The Heroes

Then Perseus went out, and up to the hall of Polydectes; and underneath the goatskin he bore the Gorgon's head.

Part Two

And when he came into the hall, Polydectes sat at the table-head, and all his nobles and landowners on either side, each according to his rank, feasting on the fish and the goat's flesh, and drinking the blood-red wine. The harpers harped, and the revelers shouted, and the wine-cups rang merrily as they passed from hand to hand, and great was the noise in the hall of Polydectes.

Then Perseus stood upon the threshold, and called to the king by name. But none of the guests knew Perseus, for he was changed by his long journey. He had gone out a boy, and he was come home a hero; his eye shone like an eagle's, and his beard was like a lion's beard, and he stood up like a wild bull in his pride.

But Polydectes the wicked knew him, and hardened his heart still more; and scornfully he called--'Ah, foundling! have you found it more easy to promise than to fulfil?'

'Those whom the gods help fulfil their promises; and those who despise them, reap as they have sown. Behold the Gorgon's head!' Then Perseus drew back the goatskin, and held aloft the Gorgon's head.

Pale grew Polydectes and his guests as they looked upon that dreadful face. They tried to rise up from their seats: but from their seats they never rose, but stiffened, each man where he sat, into a ring of cold grey stones. Then Perseus turned and left them, and went down to his galley in the bay; and he gave the kingdom to good Dictys, and sailed away with his mother and his bride.

And Polydectes and his guests sat still, with the wine-cups before them on the board, till the rafters crumbled down above their heads, and the walls behind their backs, and the table crumbled down between them, and the grass sprung up about their feet: but Polydectes and his guests sit on the hillside, a ring of grey stones until this day.

Part Three

But Perseus rowed westward toward Argos, and landed, and went up to the town. And when he came, he found that Acrisius his grandfather had fled. For Proetus his wicked brother had made war against him afresh; and had come across the river from Tiryns, and conquered Argos, and Acrisius had fled to Larissa, in the country of the wild Pelasgians.

Then Perseus called the Argives together, and told them who he was, and all the noble deeds which he had done. And all the nobles and the yeomen made him king, for they saw that he had a royal heart; and they fought with him against Argos, and took it, and killed Proetus, and made the Cyclopes serve them, and build them walls round Argos, like the walls which they had built at Tiryns; and there were great rejoicings in the vale of Argos, because they had got a king from Father Zeus.

But Perseus' heart yearned after his grandfather, and he said, 'Surely he is my flesh and blood, and he will love me now that I am come home with honour. I will go and find him, and bring him home, and we will reign together in peace.'

Part Four

So Perseus sailed away with his Phoenicians, [until] he came to the town of Larissa [omission]. And when he came there, all the people were in the fields, and there was feasting, and all kinds of games; for Teutamides their king wished to honour Acrisius, because he was the king of a mighty land. Perseus did not tell his name, but went up to the games unknown; for he said, 'If I carry away the prize in the games, my grandfather's heart will be softened toward me.'

So he threw off his helmet, and his [armour], and all his clothes, and stood among the youths of Larissa, while all wondered at him, and said, 'Who is this young stranger, who stands like a wild bull in his pride? Surely he is one of the Heroes, the sons of the Immortals, from Olympus.'

And when the games began, they wondered yet more; for Perseus was the best man of all at running, and leaping, and wrestling and throwing the javelin; and he won four crowns, and took them, and then he said to himself, 'There is a fifth crown yet to be won: I will win that, and lay them all upon the knees of my grandfather.'

And as he spoke, he saw where Acrisius sat, by the side of Teutamides the king, with his white beard flowing down upon his knees, and his royal staff in his hand; and Perseus wept when he looked at him, for his heart yearned after his kin; and he said, 'Surely he is a kingly old man, yet he need not be ashamed of his grandson.'

Then he took the quoits, and hurled them, five fathoms beyond all the rest; and the people shouted, 'Further yet, brave stranger! There has never been such a hurler in this land.'

Then Perseus put out all his strength, and hurled. But a gust of wind came from the sea, and carried the quoit aside, and far beyond all the rest; and it fell on the foot of Acrisius, and he swooned away with the pain. Perseus shrieked, and ran up to him; but when they lifted the old man up he was dead, for his life was slow and feeble.

Then Perseus rent his clothes, and cast dust upon his head, and wept a long while for his grandfather. At last he rose, and called to all the people aloud, and said--'The gods are true, and what they have ordained must be. I am Perseus, the grandson of this dead man, the far-famed slayer of the Gorgon.'

Then he told them how the prophecy had declared that he should kill his grandfather, and all the story of his life. So they made a great mourning for Acrisius, and burnt [his body]; and Perseus went to the temple, and was purified from the guilt of the death, because he had done it unknowingly.

Part Five

Then he went home to Argos, and reigned there well with fair Andromeda; and they had four sons and three daughters, and died in a good old age. And when they died, the ancients say, Athena took them up into the sky, with Cepheus and Cassiopeia. And there on starlight nights you may see them shining still; Cepheus with his kingly crown, and Cassiopeia in her ivory chair, plaiting her star-spangled tresses, and Perseus with the Gorgon's head, and fair Andromeda beside him, spreading her long white arms across the heaven [omission]. [There is also a constellation for Cetus, the sea monster.]

All night long, they shine, for a beacon to wandering sailors; but all day they feast with the gods, on the still blue peaks of Olympus.

Narration and Discussion

Do you think Dictys was a good choice to be king in Seriphos?

What do you think might have happened if Perseus had not struck his grandfather with the discus?

For the curious: Have you ever heard of any of these constellations? The constellation Cassiopeia the Queen (formerly called Cassiopeia's Chair) is one that can easily be picked out when the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) is also in view. The constellation Andromeda can be seen in the autumn, in the northern and sometimes in the southern hemispheres. A good star map (or app) will help you find them. One online resource is the website www.thoughtco.com; use the search bar to search for constellation andromeda, or whatever you're looking for.

"Didn't you ever heard about the Perseids?"
"No. What are they?"
"They're the shooting stars you've been looking at. Every August they come, the sky is full of them. Specially around the tenth. I've counted more'n a hundred some nights . . . "
"Gee, I learn more from you than I learn in a whole year at school," said Rush admiringly . . .
(Elizabeth Enright, Then There Were Five)

Examination Questions for Perseus

Tell one of these stories:

1. How Perseus acted at Polydectes' feast
2. How Perseus found the Three Grey Sisters
3. How Athena and Hermes came to the help of Perseus
4. How Perseus slew the Gorgon

Lesson #10 (Jason)

Introduction

Three thousand years and more they sailed away, into the unknown Eastern seas; and great nations have come and gone since then, and many a storm has swept the earth; and many a mighty armament, to which Argo would be but one small boat; English and French, Turkish and Russian, have sailed those waters since; yet the fame of that small Argo lives forever, and her name is become a proverb among men. (Kingsley)

As "The Golden Fleece" is also told in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales, some students will remember hearing it in an earlier year.

The first big problem we hear about is that the restless spirit of Prince Phrixus is roaming around Greece, trying to enlist someone brave enough to go to Colchis and retrieve his golden fleece. So far there are no takers.

The second problem is that of his cousin King Aeson, who is driven out of his kingdom by his wicked brother. Aeson, wanting to protect his young son from the usurper, comes up with a plan to move him somewhere safe. The two of them climb up a mountain, and hear someone singing in a cave. "Trust me on this," says Aeson, and the boy, though confused, obeys him and goes in.

Vocabulary

strait: a narrow passage of water, often connecting two seas

torrent: a rushing stream, and sometimes a waterfall

People

Socrates (SOH-kra-teez): a famous Greek philosopher

ladies who went out last year: the volunteer nurses, led by Florence Nightingale, who served in the Crimean War

Argonauts: those who sailed with Jason in the ship Argo

Phrixus and Helle: mythical twins whose parents were a king and a cloud goddess. There is a whole story about how they escaped from their evil stepmother, and how Phrixus ended up in Colchis (see below).

Minyans or Minyae (MIN-yee): a tribe who lived in the Greek region of Boeotia. (Kingsley spells this word Minuai.)

Chalciope (Kal-SEE-o-pee)

Aietes (Ay-EE-teez or Eye-EE-teez): I have kept Kingsley's spelling, as it is easier to read than other versions.

Aeson (EE-sahn)

Pelias (PEEL-ee-us)

Places

Thermopylae: the site of a famous battle in 480 B.C.

Thracian Chersonese: a peninsula (strip of land) between Europe and Asia

Hellespont: also called the Strait of Gallipoli and the Dardanelles; a strait in northwestern Turkey that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia

Colchis (KOHL-kiss): an ancient region at the eastern end of the Black Sea. The city of Kutaisi in Georgia is believed to be in the place where the Golden Fleece was found.

Circassian coast: the Russian Black Sea Coast

Hellas: Greece

Iolcos (or Iolcus, Iolkos): an ancient city in Thessaly, Greece

Anauros (or Anavros): a torrent near Iolcos

Pelion: a mountain in southeastern Thessaly

Reading

Prologue

I have told you of a hero who fought with wild beasts and with wild men; but now I have a tale of heroes who sailed away into a distant land, to win themselves renown forever, in the adventure of the Golden Fleece.

