Medea of Colchis

GREAT WOMEN OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY

…Γυνὴ γὰρ τἄλλα μὲν φόβου πλέα

κακή τ᾽ ἐς ἀλκὴν καὶ σίδηρον εἰσορᾶν· ὅταν δ᾽ ἐς εὐνὴν ἠδικημένη κυρῇ, οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλη φρὴν μιαιφονωτέρα.

A woman’s weak and timid in most matters. The noise of war, the look of steel, makes her a coward. But touch her right in marriage, And there’s no bloodier spirit. Medea, Euripides, 265. Translated by Philip Vellacott

Where tenderness meets rage and sweet peace meets hideous war: this is where the women of Greek mythology find themselves, some proud, others deeply wounded.

The ancient Greek woman is mother, daughter and sister. She is loving and monstrous, reckless and ingenious; she lurks in the shadows of night and shines with the bright joy of the Sun. She stands at the side of the warrior men, but is also trailblazing and – when necessary –leads from behind. Along with the spirit of matriarchy of the Aegean, she gave birth to amazing characters that stand tall to this day in Greek literature and theatre, and feels more relevant now than ever.

Made by soil and sea, the mythological women of Greece are Earth itself.

Through Great Women of Greek Mythology , we present the most iconic women of our ancient history: Medea, Electra, Circe, Antigone, Helen, Ariadne and Medusa. And there’s more to come! With simple, comprehensible texts compiled and edited by a great team of writers, editors and scientists, we invite you to meet the famous daughters of mythology and their universe.

Copyright: Read Panda Editing OÜ

Brainfood Digital Media and Publishing M.E.P.E

GREAT WOMEN OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY Medea of Colchis

WRITTEN AND EDITED BY Mike French and Vittorio Mattioli, Read Panda Editing OÜ

COVER DESIGN Little Miss Grumpy

SERIES DIRECTOR Nikos Chatzopoulos

SERIES EDITOR Elena Spandoni

ΥΠΕΥΘΥΝΟΣ ΕΚΔΟΣΗΣ

Νίκος Χατζόπουλος

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March 2024

ISBN: 978-618-5427-33-7

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GREAT WOMEN OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

GREAT WOMEN OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY is a series of short books for young and old introducing readers to the ancient world through its heroines. Whether simplified adaptations of classic tragedies by Euripides, Aeschylus and Sophocles or original works based on the surviving sources, these books aim to bring readers on a journey filled with excitement, drama, death and love, all while focussing on the women that have played such an important role in our history yet are still remembered as mere bystanders.

The series starts with six books: the tales of Helen, Electra, Ariadne, Antigone, Medea and Circe. While each book can be read separately, and in any order, there is an underlying thread that ultimately connects all these characters

and provides a wider view of what it was to be a woman in the ancient Greek world.

The story of Helen begins with her birth from a swan’s egg, the result of Zeus’ liaison with her mother, Leda. Helen’s supernatural beauty is immediately obvious and affects her childhood in the palace of Sparta. The book then focusses on how men, such as Theseus and Paris, steal her away for her beauty and on seeing how much can be put down to her own choices.

In Mycenae, Helen’s niece, Electra, is married to a destitute farmer and lives a life of misery. While her husband is honourable, she has only one pair of clothes, and she still cuts her hair short in a sign of mourning for the killing of her father, Agamemnon, after his triumphant return from Troy. The only reason Electra has not killed herself is because she is waiting for her brother Orestes to come and help her take revenge against Aegisthus, the usurper, and Clytemnestra, his lover and their mother, who betrayed Agamemnon and killed him.

In her book, it is Ariadne herself who shares her memories from childhood and into adulthood. Helen’s abductor, Theseus, appears here too, and we are taken from Minoan palaces on Crete, with the great labyrinth built by Daedalus for Ariadne’s brother, the monstrous Minotaur, to the deserted island of Naxos, where Ariadne is abandoned by the traitorous Theseus on his way back to Athens. We see how on the brink of death, she is saved by the god Dionysus, who takes a keen interest in her, and how they end up as a couple. We are told of her sister Phaedra and her fate in the court of Athens.

We move on to a relation of Dionysus, Antigone, the daughter and granddaughter of Oedipus. After the discovery of Oedipus’ crimes, her family falls apart. With both her parents dead, her two brothers fight for rule of the Greek city of Thebes. The story takes place in the aftermath of that civil war. Antigone’s brother Polynices has been killed outside the walls of Thebes. When she shows his body the proper rites, thus defying a decree issued by

the city’s ruler, Creon, she is arrested and condemned to death. The central tension of the book lies between her respect for the unwritten laws of the gods and Creon’s for those of the city.

