A
Greek mythic hero. He was the son of
Tyro and
Poseidon. Tyro, who was married to Cretheus at the time took her two sons from poseidon, Pelias and Neleus, and abandoned them on a mountain, where a housekeeper found and raised them. When they grew up they reunited with their mother, and killed her stepmother, Sidero, who had mistreated her. Sidero fled to
Hera's temple, but pelias speared her while she was holding the altar of the Goddess. That action bought Pelias the eternal enmity of
Hera.
Wanting supreme power over Thessaly, Pelias banished his brother Neleus, and imprisoned his haif-brother, Aeson, king of Iolcos. Then Pelias learned from the Oracle that a man with one sandal would be his downfall. When Aeson's son, Jason, who was away at Pelion at the time, being educated by the centaur Chiron returned to Iolcos he lost one sandal while rescuing a man who had fallen to a river. When Pelias learned this he ordered Jason on a journey, from which, he thought no one would return: to bring the Golden Fleece from Colchis.
Thinking that Jason's ship has drowned, Pelias poisoned Aeson and sacrificed his younger son. But, much to Pelias' dismay, Jason did return with the Fleece, and with Medea.
Medea came up with a plan to assasinate Pelias. She convinced Pelias' daughters that she could restore youth to old creatures, and as a demonstration took an old ram cut him into pieces and boiled him, and from the pot jumped out a young deer.
Pelias' daughters decided to do the same to their father, and when he was asleep cut him into pieces and brought them to Medea for boiling. but when the mixture was ready nothing was in the pot beside well cooked meat. Thus Pelias died.