by Stephen Fry
‘Yes, Pelias, son of Tyro,’ said Jason. ‘I am Jason. My father is Aeson, son of Tyro and of Cretheus, the former King of Iolcos. Aeson, the rightful ruler of this kingdom. I have come to claim our inheritance. What you have gained from your years of usurpation you may keep. All the cattle, treasure, buildings and land are yours. But from now on the kingdom is mine and you must release my parents from their imprisonment.’
‘Ah,’ said Pelias, grasping Jason by the shoulders. ‘Welcome, nephew. You come at just the right time.’
‘I do?’
‘This land is yours by right, Jason, of course it is. I have been ruling in your place, but will happily step aside now that you are here, only –’ He broke off in some confusion.
‘Only what?’ demanded Jason.
‘Only this land is … cursed!’
‘Cursed?’
‘Oh yes, quite cursed. Isn’t that so, people?’
Those citizens of Iolcos who had crowded around to see more of the impressive and strikingly dressed stranger knew very well how to interpret the wishes of Pelias. If he wanted them to agree with what he was saying, they had better agree. And wholeheartedly. Neither by word nor sign did they betray their complete ignorance of any such curse. Instead they nodded their heads decisively and threw in vigorous words of agreement.
‘Oh yes, cursed …’
‘Terrible curse.’
‘Curse on the land.’
‘A blight, a curse …’
‘On the land.’
‘On the land? All over it, more like …’
‘But what kind of curse?’ asked Jason.
‘Ah, well.’ Pelias had never felt so inspired. A perfect plan was forming in his mind. ‘You know of my nephew – your cousin – Phrixus, son of your uncle Athamas and the cloud goddess Nephele?’
‘Who has not heard of Phrixus?’
‘He died not long ago in far Colchis. Since that moment a curse has descended upon us.’
‘Upon our land!’ said one citizen.
‘Blighting and cursing and blighting our land,’ muttered another.
‘But why?’ Jason asked.
‘I wanted to know the answer to that same question,’ said Pelias, ‘and so I consulted the oracle. Didn’t I, people?’
‘Certainly you did, my lord.’
‘Who says you didn’t? They’re a liar!’
‘How well we remember. Consulted the oracle, he did.’
‘It had never been so consulted.’
‘Yes, yes. The point is,’ continued Pelias, ‘that the oracle made plain that this kingdom could never know peace or prosperity unless its king went to Colchis and brought back the Golden Fleece here to Iolcos, where it should find its new home for eternity. That is what the oracle proclaimed. Did it not, people?’
‘Aye, aye!’
‘Exactly that. Word for word.’
‘And since you are, as you say, the rightful King of Iolcos, you, Jason, must be the one to … fetch the Fleece and raise the curse. Am I not right?’
‘Aye, majesty, aye!’ cried the people. They were not sure what they were celebrating or assenting to, but they could see triumph and satisfaction in the eyes of Pelias, and that was enough to make them cheer and cheer.
Pelias was congratulating himself on devising a scheme that had in fact been all the work of Hera, who saw in Jason the heroic instrument to fulfil – with a little divine assistance, where needed – two of her desires simultaneously. He could unseat the brutish Pelias, who had so flagrantly dishonoured her temple. And he could bring the Golden Fleece home to mainland Greece where it could form the centrepiece of a magnificent new shrine sacred to Hera and Hera alone. The golden ram, it must be remembered, belonged to Nephele who, as a proxy in Hera’s likeness, had been the instrument of saving her from violation at the licentious hands of Ixion. The Fleece therefore was holy to the Queen of Heaven, and she did not like the idea of it being trapped in a Grove of Ares on the far eastern edge of the civilised world.
Hera chose her champions well. It is doubtful that many other mortals would have considered so dangerous and groundbreaking a quest as this. The Golden Fleece was known to be guarded by a fierce serpent that never slept or closed its eyes. King Aeëtes and his soldiers would undoubtedly have added further protection over the years. The journey would have to be made by sea, and such a lengthy voyage through such dangerous waters had never yet been undertaken.
