The people of the land cried out that Phrixus must die so they could live. Athamas reluctantly led Phrixus to the altar with a sharpened knife. At that moment, a golden ram appeared. Phrixus and his sister, Helle, climbed on the ram’s back and flew high into the sky.
While the brother and sister soared over the sea near Troy, Helle lost her grip and fell to her death in the straits between Europe and Asia. This passage was known ever after as the Hellespont. But Phrixus flew across the Black Sea until he came to the land of Colchis beneath the Caucasus Mountains. The ruler of this kingdom was Aeetes, a son of Helios. He happily received Phrixus and gave him one of his own daughters to be his wife. In gratitude, Phrixus sacrificed the golden ram to Zeus and gave its fleece to Aeetes. The king of Colchis hung the priceless gift on a tree in a grove sacred to Ares. There it was guarded by a fierce dragon.
Athamas had a beautiful niece named Tyro. This princess was married to Cretheus, but she was in love with a local river god named Enipeus. She would often sneak away to wander by her lover’s river, waiting for him. Poseidon saw her there and disguised himself as Enipeus to make love to her. Afterward, Poseidon revealed his true identity and told Tyro she would have twin sons.
Tyro’s sons Pelias and Neleus grew into strong men. Pelias became king of Iolcus on the coast of Thessaly. Neleus founded a kingdom in sandy Pylos in the far southwest of Greece. Tyro also had two sons, Aeson and Pheres, by her mortal husband, Cretheus.
Pelias kept his half-brother Aeson under careful watch because many people thought he was the rightful heir to Iolcus. Aeson knew his life depended on keeping a low profile. When his wife bore him a son, the couple announced that the infant had died so that Pelias would fear no future threat to his throne. Aeson secretly took the baby to be raised by the wise centaur Chiron on the slopes of Mount Pelion. The boy, named Jason, was educated and grew into manhood.
Pelias was always on guard against threats to his power. He had learned from an oracle that if a man wearing only one sandal ever arrived in his kingdom, his rule was in danger.
When Jason grew up, he boldly decided to journey to Iolcus and claim the throne from his uncle. He came to a stream swollen with spring rains where he saw an old woman. She asked him to carry her across. She had asked many before him, but all had said no. Jason was in a hurry, but he carried the woman to the far shore. Along the way, he slipped and lost a sandal in the mud. The old woman thanked Jason, and he went on his way, not realizing that he had just helped Hera. The goddess was angry at King Pelias, so she tested Jason to see if he was worthy to replace his uncle. After Jason showed her kindness, Hera set a plan in motion to do away with Pelias.
Jason arrived in Iolcus just as the king was making a sacrifice to his father, Poseidon. Pelias noticed the young man in the crowd wearing only one sandal. After discovering who he was, he welcomed Jason. Pelias then asked his nephew what he would do, as king, if he knew someone was going to kill him.
Jason laughed and thought of a plan to get rid of such a man: “I would send him to capture the Golden Fleece.”
“An excellent idea,” responded the king. He looked Jason in the eye and said, “Go fetch the Golden Fleece.”
Jason accepted the challenge and began to prepare for the long, dangerous journey. He asked his cousin Argus to build a fifty-oared craft to sail to Colchis. The goddess Athena fitted a special prow made of oak onto the ship. The wood came from a sacred grove of Zeus and had the gift of speech. When the ship was complete, Jason christened it the Argo in honor of its builder.
There are many different stories about who joined Jason on the Argo. All agree that he invited the greatest warriors in Greece. First there was Hercules, who interrupted one of his labors to make the journey. Next were the great bard Orpheus and the two brothers of Helen, Castor and Pollux. Zetes and Calais also came, two winged sons of Boreas, god of the north wind. Peleus, the grandson of Zeus and father of Achilles was there, as was his brother Telamon, the sire of Ajax. Some say Theseus of Athens sailed with Jason, while others say the famous female warrior Atalanta accompanied the men. Everyone agrees that Meleager, brother of Hercules’s wife Deianira, joined Jason. Idmon the seer was among the chosen, as was Tiphys, who served as helmsman. The band of sailors was known as the Argonauts.