Whither they sailed, my children, I cannot clearly tell. It all happened long ago; so long that it has all grown dim, like a dream which you dreamt last year. And why they went I cannot tell: some say that it was to win gold. It may be so; but the noblest deeds which have been done on earth have not been done for gold. It was not for the sake of gold that the Lord came down and died, and the Apostles went out to preach the good news in all lands. The Spartans looked for no reward in money when they fought and died at Thermopylae; and Socrates the wise asked no pay from his countrymen, but lived poor and barefoot all his days, only caring to make men good. And there are heroes in our days also, who do noble deeds, but not for gold. Our discoverers did not go to make themselves rich when they sailed out one after another into the dreary frozen seas; nor did the ladies who went out last year to drudge in the hospitals of the East, making themselves poor, that they might be rich in noble works [omission]. No, children, there is a better thing on earth than wealth, a better thing than life itself; and that is, to have done something before you die, for which good men may honour you, and God your Father smile upon your work.

Therefore we will believe--why should we not?--of these same Argonauts of old, that they too were noble men, who planned and did a noble deed; and that therefore their fame has lived, and been told in story and in song, mixed up, no doubt, with dreams and fables, and yet true and right at heart. So we will honour these old Argonauts, and listen to their story as it stands; and we will try to be like them, each of us in our place; for each of us has a Golden Fleece to seek, and a wild sea to sail over ere we reach it, and dragons to fight ere it be ours.

Part One: Before Jason

And what was that first Golden Fleece? [This is the legend]: Phrixus and Helle were the children of [a] cloud-nymph, and of Athamas the Minyan king. And when a famine came upon the land, their cruel step-mother Ino wished to kill them, that her own children might reign, and said that they must be sacrificed on an altar, to turn away the anger of the gods. So the poor children were brought to the altar, and the priest stood ready with his knife--when out of the clouds came the Golden Ram, and took them on his back, and vanished. Then madness came upon that foolish king, Athamas, and ruin upon Ino and her children.

[Omission for length and content.]

But the ram carried the two children far away over land and sea, till he came to the Thracian Chersonese, and there Helle fell into the sea. So those narrow straits are called the Hellespont, after her; and they bear that name until this day.

Then the ram flew on with Phrixus to the north-east across the [Black] Sea [omission]. And at last, they say, he stopped at Colchis, on the steep Circassian coast; and there Phrixus married Chalciope, the daughter of Aietes the king; and offered the ram in sacrifice; and Aietes nailed the ram's fleece to a beech [tree], in the grove of Ares the war-god.

And after a while Phrixus died, and was buried, but his spirit had no rest; for he was buried far from his native land, and the pleasant hills of Hellas. So he came in dreams to the heroes of the Minyae, and called sadly by their beds, 'Come and set my spirit free, that I may go home [omission] to my kinsfolk, and the pleasant Minyan land.'

And they asked, 'How shall we set your spirit free?'

'You must sail over the sea to Colchis, and bring home the golden fleece; and then my spirit will come back with it, and I shall sleep with my fathers and have rest.'

He came thus, and called to them often; but when they woke they looked at each other, and said, 'Who dare sail to Colchis, or bring home the golden fleece?' And in all the country none was brave enough to try it; for the man and the time were not come.

Part Two

Phrixus had a cousin called Aeson, who was king in Iolcos by the sea. There he ruled over the rich Minyan heroes, as Athamas his uncle ruled in Boeotia; and, like Athamas, he was an unhappy man. For he had a step-brother named Pelias, [who was fearless and lawless]; and at last [Pelias] drove out Aeson, and then his own brother Neleus, and took the kingdom to himself, and ruled over the rich Minyan heroes, in Iolcos by the sea.

And Aeson, when he was driven out, went sadly away out of the town, leading his little son by the hand; and he said to himself, 'I must hide the child in the mountains; or Pelias will surely kill him, because he is the heir.'

So he went up from the sea across the valley, through the vineyards and the olive groves, and across the torrent of Anauros, toward Pelion the ancient mountain, whose brows are white with snow. He went up and up into the mountain, over marsh, and crag, and down, till the boy was tired and footsore, and Aeson had to bear him in his arms, till he came to the mouth of a lonely cave, at the foot of a mighty cliff.

Above the cliff the snow-wreaths hung, dripping and cracking in the sun; but at its foot around the cave's mouth grew all fair flowers and herbs, as if in a garden, ranged in order, each sort by itself. There they grew gaily in the sunshine, and the spray of the torrent from above; while from the cave came the sound of music, and a man's voice singing to the harp.

Then Aeson put down the lad, and whispered--

'Fear not, but go in, and whomsoever you shall find, lay your hands upon his knees, and say, In the name of Zeus, the father of gods and men, I am your guest from this day forth.' Then the lad went in without trembling, for he too was a hero's son; but when he was within, he stopped in wonder to listen to that magic song.

Narration and Discussion

What was the biggest difference between the two fathers (Athamas and Aeson) in this passage?

Who or what do you think might be in the cave?

For further thought: Kingsley says "each of us has a Golden Fleece to seek, and a wild sea to sail over ere we reach it, and dragons to fight ere it be ours." What do you think he means?

. . . the four dwarves sat round the table, and talked about mines and gold and troubles with the goblins, and the depredations of dragons, and lots of other things which he did not understand, and did not want to, for they sounded much too adventurous . . . (J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit [AO Literature, Year Six])

Lesson #11

Introduction

We now learn about the education of Jason--because this hidden place in the mountains is a (very) unusual school.

Vocabulary

Centaur: part man, part horse

ether: sky

valiant: brave, courageous

lyre: a harp with a U-shaped frame

resound: echo

according to his deserts: in the way that each of them deserved

downs: hills

People

Aeolids: legendary rulers in Greece; the descendants of Aeolus

Cheiron (KY-run) (also spelled Chiron, Kheiron)

Aeneas: He would grow up to be one of the heroes of the Trojan war.

Peleus: He would grow up to be king of Phthia, and the father of Achilles.

Caeneus: either he or his son (depending on the version told) became one of the Argonauts

Asclepius: He would grow up to be a great healer.

Reading

Part One

And there he saw the singer lying upon bear-skins and fragrant boughs: Cheiron, the ancient Centaur, the wisest of all things beneath the sky. Down to the waist he was a man, but below he was a noble horse; his white hair rolled down over his broad shoulders, and his white beard over his broad brown chest; and his eyes were wise and mild, and his forehead like a mountain-wall. And in his hands he held a harp of gold, and struck it with a golden key; and as he struck, he sang till his eyes glittered, and filled all the cave with light.

And he sang of the birth of Time, and of the heavens and the dancing stars; and of the ocean, and the ether, and the fire, and the shaping of the wondrous earth. And he sang of the treasures of the hills, and the hidden jewels of the mine, and the veins of fire and metal, and the virtues of all healing herbs, and of the speech of birds, and of prophecy, and of hidden things to come.

Then he sang of health, and strength, and manhood, and a valiant heart; and of music, and hunting, and wrestling, and all the games which heroes love: and of travel, and wars, and sieges, and a noble death in fight; and then he sang of peace and plenty, and of equal justice in the land; and as he sang the boy listened wide-eyed, and forgot his errand in the song.

And at the last old Cheiron was silent, and called the lad with a soft voice. And the lad ran trembling to him, and would have laid his hands upon his knees; but Cheiron smiled, and said, 'Call hither your father Aeson, for I know you, and all that has befallen, and saw you both afar in the valley, even before you left the town.'

Then Aeson came in sadly, and Cheiron asked him, 'Why camest you not yourself to me, Aeson the Aeolid?'

And Aeson said--'I thought, Cheiron will pity the lad if he sees him come alone; and I wished to try whether he was fearless, and dare venture like a hero's son. But now I entreat you by Father Zeus, let the boy be your guest till better times, and train him among the sons of the heroes, that he may avenge his father's house.'

Then Cheiron smiled, and drew the lad to him, and laid his hand upon his golden locks, and said, 'Are you afraid of my horse's hoofs, fair boy, or will you be my pupil from this day?'

'I would gladly have horse's hoofs like you, if I could sing such songs as yours.'

And Cheiron laughed, and said, 'Sit here by me till sundown, when your playfellows will come home, and you shall learn like them to be a king, worthy to rule over gallant men.' Then he turned to Aeson, and said, 'Go back in peace, and bend before the storm like a prudent man. This boy shall not cross the Anauros again, till he has become a glory to you and to the house of Aeolus.'

And Aeson wept over his son and went away; but the boy did not weep, so full was his fancy of that strange cave, and the centaur, and his song, and the playfellows whom he was to see.

Part Two

Then Cheiron put the lyre into his hands, and taught him how to play it, till the sun sank low behind the cliff, and a shout was heard outside. And then in came the sons of the heroes, Aeneas, and Heracles, and Peleus, and many another mighty name. And great Cheiron leapt up joyfully, and his hoofs made the cave resound, as they shouted, 'Come out, Father Cheiron; come out and see our game.'