But Jason was blithe, fearless and possessed of that supreme self-confidence which Chiron had recognised in the makeup of his pupil as both an attractive virtue and a less-appealing flaw. And ever since Bellerophon and Pegasus had visited Chiron’s cave when he was a boy, Jason had dreamed of an adventure, a quest that would prove his mettle and prove him worthy of the word Hero.
‘The Golden Fleece, eh?’ He smiled broadly. ‘What a splendid idea, uncle. It shall be done.’
THE ARGO
A map can show you how far it is by sea from Iolcos in Aeolia to Colchis on the shores of the Black Sea. It cannot show in detail the natural and unnatural obstacles that made such a voyage so uniquely hazardous.
Jason’s first requirement was a suitably hardy and well-equipped vessel for the journey. He chose as his shipwright ARGUSfn19, and the unique vessel that he built became known as the Argo in honour of her creator. It is said the goddess Athena, who like Hera smiled favourably on Jason’s quest, assisted Argus in the ship’s construction. The Argo was equipped with a rowing deck, much like an ordinary galley, but no seagoing vessel before her had been fitted with more than one mast and such complicated and clever arrangements of sailcloth and rigging. Athena brought oak from the sacred grove at Dodona (those that had spoken to Perseus and helped him on his way to the Graeae). This timber formed the prow, or beak, of the ship; carved into it was the representation of a female head – some said of Hera herself – endowed with the power of prophecy and speech. A mortal seer was appointed a member of crew too: IDMON, a son of Apollo, agreed to come along despite having foreseen that the quest for the Golden Fleece would bring him fame but also death early in the venture.fn20
Argus appointed as his helmsman TIPHYS, who brought on board his kinsman Augeas (later to become famous for the filthy condition of his stables) and ANCAEUS, King of Samos, himself a skilled helmsman. Athena instructed Tiphys and Ancaeus in the use of the sails that were to give such speed to the Argo. Whether Athena taught them by inward whispered inspiration or a direct manifestation is not quite known. Tiphys also came up with the idea of leather cushions for the rowing seats, not for comfort but to allow the oarsmen to slide backwards and forwards on their benches; this added to the rowing stroke the strength of their legs as well as the strength of their backs. Although no one knew it yet, this innovation was to prove of vital importance to the expedition.
Meanwhile Jason had been spreading the news. The word went out around Greece and its islands that a new kind of voyage was being organised, a quest of unprecedented ambition. A party of heroes was required to crew the ship and help win eternal glory. Being sailors on the Argo they would be known as ARGONAUTS and their mission was to sail to Colchis under Jason’s command and bring the Golden Fleece home to the Greek mainland.
The trickle of applicants travelling to Iolcos soon became a torrent. A handful, then dozens, then scores of candidates arrived in the city, all eager to take part in an adventure that would be sure to bring lustre to their names and assure the prosperity of their houses. If Pelias felt put out or sidelined by the obvious admiration demonstrated by the people for Jason’s courage and confidence, not to mention the general assumption that his young nephew was already King of Iolcos, he was wise enough to conceal it. Indeed, Pelias made a great show of offering support to the venture and lavished the most openhanded hospitality on all who came to Iolcos clamouring for a place on board the Argo. All the time he remained happily convinced that the mission must be suicidal and that Jason would never return to claim his throne.
Aside from
many whose names are remembered for nothing other than their appearance in the lists of Argonauts handed down to posterity,fn21 some of the best-known figures of the Greek world were enlisted, heroes whose fame already preceded them or was to grow great after their involvement in the voyage. Heroes such as NESTOR of Pylos, for example. He would survive to become an invaluable advisor to the Greek leadership in the Trojan War, where his name would be forever associated with wise counsel.
PELEUS of Aegina (not to be confused with Pelias of Iolcos, Jason’s wicked uncle) volunteered for the quest along with his brother TELAMON. They would each go on to father heroes. Telamon’s sons were Teucer, the legendary bowman, and Ajax (the Great), both of whom would play key roles in the siege of Troy. The only surviving offspring of Peleus by his marriage to the sea nymph Thetis was to be Achilles, perhaps the most glorious and perfect of all the heroes.fn22
In the prime of their young manhood, and unaware of the destinies of their children, Peleus and Telamon came for adventure. They brought with them the strongest man of the age, HERACLES, who was between Labours and had with him his beloved young page HYLAS. The adoring pair were joined by Heracles’ brother-in-law, POLYPHEMUS.fn23
MELEAGER, son of Oeneus, was present too. He was to be one of the principals in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar, in which many of the Argonauts would participate.fn24 Meleager’s cousins, CASTOR and POLYDEUCES – the Dioscuri – are usually included in the manifest too, as were yet another pair of brothers, CALAIS and ZETESfn25. As sons of Boreas, the North Wind, they were often referred to as the BOREADS. Their paternity endowed them with the ability to take to the air and fly.