The sailors elected Hercules as their leader, but he refused. He said he would only go on the quest if Jason was their captain. The young prince accepted and made a long speech. Soon even the ship was tired of listening to him and the oak prow shouted that they should begin. The men took their places on the rowing benches, and the Argo slipped away from the port of Iolcus and into the Aegean Sea. King Pelias watched from shore, certain he would never see Jason again.
After a few days, the Argonauts came to Lemnos in the northern Aegean. The people of the island panicked. The women on the island had killed their husbands, and ever since, Lemnos had been an island of women alone.
The men of the Argo knew none of this when they sailed into the harbor looking for fresh water. They sent their herald, Aethalides, a son of the god Hermes, to speak to the ruler. He was surprised to find himself speaking to the beautiful Hypsipyle instead of a man, but Aethalides explained that the Argonauts simply wanted to take on supplies. Hypsipyle was in favor of giving the sailors what they needed and sending them on their way, but a wise old woman suggested a different plan. She said they should think of the future. Did they want to grow old without children and grandchildren? The old woman said they should welcome the Argonauts into their homes so that the women could become pregnant. Only then would they send the men on their way.
So, the Lemnian women invited the Argonauts into their homes.
One night turned to a week and a week to a month, and the men were still there. Hercules finally brought them to their senses. He had stayed on the boat and cared nothing for the native women: “You fools! We are on this voyage to sail distant seas and accomplish deeds worthy of eternal glory. The Golden Fleece lies there, beyond the far sunrise, not on this island. I’m sailing to Colchis!”
The Argonauts gathered their gear and said farewell. Most of the women were pregnant and ready to see the men go. They waved good-bye as the Argo sailed away.
The Argonauts sailed northeast across the Aegean to the Hellespont, the first of two narrow passages leading to the Black Sea. The winds were strong and the waves choppy as they fought their way past Abydos where Leander had swum to his secret love Hero. Once beyond the Hellespont, they entered the inland sea of the Propontis and sailed to a place called Bear Mountain. On this mountain lived creatures of great strength known as the Earthmen. Each had six powerful arms.
Instead of monsters, the Argonauts were met on the beach by a friendly folk called the Doliones. Their young king, Cyzicus, had been advised by an oracle that if foreign heroes ever landed on his shore, he should welcome them. Cyzicus did so and struck up a warm friendship with Jason, who was the same age as the king.
Jason and his men left Hercules to guard the ship in a sheltered cove and entered the town of the Doliones. The Earthmen, looking down from Bear Mountain, decided the ship was an easy target. The creatures did not bother the Doliones, but strangers were fair game. The Earthmen tossed huge boulders into the mouth of the cove to prevent the Argo from escaping. Hercules pulled out his bow and began to shoot every Earthman in sight. The Argonauts heard the uproar and rushed back to join the battle. Soon there was a pile of dead monsters on the beach.
The next morning the Argonauts cast off with thanks and pledges of friendship to the Doliones. Cyzicus had described the kingdoms and lands that lay ahead as far as the entrance to the Black Sea. The Argonauts sailed around the great bulk of Bear Mountain all day until they passed the northern point of the peninsula and headed east. When evening came, a great storm blew them back to the west. The wind was strong and the rain heavy. They had no idea where they were, only that they had to find land. Finally they saw a harbor. The men of that unknown land saw the strangers make shore. Unwelcome
guests from the east could only mean raiders, so they attacked. The Argonauts fought back but had no idea who they were killing.
When the sun rose, Jason and his men saw that they had been fighting the Doliones. Jason saw that his own spear had pierced the chest of Cyzicus. The Argonauts wept and cut their hair in mourning for the terrible mistake, then built funeral pyres for the Doliones with their own hands. They laid out a special tomb for Cyzicus and marched around it three times in their bronze armor to honor him. The Argonauts then sailed away, leaving the Doliones alone in their grief.
To help forget the disaster, the Argonauts competed to see who could row the longest and hardest. One by one the men dropped away, but Hercules kept rowing until he alone drove the ship over the calm sea. Just as they reached the land of Mysia, his oar snapped in two. The hero fell onto the deck while his friends laughed. The voyagers pulled to shore and were welcomed with a feast of roasted mutton and sweet wine.
