The myth of Medea, the enchantress in love

The myth of Medea tells us about the archetype of the witch, an autonomous woman, invaded by great passions and with great decision-making capacity. At the time this character was created, she represented the complete opposite of what a model woman should be. Perhaps for that very reason, she aroused great interest and had enormous impact among tragic authors.

According to the myth of Medea, this sorceress was the granddaughter of Helios, the Sun god, and daughter of Eates, king of Colchis., the same place where the mythical golden fleece remained. This was a winged ram, whose wool was threaded with gold. Medea’s mother was the nymph Idia, daughter of Oceanus, and whose name means “to see.”

The story goes that our sorceress learned the arts of witchcraft from her aunt Circe.. She had great powers and she knew magical potions that allowed her to turn her enemies into animals and cure diseases thanks to her knowledge of herbs and medicine.

The myth of Medea, the woman in love

The moment in which the myth of Medea comes to life is when Jason and the Argonauts They arrive at Colchis, kingdom of the sorceress’ father, in search of the golden fleece. The goddesses Hera and Athena protected these expeditionaries and asked the goddess Aphrodite to help them in their task. Specifically, they requested that Medea, the king’s daughter, fall in love with Jason and support him in his plans.

Aphrodite had to convince her son Eros to do the task. He was reluctant, but her mother promised her a gift and so she agreed to shoot one of her arrows straight into the sorceress’s heart. She, of course, fell completely in love with Jason and had no qualms about helping him accomplish his mission..

The king of Colchis promised to give Jason the golden fleece, as long as he fulfilled some tests. The first was to plow a field with oxen that exhaled flames from their mouths. Shortly after, and with the help of the protective goddesses, Jason and Medea They met at Hecate’s sanctuary, deep in the forest. There the hero asked for his help and promised to marry with her and take her with him to Greece, his land of origin.

Medea’s help

The myth of Medea tells that the sorceress gave Jason a potion that made him invulnerable to the flames of oxen. She also helped him defeat some soldiers that appeared out of nowhere and put the dragon that guarded the golden fleece to sleep. So the hero was able to fulfill all the tasks that were imposed on him.

Then the couple fled on the famous ship Argo, where, To prevent her father from pursuing them, she killed her younger brother, Apsyrtus, who was on the ship. He dismembered him and threw the pieces of his body into the sea, so that his father would waste time looking for his son’s body and thus stop the persecution.

In this way, they managed to reach Jason’s homeland, Iolcus, and were received with great celebrations. The myth of Medea tells that The couple married and the sorceress decided to rejuvenate Jason’s father, in gratitude because he had kept his promises.. The daughters of Pelias, brother of Jason’s father and who had been displaced from the throne by him, wanted the sorceress to also rejuvenate her father.

A tragic ending

Medea deceived the young women and instead of granting them the rejuvenation of Pelias, she caused him to die. For this fact, the couple was banished to Corinth, where they were cordially received by King Creon. Medea and Jason lived happily there for many years and they had two children. However, Jason fell in love with the king’s daughter, Glauce, and began to think of a way to get rid of his wife.

Pretending to accept Jason and Glauce’s engagement, the sorceress gave the princess a dress. According to the myth of Medea, When the young woman put it on, it caught fire and then the fire spread to the king and the entire palace.. Then the witch killed her children, knowing that the Corinthians would seek retaliation against her and her lineage after her regicide.

Another version of the myth tells that the Corinthians were the ones who killed Medea’s children, as punishment for the spell she had cast.. But, in revenge, the sorceress launched an epidemic that wiped out all the children in the city. The Corinthians were under this curse until, on the advice of the Delphic oracle, they made solemn sacrifices to Medea’s children and forced their own people to mourn.

Whatever the case, After the death of her children, Medea flees to Athenswhere she was received by King Aegeus, with whom she married and had a son named Medo.

Years later, he intrigued so that Theseus, son of Aegeus, could not access the throne and instead it was given to his son, Medo. The king realized everything and she had to flee in a magical cloud. So she returned to Colchis, where she was forgiven.. The myth of Medea says that the sorceress is immortal and lives forever on the Elysian Fields.

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