Medea is a princess in faraway Colchis. She is married to Jason of the Argonauts, but now that he has no more need for her, Jason wishes to be rid of her in favour of a wife from a more civilised land. Most of Medea’s story takes place in a single day in the palace at Corinth where she, Jason and their children are staying. This is the 24 hours during which Jason is meant to marry the Corinthian princess Glauce. Despite all the help Medea has provided Jason, he has decided to discard her, something Medea will not take lying down.

Medea and Ariadne’s aunt, Circe, is the daughter of the Sun god, Helios. She lives alone on the island of Aeaea. Odysseus’ ship lands there on his journey home. When 23 of his men seek her out, she promptly turns them into pigs and locks them up in a sty. An immortal goddess herself, Circe is not to be trifled with: her

concoctions and witchcraft are second to none. Made famous by her appearance in the Odyssey, Circe’s story looks at the time spent by Odysseus and his men on Aeaea but from her own perspective.

The main part of each book is the novel itself. In writing these books, we researched the surviving ancient sources. Where a full-length play by one of the ancient Greek masters – such as Aeschylus, Sophocles or Euripides – survived, we have adapted that into a more modern novel, following its plot. This is the case with Electra, Medea and Antigone. Circe, Ariadne and Helen, on the other hand, are more original pieces in which we used information gained from surviving sources to create an engaging narrative and coherent whole. At the end of each book there is a small, more academic – but simply written – section that analyses the characters, the sources and the historical background. Vittorio Mattioli, Mike French

Chapter I

Medea’s life would have gone very differently had the Argo never reached Colchis. If the usurper king of Thessaly, Pelias, hadn’t sent for the Golden Fleece, Medea would not have been lovestruck with Jason and followed him to Iolcus in Greece. She would not have followed Jason –along with their children – to Corinth after the death of Pelias by the hands of his daughters.

In Corinth, Medea was met with respect and welcomed by the Corinthians. She was a doting mother and a loving wife, who, according to the traditions of the time, accepted her husband’s will in everything.

But her luck ended in Corinth, when Medea was betrayed by Jason. He decided to marry Glauce, the daughter of King Creon of Corinth, leaving Medea and their sons facing a shaky future. There was no worse betrayal than that in those days. Medea was given quarters in the court, but although she was treated acceptably

by the Corinthians, it was clear she was no longer welcome there. Voices would drop to whispers when she passed and gazes would linger on her just a little too long, as though silently asking when she would take the initiative to leave. Her loyal maidservant was her only friend and ally in the city, alongside her children’s tutor, another trustworthy slave.

One day, the maid had left Medea’s quarters and was gossiping with one of the princess’s servant girls.

‘It’s just so horrible. She spends her days crying. Ever since she heard of Jason’s betrayal, she’s stopped eating. When he first told her of the news, she invoked all the gods and all his vows he’d made to her, cursing his name,’ she said and shivered.

‘Oh my, how awful,’ said the Corinthian girl, making an effort to hide a slight smile. She was enjoying the gossip and was looking forward to sharing it all with her friends.

‘She misses her dear father and her homeland. She curses the moment she betrayed them

for the love of Lord Jason to come here with him, where she is lonely and alone. What’s worse, I fear that whenever she sees the children, she is reminded of him. She hates them as if they were Jason himself,’ the maid cried.

There was a degree of exaggeration in her exclamations and as she spoke she gesticulated wildly. The art of gossip, in her opinion, necessitated a touch of added drama.

There was a noise from the portico and two young boys appeared, running towards the two girls. One was around five years old, while the other was a bit younger. They were wellbuilt, beautiful, kingly boys. Their curly hair and brows were bright blond, and it almost felt like there was a light radiating from them, as testament to their godly ancestry.

‘Oh, speak of the devil. Here they are,’ she said loudly and smiled at them. They sprinted past the two without noticing, intent on their play, and disappeared inside.

The maid turned towards the Corinthian servant and whispered, ‘They have no idea of

their cruel fate. They’re so young and innocent.’

From the same direction that the boys had come, an old man with a long grey beard and little hair on his head slowly limped towards the women.

‘Quick, go,’ whispered the nurse.

The Corinthian servant slipped away towards the other side of the portico.

As the tutor approached the nurse, he looked at her reproachfully.

‘What are you doing out here, gossiping with the princess’s servants, eh?’ he said. ‘Are you trying to cause our mistress more trouble?’

‘Old tutor, my heart aches as if it were my mistress’s heart itself. I couldn’t bear the crying and came out. The girl just happened to walk past here,’ she said.

The old man eyed her sceptically but decided to let it pass. ‘Poor woman. Is she still crying?’ he said.

