#jason and pelias

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Detail of sacrificial bull from fresco of Jason and Pelias, Roman, 1st century AD (no later than 79 AD) Casa di Giasone, Pompeii (IX, 5, 18-21, triclinio f) Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Salla LXIX (inv. 111436) Detail in a fresco depicting Jason and Pelias: a young man leading a bull to sacrifice. This is the moment that King Pelias, not seen here, stands on the steps of the temple and recognizes Jason by his single sandal. The bull looks shocked!

[galusandmalus]

underrated Medea information in Bibliotheca Historica

Book by Diodorus Siculus

 "Medea, the tale goes on, fashioning a hollow image of Artemis secreted in it drugs of diverse natures, and as for herself, she anointed her hair with certain potent ointments and made it grey, and filled her face and body so full of wrinkles that all who looked upon her thought that she was surely an old woman." "and showing herself to the king, she amazed those who gazed upon her, and they thought that a kind of Providence of the gods had transformed her old age into a maiden's youth and striking beauty" "Also, by means of certain drugs, Medea caused shapes of the dragons to appear"  "made her way safely to Heracles in Thebes. Her reason for doing so was that Heracles had acted as a mediator in connection with the agreements​ which had been entered into in the land of the Colchians and had promised to come to her aid if she should ever find them violated" "Thessalus, they say, who had escaped being murdered by his mother, was reared as a youth in Corinth and then removed to Iolcus, which was the native land of Jason; and finding on his arrival that Acastus, the son of Pelias, had recently died, he took over the throne which belonged to him by inheritance and called the people who were subject to himself Thessalians after his own name." "Now as for Medea, he says, on finding upon her arrival in Thebes that Heracles was possessed of a frenzy of madness and had slain his sons,​ she restored him to health by means of drugs. But since Eurystheus was pressing Heracles with his commands,​ she despaired of receiving any aid from him at the moment and sought refuge in Athens with Aegeus," "but certain writers give the account that, when her person was demanded by Hippotes, the son of Creon, she was granted a trial and cleared of the charges he raised against her."

[averagecontentenjoyer121]

I like to imagine to story of Jason & Medea as a fromsoft game, like Darksouls.

Let me explain.

The Argonautica is the gameplay and story told through cutscenes and NPCs. What people will commonly know as it’s the most popular part.

Medea is the lore learned through deep dives in item descriptions, character backgrounds, and over analyzing in-game art and character designs. And it’s just kinda gloomy and sad.

The Peliades is the lore left incomplete or missing, but it gives enough to jiggle keys in front of someone whilst giving what necessary information is needed.

The argonautica is just the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece

The Peliades is a lost, broken play we know little of outside of really Pelias’ death

And Medea is a tragedy recounting what happened to the couple after the Golden Fleece tale

[aliciavance4228]

Hot take but people should also start to critisize Pelias and Aeetes instead of just demonizing Jason

No addition needed. This is very real and very true.

[spineless-lobster]

EEEEEEEE Okay so if you’re like me and closely examining every single thing on each of the arcana cards, you’ve probably wondered who all these kiddos are that chiron’s got with him

I’m sure most of us have gathered that the one getting head pats is achilles, considering he’s got curly blond hair, wearing green and holding a spear. But who are the others? And whose baby is that???

Well wonder no more! Hopefully! If I’m right! Because a quick look at a short list of chiron’s apprentices on wikipedia has provided me answers! (This ended up being incredibly long-winded I apologize in advance)

Let’s start at the bottom from left to right. On the far left we a boy draped in blue and holding a staff, a bronze snake wrapped around it. If you know anything about the origin of medical symbols you’ll know that this is asclepius and his famous rod (ha) that, at some point in history, got mistaken for hermes’ caduceus. Thus that’s why it’s the caduceus and not the rod of asclepius we see on hospitals and stuff. But I digress!

Asclepius is the god of medicine and the son of apollo, who was trained in the art of medicine by chiron. So it makes sense why he’s here!

In the middle we have a boy clad in red and wearing golden laurels. I believe that this could be jason of argonaut fame. Long story short, jason’s uncle pelias overthrew his half-brother aeson (jason’s father) and killed all his descendants. Alcimede, jason’s mother, saved her newborn son by having the nursemaids cry over him as if her were stillborn. She then managed to sneak away and give jason to chiron, who raised and trained him. Eventually jason does who whole golden fleece thing and becomes the king of iolcus, though he and medea were quickly exiled afterwards.

On the far right we see a boy clearing purple with deer antlers on his head. If you’re a big artemis fan like me you’ll recognize this guy pretty easily. This is actaeon, a theban hero trained by chiron who’s most famous for earning the wrath of artemis. While out hunting one day he came across the goddess and her nymphs bathing, instead of minding his damn business he decides to peep on her. Rightfully enraged, artemis curses him and forbade him from speaking another word, lest he be transformed. Upon hearing his hunting party he calls out (in some versions he tries whistling for his dogs) and he transforms into a stag. His hunting party finds him, and, seeing a stag in his place, his own dogs tear him a part and kill him.