Hercules was in no mood to eat. He and his friend Hylas went into the woods to cut a new oar. Hercules found a towering pine tree that was just the right size. He grabbed the tree around its base and pulled it out of the ground with his bare hands. Taking it on his shoulder, he headed back to the ship to shape it into an oar.
Hylas had gotten bored and went in search of water. He found a beautiful spring to fill his bronze pitcher. A water nymph immediately fell in love with him. She leapt out of the spring to kiss him and pulled him into the water.
One of the Argonauts, Polyphemus, heard Hylas scream and rushed to the spring. All he could see were ripples on the surface. He ran to Hercules, who dropped his tree and searched for his friend all night.
When dawn broke, the Argonauts cast off with a fair wind behind them. It was several hours before they realized that three of their crewmen were missing. A fierce argument broke out about what they should do. Most wanted to turn the ship around. Calais and Zetes, sons of the North Wind, declared that such a fair breeze was a gift of the gods and should not be scorned. The men turned to Jason, but he was unable to make a decision.
Suddenly Glaucus rose out of the waves. The fisherman who had turned into a sea god after eating magical grass told them that everything had unfolded according to the will of Zeus. Polyphemus was to found a great city among the Mysians, while Hercules needed to get back to his labors. Hylas was now the husband of a water nymph and was lost to the world of men. Reluctantly, the Argonauts continued on their way without their companions.
For almost two days a west wind blew the Argo across the Propontis Sea until, at last, the sailors came to the land of the Bebryces near the entrance to the Bosporus straits. A brutish king named Amycus ruled that land. He met the Argonauts at the shore and told them it was the law that strangers must box with him in a fight to the death.
Pollux, the twin of Castor, accepted the challenge. Amycus was the stronger of the two men, but Pollux was quick and smart. He dodged the king’s blows and kept him off balance. Amycus raged and threatened. The king charged Pollux with all his might. Pollux stepped aside at the last second and struck Amycus on the back of the head, killing him in an instant.
The Bebrycian men rushed at the Argonauts with spears and swords. Jason and his comrades drove them back. Soon the Greeks had finished off the men of Amycus. They camped on the beach while Orpheus sang songs of victory. When morning came, they pushed off and sailed into the swirling Bosporus, the final obstacle before they entered the mysterious Black Sea.
On the west side of the Bosporus straits was the land of the Thynians, ruled over by old King Phineus. He was said to be brother to King Cadmus of Thebes. Like Cadmus, his was a life of great suffering. Apollo had given him the gift of prophecy, but Phineus revealed too much of the future. Zeus punished the king by blinding him and by sending Harpies to torment him. These hideous creatures had the heads of women and the bodies of large birds. Whenever food was set before Phineus, the Harpies swooped down and snatched it in their talons. They left only enough to keep Phineus alive and prolong his pain. He was little more than skin and bones. He trembled from weakness and old age and was covered in the Harpies’ waste.
Phineus told the Argonauts that if they would drive the Harpies away, he would tell them what lay ahead on their journey. So, the Argonauts prepared a feast and waited for the Harpies to appear. When they did, Zetes and Calais flew after them with swords drawn and chased them out of sight. Some say the sons of the North Wind slew the Harpies, but others say they spared the monsters in exchange for a promise never to trouble Phineus again.
In gratitude, the seer told the sailors how to overcome the dreaded Clashing Rocks at the exit of the Bosporus. Then he described the lands and peoples along the southern shore of the Black Sea and the kingdom of Colchis where the Golden Fleece lay. He warned that a great monster guarded the treasure, one that no man had ever escaped alive.
Jason asked if he should turn around and go home rather than face certain death. The king asked what sort of hero he was if he ran away from danger.
“Put your trust in the gods,” Phineus said, “especially Aphrodite.”
The Argonauts made their way up the Bosporus. A cold fog enveloped them, but soon they began to hear a strange sound. It was like the pounding of a giant drum. When they finally rowed around a bend in the straits, they saw the Clashing Rocks. These two enormous stone guards stood on opposite sides of the entrance to the Black Sea. They rushed across the waterway and crushed anything that came between them. Phineus had told them their only hope of sailing between the rocks was to first send forth a dove from their ship. If this bird could fly between the rocks and survive, there was a chance that the Argo might also make it through.
