Medea and the Rejuvenation of Pelias

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Medea and the Rejuvenation of Pelias Global Journal of HUMAN-SOCIAL SCIENCE: D History, Archaeology & Anthropology Volume 20 Issue 3 Version 1.0 Year 2020 Type: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Online ISSN: 2249-460x & Print ISSN: 0975-587X Medea and the Rejuvenation of Pelias: One Alternative Version By Maria Regina Candido Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Abstract- The myth of Medea1has become familiar in the Greek literature since Homer’s time. He told the story about the trip of the Argonauts guided by Jason. The mythical narrative has different versions that survived in various informative supports such as the texts of the dramatic poets and the images of the Greek vases. In this essay, we propose to analyse the remote information and reference of the action of the myth of Medea through the Greek vases. We selected to research about the episode that has been known as Pelíades. We may infer there are two versions about Medea and Pelias, in the most remote of them the priestess of Hekate belongs to the seventh century and, in this period, Medea has the ability to cure and rejuvenate an old person. This information shows the mythological narrative of Pelias and Medea is very ancient. Keywords: medea pelíades mythology. GJHSS-D Classification: FOR Code: 220208p MedeaandtheRejuvenationofPeliasOneAlternativeVersion Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of: © 2020. Maria Regina Candido. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Medea and the Rejuvenation of Pelias: One Alternative Version Maria Regina Candido 1 Abstrac t- The myth of Medea has become familiar in the reproductions on a large number of attic vases in Greek literature since Homer’s time. He told the story about different museums in the world. the trip of the Argonauts guided by Jason. The mythical The Medea myth has become familiar in the narrative has different versions that survived in various Greek literature since Homer’s time. He told the story informative supports such as the texts of the dramatic poets about the trip of the Argonauts6 guided by Jason and the images of the Greek vases. In this essay, we propose to analyse the remote information and reference of the action (Odyssey, XII:70).The mythical narrative of Argonauts of the myth of Medea through the Greek vases. We selected to and Medea has different versions that survived in 2020 7 research about the episode that has been known as Pelíades. various informative supports, such as the texts of the ear Y We may infer there are two versions about Medea and Pelias, dramatic poets and the images of the Greek vases. in the most remote of them the priestess of Hekate belongs to In this essay, we propose to analyse the remote 1 the seventh century and, in this period, Medea has the ability information and reference of the action of the Medea’s to cure and rejuvenate an old person. This information shows myth through the Greek vases. We selected to research the mythological narrative of Pelias and Medea is very ancient. about the episode that has been known as Pelíades. Keywords: me dea pelíades mythology. The king Pelias was mentioned in Iliad (v.710-715), the I. Introduction epic poem which tells about his daughters, and Odyssey which cited that Pelias was king at the 2 edea's success began when the play was first prosperous lands in Iolkus (Odyssey, XI, v.255-256). 3 performed in Athenian tragedy competition in This information shows the mythological narrative of M 431 BC. We believe the theatre audience in Pelias and Medea is very old and has different versions. Athens was shocked when the priestess of Hekate killed The original structure that remained is "Jason her children in revenge for Jason's betrayal. Medea’s travels to Colchis and takes the Golden Fleece with the revenge provokes a radical effect of violence because help of Medea”. The Golden Fleece became the she destroyed the familiar basis connection. This scene remotest trace of connectivity between Greece and ) 4 D became known as Medea’s Infanticide and supplanted Kolchis through the hero Jason. Strabo confirmed in his ( all other versions of the story from the myth. Euripides Geography (II, 39) the process of ancient contacts Volume XX Issue III Version I 5 seemed to be the first poet to represent Medea between the Greek colonists with the population of murdering her children. The episode marked the Kolchis began with Jason. We must say that the Greek universe of artisans and painters as shown in hero Jason was not the first Hellenic to arrive to the Author: NEA/PPGH/UERJ. e-mail: [email protected] region of Kolchis. Iamze Gagua considers that Phrixus - was the first Hellenic to sail to the region of the Black 1 I thank Prof. Wander Stayner Barbosa Martins for reviewing and Sea and settled on the land of Colchis. Phrixus’ arrival in correcting the text in the English language. 