Medea, Jason and their Children

It Was Jason’s Fault? Schol ad. Eur. Med. 264 (=Creophylus, fr. 3)

“Didymos opposes this and offers the material provided by Kreophulos: “For the story goes that when Medeia spent time in Korinth, Kreon was in power of the city and she killed him with drugs. Because she feared his friends and relatives, she fled to Athens but left her sons, who were not able to accompany her, because they were rather young, at the altar of Hera Akraia, since she believed that their father would arrange for their safety. And it was Kreon’s party who killed them and produced the story that Medeia didn’t only kill Kreon but killed her own children too.”

Δίδυμος δὲ ἐναντιοῦται τούτῳ καὶ παρατίθεται τὰ Κρεωφύλου ἔχοντα οὕτως· ‘τὴν γὰρ Μήδειαν λέγεται διατρίβουσαν ἐν Κορίνθῳ τὸν ἄρχοντα τότε τῆς πόλεως Κρέοντα ἀποκτεῖναι φαρμάκοις. δείσασαν δὲ τοὺς φίλους καὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ φυγεῖν εἰς ᾿Αθήνας, τοὺς δὲ υἱοὺς, ἐπεὶ νεώτεροι ὄντες οὐκ ἠδύναντο ἀκολουθεῖν, ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν τῆς ᾿Ακραίας ῞Ηρας καθίσαι νομίσασαν τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν φροντιεῖν τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτῶν. τοὺς δὲ Κρέοντος οἰκείους ἀποκτείναντας αὐτοὺς διαδοῦναι λόγον ὅτι ἡ Μήδεια οὐ μόνον τὸν Κρέοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτῆς παῖδας ἀπέκτεινε’.

She Was Trying to Make Her Children Immortal, Pausanias 2.3.10 (=Eumelus fr. 3= FGrH 451 F6)

“Later when no child of Marathon was left in Korinth, the Korinthians recalled Medeia from Iolkos and gave her the rule. Jason ruled in Korinth through her and had children with Medeia. As she gave birth to them, she kept burying them near the temple dedicated to Hera because she believe that they would become immortal this way. When she finally learned that she was mistaken in this hope and she was caught by Jason—for she was not able to beg a pardon from him, she went sailing back to Iolkos. For these reasons, she left and remanded control of Korinth to Sisyphos.”

τὸν ᾿Αλωέως καὶ τὴν ᾿Εφυραίων σχεῖν ἀρχήν· Κορίν-θου δὲ ὕστερον τοῦ Μαραθῶνος οὐδένα ὑπολ[ε]ιπομένου παῖδα, τοὺς Κορινθίους Μήδειαν μεταπεμψαμένους ἐξ ᾿Ιωλκοῦ παραδοῦναί οἱ τὴν ἀρχήν. βασιλεύειν μὲν δὴ δι’ αὐτὴν ᾿Ιάσονα ἐν Κορίνθῳ, Μηδείᾳ δὲ παῖδας μὲν γίνεσθαι, τὸ δὲ ἀεὶ τικτόμενον κατακρύπτειν αὐτὸ ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν φέρουσαν τῆς ῞Ηρας, κατακρύπτειν δὲ ἀθανάτους ἔσεσθαι νομίζουσαν· τέλος δὲ αὐτήν τε μαθεῖν ὡς ἡμαρτήκοι τῆς ἐλπίδος καὶ ἅμα ὑπὸ τοῦ ᾿Ιάσονος φωραθεῖσαν—οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸν ἔχειν δεομένῃ συγγνώμην, ἀποπλέοντα <δὲ> ἐς ᾿Ιωλκὸν οἴχεσθαι—, τούτων δὲ ἕνεκα ἀπελθεῖν καὶ Μήδειαν παραδοῦσαν Σισύφῳ τὴν ἀρχήν.