It is said that the far-famed hunter ATALANTA – whose story would later be so tightly intertwined with that of Meleager – applied to join the quest but was turned down by Jason, who thought the presence of a woman on board ship would bring ill-luck.fn26 If such blatant discrimination sounds harsh to our ears, it is at least more pleasingly typical of a true Greek hero that Jason should reserve a place for music in his crew list. ORPHEUS, greatest of all singers, poets and composers was welcomed into the ship’s company. The enchanting power of his lyre would prove invaluable.
PIRITHOUS, King of the Lapiths was there toofn27. He had a special reason to join the crew perhaps, for he was descended from Ixion, whose inappropriately libidinous handsiness with Hera, you will recall, was the primary cause of the creation of Nephele, the summoning of the golden ram and its flight to Colchis with Phrixus and Helle in the first place. Two other Argonauts are worth mentioning here: PHILOCTETES, who was to play crucial parts in the story of Heracles and in the Trojan War; and EUPHEMUS, a son of Poseidon who could walk on water. All in all the ship’s complement amounted to around fifty souls … the conventional crew for a ‘penteconter’.
Phew! It’s all rather a lot to take in. All those heroes, all those figures descended from so many kings and queens and so many gods, goddesses and minor deities. In many ways the voyage of the Argo might be regarded as a kind of dress rehearsal for the epic siege of Troy and, even more so, its aftermath, the Odyssey and the fall of the house of Atreus.fn28 The interference, protection and enmity of the Olympians; the treachery of some heroes and the selfless sacrifice of others; the wit and cunning, the horrible cruelty, the endurance, patience, faith and determination of the warriors in the teeth of what wind, weather, malice, chance and betrayal threw at them – all these were as much a feature of the voyage of the Argo as the legendary expedition to and from Troy.
THE ISLE OF LEMNOS
Pelias and the citizens of Iolcos gathered at the harbour to join in the praising and blessing of the Argo’s voyage. Goats screamed under the knives of priests, smoke from their burnt flesh rose up to the gods. Flowers were strewn and grains were sown on the water; flocks of released doves rocketed into the sky; choirs of children sang; dogs barked, fought and mated. On board the Argo laughing stowaway youths were pulled from their hiding places and thrown onto the quayside, into the arms of their whooping, drunken friends. Jason’s mother and father, Aeson and Alcimede, now freed from their imprisonment by the apparently repentant Pelias, stood and waved up from the dockside, conflicted by alternating feelings of pride and consternation. Their young son Promachus was there, stamping his feet and sobbing because he had been deemed too young to join the crew.
‘I’ll be thirteen soon! That’s old enough to go on a voyage.’
Jason had ruffled his hair. ‘When I come back, I’ll let you sail with me on my next voyage. Until then your job is to look after our mother and father. I want you all safe here in Iolcos.’
Those words would haunt Jason one day.
A reverential silence fell as Orpheus stood on the prow and struck up a hymn upon his lyre. The brothers Calais and Zetes called on their father Boreas, the North Wind, and on AEOLUS, keeper of all the winds.
On the foredeck, Jason, the bright rays of the morning sun seeming to set his hair ablaze, stood hand on hip calling out orders to cast off and set sail. Three girls in the crowd swooned and fainted dead away. Deckhands heaved on the rigging and the people gasped to see the Argo’s sails unroll from their twin masts and stretch to catch the wind. They cheered as Jason sprang down and cried to Tiphys to raise the anchor stone and let slip the mooring ropes.
The Argo plunged a little, as if ducking to wet her beak, then came upright and surged serenely forward, the surf streaming from the painted figurehead on her prow. Never had such a ship been seen. Not a roll, not a yaw and not a creak from her timbers. So stable and so sturdy, so swift, straight, trim and true.
