Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-09-19
r FEW Interest is given Medea, the fam
I'M Gus sorceress whose name IS linked

r FEW interest is given Medea the fam
IN ous sorceress whose name IS linked
with tho Golden Fleece and many
other myths of ancient Greece, and much
new light may be thrown on her surprs-
Ing history by the recent discovery of tho
ruins OF what is believed TO be the palace
whore this extraordinary woman lived,
loved and practised the strange magic
arts which filled her enemies with dread.
This important discovery was made in
tho land which in ancient times was
known as Colchis, but which is now called
Mingrclia. 1t Is bounded on tho north by
the Caucasus. on the south by Armenia
and on the west by the Euxine Sea. The
find Is a direct result OF the war, which
has now opened up for the frat time this
interesting part of Asia to the spades of
psychologists.
party OF British scientists have been
ranging over this region for the past ak
months, and by following the clues sup
piled by natives they have succeeded in
uncovering what is undoubtedly Medea's
old home-the magnificent palace which
King Aetes built and where he and his
sorceress daughter lived in royal state
OF all the myths which have como down
to us from distant ages none is more ap-
pealing 10 modern minds than those which
centre around Medea. Hers, as Homer
relates 1t in his poems, was a life
crowded from start to finish with more
thrills OF love and adventure than any
heroine later history has ever known.
And over the whole of her romantic career
hangs the dark, mysterious shadow of
supernatural power-the sorcery which
made Medea's friendship n thing to BIO
priced as life itself, and her enmity cor.
respondingly dreaded
Jason's bold expedition to Colchis as
described by the poet Homer in quest of
the Golden Fleece would have ended in
failure had 1t not been for Medea's timely
aid. She fell in love with tho bold leader
OF the Argonauts and brought to his as.
distance In this desperate venture all the
skill of her arts.
1t was Medea's charms that protected
Jason from the fierce bulls, breathing fire
and hoofed with brass, which he was
obliged, in order to obtain the fleece, IN
yoke to the plow. 1t was her magic that
enabled him to outwit the armed men who
sprang from the dragons teeth he was
required TO sow. For his escape from
many other deadly perils Jason was In.
debted to Medeas devotion to him and his
cause at least SO runs the old story.
When the Golden Fleece was finally won
Medea fled with her lover to Corinth. Like
many another woman who has sacrificed
everything for a man, her reward was a
broken heart Jason's love for her soon
grew cold. At last. when he was on the
point OF abandoning her for Creusa, the
beautiful daughter of King Creon, Medea
look q terrible revenge on him and his
new sweetheart by killing Creusa.
After tho murder Medea fed from
Corinth to Athens. There the wounds of
ner heart eventually healed enough to per-
init her marrying Aegeus. By him she had
son, Medus. whom the Creeks REGARDED
as the ancestor of the Modes.
But Medea's new love brought little more
lasting happiness than the old one had
zone, She was caught plotting against
Tue ire OF Theseus. her husbands son by