Home >> Encyclopedia-britannica-volume-12-part-2-hydrozoa-epistle-of-jeremy >> James Iii to Jeremiah Whipple Jenks >> Jason

Jason

JASON, in Greek legend, son of Aeson, king of Iolcus in Thessaly. After his return from Colchis (see ARGONAUTS), he lived at Corinth with his wife Medea (q.v.) for many years. At last he put away Medea in order to marry Glauce (or Creiisa), daughter of the Corinthian king, Creon. To avenge herself, Medea presented the new bride with a robe and head-dress, by whose magic properties the wearer was burnt to death, and slew her children by Jason with her own hand. His death was said to have been due to suicide through grief, caused by Medea's venge ance (Diod. Sic. iv. 55) ; or he was crushed by the fall of the

poop of the ship "Argo," under which he had laid himself down to sleep (Eurip., Med. 1386).

See

articles by C. Seeliger in Roscher's Lexikon der Mythologie and by F. Durrbach in Daremberg and Saglio's Dictionnaire des antiquites; H. D. Muller, Mythologie der griechischen Stdmme ii. 328 0860, who explains the name Jason as "wanderer"; W. Mannhardt, Mythologische Forschungen pp. 75, 130 (1884) ; 0. Crusius, Beitrdge zur griechischen Mythologie and Religionsgeschichte (Leipzig, 1886).

mythologie