According to a more common version, Jason himself wanted to marry Creon’s daughter Glauce. Abandoned Medea soaked peplos with magic herbs and sent a poisoned gift to her rival. When the princess put it on, the dress immediately caught fire, and Glavka burned alive along with her father, who tried to save her. Then Medea personally killed her sons from Jason (Mermer and Feret) and disappeared on a winged chariot drawn by dragons sent by her grandfather Helios.
In another play, Seneca interprets the entire action, in the Roman style, at the final moment, Medea goes further: at the end of the tragedy, Medea announces that she will rip open her womb with a dagger in order to make sure that a third child from Jason does not grow in it; This technique shows what is the reason for her rage (inflamed entrails), what is the reason for her love (lust, irrepressible carnal passion, which she proved by her previous actions) and, finally, what are the fruits of this passion (a child in the womb). Then Medea ended up in Athens and became the wife of King Aegeus. In Athens, she was brought to trial by Hippothus, the son of Creon of Corinth, and acquitted. She gave birth to Aegea's son Med. Their family idyll was destroyed by the appearance of Theseus, the heir to the king, conceived by him in secret and raised in Troezen. Theseus came to his father incognito, and he did not know who the young man was to him. Medea, sensing a threat to her son's inheritance, convinced Aegeus to kill the guest. The king treated Theseus to a cup of poisoned wine, but before the guest could bring it to his lips, Aegeus saw his sword on his belt, which he had left to Theseus’s mother for his first-born. He knocked the cup of poison out of his son's hands. Medea fled Athens with her son Med before her troubles began.
Chronological inconsistencies suggest that there may have been two female characters with this name in ancient Greek mythology. This is due, first of all, to the relationship between Medea and Theseus: Medea appeared in Greece after the campaign for the Golden Fleece. Theseus was an Argonaut, and went on a campaign for the Golden Fleece after Aegeus recognized him as his son (and Medea tried to kill him) Thus , it turns out that Medea was present in Athens before the campaign for the Golden Fleece. Or this was another Medea. The contradiction is smoothed out if we accept that Theseus did not take part in the campaign of the Argonauts (many classics do not include him in the list) and, thus, first there was a campaign, and then Theseus’s arrival in Athens.