In Greek mythology, Medea (Ancient Greek: , Mdeia perhaps implying “planner / schemer”) is the daughter of King Aetes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, appearing in Hesiod’s Theogony around 700 BC, but best known from Euripides’s tragedy Medea and Apollonius of Rhodes’ epic Argonautica. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress and is often depicted as a priestess of the goddess Hecate.Medea plays the archetypal role of helper-maiden, aiding Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece by using her magic to save his life out of love. Once he finished his quest, she abandons her native home of Colchis, and flees westwards with Jason, where they eventually settle in Corinth and get married. Euripides’ 5th century BC tragedy Medea, depicts the ending of said union with Jason, when after ten years of marriage, Jason abandons her to wed king Creon’s daughter Creusa. Medea and her sons by Jason are to be banished from Corinth. In revenge, she murders Creusa with poisoned gifts. Later, she murders her own sons by Jason before fleeing for Athens, where she eventually marries king Aegeus. What happens afterwards varies according to several accounts. Herodotus in his Histories mentions that she ended up leaving Athens and settling in the Iranian plateau among the Aryans, who subsequently changed their name to the Medes.
Source:Wikipedia
