Pausanias Analysis

Passage 8.11.2

← 8.11.1 8.11.3 →

Passage 8.11.2: Medea's rejuvenation trick on Pelias' daughters at Iolcus

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ὡς γὰρ δὴ ἀφίκετο ἡ Μήδεια ἐς Ἰωλκόν, αὐτίκα ἐπεβούλευε τῷ Πελίᾳ, τῷ ἔργῳ μὲν συμπράσσουσα τῷ Ἰάσονι, τῷ λόγῳ δὲ ἀπεχθανομένη. ἐπαγγέλλεται τοῦ Πελίου ταῖς θυγατράσιν ὡς τὸν πατέρα αὐταῖς, ἢν ἐθέλωσιν, ἀποφανοῖ νέον ἀντὶ γέροντος παλαιοῦ· κατασφάξασα δὲ ὅτῳ δὴ τρόπῳ κριὸν τὰ κρέα ὁμοῦ φαρμάκοις ἐν λέβητι ἥψησεν, οἷς ἐκ τοῦ λέβητος τὸν κριὸν τὸν ἑψόμενον ἄρνα ἐξήγαγε ζῶντα·

English Translation

For indeed, when Medea arrived in Iolcus, she immediately plotted against Pelias, practically assisting Jason but outwardly showing hostility toward him. She promised Pelias' daughters that, if they wished it, she would restore their father to youth, turning him young instead of being an old man. Having slaughtered a ram by some contrivance, she boiled its flesh together with magical herbs in a cauldron, through whose powers she then brought forth from that cauldron the ram—no longer a ram, but rather a living young lamb.

Proper Nouns

Medea (Μήδεια) person
Pelias (Πελίας) person
Jason (Ἰάσων) person
Iolkos (Ἰωλκός) place Q662613
← 8.11.1 8.11.3 →