FINALLY, we have the newborn baby chiron is holding. Now, chiron does have a few children of his own, so it’s possible it could be any one of them. But I think instead it’s a lad named medus, or polyxenus, or medeus it really depends. He’s the son of jason and medea, and like his father, he was also trained by chiron. But honestly that baby could be anyone lmao

Oh god I yapped on for more than I should have WHOOPS 😭 I hope you all enjoyed this quick mythology lesson lol

[my-name-is-apollo]

YES!!

Oh my, it's lovely to see them spend time together, alone 🥺 and some of the little details added in this chapter - like Apollo saying he's used to walking long distances, and the part with him being called/confused with Jason? 10/10 thank you!!

Part two of The God of the Golden Bow, and actual Plot is happening now! Join me as I try to figure out how to write political intrigue in Ancient Greece!

[rightwheretheyleftme]

Compiling every ancient source where Medea doesn’t kill her children

Disclaimer: I’m not doing this to delegitimize Euripides’ play, only to bring attention to alternative tellings of the story

Scholia to Euripides’ Medea 9.1-11 (C1st A.D)

“There’s a story from the philosophers that is much repeated—one Parmeniskos also offers—that Euripides changed the murder of the children to Medea because he accepted five talents from the Korinthians. [He claims] that the children of Medea were killed by the Korinthians because they were angry over her ruling the city and they wanted there to be an end of her ruling in Korinth, because it was her paternal [right]. For this reason he changed the [responsibility] to Medea. Hippus presents [accounts] about her residency in Korinth, as does Hellanikos. Eumelos and Simonides report that Medeia ruled Korinth. In his work called On Isthmian Affairs, Mousaios reports that Medeia was immortal, and he explains this also in his work on The Festivals of Hera Akraia.”

264.1-11

“Parmeniskos writes the following for this line: “Because the Korinthian women did not want to be ruled by a barbaric, potion-pouring woman, they conspired against her and [planned] to kill her children, seven boys and seven girls. [Euripides says that she only had two]. They fled, pursued, into the temple of Hera Akraia and they stayed there. But even then the Korinthians did not hold back: they slaughtered all of them at the altar. Then a plague fell over the city, and many bodies were perishing because of a sickness. They received an oracle that the god must be propitiated for the hunt of Medeia’s children. This is why each year during the appointed time seven girls and boys from the noblest families return to the precinct of the goddess and appease their rage—and the anger of the goddess on their behalf—with sacrifices.””

Pausanias, Description of Greece, book 2, chapter 3 (C2nd A.D.)

“As you go along another road from the market-place, which leads to Sicyon, you can see on the right of the road a temple and bronze image of Apollo, and a little farther on a well called the Well of Glauce. Into this they say she threw herself in the belief that the water would be a cure for the drugs of Medea. Above this well has been built what is called the Odeum (Music Hall), beside which is the tomb of Medea's children. Their names were Mermerus and Pheres, and they are said to have been stoned to death by the Corinthians owing to the gifts which legend says they brought to Glauce.

[7] But as their death was violent and illegal, the young babies of the Corinthians were destroyed by them until, at the command of the oracle, yearly sacrifices were established in their honor and a figure of Terror was set up. This figure still exists, being the likeness of a woman frightful to look upon but after Corinth was laid waste by the Romans and the old Corinthians were wiped out, the new settlers broke the custom of offering those sacrifices to the sons of Medea, nor do their children cut their hair for them or wear black clothes.

[8] On the occasion referred to Medea went to Athens and married Aegeus, but subsequently she was detected plotting against Theseus and fled from Athens also; coming to the land then called Aria she caused its inhabitants to be named after her Medes. The son, whom she brought with her in her flight to the Arii, they say she had by Aegeus, and that his name was Medus. Hellanicus, however, calls him Polyxenus and says that his father was Jason.

[9] The Greeks have an epic poem called Naupactia. In this Jason is represented as having removed his home after the death of Pelias from Iolcus to Corcyra, and Mermerus, the elder of his children, to have been killed by a lioness while hunting on the mainland opposite. Of Pheres is recorded nothing. But Cinaethon of Lacedaemon, another writer of pedigrees in verse, said that Jason's children by Medea were a son Medeus and a daughter Eriopis; he too, however, gives no further information about these children.

[10] Eumelus said that Helius (Sun) gave the Asopian land to Aloeus and Epliyraea to Aeetes. When Aeetes was departing for Colchis he entrusted his land to Bunus, the son of Hermes and Alcidamea, and when Bunus died Epopeus the son of Aloeus extended his kingdom to include the Ephyraeans. Afterwards, when Corinthus, the son of Marathon, died childless, the Corinthians sent for Medea from Iolcus and bestowed upon her the kingdom.

[11] Through her Jason was king in Corinth, and Medea, as her children were born, carried each to the sanctuary of Hera and concealed them, doing so in the belief that so they would be immortal. At last she learned that her hopes were vain, and at the same time she was detected by Jason. When she begged for pardon he refused it, and sailed away to Iolcus. For these reasons Medea too departed, and handed over the kingdom to Sisyphus.”