The citizens of Iolcos stayed to gaze after her until she was no more than a speck on the horizon. Pelias climbed into his litter, glancing back at Aeson and Alcimede who now stood alone on the quay, arm in arm. ‘They can wait till they rot of old age,’ he said to himself, ‘their precious son won’t be coming back.’
Pelias was well aware of the dangers that awaited the Argonauts. He stroked his beard. ‘I wonder where they will first put in? Lemnos would be about right. Oh, I do hope it is Lemnos.’
His malicious hope was to be fulfilled. Myrina, on the isle of Lemnos, was indeed the first port of call planned by Jason. The Argo had sailed eastwards from Iolcos without incident. Jason found the ship everything he had hoped for and more. Never had so well-built or so well-provisioned a vessel put to sea. Morale was high; dolphins leapt in the bow waves, auspicious sea eagles mewed high above them. They had the music of Orpheus to raise their spirits and the knowledge that they were all members of the finest crew of men ever to set out on a quest.
‘Lemnos in an hour, sir,’ Tiphys said to Jason, squinting up at the sun and making his calculations.
‘Gather round, everyone,’ commanded Jason. ‘For those who do not know, let me tell you about Lemnos.’ He was grateful now that he had, for the most part, paid attention during those long lessons when his tutor Chiron patiently took him through the history and practices of the tribes, peoples, provinces, islands and kingdoms of the known world. ‘As I’m sure most of you learned at your mothers’ knees, Lemnos is where the infant Hephaestus was brought up after being cast down from Olympus by his mother, the Queen of Heaven.’ Jason touched the fingers of his right hand to his lips and raised them heavenwards in a salute to his divine protectress, Hera. ‘But since then Lemnos has had a heavy history. There are no men on the island, only women.’
Cheers, laughter and crude expressions of delight from the crew.
‘Yes, yes. But listen. Generations ago, the women of the island began to neglect Aphrodite. We all know how the goddess treats those who insult her, but what she did to the Lemnian women was extreme, even for the Lady of Cyprus. She made the women smell so rancid, disgusting, so foul that the island’s male population couldn’t bear to go near them. So the men took to sailing off to the mainland and bringing back Thracian women and girls instead. The Lemnian wives wouldn’t stand for that so they murdered the men in their beds one after the other, leaving an island of w
omen only. Their queen is HYPSIPYLE fn29 and when we put in you must give me a chance to call on her and make sure we will be welcomed.’
‘Do they still stink then, these women?’
‘Well?’ said Jason, directing the question to the figurehead on the prow. Though carved into a likeness of Hera, her voice and manner more resembled those of the talking oaks of Dodona, of whose timbers she was composed.
‘Are you talking to me?’
‘The women of Lemnos. Are they still cursed with the foul stench?’
‘You’ll just have to find out, won’t you?’
When they put in at the small harbour, Jason and the crew were met by a knot of stern-looking women from whom no discernible odour arose. Nor did Queen Hypsipyle, who received Jason with warmth and respect, give off anything but an air of friendly welcome. It seemed to all the Argonauts that the curse of Aphrodite must have been lifted, for the women soon showed nothing but delight in the company of men.
‘Let’s stay,’ said Tiphys, who already had his arm round two smiling and blushing Lemnians.
Jason, entirely smitten by the beauty of Hypsipyle, willingly assented.
The Argonauts stayed long enough for the queen to bear Jason twin sons, EUNEUS and THOAS, the latter named after Hypsipyle’s father, whom she had secretly spared from the general massacre of Lemnian menfolk.
‘I hid my father in a wooden chest and sent him out to sea,’ she confided to Jason. ‘I have since heard word that he survived and is well.fn30 Don’t tell the other women – they’ll never forgive me.’
‘Such mercy is so like you,’ said Jason lovingly. Mercy was a strange word to use, perhaps. Hypsipyle had willingly allowed every other man on the island to be slaughtered in their sleep, but Jason did not let that spoil the perfect image of Hypsipyle that he carried in his lovestruck mind. He had sworn eternal fidelity and meant it. First love is like that.
