thumb|241x241px|The Golden Fleece by [[Herbert James Draper (1904)]]
In Greek mythology, Absyrtus (Ancient Greek: Ἄψυρτος) or Apsyrtus was a Colchian prince and brother or half-brother of Medea. He was involved in Jason's escape with the golden fleece from Colchis.
The Absyrtides were named after him.
Family
Absyrtus was the son of Aeëtes, king of Colchis and a brother of Medea and Chalciope. His mother is variously given: Hyginus calls her Ipsia, Hesiod and the Bibliotheca call her Idyia, Apollonius calls her Asterodeia, a Caucasian Oceanid and others Hecate (described as a mortal granddaughter of Helios rather than as the goddess), the Nereid Neaera or Eurylyte.
A tradition followed by Pacuvius, Justin, and Diodorus Absyrtus was also called Phaethon by the sons of the Colchians because he outshone all the youths.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Comparative table of Absyrtus' family
! rowspan="6" |Relation
! rowspan="3" |Name
! colspan="18" |Source
|-
!Hesiod
| rowspan="2" |Naupa.
!Soph.
! colspan="2" |Apollonius
! rowspan="2" |Pacu.
! rowspan="2" |Diod.
! rowspan="2" |Cic.
! rowspan="2" |Valer.
! rowspan="2" |Strabo
! rowspan="2" |Pliny
! rowspan="2" |Apollod.
! colspan="2" |Hyginus
!Lucian
! rowspan="2" |Aelian
! rowspan="2" |Justin
|Orph.
|-
|Theog.
|Scyth.
|Argo.
|Sch.
|Fab.
|Sch.
|De Salt.
|Argo.
|-
|Absyrtus
|
|
|
|✓
|✓
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|✓
|✓
|
|
|✓
|✓
|✓
|✓
|
|
|✓
|-
|Aegialeus
|
|
|
|
|
|✓
|✓
|✓
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|✓
|
|-
|Apsyrtus
|
|
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|
|
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|✓
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|
|
|
|
|✓
|
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|-
| rowspan="7" |Parentage
|Aeetes and Eurylyte
|
|✓
|
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|✓
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|-
|Aeetes and Neaera
|
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|✓
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|✓
|
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|-
|Aeetes and Asterodeia
|
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|✓
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|-
|Aeetes and Hecate
|
|
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|✓
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|✓
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|-
|Aeetes and Idyia
|✓
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|✓
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|✓
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|-
|Aeetes and Ipsia
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|✓
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|-
|Aeetes
|
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|
|
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|✓
|✓
|
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|✓
|
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|✓
|
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|-
| rowspan="3" |Siblings
|Medea
|
|
|✓
|✓ Aeetes was aided by the Argonauts because he vowed to give the Golden Fleece to Jason in return of the favor for the incoming fight.
During the battle, Apsyrtus went to the front line and wore a beautiful golden armor. He drove the golden cart of his grandfather Helios while his golden shield reflected the rays of the sun. He had a quivering spear and a threatening, gleaming helm that no one of the common people could gaze at without getting pain in their eyes. When he pursued his opponents in battle, they fled from fear and he ran over them with his horses. Groaning, the trampled warriors remained in the dust and wondered anxiously what had happened to them. Finally, Aeetes with the help of the Minyans won the war and managed to chase away his brother.thumb|Plaque with Medea's Murder of Absyrtus by Martin Didier Pape (between 1580 and 1600)
Unexpected departure
When Medea fled with Jason, she took her brother Absyrtus with her, and when she was nearly overtaken by her father, she murdered her brother, cut his body into pieces and strewed them on the road, so that her father might thus be delayed by gathering the limbs of his child. Tomi, the place where this occurred, was believed to have derived its name from temno (, "cut").
According to another tradition, Absyrtus was not taken by Medea, but was sent out by his father in pursuit of her. He overtook her in Corcyra, where she had been kindly received by King Alcinous, who refused to surrender her to Absyrtus. When he overtook her a second time in the island of Minerva, he was slain by Jason. Apollonius of Rhodes presents a variation on this tradition in Argonautica (Book 4): Jason murdered Medea's brother on one of the "Brygean Islands" (an island sacred to the goddess Artemis and located in the modern Kvarner Gulf), where he was lured by Medea with false promisestheir first (and last) meeting after leaving Colchis.
References
Sources
- Apollodorus, Apollodorus, The Library, with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica translated by Robert Cooper Seaton (1853-1915), R. C. Loeb Classical Library Volume 001. London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1912. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Cicero, Nature of the Gods from the Treatises of M.T. Cicero translated by Charles Duke Yonge (1812-1891), Bohn edition of 1878. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Diodorus Siculus, Diodorus Siculus: The Library of History. Translated by Charles Henry Oldfather. Twelve volumes. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989. Vol. 3. Books 4.59–8. Online version at Bill Thayer's Web Site
- Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica translated by Mozley, J H. Loeb Classical Library Volume 286. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1928. Online version at theio.com.