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca (C2nd A.D.)

“Another tradition is that on her flight she left behind her children, who were still infants, setting them as suppliants on the altar of Hera of the Height; but the Corinthians removed them and wounded them to death.”

Semi-relevant bonus:

Scholia to Pindar’s Olympian 13.74g. (C4th-C5th A.D)

"Medea is mentioned because she lived in Corinth and ended a famine that afflicted the Corinthians by sacrificing to Demeter and the Lemnian nymphs. There Zeus fell in love with her, but Medea did not yield, avoiding the anger of Hera. Therefore, Hera promised to make her children immortal. After their deaths, the Corinthians honored them, calling them 'μιξοβαρβάρους' [mixed-barbarians]."

To conclude, some scholarly wisdom:

“Some scholars have argued that Euripides was the first to make Medea directly responsible for killing her children in an act of revenge for Jason’s infidelity, an issue discussed by McDermott (1989, 9–24). Others, such as Michelini (1987), have argued that the innovation in this respect came from an earlier playwright, Neophron, and that Euripides was following a new variant rather than inventing it.”- Medea, Emma Griffiths

P.S: I’m not a classicist, if you know of any source that I’ve missed, please let me know!

[tylermileslockett]

Book 1 of Argonautica begins with an invocation to Apollo and reference to a dark prophecy. King Pelias of Iolchus, (son of Poseidon and tyro), having usurped the throne from his half-brother, Aeson, is prophesied to be killed by a man wearing one sandal. When Jason, “son of Aeson,” arrives wearing one sandal at a court feast honoring the gods, (but neglecting Hera) Pelias devises a deadly quest for the hero to retrieve the fabled Golden Fleece.         

Argus, builds the great ship Argo with Athena’s guidance, who incorporates a piece of magical Dodonan oak, giving the wood keel the power of speech. Next, a lengthy list of the heroes and their family lineages is listed by Apollonius. At the shore, the gathered heroes, “shone like starlight between clouds,” (Poochigian). Needing a leader, Heracles suggests Jason, and the crew assents. They construct a beach shrine of stones and offer bull sacrifices to Apollo for a safe journey. That night over wine, an argument almost leads to blows in camp, but Orpheus calms the tensions with a lyre song about the primordial titans.         

As the group sets out the following day the demigod and mortal heroes are looked upon favorably from the gods in Olympus, Mountain nymphs of Pelion, Chiron the centaur, with wife holding up infant Achilles, so the hero Peleus could see his son one last time. Orpheus plays a hymn to Artemis while fish leap about the ship’s wake.         

After passing more landmarks such as Meliboea, the slanted city of Homola, Olympus, the Pallenean cliffs, and the Thracian Mountain of Athos, they row for the island of Lemnos, a place where the all-women society hold a dark secret. 

Thanks for looking and reading! if you share this image ill be sure to sacrifice some sweets into my stomach for you during this holiday! xoxo

Want to own a book jam packed with over 130 illustrations like this? Support my kickstarter for my book "lockett Illustrated: Greek Gods and Heroes" coming in October.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tylermileslockett/lockett-illustrated-greek-gods-and-heroes

[the-star-rigel]

You’ll never recover from that kind of devotion.

Jason Grace: on family and the lack thereof, wolves that really are dogs, remembering and healing and the sudden inevitability of being remembered.

I Bet on Losing Dogs, Mitski / War of the Foxes, Richard Siken / You’re on Your Own, Kid, Taylor Swift / Trees II, McCafferty / Mowgli Taken in by the Wolves, 1937 / Space Dog, Alan Shapiro / Moon Song, Phoebe Bridgers / A Hymn to Childhood, Li-Young Lee / Susan Smith, wych elm / The Blood of Olympus, Rick Riordan / Saint Bernard, Lincoln / Lupa Capitolina in Ludus, Romania / The Odyssey, Homer (trans. by Emily Wilson) / quadruple dog art by @mxmorggo on Instagram / Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami / The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan / House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski / Vulnerability, @/kazerad / Euripides, Elektra / Jason seizing the Golden Fleece, Charles Natoire / Thalia (Grace) / I can’t find the source… / My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult / Seam, Tarfia Faizullah / In the Blood, John Mayer / The Vintage Book of African American Poetry, Michael S. Harper, Anthony Walton / Memento Mori, Crywank / And My Father’s Love Was Nothing Next To God’s Will, Amatullah Bourdon / Family Line, Conan Gray / Franz Kafka’s letters to his father / Kronos/Saturn, Peter Paul Rubens / Wolf and pup / American Teenager, Ethel Cain / LET YOUR FATHER DIE ENERGY DRINK, Daniel Lavery and Cecilia Corrigan / Scott Street, Phoebe Bridgers / Tumblr, @/inanotherunivrse / Tomatoes, Shane Koyczan / Pinterest / Tumblr, @/heavensghost / Tumblr, @/tagdevilish / through sickness and in health… by Angelina Hajducky on Instagram / Jason (given name), Wikipedia / Human Acts, Han Kang / The gas pillar in the Carina Nebula, NASA / Tumblr, @/roach-works / Not Strong Enough, boygenius / Grit, silas denver melvin / Herakles, Euripides (trans. by Anne Carson) / Pelias sending forth Jason, 1880 / The Audre Lorde Questionnaire to Oneself, Brianna Albers / The Mark of Athena, Rick Riordan / Wolf in White Van, John Darnielle / The Oresteia, Aeschylus / Tumblr, @/orpheuslament / Anecdote of the Pig, Tory Adkisson / The Burning Maze, Rick Riordan / I Bet on Losing Dogs, Mitski / Icarus, The Crane Wives / The Three Graces, Edouard Bisson / For Your Own Good, Leah Horlick