And one cried, 'I have killed two deer'; and another, 'I took a wild cat among the crags'; and Heracles dragged a wild goat after him by its horns, for he was as huge as a mountain crag; and Caeneus carried a bear-cub under each arm, and laughed when they scratched and bit, for neither tooth nor steel could wound him. And Cheiron praised them all, each according to his deserts.

Only one walked apart and silent, Asclepius, the too-wise child, with his [tunic front] full of herbs and flowers, and round his wrist a spotted snake; he came with downcast eyes to Cheiron, and whispered how he had watched the snake cast its old skin, and grow young again before his eyes, and how he had gone down into a village in the vale, and cured a dying man with a herb which he had seen a sick goat eat.

And Cheiron smiled, and said, 'To each Athena and Apollo give some gift, and each is worthy in his place; but to this child they have given an honour beyond all honours, to cure while others kill.'

Then the lads brought in wood, and split it, and lighted a blazing fire; and others skinned the deer and quartered them, and set them to roast before the fire; and while the [meat] was cooking they bathed in the snow-torrent, and washed away the dust and sweat. And then all ate till they could eat no more (for they had tasted nothing since the dawn), and drank of the clear spring water, for wine is not fit for growing lads. And when the remnants were put away, they all lay down upon the skins and leaves about the fire, and each took the lyre in turn, and sang and played with all his heart. And after a while they all went out to a plot of grass at the cave's mouth, and there they boxed, and ran, and wrestled, and laughed till the stones fell from the cliffs.

Then Cheiron took his lyre, and all the lads joined hands; and as be played, they danced to his measure, in and out, and round and round. There they danced hand in hand, till the night fell over land and sea, while the black glen shone with their broad white limbs and the gleam of their golden hair.

And the lad danced with them, delighted, and then slept a wholesome sleep, upon fragrant leaves of bay, and myrtle, and marjoram, and flowers of thyme; and [he] rose at the dawn, and bathed in the torrent, and became a schoolfellow to the Heroes' sons, and forgot Iolcos, and his father, and all his former life. But he grew strong, and brave and cunning, upon the pleasant downs of Pelion, in the keen hungry mountain air. And he learnt to wrestle, and to box, and to hunt, and to play upon the harp; and next he learnt to ride, for old Cheiron used to mount him on his back; and he learnt the virtues of all herbs and how to cure all wounds; and Cheiron called him Jason the Healer, and that is his name until this day.

Narration and Discussion

Would you like to go to Cheiron's school? Why or why not? Is it anything like your school (or homeschool)?

For further thought: Do you think Jason really forgot Iolcos and his father?

Creative narration #1: Draw a poster, or act out a commercial for "Cheiron's King and Hero School."

Creative narration #2: Make up a song that the boys might have sung around the fire.

Lesson #12

Introduction

Ten years have gone by, and school is done. We first get a "where are they now" for Jason's friends; but what will Jason himself do next? The immediate problem, as he is reminded here, is that his uncle has stolen his father's throne. Does Cheiron have any advice for a kingdom-restorer? Yes, he does--but it's not what Jason was expecting.

Vocabulary

fledged: able to fly on its own

arbutus: a kind of flowering shrub

pomegranate: a fruit-bearing shrub. (Have you ever eaten pomegranate seeds?)

mantle: cloak

heifer: young cow

awful: awe-inspiring

try if: see if

People

Lapithai (or Lapiths): a legendary people of Thessaly, related to the Centaurs. Cheiron sings a song about them in Lesson #15.

Hera: an important Greek goddess

Places

Peloponnese: the southern part of Greece

Troy: an ancient city located in present-day Turkey; the site of the Trojan War

Lake of Boebe (or Boibe): Boebeis Lake in Thessaly, now called Lake Karla

Pineios: a river in Thessaly

Tempe: a gorge in northern Thessaly

Magnesia: a region of ancient Greece

Ossa: a mountain in Thessaly

Pagasae (or Pagasai): a town in Thessaly

Haemonia: another name for Thessaly, because Haemon was the father of Thessalus.

Reading

Prologue

And ten years came and went, and Jason was grown to be a mighty man. Some of his fellows were gone, and some were growing up by his side.

Asclepius was gone into Peloponnese to work his wondrous cures on men; and some say he used to raise the dead to life.

And Heracles was gone to Thebes to fulfil those famous labours which have become a proverb among men.

And Peleus had married a sea-nymph, and his wedding is famous to this day.

And Aeneas was gone home to Troy, and many a noble tale you will read of him, and of all the other gallant heroes, the scholars of Cheiron the just.

Part One

And it happened on a day that Jason stood on the mountain, and looked north and south and east and west; and Cheiron stood by him and watched him, for he knew that the time was come.

And Jason looked and saw the plains of Thessaly, where the Lapithai breed their horses; and the Lake of Boebe, and the stream which runs northward to Pineios and Tempe; and he looked north, and saw the mountain wall which guards the Magnesian shore; Olympus, the seat of the Immortals, and Ossa, and Pelion, where he stood. Then he looked east and saw the bright blue sea, which stretched away forever toward the dawn. Then he looked south, and saw a pleasant land, with white-walled towns and farms, nestling along the shore of a land-locked bay, while the smoke rose blue among the trees; and he knew it for the bay of Pagasae, and the rich lowlands of Haemonia, and Iolcos by the sea.

Then he sighed, and asked, 'Is it true what the heroes tell me--that I am heir of that fair land?'

'And what good would it be to you, Jason, if you were heir of that fair land?'

'I would take it and keep it.'

'A strong man has taken it and kept it long. Are you stronger than Pelias the Terrible?'

'I can try my strength with his,' said Jason.

But Cheiron sighed, and said--'You have many a danger to go through before you rule in Iolcos by the sea; many a danger and many a woe; and strange troubles in strange lands, such as man never saw before.'

'The happier I,' said Jason, 'to see what man never saw before.'

And Cheiron sighed again, and said, 'The eaglet must leave the nest when it is fledged. Will you go to Iolcos by the sea? Then promise me two things before you go.' Jason promised, and Cheiron answered, 'Speak harshly to no soul whom you may meet, and stand by the word which you shall speak.'

Jason wondered why Cheiron asked this of him; but he knew that the Centaur was a prophet, and saw things long before they came. So he promised, and leapt down the mountain, to take his fortune like a man.

Part Two

He went down through the arbutus thickets, and across the downs of thyme, till he came to the vineyard walls, and the pomegranates and the olives in the glen; and among the olives roared Anauros, all foaming with a summer flood.

And on the bank of Anauros sat a woman, all wrinkled, grey, and old; her head shook [omission], and her hands shook [omission]; and when she saw Jason, she spoke whining, 'Who will carry me across the flood?'

Jason was bold and hasty, and was just going to leap into the flood; and yet he thought twice before he leapt, so loud roared the torrent down, all brown from the mountain rains, and silver-veined with melting snow; while underneath he could hear the boulders rumbling like the tramp of horsemen or the roll of wheels, as they ground along the narrow channel, and shook the rocks on which he stood.

But the old woman whined all the more, 'I am weak and old, fair youth. For Hera's sake, carry me over the torrent.' And Jason was going to answer her scornfully, when Cheiron's words came to his mind.

So he said, 'For Hera's sake, the Queen of the Immortals on Olympus, I will carry you over the torrent, unless we both are drowned midway.'

Then the old dame leapt upon his back, as nimbly as a goat; and Jason staggered in, wondering; and the first step was up to his knees.

The first step was up to his knees, and the second step was up to his waist; and the stones rolled about his feet, and his feet slipped about the stones; so he went on staggering, and panting, while the old woman cried from off his back--'Fool, you have wet my mantle! Do you make game of poor old souls like me?'

Jason had half a mind to drop her, and let her get through the torrent by herself; but Cheiron's words were in his mind, and he said only, 'Patience, mother; the best horse may stumble someday.'

At last he staggered to the shore, and set her down upon the bank; and a strong man he needed to have been, or that wild water he never would have crossed. He lay panting awhile upon the bank, and then leapt up to go upon his journey; but he cast one look at the old woman, for he thought, 'She should thank me once at least.'

And as he looked, she grew fairer than all women, and taller than all men on earth; and her garments shone like the summer sea, and her jewels like the stars of heaven; and over her forehead was a veil woven of the golden clouds of sunset; and through the veil she looked down on him, with great soft heifer's eyes; with great eyes, mild and awful, which filled all the glen with light.

And Jason fell upon his knees, and hid his face between his hands.

And she spoke, 'I am the Queen of Olympus, Hera the wife of Zeus. As thou hast done to me, so will I do to thee. Call on me in the hour of need, and try if the Immortals can forget.'

And when Jason looked up, she rose from off the earth, like a pillar of tall white cloud, and floated away across the mountain peaks, toward Olympus the holy hill.

Then a great fear fell on Jason: but after a while he grew light of heart; and he blessed old Cheiron, and said, 'Surely the Centaur is a prophet, and guessed what would come to pass, when he bade me speak harshly to no soul whom I might meet.'

