Medea

In ancient Greek mythology, Medea (; Ancient Greek: Μήδεια, romanized: Mḗdeia; lit. 'planner, schemer') is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished pharmakís, a worker in pharmakeía (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high priestess of the goddess Hecate. She is a mythical granddaughter of the sun god Helios and a niece of Circe, an enchantress goddess. Her mother may have been Idyia. She first appears in Hesiod's Theogony around 700 BC, but is best known from Euripides's 5th-century BC tragedy Medea and Apollonius of Rhodes's 3rd-century BC epic Argonautica. In the myth of the Argonauts, she aids Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece. Medea later marries him, but eventually kills their children and his other bride according to some versions of her story. In the Argonautica, Medea plays the archetypal role of helper-maiden, aiding Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece, using her magic to save his life and killing her brother to allow Jason to escape. Once he finishes his quest, she abandons her native home of Colchis and flees westwards with Jason, where they eventually settle in Corinth and marry. Euripides's Medea depicts the ending of her union with Jason, when after ten years of marriage, Jason intends to abandon her to wed King Creon's daughter Creusa. Medea is exiled from Corinth by Creon, and is offered refuge in Athens by King Aegeus after she offers to help him get an heir with her magic. In revenge against Jason, Medea murders her own sons and Jason's new bride with a poisoned crown and robes, so that Jason will be without heir and legacy for the rest of his life. What happens afterwards varies according to several accounts. Herodotus in his Histories...