[babyrdie]

The Theseus hate is on one hand, justifiable, but on the other hand, forced (?), if you get what I mean (same for the Jason hate to an extent)

Oh no, I agree with you!

Jason isn't a saint by any means. In Euripides, when he betrayed Medea, he was not only willing to allow her to be exiled, but he was willing to allow his children to be exiled with her. He wasn't only a shitty husband at this point, he was a shitty father. Jason also committed reckless acts both on the Argonautic voyage (like accidentally killing his own host) and after it (the episode with Pelias' daughters, where he either suggests to Medea what to do or is complicit in it). But he is far from the hero who commits the most despicable acts, and yet he is treated like the antichrist. Like, I can forgive repeated rapes, repeated killings, violence in temples, repeated selfishness towards his fellow men, etc (for example, people will defend Heracles before they defend Jason, which is hilarious. Note: I don't hate Heracles, I just think it's hilarious), but I draw the line at cheating on the wife!!!! Also, I don't know how people didn't realize that Jason and Medea being awful together is their point. "Wow, but this relationship sucks" yeah, it's on purpose!!! Read Argonautica, I beg you guys!!!! Apollonius knew this, please stop acting like ancient writers didn't think.

As for Theseus, I just think people will see what they want to see. I'm convinced that anyone who believes he's genuinely stupid (he's not stupid, he's just had arrogant and reckless attitudes. This isn't about intellect, it's about character. Or are we going to have to conclude that Odysseus is stupid since he committed hubris despite the consequences that would come with it?) and constantly sacrilegious (it was...only time...in his entire life. Even Agamemnon, who is also pious, offended the gods more times than he did) hasn't read his myths, but they have read the excerpts that included Ariadne, Euripides' Hyppolitus, and a few Wikipedia entries discussing the kidnappings and called it a job well done. Except it's not, after all Theseus is one of the most documented heroes in Greek mythology and that's not even half the story there is about him. So instead of having any really decent analysis and opinions about him (including his crimes!), we're stuck with posts that treat him like the dumb Other Guy in a teen book with a love triangle. The fact that some people here understand that Perseus isn't to blame for killing Medusa, but still insist on acting as if Theseus had is to blame for killing the Minotaur is also hypocritical.

Sorry, guys, but in this house we defend BOTH male and female characters of (very) questionable character. If Medea killing her own children doesn't stop me from liking her, Jason being a cheater isn't going to stop me. If I like Clytemnestra being violent the way she is (including to her own children. She wanted Orestes dead, she practically enslaved Electra and forced her to marry, Chrysotemis lived in fear), I don't see why Theseus being a jerk to Ariadne is where I'm going to draw my line. "Oh, but Theseus wasn't just a jerk to Ariadne, he kidnapped Helen!" So what? The Achaean heroes were also taking people with them by force, or do people somehow think that characters like Chryseis, Diomede, Tecmessa, Briseis, Hecamede, Cassandra were there because they wanted to be?

[ofthebrownajah]

While I'm on my Greek mythology comparisons, I can't help thinking of Medea. Medea tricks King Pelias' daughters into chopping their father into pieces so Jason can win the throne. When Jason learns of this, he is horrified and wants to divorce and remarry. Medea learns Jason is going to leave her for another woman, so she poisons the new bride's wedding dress, killing both her and her father. Then she kills her and Jason's children as punishment to him for leaving her. She says her primary goal is make sure he suffers forever. Jason dies alone and despised because of what Medea has done.

Medea's motivations and actions remind me an awful lot of Lanfear, and after looking at 13th depository it turns out she was an inspiration for her character.

