RWAAG Home, Medea-->
Advertisement:
Statues and Jewelry of Medusa.
Buying links: Art Supplies and Original Art -- Audio Books -- eBooks(books in digital form) -- Traditional Books -- Business to Business -- Collectibles -- College -- Computer HW(Hardware) -- Computer SW(Software) -- Construction and Built-in Decoration of Homes -- Consumer Electronics -- Cosmetics and Fragrances -- Costumes and Party Goods -- Events -- Furniture and Removable Decoration of Homes -- Games -- Flowers and Garden -- Gifts -- Groceries, Gourmet Food, and Wine -- Hair Care -- Handbags and Luggage -- Health Food -- Hotels and Travel -- Jewelry -- Kitchen and Dining -- Malls and Virtual Malls -- Men's -- Movies/DVD's -- Music -- Outdoors -- Parts and Accessories(Auto) -- Photo -- Posters, Prints and Painting Reproductions -- Shoes -- Teens -- Toys -- Women's
If you click above and follow the links to a purchase then this site receives a commission for its support.
Medea -- Μήδειαν -- in ancient times interpreted as 'schemer' from 'medesthai', 'to devise'. The name is more likely related to the Indo-European 'med-', 'To take appropriate measures' than the name 'Medusa' which seems a loan word. The name is also related to 'Mede' the Greek word for 'Persian'.
Medea lived in the period just before the Trojan war, about 1200 BCE, if in fact she was a mortal. She may have been a goddess and there is some indication that she was worshipped as such. She was the daughter of Aeetes, king of Colchis, and his wife Eidya. Eidya was the grandaughter of Helios and sister to Circe. When Jason came to Colchis after the golden fleece, Medea fell in love with him. Medea used her powers to help Jason and fled with him to Greece. She used herbs to restore Jason's father to health, and she used this example to kill his persecutor Pelias in Iolchus. Medea and Jason were driven from Iolchus and settled in Corinth. Jason becomes involved with the princess of Corinth and Medea, in a jealous rage, killed their children.
The play Medea by Euripides was produced for a performance on Dec. 1,2,3, 2000 in Kent, Ohio. The play is about a real, but mythologized character. Some other references to Medea follow:
In the Theogony Hesiod mentions Medea, first (ll. 956-962): "And Perseis, the daughter of Ocean, bare to unwearying Helios Circe and Aeetes the king. And Aeetes, the son of Helios who shows light to men, took to wife fair-cheeked Idyia, daughter of Ocean the perfect stream, by the will of the gods: and she was subject to him in love through golden Aphrodite and bare him neat-ankled Medea." (About 700 BCE)
In the Theogony Hesiod mentions Medea, second (ll 992-1002): "By the plans of the eternally living gods, Aeson's son led away from Aeetes, that Zeus-nurtured king, Aeetes' daughter, after completing the many painful tasks upon him by the great overweening king, arrogant and wicked, violent-working Pelias. When Aeson's son had completed these he came to Iolcus, after enduring much toil, upon a swift ship, leading Aeetes' quick-eyed daughter, and her made her his vigorus wife. After she had been overpowered by Jason, the shepherd of the people, she gave birth to a son, Medeus, whom Chiron, Philyra's son raised upon the mountains--and great Zeus' intention was fulfilled."
Pindar, Odes Poem 4: Pythian 4 For Arcesilas of Cyrene Chariot Race 462 B. C.
Herodotus 440 BCE The History (Book 1.2) --"...the Greeks were guilty of the second piece of injustice; for they sailed with a long ship to Aea in Colchis and the river Phasis, and from there, when they had done the business on which they came, they carried off the king's daughter, Medea. The king of the Colchians sent a herald to Greece to ask for satisfaction for the carrying off of his daughter and to demand her return. But the Greeks answered (this is the Persian story) that the Persians, on their side, had not given satisfaction for the carrying-off of Argive IO, and so they themselves would give none to the Colchians."