‘Still crying? Don’t you understand how a woman’s grief works? It’s just started.’

‘She’s a fool,’ he said then looked around in alarm. When he saw no one was listening, he continued more softly. ‘I shouldn’t have said that about my mistress, but she should save the tears. There’s worse news to come!’ he said and then gave a ragged cough.

Upon hearing this, the nurse straightened and looked excitedly at the tutor. Despite her love for her mistress, her desire for gossip was too strong.

‘Worse? What worse news? Tell me, what happened?’ she asked quickly.

‘Nothing happened,’ the tutor replied and moved towards Medea’s quarters, muttering to himself, ‘Why did you open your mouth, you old fool.’

‘Wait!’ the nurse cried behind him. ‘We’re both slaves of the mistress. Don’t keep me in the dark, please. I can keep a secret,’ she said.

The tutor sighed and stopped, turning to face the nurse again. Though he pretended not to, he enjoyed the young girl’s company.

‘I was next to the holy fountain of Peirene, sitting on the benches were old men play dice.

They hadn’t noticed me, or if they had, they thought I couldn’t hear them talk. I heard one saying that King Creon is going to banish the boys, and their mother too. I don’t know if it’s the truth. I truly hope not,’ he said, shaking his head.

The nurse looked at him. She was appalled. It was one thing to enjoy some gossip, another if Medea and her children were banished. That would mean she would be banished along them and lose her pleasant life in the palace of Corinth.

‘But surely my lord Jason would not stand for something like this, would he?’ she cried in desperation. ‘My mistress? Maybe. But not his own sons.’

‘New love is stronger than old love, my dear. Jason is not a friend of our house,’ he said.

‘Then all is lost,’ she said and began weeping.

The tutor held her in his arms. She flinched back but didn’t pull away entirely, continuing to sob.

‘Don’t cry, girl. Listen to me and heed my words: we must not tell Medea about any of

this. Be quiet and pretend like you’ve heard nothing.’

‘Oh, what sort of father is Jason. I would curse him, were he not my master. He has betrayed his loved ones.’

‘All men are guilty. Everyone loves themselves more than they love their neighbours. Jason’s sons mean nothing to him now that he’s in love.’

‘Poor boys,’ she said and paused while she thought deeply. ‘Listen, make sure to keep them from being alone with their mother. She’s in a dark mood and I’ve seen how she looks at them. And I know my mistress. She won’t calm down until she has found a victim for her rage,’ she said solemnly.

The tutor nodded and motioned for the nurse to enter the room ahead of him.

They entered Medea’s large quarters. The space she had been given, along with her small retinue, included several rooms, situated around her large beautiful living area. The walls were decorated with superb frescoes of the deeds

of ancient heroes, as well as one depicting the gigantomachy, which terrified the children. Two large openings with crimson curtains hanging on either side brought the Sun’s light in, and a stunning amphora depicting the three Gorgons in flight was given pride of place in the central area of the room. This last touch had infuriated Medea when they had first moved there. She believed that the choice of the theme had been a purposeful slight by her new hosts. One of the first things she had done was to check the floor around the amphora. Just as she had expected, she had seen the faint marks on the ground of something square, larger than the circular shape of the amphora’s base. It looked as if whatever had originally been used to decorate the room had been recently swapped for this huge amphora.

Medea was sitting on a reclining chair, which she had moved so that it would face away from the amphora. She was looking at her children.

‘What fate has befallen us. What wretchedness,’ she cried. ‘I wish I were dead.’

The nurse ran towards the children, who were staring at their crying mother from the edge of the room.

‘Quick, let’s go play in your room.’ She shepherded them to the left and whispered to the older one, ‘Don’t go close to her when she’s in such a bad mood. She’s dangerous.’

She turned towards the tutor and gestured for him to go with them.

As Medea saw the children move away, she began to cry even more piteously.

‘Have I not been wronged? Should I not weep? Children, I am hated and you have been cursed. I hope your father dies, and alongside him his whole house, yourselves included!’ she raged.

‘That Medea,’ whispered the nurse to herself. Why would Medea talk this way to and about her children? They didn’t have anything to do with what had happened. If anything, they were victims of their father’s wickedness as much as Medea was. Why should she hate them? She gazed in alarm at them, knowing that the wrath

of queens was a thing to behold: queens are used to issuing commands, not obeying them.

Despite being a slave and a servant, the maid felt glad she was a commoner. She may not have had the pleasures of life that Medea grew up with, but she would enjoy her whole life in peace and quiet and grow old. And as far as slaves went, she was of the luckiest kind. She lived in her mistress’s quarters and took care of the children throughout the day. It was tiring work but not nearly as bad as what other servants had to go through.

