Medea

MEDEA

 

 

 

by

 

 

 

Kerry Greenwood

 

 

 

 

Dedicated to Dennis Pryor

This book is dedicated to Dennis Pryor, a man of infinite patience and kindness, who politely pointed out my most obvious heresies and who exceeded my friend Stephen in the civilised constraint of his reactions to outrageous theories which skim lightly over his most profound understanding of the classics. The errors in this book are all my own work, and completely against his better judgment.

Placetne, Magister?

 

 

 

 

Special Acknowledgement

Most especial thanks
to my delightful and
exceptionally learned friend Stephen D'Arcy, amongst whose
multifold talents is an ability to come up with, say, a recording
of Ancient Greek lyre music or a video on the double-pipe
used for setting the time for rowers - without even raising
more than one eyebrow at the strangeness of the request.

Voici Estebe
- a man of terrible learning.

 

 

 

 

Admetos

Jason's cousin

Akastos

Jason's half-brother, son of Pelias

Alabande

friend of Ancaeas

Ancaeas

the Strong of Tegea, son of Poseidon

Argos

the shipwright

Atalante

of Calydon the hunter

Atalante

of Calydon the hunter

Authalides

the herald

Clytios

the bowman and runner

Erginos

of the grey hair

Herakles

of Tiryns, lost after Hylas at Mysion

Hylas

beguiled by nymphs at Mysion

Idas

son of Aphareus, the boaster

Idmon

the seer, dies at Lycus

Jason

son of king Aison, rightful heir to the throne of Iolkos

Lynkeos

the keen-sighted, Idas' abashed twin brother

Melas

son of Argos

Meleagros

a strong rower

Nauplios

the narrator, son of Dictys

Nestor

the honey-voiced, (later in Trojan War Homer)

Oileus

the Locrian, father of Ajax (Trojan War, Homer)

Perithous

a strong rower

Philammon

the Orphean, a bard

Telamon

father of the other Ajax (Trojan War, Homer)

Tiphys

the helmsman, dies at Lycus

Autolycus, Deileon & Phlogius

Autolycus, the thief, grandfather of Odysseus, famous for offending gods; all three were lost from Herakles' expedition against the Amazons.

The Argo

also collected the brothers
Argeus, Cytisoros, Phontis & Melanion
- who make common cause with Jason in retrieving the Golden Fleece, encouraged by the ghost of their father Phrixos. Their mother is Medea's sister
Chalkiope

Amathaon

king of Pylus

Amycus

the boxer, a bandit

Autesion

little brother of Nauplios'

Daedalus

the architect, who flew from captivity in Crete

Dictys

the 'net-caster', father of Nauplios

Helle

sister of Phrixos, fell off the golden ram, and after whom the Hellespont is named

Hippolyte

queen of Amazons

Hypsipyle

queen of Lemnos

Iphinoe

woman of Lemnos, Nauplios' lover

Kleite

queen of the Doliones, suicided after Jason killed her husband Kyzicus, king of the Doliones

Pelias

the usurper king of Iolkos

Pheres

king of Pherae

Phineas

the prophet, a hermit in Thynia

Phrixos

flew the golden ram to Colchis, husband of Chalkiope

Polyxo

Queen Hypsipyle's adviser

Promeos

old man of the Doliones, killed by Jason

Telekles

old man of the Doliones, killed by Jason

Thoas

father of Hypsipyle, saved from massacre on Lemnos

Aegialeus

only son of Aetes, half-brother of Medea. Later called Absyrtus, 'swept-down', because his limbs were scattered in the water by Jason.

Aetes

king of Colchis

Argeos

son Phrixos

Chalkiope

daughter of Aetes, half-sister of Medea, wife of Phrixos

Cytisoros

eldest son of Phrixos

Eidyia

latest wife of Aetes

Eupolis

counselor of Colchis

Medea

'of good counsel', daughter of Aetes and Aerope

Melanion

youngest son of Phrixos

Phrontis

son of Phrixos

Trioda

Medea's nurse and tutor, priestess of Hekate

Tyche

priestess of Hekate

Anemone

queen of the Scyths

Dianthys

a Scythian woman

Idanthyrsus

the Scythian king

Iole

a Scythian woman

Cheiron

the wise one, to whom Jason, and later Achilles, were sent to be trained to be heroes

Hippos

a centaur priest

Philos

a centaur boy

Aphrodite

goddess of erotic love

Apollo

god of the sun, learning and medicine

Ares

god of war

Artemis

virgin hunter, worshipped at Brauron as a bear

Ate

discord and also fate

Boreas

the north wind

Clio

muse of History

Europa

child who was borne on bull's back to what is now 'Europe'

Hades

or Pluton, the rich one - king of the underworld

Hekate

dark aspect of Gaia, the destroying mother

Hephaestos

the blacksmith

Hera

wife of Zeus

Herakles

the hero, later a god; in the sky as Ophiucus, the serpent bearer

Hermes

the divine messenger, also Psychopomp, the guide of souls

Hestia

goddess of the hearth and of hospitality

Ino

see Leukothea

Kadmon

or Kadmos, hero and husband of Omonia

Leukothea

Ino transformed into The White Goddess

Morpheus

'sleep'

Notos

the south wind

Omonia

'Harmony', wife of Kadmos

Poseidon

Earth-Shaker god of the sea

Selene

aspect of Artemis, goddess of the moon

Semele

daughter of Kadmos, mother of Dionysos, lover of Zeus. She was destroyed by divine fire when she looked at him.

Talthybius

the divine herald

Thanatos

death, brother to Morpheus

Zephyrus

the west wind

Zeus

'thunderer; cloud-compeller', father of the Olympians

Ammon

god of the sun, 'hawk in the horizon', shared with Achaeans and similar to Apollo

Hekate

black mother

Isis / Ishtar

goddess of love

Ophis

Megale 'great serpent', guards the grove of the Golden Fleece

Hippia

the sacrificial mare, similar to the Celtic goddess Epona

Argo

puppy given to King Phineas

Kore

'maiden', Medea's hound

Scylla

'black bitch', Medea's hound

 

My mother gave birth to me in the darkness under the earth and died in doing so. I loved the velvety blanket of night before my dazzled eyes ever encountered light. And when I did, they say I wept, and the people said, 'Here is a true daughter of Hekate!'

I am standing in the dark again, in the central room of my own place - no, of Hekate's temple, which was once mine, before I went with Jason. Jason the thief, the pirate, the betrayer. Jason the stranger. I have left my own gods, my own tongue, my own beliefs, for too long.'

Now I will rejoin the Dark Mother, Scylla the Black Bitch. Hekate, Lady of Battles, Blood-drinker, she of the leather wings and coiled snakes, Mistress of Phantoms, come. Medea, once Princess of Colchis, calls. Your unfaithful daughter, fallen far from lordship and wisdom. She Who Is Met On The Way, Lady of Ghosts, I invoke you. Queen of the Dead, I invoke you. Mistress of the Triple Road, I invoke you.'

The knife blade gleams, and I try the blade. I feel the sting as it slides along my thumb. It is very sharp.'

I can hear the children laughing as they play.

How did I come to this?

 

The first thing I remember was the darkness in the cavern and grove dedicated to our Lady, Hekate. I must have been three, perhaps, when they took me from the arms of the king my father and brought me naked into the lightless cave.