[galusandmalus]

collective list or random shit medea did outside the whole child murdering/famous argonaut feats/saving medus stuff

just a collective list of all da fun facts of medea I've found so far cuz shes so interesting and weird and retellings and modern medea don't do her justice, shes like a BIG hero guys. disguise statue drug cache

 "Medea, the tale goes on, fashioning a hollow image of Artemis secreted in it drugs of diverse natures, and as for herself, she anointed her hair with certain potent ointments and made it grey, and filled her face and body so full of wrinkles that all who looked upon her thought that she was surely an old woman." tricked others into thinking she was blessed by the gods "and showing herself to the king, she amazed those who gazed upon her, and they thought that a kind of Providence of the gods had transformed her old age into a maiden's youth and striking beauty" made dragons appear probably via illusions. "Also, by means of certain drugs, Medea caused shapes of the dragons to appear" asked heracles to act as a mediator  "made her way safely to Heracles in Thebes. Her reason for doing so was that Heracles had acted as a mediator in connection with the agreements​ which had been entered into in the land of the Colchians and had promised to come to her aid if she should ever find them violated" her son lived and became king "Thessalus, they say, who had escaped being murdered by his mother, was reared as a youth in Corinth and then removed to Iolcus, which was the native land of Jason; and finding on his arrival that Acastus, the son of Pelias, had recently died, he took over the throne which belonged to him by inheritance and called the people who were subject to himself Thessalians after his own name." Cured heracles of his madness "Now as for Medea, he says, on finding upon her arrival in Thebes that Heracles was possessed of a frenzy of madness and had slain his sons,​ she restored him to health by means of drugs. But since Eurystheus was pressing Heracles with his commands,​ she despaired of receiving any aid from him at the moment and sought refuge in Athens with Aegeus," Found innocent/in the right of murdering her children in court "but certain writers give the account that, when her person was demanded by Hippotes, the son of Creon, she was granted a trial and cleared of the charges he raised against her." - Diodorus Siculus

Possibly a creator for GREEK FIRE/ some other type of chemical fire weapon.

"And they had filled pots with sulphur and bitumen and the substance which the Persians call "naphtha" and the Greeks "Medea's oil," "so the flame rising little by little, fed by the oil which bears Medea's name " -Procopius, History of the Wars

cursed the people of Crete/has beef with thetis

"says that Thetis and Medea had a dispute in Thessaly as to which was the most beautiful; their judge was Idomeneus, who gave the victory to Thetis; Medea in anger said that the Cretans were always liars and in revenge she made the curse that he would never speak the truth, just as he had lied in his judgement" -Photius, Bibliotheca excerpts Being a freak in the sheets saved her.

"Alcinous at once allowed the armed ships to lead the girl away so that she could receive her punishment. The famous Queen Arete felt sympathy for Medea, and coaxed her husband, speaking thusly: "It is not pleasing to break a marriage, to disturb the nuptial bed, to extinguish the torch of love. Aphrodite, daughter of Dionaea, will become violently angry at the man or woman who undertakes such an effort

(weird speech about virginitty i cut out for length) …Alcinous absorbed this speech in his soul, and ordered that everything should be done as the queen had said" -Orphic Argonautica

Magic water powers saved the day "the Argonauts were at a loss about the passage when Triton, the son of Poseidon, appeared and guided them, to whom Medea gave a golden mixing bowl as a reward, which she had from her father's spoils. Or, being a sorceress, Medea saved the situation by using her magic to water the place where the ship was stuck, so that it was as it had been at first" john tzetzes

has winged dragons

Ovid, Metamorphoses "[Medea flees Thessalia (Thessaly) after the murder of King Pelias :] Had she [Medea] not soared away with her winged Serpents (Serpentes), she surely must have paid the price. Aloft, over the peak of shady Pelion . . . she fled, and over Othrys . . . [Until] at last, borne on her Vipers' (Vipereae) wings"

Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica "[Medea] with Winged Serpents cleaves the air, dripping with murder"

discovered the herb that would resurrect her cousin "and she observed the herbs by Ossa born, the weeds on lofty Pelion, Othrys, Pindus and vast Olympus — and from here she plucked the needed roots, or there, the blossoms clipped all with a moon-curved sickle made of brass — many the wild weeds by Apidanus, as well as blue Amphrysus' banks, she chose, and not escaped Enipeus from her search; Peneian stretches and Spercheian banks all yielded what she chose: — and Boebe's shore where sway the rushes; and she plucked up grass, a secret grass, from fair Euboean fields life-giving virtues in their waving blades, as yet unknown for transformation wrought on Glaucus" -ovid

she went to persia "of Medea in Greece, and of her flight thereafter into Persia,"-Lucian: Of Pantomime, Of Dancing Invented hair dye

'The Carthaginians were the first to fit out a quadrireme, and it was built off hand by Bosporus. Medea of Colchis, the daughter of Aeetes, first devised the dyeing of the hair.- Eusebius: Preparation for the Gospel Book 10 thicc also medus got raised by charon.

"he came to Iolcus after long toil bringing the coy-eyed girl with him on his swift ship, and made her his buxom wife. And she was subject to Iason, shepherd of the people, and bare a son Medeus whom Cheiron the son of Philyra brought up in the mountains. And the will of great Zeus was fulfilled."-Hesiod: Theogony HYMN TO THE MUSES

ENGINEEERRRR????!!! (if this is the same Medea)

"For it is said that a woman, Medea, was formerly queen of those parts, who spanned the river underneath in a manner in which no river was ever bridged before; for she got stones, it is said, and copper and pitch and all that men have discovered for use in masonry under water, and she piled these up along the banks of the river. Then she diverted the stream into lakes; and as soon as the river was dry, she dug down two fathoms, and made a hollow tunnel, which she caused to debouch into the palaces on either bank like a subterranean grotto; and she roofed it on a level with the bed of the stream. The foundations were thus made stable, and also the walls of the tunnel; but as the pitch required water in order to set as hard as stone, the Euphrates was let in again on the roof while still soft, and so the junction stood solid."-Philostratus: The Life of Apollonius built a temple to venus to stop him from loving THETIS?? THE BEEF