Narration and Discussion

Does Jason now seem "fledged?" How do you know?

Cheiron's first bit of advice has come true. What might happen with the second one?

Creative narration: If you have a group of students, have each one write a postcard or note to Jason, as if they were Jason's recently-graduated friends. Tell something they have been up to lately, remind them of a joke, invite them to visit, etc.

For further thought: Can you think of any other stories in which a similar kindness is later rewarded? (Perhaps The King of the Golden River?)

Lesson #13

Introduction

Jason enters Iolcos, prepared to fight his uncle for the throne (in spite of having only one shoe). However, his uncle's way of fighting is not what he expects.

Vocabulary

oracle: prophecy, particularly one given through a priest (or priestess) who claims to be acting as the voice of a god. The word can also refer to the priest, or to the place where the message is given, such as the temple at Delphi.

doleful: sad

our uncle's spirit: technically Phrixus would be a cousin to them rather than an uncle, but it doesn't really matter

slandered me: told lies about me

forthwith: right away

swore a great oath: made a solemn promise or agreement

Reading

Part One

Then Jason went down toward Iolcos; and as he walked he found that he had lost one of his sandals in the flood.

And as he went through the streets, the people came out to look at him, so tall and fair was he; but some of the elders whispered together; and at last one of them stopped Jason, and called to him, 'Fair lad, who are you, and whence come you; and what is your errand in the town?'

'My name, good father, is Jason, and I come from Pelion up above; and my errand is to Pelias your king; tell me then where his palace is.'

But the old man started, and grew pale, and said, 'Do you not know the oracle, my son, that you go so boldly through the town with but one sandal on?'

'I am a stranger here, and know of no oracle; but what of my one sandal? I lost the other in Anauros, while I was struggling with the flood.'

Then the old man looked back to his companions; and one sighed, and another smiled; at last he said, 'I will tell you, lest you rush upon your ruin unawares. The oracle in Delphi has said that a man wearing one sandal should take the kingdom from Pelias, and keep it for himself. Therefore beware how you go up to his palace, for he is the fiercest and most cunning of all kings.'

Then Jason laughed a great laugh, like a war-horse in his pride. 'Good news, good father, both for you and me. For that very end I came into the town.'

Then he strode on toward the palace of Pelias, while all the people wondered at his bearing. And he stood in the doorway and cried, 'Come out, come out, Pelias the valiant, and fight for your kingdom like a man.'

Pelias came out wondering, and 'Who are you, bold youth?' he cried.

'I am Jason, the son of Aeson, the heir of all this land.'

Then Pelias lifted up his hands and eyes, and wept, or seemed to weep; and blessed the heavens which had brought his nephew to him, never to leave him more. 'For,' said he, 'I have but three daughters, and no son to be my heir. You shall be my heir then, and rule the kingdom after me, and marry whichsoever of my daughters you shall choose; though a sad kingdom you will find it, and whosoever rules it a miserable man. But come in, come in, and feast.'

So he drew Jason in, whether he would or not, and spoke to him so lovingly and feasted him so well, that Jason's anger passed.

Part Two

After supper his three cousins came into the hall, and Jason thought that he should like well enough to have one of them for his wife. But at last he said to Pelias, 'Why do you look so sad, my uncle? And what did you mean just now when you said that this was a doleful kingdom, and its ruler a miserable man?'

Then Pelias sighed heavily again and again and again, like a man who had to tell some dreadful story, and was afraid to begin; but at last--

'For seven long years and more have I never known a quiet night; and no more will he who comes after me, till the golden fleece be brought home.' Then he told Jason the story of [his cousin] Phrixus, and of the golden fleece; and told him, too, which was a lie, that Phrixus's spirit tormented him, calling to him day and night. And his daughters came, and told the same tale (for their father had taught them their parts), and wept, and said, 'Oh who will bring home the golden fleece, that our uncle's spirit may rest; and that we may have rest also, whom he never lets sleep in peace?'

Jason sat awhile, sad and silent; for he had often heard of that golden fleece; but he looked on it as a thing hopeless and impossible for any mortal man to win it.

But when Pelias saw him silent, he began to talk of other things, and courted Jason more and more, speaking to him as if he was certain to be his heir, and asking his advice about the kingdom; till Jason, who was young and simple, could not help saying to himself, 'Surely he is not the dark man whom people call him. Yet why did he drive my father out?'

And he asked Pelias boldly, 'Men say that you are terrible, and a man of blood; but I find you a kind and hospitable man; and as you are to me, so will I be to you. Yet why did you drive my father out?'

Pelias smiled, and sighed. 'Men have slandered me in that, as in all things. Your father was growing old and weary, and he gave the kingdom up to me of his own will. You shall see him tomorrow, and ask him; and he will tell you the same.'

Jason's heart leapt in him when he heard that he was to see his father; and he believed all that Pelias said, forgetting that his father might not dare to tell the truth.

'One thing more there is,' said Pelias, 'on which I need your advice; for, though you are young, I see in you a wisdom beyond your years. There is one neighbour of mine, whom I dread more than all men on earth. I am stronger than he now, and can command him; but I know that if he stay among us, he will work my ruin in the end. Can you give me a plan, Jason, by which I can rid myself of that man?'

After a while Jason answered, half laughing, 'Were I you, I would send him to fetch that same golden fleece; for if he once set forth after it you would never be troubled with him more.'

And at that a bitter smile came across Pelias' lips, and a flash of wicked joy into his eyes; and Jason saw it, and started; and over his mind came the warning of the old man, and his own one sandal, and the oracle, and he saw that he was taken in a trap.

But Pelias only answered gently, 'My son, he shall be sent forthwith.'

'You mean me?' cried Jason, starting up, 'because I came here with one sandal?' And he lifted his fist angrily, while Pelias stood up to him like a wolf at bay; and whether of the two was the stronger and the fiercer it would be hard to tell.

But after a moment Pelias spoke gently, 'Why then so rash, my son? You, and not I, have said what is said; why blame me for what I have not done? Had you bid me love the man of whom I spoke, and make him my son-in-law and heir, I would have obeyed you; and what if I obey you now, and send the man to win himself immortal fame? I have not harmed you, or him. One thing at least I know, that he will go, and that gladly; for he has a hero's heart within him, loving glory, and scorning to break the word which he has given.'

Part Three

Jason saw that he was entrapped; but his second promise to Cheiron came into his mind, and he thought, 'What if the Centaur were a prophet in that also, and meant that I should win the fleece!' Then he cried aloud--'You have well spoken, cunning uncle of mine! I love glory, and I dare keep to my word. I will go and fetch this golden fleece. Promise me but this in return, and keep your word as I keep mine. Treat my father lovingly while I am gone, for the sake of the all-seeing Zeus; and give me up the kingdom for my own on the day that I bring back the golden fleece.'

Then Pelias looked at him and almost loved him, in the midst of all his hate; and said, 'I promise, and I will perform. It will be no shame to give up my kingdom to the man who wins that fleece.' Then they swore a great oath between them; and afterwards both went in, and lay down to sleep.

But Jason could not sleep for thinking of his mighty oath, and how he was to fulfil it, all alone, and without wealth or friends. So he tossed a long time upon his bed, and thought of this plan and of that; and sometimes Phrixus seemed to call him, in a thin voice, faint and low, as if it came from far across the sea, 'Let me come home to my fathers and have rest.' And sometimes he seemed to see the eyes of Hera, and to hear her words again--'Call on me in the hour of need, and see if the Immortals can forget.'

[The next day Jason offered a sacrifice]; and as he stood by the altar Hera sent a thought into his mind; and he went back to Pelias, and said--'If you are indeed in earnest, give me two heralds, that they may go round to all the princes of the Minyae, who were pupils of the Centaur with me, that we may fit out a ship together, and take what shall befall.'

At that Pelias praised his wisdom, and hastened to send the heralds out; for he said in his heart, 'Let all the princes go with him, and, like him, never return; for so I shall be lord of all the Minyae, and the greatest king in Hellas.'

Narration and Discussion

Why did Pelias seem so happy at first to see Jason?

Why did Jason finally agree to take Pelias's challenge?

For further thought: Why does Pelias believe that the task is an impossible one?

Lesson #14

Introduction

Jason gathers fifty of his old schoolmates (including some we haven't yet heard of), and they plan their expedition to Colchis.

Vocabulary

coats of mail: armour

greaves: leg protectors

lances: spears

pitch, vermilion: we have seen these words before in the story of Perseus

pine-trunk rollers: One way to move a heavy object, such as a ship, is to put a series of logs in its path, and as they roll forward the object will move with them. The logs at the back are then used again at the front. (As children, we were told that this is how the ancient Egyptians moved giant stones to build the pyramids, and we replicated it with small objects and a handful of coloured pencils. Try it for yourself!)

cordage: ships' ropes

People

Hylas (HIGH-las)

Tiphys (TYE-fis)

Castor and Polydeuces: or Castor and Pollux

Thetis (THEH-tis): Peleus tells us more about her in the next lesson.