2 Kolchis with a golden ram, Aeetes’ kindly hosting him J.O.G. Hanson wrote The Secret of Medea’s Success (1965), and he said the story of Medea is pieced together from the numerous and establishing a new alliance by offering his references in both Greek and Latin literature and a most fascinating daughterin matrimony, reflects those ancient contacts picture. 3 which existed between the Greekcolonist and the In 431 B.C. Euripides competed against Sophocles and Euphrorion with three tragedies, Medea, Philoctetes and Dictys, followed by a Kolchian population (GAGUA, 2012, p 88). satyr play Theristae, he was awarded the third prize, this information But, in classical period, Medea was famous to was attributed by Aristhophanes of Byzantium, see: The Medea of be a woman of cruel character and terrible nature, which Euripides by B.M.W. Knox, p.193 (Yale Classical Studies, vol. XXV: was a quote by Euripides (Medea, v.100), and Greek Tragedy, Cambridge University Press, 1977. Global Journal of Human Social Science 8 4 Sophocles said in his play Kolchides (fr. 343) that Most of the scholars have discussed the problem of the relationship between the Medea of Neophron and Euripides. The surviving fragments of Neophron’s Medea has language, style, and meter that 6 belong to the fourth century. The third actor had been introduced, but We find the Argonautic legends pre-Homeric because the verses in Medea of Euripides requires two only. the "Odyssey” xii. 69-70 the poet says about "moving rocks” through 5 There was a debate about the reputation of Euripides’ great work, which Ulysses had to sail and affirm that "the only ship that ever yet we have convinced the chronological priority of Euripides’ Medea as passed them was the famed Argo in her voyage from King Aeetes.” 7 against Neophron. Suidas confuses Neophron with Nearchos, a Stesichoros whose poem “The Games for Pelias” (580 B.C.); the tragedian of the fourth century. Neophron and Euripides’ Medea by “Cyclic Nostoi” belong to about 700 B.C. 8 E.A.Thompson. The Classical Quarterly. Vol. 38, Cambridge University Kolchides or The Women of Colchis: Medea helps Jason win the Press, 1944, p.10-14 Golden Fleece by murdering her brother. ©2020 Global Journals Medea and the Rejuvenation of Pelias: One Alternative Version Medea murdered her brother Apsyrtos and symbol of power for the kingdom of Kolchis. He is dismembered him to help the Argonauts to escape. Helios’ son and the Oceanid Perseis. The kingdom of Aeetes, king of Kolchis, was Medea’s father and Aeetes became prosperous with Phrixus’ arrival with the pursued Jason and her. Then, she decided to kill her golden ram, and as a result the young Greek remained brother to force her father to stop attacking them and to under the protection of King Aeetes. Gagua states the collect the parts of Apsyrtos’ corpse. Robert L. Fowler relationship between the King Aeetes and Phrixus defends that the episode of the Apsyrtos’ murder, in reflected the peaceful cohabitation among Greek Classical period, had been added in order to reinforce migratory population and the local inhabitants of the the fame of Medea as a barbarian and abominable territory of Kolchis (GAGUA, 2012, p 90). woman (FOWLER, 2013, p.228). Euripides’ Peliades was Homer’s Odyssey (X,37) told us that Circe is the poet’s first9 play, and he participated in the contest sister to King Aeetes and Parsiphae, the mother of the in 455 BC. Now, it’s lost, but the fragments Minotaur , and both were Medea’s aunts. Circe was an (fr.601-16) narrate how Medea convinced the old king enchantress able to cast spells through drugs, herbs Pelias and his daughters to believe in her magical power and charm singing. Circe and Medea were priestesses using special herbs and roots and cook him in a of Hekate, goddess of the Chthonian world who took 2020 cauldron in order to renew his youth. The other lost plot, care of the souls of the dead. That deity helped those ear Rhizotomoi by Sophocles, brings Medea as a root seeking to avenge against his enemies by guiding the Y cutter. She was specialized in handling the spell of the souls of the dead to rise when they were evoked by 2 roots and herbs. John Scarborough highlights magic rites 10. Sophocles as the one who introduced the priestess of Sophron of Siracusa told us how to organize the Hekate in her real professional function of harvesting rite to Hekate: you need to take a lump of salt in your herbs for magical purposes (SCARBOROUGH, 1991, right hand, and laurel by your ear, and pick an axe to p.144).
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