"For it was a thing divulged abroad, concerning which Simonides made an epigram to be inscribed on the brazen image set up in that temple of Venus which is said to have been founded by Medea, when she desired the Goddess, as some affirm, to deliver her from loving her husband Jason, or, as others say, to free him from loving Thetis. The tenor of the epigram follows: For those who, fighting on their country’s side, Opposed th’ imperial Mede’s advancing tide, We, votaresses, to Cythera pray’d; Th’ indulgent power vouchsafed her timely aid, And kept the citadel of Hellas free From rude assaults of Persia’s archery." -Plutarch: Of Herodotus' Malice can cure infertility

"Aegeus also, and his whole private family, laboring under the same distemper; for Medea, having fled from Corinth, and promised Aegeus to make him, by her art, capable of having children, was living with him."-Plutarch: Life of Theseus

edit: more stuff is

"It is remembered of Medea that she lived in Corinth and stopped the famine afflicting the Corinthians by sacrificing to Demeter and the Lemnian nymphs. There Zeus fell in love with her, but Medea did not yield, turning aside the wrath of Hera. Therefore Hera promised to make her children immortal. And after they died, the Corinthians honor them, calling them Mixobarbaroi ("mixed-barbarians")." "But that Medea was loved by Sisyphus, Theopompos says." -scholia to pindar

"is also expounded . But since Medea was the queen of Corinth , Eumelus [frg. 3] Simonides also tells [frg. 48] that Medea was also immortal

"Pelias' daughter : Medea , the daughter of Peleus , persuaded her father to slaughter and roast him as if he were a younger son , she roasted an older ram and made him a lamb with the medicines " BRO WHAT THE FUCK

"She was pleasing indeed: She was pleasing to the Corinthians, since when they were starving she healed them with certain incantations, and she herself also was pleased with Corinth, since the Corinthians are also said to be skilled in drugs. And we know that like things are dear to like things, and that they take delight in one another." -scholia to pindar yo ngl I really like this version like of course they would like medea she is magic

[community-gardenss]

Thought on medus? His relationship with his mom? His age? His time imprisoned? The whole thing give me all of your thoughts and do not spill

took me a second to respond to this ask but I DO HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT MEDUS. how did you know.

He is so momma's boy coded I'm sorry. That man is JUST like his mother. They basically came up with the exact same lie to Perses just in reverse. The exact same ruse. As well as the idea that he followed her willingly after her exile from Athens + I'm partial to the interpretation that he named Media after his mother. So to me I read them as having been fairly close !

Age wise. Uhm. There's no untangling anything related to the argonautica to me I'm sorry. The Greek myths have no true timeline and the heroes' ages are elusive and ill-defined by nature. But if I had to guess I would place him as likely being 16-17 at the time of Medea's exile. Still fairly young.

Medus is really interesting to me as a character despite information about him being very. Sparse. In a lot of ways it almost feels like he sort of inverts a lot of the traits of a typical Greek hero. His father is almost entirely irrelevant to his story. He isn't later compelled to take revenge on Aegaeus or kill Theseus for the throne of Athens (think Jason/Pelias or Pelias/Aeson). After he leaves Athens, he's completely uninvolved with his father or his father's line. Instead, his story focuses entirely on his mother's line. He's named after his mother. In a lot of ways he's a hero who's story is entirely defined by his relationship with his mother. Aside from maybe Achilles it's not something I can recall many examples of.

Like. Okay I know I've mentioned in the past that part of what makes Medea's decision to kill her kids compelling to me is the interpretation of her deciding to do it, in part, to spare them from the cycle of tragedy stemming from the glory-seeking, patriarchal society of Greece (They must die/and since they must/I who gave them birth will kill them). Her children are the sons of a hero, and as all sons of a hero are bound to do, they will suffer for their father's glory. Contrasting that with Medus. How his life is so obviously centered on her. It feels like a reversal.

They're both very interesting to me if you could not tell

[whencyclopedia]

Golden Fleece

The Golden Fleece is the fleece of a flying, winged ram named Crius Chrysomallos, or 'Golden-fleeced Ram', in Greek mythology. It is best known from the story of Jason and the Argonauts, who were sent by Pelias, the ruler of Iolcos, to retrieve it from Aeëtes, the king of Colchis.