Fragment #2 -- Argument to Euripides Medea: `Forthwith Medea made Aeson a sweet young boy and stripped his old age from him by her cunning skill, when she had made a brew of many herbs in her golden cauldrons.'
Fragment #4 -- Scholiast on Euripides Medea, 273: Didymus contrasts the following account given by Creophylus, which is as follows: while Medea was living in Corinth, she poisoned Creon, who was ruler of the city at that time, and because she feared his friends and kinsfolk, fled to Athens. However, since her sons were too young to go along with her, she left them at the altar of Hera Acraea, thinking that their father would see to their safety. But the relatives of Creon killed them and spread the story that Medea had killed her own children as well as Creon."
Euripides' Medea was written in 431 BCE. This is the tragedy in which Medea kills her children.
Apollonius Rhodius 295-215 BCE wrote the Voyage of the Argo in which the early life of Medea was treated romantically.
Apollodoros LibraryI.9.23: "While Jason puzzled how he could yoke the bulls, Medea conceived a passion for him; now she was a witch, daughter of Aeetes and Idyia, daughter of Ocean....Medea brought Jason by night to the fleece, and having lulled to sleep by her drugs the dragon that guarded it, she possessed herself of the fleece and in Jason's company came to the Argo....When Jason swore to do so, she gave him a drug with which she bade him anoint his shield, spear, and body when he was about to yoke the bulls; for she said that, anointed with it, he could for a single day be harmed neither by fire nor by iron."
It seems as though Apollodorus is the first to connect Medea with magic. He calls her a witch but the word for witch in Greek is very similar to the Greek word for magic. The words derive from the Indo-European word 'magh-1', 'To be able, to have power'. The question is whether this power is natural or supernatural. A number of the words associated with magic also have Indo-European roots: spell from 'spel-3', 'To say aloud, recite'; 'potion' from 'poi-1', 'to drink'; 'invoke', 'wekw-', 'to speak', 'pray' from 'perk-1', 'To ask entreat", 'wand' from 'wendh-', 'To turn.wind. weave', both 'enchant' and 'charm' from 'kan-', to sing, 'anoint' from 'ongw-', 'To salve anoint', .
Recent images of Medea include:
You can read about forcasting the future with the Greek alphabet at: Click here
Medea,'Μήδεια', seems to be a name with an Indo-European root. But Medea must be distinguished from Medusa. Many potential derivations of Medusa also apply to Medea but these are obviously separate names. But Medusa's connection to Indo-European culture is doubtful while the connection of Medea seems likely in view of her origin in Colchis. Medea seems to derive from Indo-European 'med-', 'To take appropraite measures' and 'ya' 'To be aroused'. Her name seems related to medicate, mediate, moderate, and mode. The name might most closely mean mediator. And this seems consistent with the myths about her.
In literature
Medea productions:
Recent Art about Medea:
To ask a question about this topic note the topic (Medea) and Click here
Answered Questions about Medea.
Advertisement:
Buying links: Art Supplies and Original Art -- Audio Books -- eBooks(books in digital form) -- Traditional Books -- Business to Business -- Collectibles -- College -- Computer HW(Hardware) -- Computer SW(Software) -- Construction and Built-in Decoration of Homes -- Consumer Electronics -- Cosmetics and Fragrances -- Costumes and Party Goods -- Events -- Furniture and Removable Decoration of Homes -- Games -- Flowers and Garden -- Gifts -- Groceries, Gourmet Food, and Wine -- Hair Care -- Handbags and Luggage -- Health Food -- Hotels and Travel -- Jewelry -- Kitchen and Dining -- Malls and Virtual Malls -- Men's -- Movies/DVD's -- Music -- Outdoors -- Parts and Accessories(Auto) -- Photo -- Posters, Prints and Painting Reproductions -- Shoes -- Teens -- Toys -- Women's
If you click above and follow the links to a purchase then this site receives a commission for its support.
RWAAG Home, Medea-->