Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

, Medus ( grc, Μῆδος) or Medeus ( or ) was an

Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

prince as the son of King

Aegeus In Greek mythology, Aegeus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰγεύς, Aigeús, also spelled Aegeas) was an archaic figure in the founding myth of Athens. The "goat-man" who gave his name to the Aegean Sea was the father of Theseus. He was also the founder o ...

, thus a half-brother of the hero

Theseus Theseus (, ; grc-gre, Θησεύς ) was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. The myths surrounding Theseus his journeys, exploits, and friends have provided material for fiction throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes describ ...

Family

Medus's mother was the Colchian witch

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

, daughter of King

Aeëtes Aeëtes (; , ; , ), or Aeeta, was a king of Colchis in Greek mythology. The name comes from the ancient Greek word (, "eagle"). Family Aeëtes was the son of Sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perseis, brother of Circe, Perses and Pasiphaë, ...

. In some accounts, he was called

Polyxenus In Greek mythology, Polyxenus or Polyxeinus (, ''Poluxenos'', or , ''Poluxeinos'') is a name that may refer to: *Polyxenus, one of the first priests of Demeter and one of the first to learn the secrets of the Eleusinian Mysteries. *Polyxenus, s ...

and his father was

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...

, thus a brother of

Eriopis In Greek mythology, the name Eriopis (Ancient Greek: Ἐριῶπις) may refer to: *Eriopis, 'with the lovely hair', the daughter of Apollo and Arsinoe (herself daughter of Leucippus), thus possibly a sister of Asclepius. *Eriopis, the only dau ...

Mythology

Childhood

In the account for being the son of Jason, Medeus was raised by the centaur

Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology ...

in the mountains.

Flight from Athens

As the son of Aegeus, Medus and his mother were driven as fugitives from Athens after Medea plotted against

. Following his mother, Medus was brought by a storm to the court of King Perses of Colchis and Medus was seized by the guards and presented to the current ruler. This Perses was the son of Helios and the brother of the former king Aeëtes. He ruled after the death of his brother but by some accounts, Aeëtes was murdered or deposed by Perses. When Medus saw that he had come into the power of his enemy, he falsely asserted he was

Hippotes Hippotes (Ancient Greek: Ἱππότης) may refer to a number of people from Greek mythology: *Hippotes, son of Mimas and father of Aeolus, the keeper of the Winds in the ''Odyssey''. He was a mortal king. *Hippotes, a Corinthian prince as the ...

, son of King Creon of

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government refor ...

. Perses carefully investigated and ordered him to be cast into prison to protect his throne from any potential claimants because he feared the prophecy that he should be aware of Aeetes' descendants (i.e. Medus). Afterwards, sterility and scarcity of crops are said to have occurred.

Witch's scheme

When Medea came back to her native land in her chariot with the yoked dragons, she falsely impersonated a priestess of

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

before the king. She said she could make atonement for the plague to appease the gods and she heard from the king that a supposed Hippotes was held in custody. Thinking that the alleged Corinthian prince had come to avenge the injury to his father (i.e. Creon), Medea unknowingly conspired and betrayed her son Medus. For she persuaded the king that he was not Hippotes, but Medus, sent by his father to dispatch the king, and begged that he be handed over to her to be killed as a sacrifice, convinced that he was Hippotes. So when Medus was brought out to pay for his deceit by death, Medea saw that things were otherwise than she had thought, she said she wished to talk with him which Perses agreed. Subsequently, Medea gave Medus a sword and bade him avenge the wrongs to his grandfather Aeetes, and Medus killed Perses, and gained his grandfather's kingdom. In some accounts, the king was stabbed to death by Medea herself using the sacrificial blade. Another version of the myth states that Medea restored her father Aeetes to the throne of Colchis after being deposed by Perses.

Aftermath

When Medus came to rule, he secured the command of an army and advanced over a large part of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

which lies above the

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

. Conquering the barbarians that live in that neighboring land, he named

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

in honor of either himself or his mother. Medeus was also credited to be the founder of Meda in Ecbatana. Medus met his death while marching against the Indians.Apollodorus, 1.9.28

Notes

References

* Apollodorus, ''The Library'' with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
* Diodorus Siculus, ''The Library of History'' translated by Charles Henry Oldfather. Twelve volumes. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989. Vol. 3. Books 4.59–8
Online version at Bill Thayer's Web Site
*Diodorus Siculus, ''Bibliotheca Historica. Vol 1-2''. Immanel Bekker. Ludwig Dindorf. Friedrich Vogel. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1888-1890
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
* Gaius Julius Hyginus, ''Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus'' translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies
Online version at the Topos Text Project.
*

Hesiod Hesiod (; grc-gre, Ἡσίοδος ''Hēsíodos'') was an ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. He is generally regarded by western authors as 'the first written poet ...

, ''Theogony'' from ''The Homeric Hymns and Homerica'' with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA.,Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
*

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...

, ''Description of Greece'' with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
*Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio.'' ''3 vols''. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903.
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
* Strabo, ''The Geography of Strabo.'' Edition by H.L. Jones. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
*Strabo, ''Geographica'' edited by A. Meineke. Leipzig: Teubner. 1877
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
{{Greek-myth-stub Princes in Greek mythology Mythological kings of Colchis Kings in Greek mythology Attican characters in Greek mythology Asia in Greek mythology Corinthian mythology Median people Children of Medea Children of Jason