According to the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE to 17 CE) in his Metamorphoses, Chrysomallos, the golden-fleeced ram, was the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Theophane, the daughter of Bisaltes, a son of Helios and Gaia. Theophane was a beautiful woman, which meant she was often inundated with men. Poseidon carried her away to the island of Crumissa, where he transformed her into a ewe and himself into a ram. After laying with each other in ewe and ram form, Chrysomallos the golden-fleeced ram was born. The ram was sent by Nephele, a cloud nymph to save her children Helle and Phrixos from being sacrificed. He carried Phrixos all the way from Orchomenos in Boeotia to Colchis, but Helle fell off off the ram's back on the journey and plunged into the sea. When they reached Colchis, Phrixos sacrificed the Ram and laid its golden fleece in a sacred grove to Ares. This golden fleece would then become the object Jason and his Argonauts were sent to retrieve.

Chrysomallos, the Golden-fleeced Ram

Athamas was the king of a Boeotian city, Orchomenos in southeast Greece. He married Nephele, a cloud nymph, and they had two children, Phrixos and Helle. Athamas began to neglect Nephele and became enamoured with Ino, the daughter of Cadmus, the king of Thebes. Athamas deserted Nephele and married Ino, who held no love for her stepchildren. Ino was furious that Phrixos and Helle were Athamas' heirs, not her children with the king. So, Ino hatched a plan to dispose of Phrixos and Helle to clear the path for her children. Ino corrupted the realm's grain, which meant that it would not germinate when it was sown. In response to this sudden agricultural devastation, Athamas sent messengers to consult with the Oracle of Delphi to see what could be done. Ino however, intercepted the messengers and persuaded them to falsely report back to her husband that the way to resolve their grain problem was to sacrifice Phrixos (and in some sources, Helle, too).

Athamas was convinced he had to sacrifice his firstborn child (or children), but before they could be killed, Nephele sent the golden-winged ram to save her children. They were successfully whisked away from Athamas and Ino, but on their journey, Helle either became dizzy from looking down or lost her balance, and she plummeted into the sea. The place in which she fell became known as the Hellespont, or "Helle's Sea", and this area is now known as the Dardanelles. Phrixos survived the journey and safely disembarked the ram in the region of Colchis. He was welcomed by Aeëtes, the king of Colchis, son of Helios and brother to Circe and Pasiphaë. Next, depending on the source, Phrixos either sacrificed the ram or the ram itself gave his fleece to the boy before ascending into the stars to become the constellation Aries. Either way, Phrixos gave the golden fleece to Aeëtes, who hung it on an oak tree in a sacred grove to Ares and had it guarded by a large serpent, known as the Colchian Dragon, that never slept.

Continue reading...

[my-name-is-apollo]

Hello :3

I'm working in a little proyect… A comic (more like a graphic novel) of Artemis and Apollo stories, but i'm struggling with Apollo's lovers chronology 🫠

I will discard Daphne… I know if we took Ovid, she was his first love crush, but 1) She wasn't a lover, so… not a first love of Apollo :P And i want a romantic first love u.u 2) She is overrated, i want to give some credit to the underrated ones.

Then whe have Admetus, if we took the punishment for killing Python, but according to that, the Apollo's lover was Hymenaeus/Thessalian Hyacinthus… And i prefer the Spartan Hyacinthus and the version of Admetus servitude after killing the Cyclops.

There is Cyrene too… Apollo talking to Chiron about Cyrene was like a teenager falling in love, and could be his first enamourment. Also because he goes to Chiron to some advices. He wasn't sure about how to talk with Cyrene… Could be a first love.

And Branchus! I did read that Apollo saw him after coming from Delos riding a dolphin and… He was leaving Delos, his birth land, so could be a possibility of Branchus being the first love of Apollo. And Apollo was so smitten in this myth… He was so in love that got distracted and milk a billy goat LMAO That was a teenager in love! This also make me consider the idea of Branchus being his first love and boyfriend <3

I personally like him, but i also would consider Cyrene… And not having a chronology is makes the things hard. I need help… Please be my wise Chiron and give me your advices 🫡🙏

Oooh this one is a tough one!

About Daphne : understandable lol though yeah, I don't think you can exclude her entirely because the laurel tree was very sacred to Apollo and his cults.

Admetus is a bit tricky. On one hand, he is one of the argonauts, and their journey happens nearer to the Trojan war I believe, since Admetus' son participates in the trojan war. Adding to that, Asclepius' sons were also amongst suitors of Helen, and they participated in the war as well. So Apollo's servitude under Admetus for killing the Cyclopes also didn't happen early on in Apollo's life. But on the other hand, there is a version where Apollo had to serve for the act of killing the Python - which in most versions happens when he was a child - so he'd have been a pretty young god when he met Admetus. Adding to that, Hesoid has written the tale of Hermes stealing Apollo's cows when the latter was serving Admetus. The birth of Hermes and the cattle theft couldn't have happened just a few decades before the trojan war imo. So again, although in Hesoid's version Apollo falls in love with Hymenaeus, this version places the servitude fairly early on in Apollo's life. I used to hc is that since Admetus and Alcestis cheated death, they were allowed to live a very long life - this way I don't have to exclude any of the events that include him but happen at different times - but even that doesn't work because you need to fit Pelias (Alcestis' father and Jason's uncle) in the earlier part of the timeline and it just doesn't make sense :') so yeah, Admetus isn't the best choice either imo

Now onto Hymenaeus. I know theoi.com says that he is Thessalian Hyacinthus, but like. That's one interpretation. It's up to you to decide if they were the same person or not. Personally, I don't find the explanation given by theoi.com satisfactory and consider Hymenaeus and Hyacinthus different people. Hymenaeus would be a good choice. Not only is he mentioned by Hesoid, one of the oldest poets, this version also seems to place the event early on in Apollo's life like I've already said.