Orpheus (OR-fee-us): the most musical of the Argonauts. I have omitted the story of his lost love Eurydice, and his search for her through the underworld; AO students will read it later in Age of Fable.

Places

Thrace: (also mentioned in "Perseus") Thrace was a region (and later a Roman province) in southeastern Europe, between the Balkan Mountains, the Aegean Sea, and the Black Sea. Parts of it are in present-day Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey.

Rhodope: The Rhodopes are a mountain range in southeastern Europe.

Haliacmon: the longest river flowing entirely in Greece

Dodona the town of Zeus: a sacred place, similar to Delphi

Reading

Part One

So the heralds went out, and cried to all the heroes of the Minyae, 'Who dare come to the adventure of the golden fleece?'

And Hera stirred the hearts of all the princes, and they came from all their valleys to the yellow sands of Pagasae. And first came Heracles the mighty, with his lion's skin and club, and behind him Hylas his young squire, who bore his arrows and his bow; and Tiphys, the skillful steersman; and Butes, the fairest of all men; and Castor and Polydeuces the twins, the sons of the magic swan; and Caeneus, the strongest of mortals, whom the Centaurs tried in vain to kill, and overwhelmed him with trunks of pine-trees, but even so he would not die; and thither came Zetes and Calais, the winged sons of the north wind; and Peleus [omission], whose bride was silver-footed Thetis, the goddess of the sea.

And thither came Telamon and Oileus [omission]; and Mopsus, the wise soothsayer, who knew the speech of birds; and Idmon, to whom Phoebus gave a tongue to prophesy of things to come; and Ancaeus, who could read the stars, and knew all the circles of the heavens; and Argus, the famed shipbuilder, and many a hero more, in helmets of brass and gold with tall dyed horse-hair crests, and embroidered shirts of linen beneath their coats of mail, and greaves of polished tin to guard their knees in fight; with each man his shield upon his shoulder, of many a fold of tough bull's hide, and his sword of tempered bronze in his silver-studded belt; and in his right hand a pair of lances [made of heavy white ash-wood].

So they came down to Iolcos, and all the city came out to meet them, and were never tired with looking at their height, and their beauty, and their gallant bearing, and the glitter of their inlaid arms. And some said, 'Never was such a gathering of the heroes since the Hellenes conquered the land.' But the women sighed over them, and whispered, 'Alas! they are all going to their death!'

Part Two

Then they felled the pines on Pelion, and shaped them with the axe, and Argus taught them to build a galley, the first long ship which ever sailed the seas. They pierced her for fifty oars--an oar for each hero of the crew--and pitched her with coal-black pitch, and painted her bows with vermilion; and they named her Argo after Argus, and worked at her all day long. And at night Pelias feasted them like a king, and they slept in his palace-porch.

But Jason went away to the northward, and into the land of Thrace, till he found Orpheus, the prince of minstrels, where he dwelt in his cave under Rhodope [omission]. And he asked him, 'Will you leave your mountains, Orpheus, my fellow-scholar in old times, and cross [the river] Strymon once more with me, to sail with the heroes of the Minyae, and bring home the golden fleece, and charm for us all men and all monsters with your magic harp and song?'

Then Orpheus sighed, 'Have I not had enough of toil and of weary wandering, far and wide since I lived in Cheiron's cave, above Iolcos by the sea? [omission]. And now I must go out again, to the ends of all the earth, far away into the misty darkness, to the last wave of the Eastern Sea. But what is doomed must be, and a friend's demand obeyed; for prayers are the daughters of Zeus, and who honours them honours him.'

Then Orpheus rose up, sighing, and took his harp, and went over Strymon.

He led Jason to the south-west, up the banks of Haliacmon and over the spurs of Pindus, to Dodona the town of Zeus. [There Orpheus bade Jason cut down a bough of the holy oak tree, and make a sacrifice to Hera and to Zeus.] And they took the bough and came to Iolcos, and nailed it to the beak-head of the ship.

Part Three

And at last the ship was finished, and they tried to launch her down the beach; but she was too heavy for them to move her, and her keel sank deep into the sand. Then all the heroes looked at each other blushing; but Jason spoke, and said, 'Let us ask the magic bough; perhaps it can help us in our need.'

Then a voice came from the bough, and Jason heard the words it said, and bade Orpheus play upon the harp, while the heroes waited round, holding the pine-trunk rollers, to help her toward the sea.

Then Orpheus took his harp, and began his magic song--

How sweet it is to ride upon the surges, and to leap from wave to wave, while the wind sings cheerful in the cordage, and the oars flash fast among the foam!

How sweet it is to roam across the ocean, and see new towns and wondrous lands, and to come home laden with treasure, and to win undying fame!

And the good ship Argo heard him, and longed to be away and out at sea; till she stirred in every timber, and heaved from stem to stern, and leapt up from the sand upon the rollers, and plunged onward like a gallant horse; and the heroes fed her path with pine-trunks, till she rushed into the whispering sea.

Then they stored her well with food and water, and pulled the ladder up on board, and settled themselves each man to his oar, and kept time to Orpheus's harp; and away across the bay they rowed southward, while the people lined the cliffs; and the women wept, while the men shouted, at the starting of that gallant crew.

Narration and Discussion

Why is Orpheus such an asset to the crew of the Argo? Do you think his special gifts may be important later on? (But will he ever stop sighing?)

Creative narration: You are a news reporter on the scene of the big boat launch at Iolcos. Tell about what you are seeing, and perhaps talk to someone who is going on the journey, or watching from the shore.

Lesson #15

Introduction

The heroes start off on their journey, with a stop to visit Cheiron (and Achilles, the son of Peleus, who is now being schooled by the Centaur).

Vocabulary

crowned with olive: wearing a leafy crown such as were worn in athletic games

awful: solemn

corn: grain, such as wheat or barley

venison: deer meat

hawsers: ropes that moor the ship

People

Achilles (Ah-KEE-leez): The son of Peleus and Thetis, who (as his father says) would become famous in his own right

Cyzicus (SIH-zi-cus)

Places

Aphetae (or Aphetai): a port across the bay from Iolcos

Reading

Prologue

What happened next, my children, whether it be true or not, stands written in ancient songs, which you shall read for yourselves someday. And grand old songs they are, written in grand old rolling verse; and they call them the Songs of Orpheus, or the Orphics, to this day.

They tell how the heroes came to Aphetae, across the bay, and waited for the south-west wind, and chose themselves a captain from their crew; and how all called for Heracles, because he was the strongest and most huge; but Heracles refused, and called for Jason, because he was the wisest of them all. So Jason was chosen captain; and Orpheus heaped a pile of wood, and slew a bull, and offered it to Hera, and called all the heroes to stand round, each man's head crowned with olive, and to strike their swords into the bull. Then he filled a golden goblet with the bull's blood, and with wheaten flour, and honey, and wine, and the bitter salt-sea water, and bade the heroes taste. So each tasted the goblet, and passed it round, and vowed an awful vow: and they vowed before the sun, and the night, and the blue-haired sea who shakes the land, to stand by Jason faithfully in the adventure of the golden fleece; and whosoever shrank back, or disobeyed, or turned traitor to his vow, then justice should minister against him [omission].

Then Jason lighted the pile, and burnt the carcass of the bull; and they went to their ship and sailed eastward, like men who have a work to do; and the place from which they went was called Aphetae, the sailing-place, from that day forth. Three thousand years and more they sailed away, into the unknown Eastern seas; and great nations have come and gone since then, and many a storm has swept the earth; and many a mighty armament, to which Argo would be but one small boat; English and French, Turkish and Russian, have sailed those waters since; yet the fame of that small Argo lives forever, and her name is become a proverb among men.

Part One

So they sailed past the Isle of Sciathos, with the Cape of Sepius on their left, and turned to the northward toward Pelion, up the long Magnesian shore. On their right hand was the open sea, and on their left old Pelion rose, while the clouds crawled round his dark pine-forests, and his caps of summer snow. And their hearts yearned for the dear old mountain, as they thought of pleasant days gone by, and of the sports of their boyhood, and their hunting, and their schooling in the cave beneath the cliff.

And at last Peleus spoke, 'Let us land here, friends, and climb the dear old hill once more. We are going on a fearful journey; who knows if we shall see Pelion again? Let us go up to Cheiron our master, and ask his blessing ere we start. And I have a boy, too, with him, whom he trains as he trained me once--the son whom Thetis brought me, the silver-footed lady of the sea, whom I caught in the cave, and tamed her, though she changed her shape seven times. For she changed, as I held her, into water, and to vapour, and to burning flame, and to a rock, and to a black-maned lion, and to a tall and stately tree. But I held her and held her ever, till she took her own shape again, and led her to my father's house, and won her for my bride [omission]. And now let me see my son; for it is not often I shall see him upon earth: famous he will be, but short-lived, and die in the flower of youth.'

So Tiphys the helmsman steered them to the shore under the crags of Pelion; and they went up through the dark pine-forests towards the Centaur's cave.

