Chalciope- Greek FigureMortal
Also known as: Chalkiope and Χαλκιόπη
Description
Between her sister's sorcery and her sons' peril, she becomes the pivot on which the Argonauts' quest turns, persuading Medea to aid Jason so that her own children might survive the voyage home.
Mythology & Lore
The Sister's Plea
Chalciope was the elder daughter of Aeëtes, king of Colchis. She married Phrixus, the Greek exile who had arrived on the back of the golden ram, and bore him four sons. After Phrixus died in Colchis, the sons set sail for Greece to claim their father's inheritance in Orchomenos. A storm wrecked their ship on the island of Ares, where the Argonauts found them and brought them aboard.
When Jason reached Colchis and demanded the Golden Fleece, Chalciope's sons stood with him. Aeëtes set Jason impossible tasks, intending to kill him, and Chalciope knew her sons would share his fate. She went to Medea in the night and wept and begged her sister to use her sorcery to save the boys. Medea had been fighting her own desire for Jason since she first saw him. Her sister's tears gave her the reason she needed. She agreed to help.