You can go for Hyacinthus too, especially if you want to ignore Hymenaeus. According to Callimachus, Apollo laid the foundation for Sparta. Given that Hyacinthus belongs to the first few generations of the Spartan royal family (2nd or 3rd) - it's possible that he was Apollo's first lover. Another detail is that, in the Homeric hymn to Demeter, Persephone is said to have been gathering flowers and one of them was hyacinth flowers! According to this, Hyacinthus' death happened even before Persephone married Hades.

Now Cyrene. I don't think she was his first lover. I've always imagined her to be one of the first few loves of Apollo...but if you look at the myths, the ones about their son Aristaeus seems to be set in a time closer to when Dionysus was born/lived on the earth. He is Dionysus' mentor/father figure in one version. He is also, in one version, responsible for the death of Eurydice (and Orpheus was a follower of Dionysus at that point). Aristaeus' son Actaeon is Dionysus' cousin, who was killed for peeping at Artemis. Also when Aristaeus was born, Hermes parades him around so...Cyrene must have happened after Admetus and Hymenaeus at least.

I've never given too much thought on where Branchus would fit tbh. But I looked up a bit more on him and - according to Strabo, Achilles' son Neoptolemus was killed by Machaereus, and Branchus was a descendant of Machaereus. But other than this, the myths I'd read on him don't involve any prominent mythical figures or events. If you wanna ignore Strabo's account, you can make him Apollo's first lover.

Of the lovers that you've mentioned, i think it'd be either Hyacinthus or Hymenaeus. Personally though, I've always imagined one of the Muses (or all of them at the same time? Haha) to be his first lover. It makes sense to me because he was trained under them.

All that said, I cannot pin point who his first lover was. Because we have contradicting versions, some of which you'll probably have to ignore if you want a coherent story. So which ones you want to ignore, I'll leave it up to you. I hope this helps you a bit!

[classicslesbianopinions]

Ancient Woman Thunderdome 2023

FINAL ROUND (Round 6): Atalanta vs. Medea!

The rules: Vote based on who would win in a fight, NOT who you like more. Consider factors such as physical prowess, intelligence or cunning, and magical ability.

If the character has multiple non-godly forms, consider the one you believe to be more powerful. If the character is a goddess for a portion of their life, please only consider their mortal or non-godly form.

The fighters:

Fighter: Atalanta Source(s): Apollodorus's Library, Ovid's Metamorphoses, various other mythological sources Bio: Atalanta was a huntress associated with Artemis. She was a virgin who lived in the wilderness, and at one point killed two centaurs who tried to rape her. She may or may not have sailed and fought with the Argonauts, and defeated Peleus in a wrestling match at Pelias's funeral games. When Artemis sent a boar to Calydon to punish the king for not sacrificing to her, Atalanta joined the hunt and drew first blood. Later, her father found her and tried to get her to marry. Atalanta, knowing she was faster than just about anyone, said she would marry anyone who could beat her in a footrace, but if the suitor lost, he would be killed. Many men were killed, until Hippomenes prayed to Aphrodite and received three golden apples, which he threw to the side during the race to distract her. She did marry him, and, after she bore his child, they were both turned into lions in retaliation for having sex in a sacred area.

Fighter: Medea Source(s): Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica, Euripides' Medea, various other mythological sources Bio: Medea was a sorceress from Colchis, where the golden fleece was housed. When Jason arrived in pursuit of the fleece, Hera wanted to help him, so she got Aphrodite to make Medea fall in love with him because she knew Medea had skills that would be useful. Medea did help, in exchange for Jason's hand in marriage: she used her magic and knowledge to protect him through the tasks the king had him complete to get the golden fleece, and then when it turned out the king didn't plan to give Jason the fleece, Medea put the dragon guarding the fleece to sleep while Jason stole it. She then joined Jason and the Argonauts in flight. When the Argo was caught by Medea's half-brother, Apsyrtus, Medea tricked him into a trap so Jason could kill him. When they returned from their voyage, Jason was meant to trade the golden fleece for the king Pelias's throne, but he wouldn't give up the throne; Medea then tricked his daughters into killing him by telling them that if they cut him into pieces, she could bring him back to life. From there, she and Jason fled to Corinth, where they lived for some time before Jason decided he wanted to marry another woman, Glauce, the daughter of the king (Creon). Creon exiled her, and so Medea went to Athens and got Aegeus, the king there, to let her stay. She then called Jason to her, apologized for her reaction to his desire to marry someone else, and asked if her children could give Glauce gifts as an apology. The gifts, a robe and crown, were poisoned, and killed not only Glauce but also Creon when he tried to save her. She then killed both her children in an attempt to hurt Jason.