And they came into the misty hall, beneath the snow-crowned crag; and saw the great Centaur lying, with his huge limbs spread upon the rock; and beside him stood Achilles, the child whom no steel could wound, and played upon his harp right sweetly, while Cheiron watched and smiled.

Then Cheiron leapt up and welcomed them, and kissed them every one, and set a feast before them of swine's flesh, and venison, and good wine; and young Achilles served them, and carried the golden goblet round. And after supper all the Heroes clapped their hands, and called on Orpheus to sing; but he refused, and said, 'How can I, who am the younger, sing before our ancient host?' So they called on Cheiron to sing, and Achilles brought him his harp; and he began a wondrous song; a famous story of old time, of the fight between the Centaurs and the Lapithai, which you may still see carved in stone. He sang how his brothers came to ruin by their folly, when they were mad with wine; and how they and the heroes fought, with fists, and teeth, and the goblets from which they drank; and how they tore up the pine-trees in their fury, and hurled great crags of stone, while the mountains thundered with the battle, and the land was wasted far and wide; till the Lapithai drove them from their home in the rich Thessalian plains to the lonely glens of Pindus, leaving Cheiron all alone. And the Heroes praised his song right heartily; for some of them had helped in that great fight.

Then Orpheus took the lyre, and sang of Chaos, and the making of the wondrous World, and how all things sprang from Love, who could not live alone in the Abyss. And as he sang, his voice rose from the cave, above the crags, and through the tree-tops, and the glens of oak and pine. And the trees bowed their heads when they heard it, and the grey rocks cracked and rang, and the forest beasts crept near to listen, and the birds forsook their nests and hovered round. And old Cheiron clapped his hands together, and beat his hoofs upon the ground, for wonder at that magic song.

Then Peleus kissed his boy, and wept over him, and they went down to the ship; and Cheiron came down with them, weeping, and kissed them one by one, and blest them, and promised to them great renown. And the Heroes wept when they left him, till their great hearts could weep no more; for he was kind and just and pious, and wiser than all beasts and men. Then he went up to a cliff, and prayed for them, that they might come home safe and well; while the heroes rowed away, and watched him standing on his cliff above the sea, with his great hands raised toward heaven, and his white locks waving in the wind; and they strained their eyes to watch him to the last, for they felt that they should look on him no more.

Part Two: A Very Sad Story

So they rowed on over the long swell of the sea, past Olympus, the seat of the Immortals, and past the wooded bays of Athos, and Samothrace the sacred isle; and they came past Lemnos to the Hellespont, and through the narrow strait of Abydos, and so on into the Propontis, which we call Marmora now. And there they met with [a ruler named] Cyzicus [omission], who, the songs say, was the son of Aeneas [omission]. Now Cyzicus, the songs say, welcomed the Heroes, for his father had been one of Cheiron's scholars; so he welcomed them, and feasted them, and stored their ship with corn and wine, and cloaks and rugs [omission], and shirts, of which no doubt they stood in need.

But at night, while they lay sleeping, [there] came down on them terrible [beasts with six arms], and they fought with young firs and pines. But Heracles killed them all before morn with his deadly poisoned arrows; but among them, in the darkness, he slew Cyzicus the kindly prince.

Then they got to their ship and to their oars, and Tiphys bade them cast off the hawsers and go to sea. But as he spoke a whirlwind came, and spun the Argo round, and twisted the hawsers together, so that no man could loose them. Then Tiphys dropped the rudder from his hand, and cried, 'This comes from the gods above.' But Jason went forward, and asked counsel of the magic bough.

Then the magic bough spoke, and answered, 'This is because you have slain Cyzicus your friend. You must appease his soul, or you will never leave this shore.' Jason went back sadly, and told the Heroes what he had heard. And they leapt on shore, and searched till dawn; and at dawn they found the body, all rolled in dust and blood, among the corpses of those monstrous beasts.

And they wept over their kind host, and laid him on a fair bed, and heaped a huge mound over him, and offered black sheep at his tomb, and Orpheus sang a magic song to him, that his spirit might have rest. And then they held games at the tomb, after the custom of those times, and Jason gave prizes to each winner. To Ancaeus he gave a golden cup, for he wrestled best of all; and to Heracles a silver one, for he was the strongest of all; and to Castor, who rode best, a golden crest; and Polydeuces the boxer had a rich carpet, and to Orpheus for his song a sandal with golden wings. But Jason himself was the best of all the archers, and the Minyae crowned him with an olive crown; and so, the songs say, the soul of good Cyzicus was appeased and the heroes went on their way in peace.

But when Cyzicus's wife heard that he was dead, she died likewise of grief; and her tears became a fountain of clear water, which flows the whole year round.

Narration and Discussion

Would you say this journey has gotten off to a good start?

Does it seem stranger to make a sacrifice of sheep at a funeral, or to have wrestling and archery games? Why do you think they did these things?

For further thought: Orpheus sang a song about the creation of all things. Have you ever heard of another story with such a song?

The Lion was pacing to and fro about that empty land and singing his new song. It was . . . a gentle, rippling music. And as he walked and sang the valley grew green with grass. (C. S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew [AO Free Reading, Year Four]

Lesson #16

Introduction

Jason and the Argonauts continue their journey to Colchis. Finally (though decreased by a few), they arrive at Colchis, and decide to declare straight out what they have come for. King Aietes is not in a mood to be co-operative, but certain members of his family feel differently.

Note: There are several omissions in this reading, for the sake of length and moving the story along.

Vocabulary

by stealth: secretly

carried him down under the lake to be their playfellow . . . : One might say that Hylas became a water-baby.

heron: waterbird

withies: willow branches

appease the nymphs: do something to satisfy them, or atone for a wrong done

scepter (British, sceptre): an ornamented staff carried by royalty

kept ward: kept watch

base: cowardly

sow them with serpents' teeth: Those who have read Tanglewood Tales may remember the story of Cadmus sowing dragon's teeth, and how a race of warriors sprang from the ground. Although Jason is challenged here to do something similar, it is not the same story.

nine ells high: 33.75 feet (about 11 m)

People

Harpies: legendary winged creatures who swoop down and steal food. Their story is shortened here, as AO students will read more about them in Age of Fable.

Ancaeus: King of the Island of Samos, who became helmsman after Tiphys

King Aietes (Ay-EE-teez or Eye-EE-teez): Introduced in Lesson #10.

Medea (Meh-DEE-ah or Meh-DAY-ah): daughter of King Aietes. See introductory note Tell me about Medea.

Chalciope: see Lesson #10

Argus, Phrixus's son: Not the shipbuilder, but another by the same name.

Brimo: an angry goddess

Circe (SUR-see)

Idas: a prince of Messene

Places

Rhyndacus: the ancient name for a river in Anatolia (part of present-day Turkey)

Mount Arganthonius: a mountain range in ancient Bithynia (a kingdom in the northwest part of Asia Minor, now part of Turkey)

Caucasus: the mountains between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea

Phasis: now called the Rioni; the main river of western Georgia

Reading

Part One

Then they rowed away, the songs say, along the Mysian shore, and past the mouth of the Rhyndacus, till they found a pleasant bay, sheltered by the long ridges of Mount Arganthonius, and by high walls of basalt rock. And there they ran the ship ashore upon the yellow sand, and furled the sail, and took the mast down, and lashed it in its crutch. And next they let down the ladder, and went ashore to sport and rest.

And there Heracles went away into the woods, bow in hand, to hunt wild deer; and Hylas the fair boy slipped away after him, and followed him by stealth, until he [Hylas] lost himself among the glens, and sat down weary to rest himself by the side of a lake; and there the water nymphs came up to look at him, and loved him, and carried him down under the lake to be their playfellow, forever happy and young. And Heracles sought for him in vain, shouting his name till all the mountains rang; but Hylas never heard him, far down under the sparkling lake. So while Heracles wandered searching for him, a fair breeze sprang up, and Heracles was nowhere to be found; and the Argo sailed away, and Heracles was left behind.

[Omissions for length: Polydeuces boxes with a giant. Zetes and Calais fight with the Harpies.]

Sidebar: The Harpies

Some readers may be disappointed after that last note. How can you tell the story of Jason without the Harpies? For those who insist, we include the following. Those who don't care about it can move on, because this is already quite a long reading.

And the Minyae went on up the Bosphorus, till they came to the city of Phineus, the fierce Bithynian king; for Zetes and Calais bade Jason land there, because they had a work to do.

And they went up from the shore toward the city, through forests white with snow; and Phineus came out to meet them with a lean and woeful face, and said, 'Welcome, gallant heroes, to the land of bitter blasts, the land of cold and misery; yet I will feast you as best I can.' And he led them in, and set meat before them; but before they could put their hands to their mouths, down came two fearful monsters, the like of whom man never saw; for they had the faces and the hair of fair maidens, but the wings and claws of hawks; and they snatched the meat from off the table, and flew shrieking out above the roofs.

Then Phineus beat his breast and cried, 'These are the Harpies, whose names are the Whirlwind and the Swift, the daughters of Wonder and of the Amber-nymph, and they rob us night and day [omission]. They haunt me, and my people, and the Bosphorus, with fearful storms; and sweep away our food from off our tables, so that we starve in spite of all our wealth.'