The sailors were terrified, but to give up would bring shame on them forever. They released the dove. At first it seemed as if the Clashing Rocks would not notice the small creature, but suddenly they began to rush together. There was a sound as if the earth itself had split apart, but the dove lost only the tip of its tail feathers.
The Argonauts cheered for the bird as the rocks moved back, but they knew their boat could not fly as swiftly as a dove. They took oars in hand and prepared to row. Not even if Hercules had been aboard would the Argo have cut through the waves so fast. The rocks were even faster. The Argonauts shouted to each other to press on even as the rocks were almost on top of them. At the last moment, just as their strength was almost gone, they shot into the Black Sea. The Clashing Rocks met with a thunderous crash, cutting off the banner that flew from the stern of the Argo.
The gods had declared that if a ship ever sailed between the rocks, the rocks would never move again. So they withdrew to opposite sides of the straits where they would remain forever. The Argonauts gazed at the sea stretching before them and wondered how they would escape the new dangers that lay ahead.
As soon as they had passed the Clashing Rocks, Jason fell into deep despair. He told the helmsman, Tiphys, that he didn’t know how they were going to make it all the way to Colchis. Tiphys assured Jason that everything would turn out well in the end, especially with the help of the gods. At that moment they saw Apollo flying high in the sky. Everyone but Jason took this as a sign of divine favor.
Several days later they came to the land of the Mariandynians where King Lycus ruled. This country was known for a dark cave from which an ice-cold wind blew. It was an entrance to Hades, but the Argonauts went instead to the palace of Lycus. The king welcomed the weary travelers and feasted them in grand style. He was so impressed by Jason and his companions that he sent his own son to join them on their quest.
Great sadness befell the Argonauts in that land when their seer, Idmon, was wounded by a huge white-tusked boar as he hunted in the woods. His friends killed the beast, but not before it had killed the soothsayer. They had just said their final farewells to Idmon when Tiphys suddenly died of a fever. Jason lost all hope. He urged the Argonauts to turn back, but the sailors instead asked the experienced seaman Ancaeus to guide the Argo.
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nbsp; A few days later the crew passed the tomb of Sthenelus, who had died during Hercules’s battle with the Amazons. The spirit of the dead warrior rose from his grave. The sailors were terrified by the ghost and offered sacrifices to him hoping he would let them pass in peace, and he did.
Many more miles down the coast they came to the Assyrian colony of Sinope and took on supplies. There they met three survivors from Hercules’s war on the Amazons, who gladly accepted an offer to join the Argonauts and advised Jason to sail away from the Amazon kingdom. Luckily, Zeus sent a wind that bore them safely past the coast held by the women warriors.
The Argonauts sailed for weeks past many different lands and tribes. The blind seer Phineus had told them they would find an island sacred to Ares where they should stop to receive a great blessing. When the Argonauts attempted to land there, they were attacked by birds. One of them remembered that Hercules had told of similar birds. When they landed on the beach, the Argonauts beat their shields and shouted to scare the birds away just as Hercules had done.
Moving inland they saw four skinny men. They were the shipwrecked sons of Phrixus, the young man who had flown to the land of Colchis years earlier on the golden ram. Jason invited them to join his quest, but the brothers warned the Argonauts that Aeetes was a cruel and clever king who would never let them have the fleece. They urged Jason to sail back to Greece, but the Argonauts were determined to press on. The four brothers joined only to escape the island of birds.
Jason and his men sailed on until they saw the Caucasus Mountains in the distance. At last they pulled the Argo into the mouth of the Phasis River, a swift stream that flowed through the heart of Colchis and the kingdom of King Aeetes. The long journey was over, but even the bravest among them wondered if they would live to sail the Argo home.
The goddess Hera had been following Jason’s journey. Both she and Athena wanted the Argonauts to succeed, but they let mortals make their own way through the difficulties of life. Still, the wife and daughter of Zeus met secretly to find a way to help Jason. They knew that it would take extraordinary measures to capture the Golden Fleece, so they chose the one thing that could melt the hearts of both men and gods—love.
Heroes of Olympus Page 14