The nurse bowed to Medea and took her leave.

She left Medea’s quarters and walked along the colonnade, shielded from the scorching rays of the midday Sun of Corinth. The blue- and yellow-striped columns looked stunning in the light, reminding her of her homeland in Colchis, where the sea was of a much deeper blue than in Corinth. Exiting to the main courtyard, the nurse saw a group of maidservants gossiping next to a fountain.

An old dark-haired woman saw her and beckoned her over. ‘Come here, nurse, and tell us about your mistress.’

The nurse approached them.

‘I heard she’s still crying,’ said the old woman. ‘I suffer with her. We all do. We are loyal to the house of Jason.’

The other women nodded in agreement. The nurse laughed. ‘The house of Jason? There is no such thing anymore. That’s done and done for,’ she said. ‘Jason is a prisoner to the princess, beguiled by her sexual advances, and Medea’s life is over, flowing away one tear at a time. No friend or kinsman has been able to comfort her. You can even hear her wailing from out here.’

‘But doesn’t Zeus hear her prayers of anguish?’ asked another maidservant. ‘Does not Gaia feel her pain?’

‘Let’s go closer so we can hear what she’s saying better,’ said the old woman, and the small mob went towards Medea’s quarters, followed reluctantly by the nurse.

Medea’s words were clear to all now. She was invoking Themis and Artemis for vengeance for the oaths Jason had broken. She then invoked her father and city, lamenting her murder of her brother and cursing Jason and his new bride.

‘You heard all that?’ said the nurse. ‘Nothing can stop my mistress’s rage now.’

The old woman nodded.

‘I wish she would come outside and let us comfort her. If only she would listen to our calming voices, her vengeful spirit might be placated, if only a little. I feel like a friend to her, a woman wronged, and we must stick together.’

‘Yes, we all agree. Poor Medea,’ said the other women.

‘Nurse, go and get her. Tell her we are with her. Go quick, before she harms herself or others,’ said the old woman.

‘I shall, but I fear I will not be able to convince her. I will do my best, but whenever a servant goes near her or tries to talk to her, she looks at us menacingly and we have to flee,’ said the nurse.

She nodded to the women and walked back towards the portico.

The nurse was shrewd for her age. She had spent her time listening to the wise people around her in the different courts she had been in. She thought that in the old times, men were fools. They would invent songs and music and perform when it came to happy events, but no one had used music to aid people in pain. There was no music for those bitter with life and sorrowful, like Medea. It was sorrow that caused so many deaths and disaster, and broke families apart. She wished there were some music to play for her mistress that would calm her down and give her peace.

She reached Medea’s quarters and entered. A few minutes later, Medea came out. When she had first arrived in Corinth, Medea had struck everyone with awe. Her features were different from anyone’s they had seen before, testament to her faraway homeland. Her eyes reminded them of almonds and were dark as soot. She wore kohl around her eyes that gave

an air of mystique and brought a bit of fear to the onlookers, who were not used to such aggressive make-up. Despite being the granddaughter of Helios, her hair and features were all dark. Yet, there was an unearthly sheen, a glow about her, as if she radiated her ancestral godliness from within her body itself. While in Corinth, she had dressed wearing typical Greek garments, but although they fit her perfectly and gave her a regal appearance, it was clear she was more comfortable with other clothes.

Now, when they saw her come out, she was a different creature. Although her dark hair had been tidied up, and her tears had dried and been cleaned from her face, the group of Corinthian women could see she had been crying. Her eyes were red like fire, and there was no kohl to conceal that.

‘I have come out, as I do not want your disapproval. I accept my fate. But that does not mean I am happy about it. This came unexpectedly, and it has crushed me and my heart. I want to die. Jason was my life.’ Her voice wavered as she said

that. ‘He knows that, and yet he proved to be a traitor. He made me come here, a foreign woman, to a land with different laws and customs. But at least, being married made my life enviable. But this? Death would be better. When our husbands grow tired of us, they can go out and find ways to please themselves. Yet we women are forced to stay that way, stuck at home and with the one man. Then they come back home and tell us we are lucky to live free from danger while they go to battle. What fools they are! I’d rather fight in a battle than bear a child. They have no idea how painful it is to be a mother.’

The women looked at her with approval.

‘But you and I are not the same. You have your city, your father’s home; you enjoy your life and are surrounded by friends. I am completely alone. I have no home, no friends, and my husband has insulted me. I was taken from a land far away, at the edge of the Earth, and I have no family to return to,’ she continued.

‘I have one thing to ask of you. If I find a way to have my revenge on Jason for all the wrongs