Then up rose Zetes and Calais, the winged sons of the North-wind, and said, 'Do you not know us, Phineus, and these wings which grow upon our backs?' And Phineus hid his face in terror; but he answered not a word.

[omission for content: Zetes and Calais list the terrible sins of Phineus, and force him to change his ways.]

But Zetes and Calais rose up sadly and said, 'Farewell now, heroes all; farewell, our dear companions, with whom we played on Pelion in old times; for a fate is laid upon us, and our day is come at last, in which we must hunt the whirlwinds over land and sea forever; and if we catch them they die, and if not, we die ourselves.'

At that all the heroes wept; but the two young men sprang up, and aloft into the air after the Harpies. [And the Heroes did not see them again.]

[omission for length]

Part Two

The Argonauts went eastward, and out into the open sea, which we now call the Black Sea, but it was called the Euxine then. No Hellene had ever crossed it, and all feared that dreadful sea, and its rocks, and shoals, and fogs, and bitter freezing storms; and they told strange stories of it, some false and some half-true, how it stretched northward to the ends of the earth, and the sluggish Putrid Sea, and the everlasting night, and the regions of the dead. So the heroes trembled, for all their courage, as they came into that wild Black Sea, and saw it stretching out before them, without a shore, as far as eye could see.

And first Orpheus spoke, and warned them, 'We shall come now to the wandering blue rocks; my mother [Calliope, the immortal muse,] warned me of them.' And soon they saw the blue rocks shining like spires and castles of grey glass, while an ice-cold wind blew from them and chilled all the heroes' hearts. And as they neared they could see them heaving, as they rolled upon the long sea-waves, crashing and grinding together, till the roar went up to heaven. The sea sprang up in spouts between them, and swept round them in white sheets of foam; but their heads swung nodding high in air, while the wind whistled shrill among the crags.

The heroes' hearts sank within them, and they lay upon their oars in fear; but Orpheus called to Tiphys the helmsman, 'Between them we must pass; so look ahead for an opening, and be brave, for Hera is with us.' But Tiphys the cunning helmsman stood silent, clenching his teeth, till he saw a heron come flying mast-high toward the rocks, and hover awhile before them, as if looking for a passage through. Then he cried, 'Hera has sent us a pilot; let us follow the cunning bird.'

Then the heron flapped to and fro a moment, till he saw a hidden gap, and into it he rushed like an arrow, while the heroes watched what would befall.

And the blue rocks clashed together as the bird fled swiftly through; but they struck but a feather from his tail, and then rebounded apart at the shock. Then Tiphys cheered the heroes, and they shouted; and the oars bent like withies beneath their strokes as they rushed between those toppling ice-crags and the cold blue lips of death. And ere the rocks could meet again they had passed them, and were safe out in the open sea.

[Omission for length: the loss of two more of the crew, including Tiphys the helmsman, who was replaced by Ancaeus.]

Part Three

And they rowed three days to the eastward, while Caucasus rose higher hour by hour, till they saw the dark stream of Phasis rushing headlong to the sea, and, shining above the tree-tops, the golden roofs of King Aietes, the child of the Sun.

Then out spoke Ancaeus the helmsman, 'We are come to our goal at last, for there are the roofs of Aietes, and the woods where all poisons grow; but who can tell us where among them is hid the golden fleece? Many a toil must we bear ere we find it, and bring it home to Greece.'

But Jason cheered the heroes, for his heart was high and bold; and he said, 'I will go alone up to Aietes, though he be the child of the Sun, and win him with soft words. Better so than to go altogether, and to come to blows at once.' But the Minyae would not stay behind, so they rowed boldly up the stream.

And a dream came to Aietes, and filled his heart with fear. He thought he saw a shining star, which fell into his daughter's lap; and that Medea his daughter took it gladly, and carried it to the riverside, and cast it in, and there the whirling river bore it down, and out into the Euxine Sea.

Then he leapt up in fear, and bade his servants bring his chariot, that he might go down to the riverside and appease the nymphs, and the heroes whose spirits haunt the bank. So he went down in his golden chariot, and his daughters by his side, Medea the fair witch-maiden, and Chalciope, who had been Phrixus's wife, and behind him a crowd of servants and soldiers, for he was a rich and mighty prince.

And as he drove down by the reedy river he saw Argo sliding up beneath the bank, and many a hero in her, like Immortals for beauty and for strength, as their weapons glittered round them in the level morning sunlight, through the white mist of the stream. But Jason was the noblest of all; for Hera, who loved him, gave him beauty and tallness and terrible manhood.

And when they came near together and looked into each other's eyes the heroes were awed before Aietes as he shone in his chariot, like his father the glorious Sun; for his robes were of rich gold tissue, and the rays of his diadem flashed fire; and in his hand he bore a jeweled scepter, which glittered like the stars; and sternly he looked at them under his brows, and sternly he spoke and loud--

'Who are you, and what want you here [omission]? Do you take no account of my rule, nor of my people the Colchians who serve me, who never tired yet in the battle, and know well how to face an invader?'

And the heroes sat silent awhile before the face of that ancient king.

But Hera the awful goddess put courage into Jason's heart, and he rose and shouted loudly in answer, 'We are no pirates nor lawless men. We come not to plunder and to ravage, or carry away slaves from your land; but my uncle, the son of Poseidon, Pelias the Minyan king, he it is who has set me on a quest to bring home the golden fleece. And these too, my bold comrades, they are no nameless men; for some are the sons of Immortals, and some of heroes far renowned. And we too never tire in battle, and know well how to give blows and to take: yet we wish to be guests at your table: it will be better so for both.'

Then Aietes' race rushed up like a whirlwind, and his eyes flashed fire as he heard; but he crushed his anger down in his breast, and spoke mildly a cunning speech--

'If you will fight for the fleece with my Colchians, then many a man must die. But do you indeed expect to win from me the fleece in fight? So few you are that if you be worsted I can load your ship with your corpses. But if you will be ruled by me, you will find it better far to choose the best man among you, and let him fulfil the labours which I demand. Then I will give him the golden fleece for a prize and a glory to you all.' So saying, he turned his horses and drove back in silence to the town.

And the Minyae sat silent with sorrow, and longed for Heracles and his strength; for there was no facing the thousands of the Colchians and the fearful chance of war.

But Chalciope, Phrixus's widow, went weeping to the town; for she remembered her Minyan husband, and all the pleasures of her youth, while she watched the fair faces of his kinsmen, and their long locks of golden hair. And she whispered to Medea her sister, 'Why should all these brave men die? why does not my father give them up the fleece, that my husband's spirit may have rest?'

And Medea's heart pitied the heroes, and Jason most of all; and she answered, 'Our father is stern and terrible, and who can win the golden fleece?' But Chalciope said, 'These men are not like our men; there is nothing which they cannot dare nor do.'

And Medea thought of Jason and his brave countenance, and said, 'If there was one among them who knew no fear, I could show him how to win the fleece.'

Part Four

So in the dusk of evening they went down to the river-side, Chalciope and Medea [omission], and Argus, Phrixus's son. And Argus the boy crept forward, among the beds of reeds, till he came where the heroes were sleeping, on the thwarts of the ship, beneath the bank, while Jason kept ward on shore, and leant upon his lance full of thought. And the boy came to Jason, and said--'I am the son of Phrixus, your cousin; and Chalciope my mother waits for you, to talk about the golden fleece.'

Then Jason went boldly with the boy, and found the two princesses standing; and when Chalciope saw him she wept, and took his hands, and cried--'O cousin of my beloved, go home before you die!'

'It would be base to go home now, fair princess, and to have sailed all these seas in vain.' Then both the princesses besought him; but Jason said, 'It is too late.'

'But you know not,' said Medea, 'what he must do who would win the fleece. He must tame the two brazen-footed bulls, who breathe devouring flame; and with them he must plough ere nightfall four acres in the field of Ares; and he must sow them with serpents' teeth, of which each tooth springs up into an armed man. Then he must fight with all those warriors; and little will it profit him to conquer them, for the fleece is guarded by a serpent, more huge than any mountain pine; and over his body you must step if you would reach the golden fleece.'

Then Jason laughed bitterly. 'Unjustly is that fleece kept here, and by an unjust and lawless king; and unjustly shall I die in my youth, for I will attempt it ere another sun be set.'

Then Medea trembled, and said, 'No mortal man can reach that fleece unless I guide him through. For round it, beyond the river, is a wall full nine ells high, with lofty towers and buttresses, and mighty gates of threefold brass; and over the gates the wall is arched, with golden battlements above. And over the gateway sits Brimo, the wild witch-huntress of the woods, brandishing a pine-torch in her hands, while her mad hounds howl around. No man dare meet her or look on her, but only I her priestess, and she watches far and wide lest any stranger should come near.'

'No wall so high but it may be climbed at last, and no wood so thick but it may be crawled through; no serpent so wary but he may be charmed, or witch-queen so fierce but spells may soothe her; and I may yet win the golden fleece, if a wise maiden help bold men.'

