Aietes

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Aietes ( ancient Greek Αἰήτης , from Aia ; Latin Aeetes ) was in Greek mythology the son of Helios and Perse , an Oceanid and goddess of the moon , at the same time brother of Kirke , Pasiphae , Perses and Aloeus . He married Idyia , daughter of Okeanos , and fathered her Medea , the Chalciope and Iophassa. Together with Asterodeia or the Eurylyte he was the father of Absyrtus . Diodorus names the unscrupulous Hecate , the daughter of Perses, as the wife of Aietes and mother of Medea, Kirke and Aigialeus .

myth

While his brother Aloeus received rule over Asopia, later Sikyon , Aietes got the government over Ephyraia ( Corinth ) from his father . Later he decided to emigrate to Colchis and handed over the rule to Bounos . He founded the city of Aia at the mouth of the Phasis and ruled the country as king.

On his flight Phrixus came to Aietes on a flying golden ram. Phrixus slaughtered the ram and gave Aietes the golden fleece . Aietes attached it to a tree in the sacred grove of Ares . Phrixus married Chalkiope, the daughter of Aietes. Since Aietes was warned about strangers and his wife encouraged him to do so, he later killed Phrixus.

In search of the golden fleece, the Argonauts landed in Colchis. Jason , their leader, asked Aietes to do so. He promised to give it to him if he succeeded in sowing the dragon's teeth with the help of the arch-footed bull that Hephaestus had created. Athena had given these teeth to Aietes and Kadmos in equal parts . Medea, Aietes' daughter, had fallen in love with Jason and was afraid that he would die in the difficult task. So she stole the fleece, gave it to Jason and fled to ship with her brother Absyrtus and the Argonauts. Aietes pursued them and threatened to catch up with them. So Medea killed Absyrtus, cut him into pieces and threw her into the sea. While Aietes was collecting the pieces, the Argonauts escaped.

According to another version, Absyrtus pursued the Argonauts and was killed by Jason.

When Aietes was very old, Medea returned to her homeland with her son Medos . Perses, the brother of Aietes, had seized the rule. Medos killed Perses and returned the rule to Aietes. In a variant of the myth, it was Medea who killed her uncle Perses and, since Aietes was already dead at this point, transferred rule to her son Medos.

Aietes is said to have killed Clytios , the son of Eurytus , and Iphitus , the brother of Eurystheus .

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predecessor Office successor
none King of Corinth
15th century BC Chr.
(Fictional chronology)
Bounos