And he looked at Medea cunningly, and held her with his glittering eye, till she blushed and trembled, and said--'Who can face the fire of the bulls' breath, and fight ten thousand armed men?'

'He whom you help,' said Jason, flattering her, 'for your fame is spread over all the earth. Are you not the queen of all enchantresses, wiser even than your sister Circe, in her fairy island in the West?'

'Would that I were with my sister Circe in her fairy island in the West, far away from sore temptation and thoughts which tear the heart! But if it must be so--for why should you die?--I have an ointment here; I made it from the magic ice-flower which sprang from Prometheus's wound, above the clouds on Caucasus, in the dreary fields of snow. Anoint yourself with that, and you shall have in you seven men's strength; and anoint your shield with it, and neither fire nor sword can harm you. But what you begin you must end before sunset, for its virtue lasts only one day. And anoint your helmet with it before you sow the serpents' teeth; and when the sons of earth spring up, cast your helmet among their ranks, and the deadly crop of the War-god's field will mow itself, and perish.'

Then Jason fell on his knees before her, and thanked her and kissed her hands; and she gave him the vase of ointment, and fled trembling through the reeds. And Jason told his comrades what had happened, and showed them the box of ointment; and all rejoiced but Idas, and he grew mad with envy.

Narration and Discussion

Why does King Aietes not want to give up the golden fleece?

Why do you think Medea is so interested in helping Jason? (Some versions of the story say that Aphrodite, the goddess of love, made Medea fall in love with Jason, and that this false start was one reason for the difficulties they had later on.)

For further thought: Jason says, "No wall so high but it may be climbed at last, and no wood so thick but it may be crawled through." Do you agree? Have you ever had to do something that seemed impossible? (What changed the impossible to possible?)

Lesson #17

Introduction

Jason carries out the "labours" King Aietes demands. But when Aietes goes back on his word (are you at all surprised?), the Argonauts are forced to use Plan B.

Vocabulary

goaded: drove

till Prometheus heard them from his crag: As Prometheus is supposed to be up in the high mountains, this must have been very loud indeed.

vowed to her that she should be their queen: From this time on, Medea seems to be not only Jason's "love interest," but also his wife (Queen Arete refers to her as such in Lesson #20).

The lot is cast: There is no turning back

ravening: ferociously hungry

kine: cattle

paean: a song of praise or triumph

People

Aethalides (Ee-THAL-i-deez or Ee-thal-LEE-deez): the herald of the Argonauts; known for his gift of never forgetting anything

Apsyrtus (or Absyrtus): young brother of Medea

Reading

Part One

And at sunrise Jason went and bathed, and anointed himself from head to foot, and his shield, and his helmet, and his weapons, and bade his comrades try the spell. So they tried to bend his lance, but it stood like an iron bar; and Idas (in spite) hewed at it with his sword, but the blade flew to splinters in his face. Then they hurled their lances at his shield, but the spear-points turned like lead; and Caeneus tried to throw him, but he never stirred a foot; and Polydeuces struck him with his fist a blow which would have killed an ox, but Jason only smiled, and the heroes danced about him with delight; and he leapt, and ran, and shouted in the joy of that enormous strength, till the sun rose, and it was time to go and to claim Aietes' promise.

So he sent up Telamon and Aethalides to tell Aietes that he was ready for the fight; and they went up among the marble walls, and beneath the roofs of gold, and stood in Aietes' hall, while he grew pale with rage.

'Fulfil your promise to us, child of the blazing Sun. Give us the serpents' teeth, and let loose the fiery bulls; for we have found a champion among us who can win the golden fleece.'

And Aietes bit his lips, for he fancied that they had fled away by night; but he could not go back from his promise; so he gave them the serpents' teeth. Then he called for his chariot and his horses, and sent heralds through all the town; and all the people went out with him to the dreadful War-god's field.

And there Aietes sat upon his throne, with his warriors on each hand, thousands and tens of thousands, clothed from head to foot in steel chain-mail. And the people and the women crowded to every window and bank and wall; while the Minyae stood together, a mere handful in the midst of that great host.

And Chalciope was there and [the boy] Argus, trembling, and Medea, wrapped closely in her veil; but Aietes did not know that she was muttering cunning spells between her lips.

Then Jason cried, 'Fulfil your promise, and let your fiery bulls come forth.'

Then Aietes bade open the gates, and the magic bulls leapt out. Their brazen hoofs rang upon the ground, and their nostrils sent out sheets of flame, as they rushed with lowered heads upon Jason; but he never flinched a step. The flame of their breath swept round him, but it singed not a hair of his head; and the bulls stopped short and trembled when Medea began her spell.

Then Jason sprang upon the nearest and seized him by the horn; and up and down they wrestled, till the bull fell groveling on his knees; for the heart of the brute died within him, and his mighty limbs were loosed [omission]. So both the bulls were tamed and yoked; and Jason bound them to the plough, and goaded them onward with his lance till he had ploughed the sacred field.

And all the Minyae shouted; but Aietes bit his lips with rage, for the half of Jason's work was over, and the sun was yet high in heaven.

Part Two

Then he took the serpents' teeth and sowed them, and waited what would befall [omission]. And every furrow heaved and bubbled, and out of every clod arose a man. Out of the earth they rose by thousands, each clad from head to foot in steel, and drew their swords and rushed on Jason, where he stood in the midst alone.

Then the Minyae grew pale with fear for him; but Aietes laughed a bitter laugh. 'See! if I had not warriors enough already round me, I could call them out of the bosom of the earth.'

But Jason snatched off his helmet, and hurled it into the thickest of the throng. And blind madness came upon them, suspicion, hate, and fear; and one cried to his fellow, 'Thou didst strike me!' and another, 'Thou art Jason; thou shalt die!' So fury seized those earth-born phantoms, and each turned his hand against the rest; and they fought and were never weary, till they all lay dead upon the ground [omission].

Then the Minyae rose and shouted, till Prometheus heard them from his crag. And Jason cried, 'Lead me to the fleece this moment, before the sun goes down.'

But Aietes thought, 'He has conquered the bulls, and sown and reaped the deadly crop. Who is this who is proof against all magic? He may kill the serpent yet.' So he delayed, and sat taking counsel with his princes till the sun went down and all was dark. Then he bade a herald cry, 'Every man to his home for to-night. Tomorrow we will meet these heroes, and speak about the golden fleece.'

Then he turned and looked at Medea. 'This is your doing, false witch-maid! You have helped these yellow-haired strangers, and brought shame upon your father and yourself!'

Medea shrank and trembled, and her face grew pale with fear; and Aietes knew that she was guilty, and whispered, 'If they win the fleece, you die!'

But the Minyae marched toward their ship, growling like lions cheated of their prey; for they saw that Aietes meant to mock them, and to cheat them out of all their toil. Oileus said, 'Let us go to the grove together, and take the fleece by force.' And Idas the rash cried, 'Let us draw lots who shall go in first; for, while the dragon is devouring one, the rest can slay him and carry off the fleece in peace.'

But Jason held them back, though he praised them; for he hoped for Medea's help.

Part Three

And after a while Medea came trembling, and wept a long while before she spoke. And at last--'My end is come, and I must die; for my father has found out that I have helped you. You he would kill if he dared; but he will not harm you, because you have been his guests. Go then, go, and remember poor Medea when you are far away across the sea.'

But all the heroes cried--'If you die, we die with you; for without you we cannot win the fleece, and home we will not go without it, but fall here fighting to the last man.'

'You need not die,' said Jason. 'Flee home with us across the sea. Show us first how to win the fleece; for you can do it. Why else are you the priestess of the grove? Show us but how to win the fleece, and come with us, and you shall be my queen, and rule over the rich princes of the Minyae, in Iolcos by the sea.'

And all the heroes pressed round, and vowed to her that she should be their queen.

Medea wept, and shuddered, and hid her face in her hands; for her heart yearned after her sisters and her playfellows, and the home where she was brought up as a child. But at last she looked up at Jason, and spoke between her sobs--'Must I leave my home and my people, to wander with strangers across the sea? The lot is cast, and I must endure it. I will show you how to win the golden fleece. Bring up your ship to the wood-side, and moor her there against the bank; and let Jason come up at midnight, and one brave comrade with him, and meet me beneath the wall.'

Then all the heroes cried together, 'I will go!' 'and I!' 'and I!' And Idas the rash grew mad with envy; for he longed to be foremost in all things.

But Medea calmed them, and said, 'Orpheus shall go with Jason, and bring his magic harp; for I hear of him that he is the king of all minstrels, and can charm all things on earth.'

And Orpheus laughed for joy, and clapped his hands, because the choice had fallen on him; for in those days poets and singers were as bold warriors as the best.

Part Four

So at midnight they went up the bank, and found Medea; and beside came Apsyrtus her young brother, leading a yearling lamb. Then Medea brought them to a thicket beside the War-god's gate; and there she bade Jason dig a ditch, and kill the lamb, and leave it there, and strew on it magic herbs and honey from the honeycomb.

Then sprang up through the earth, with the red fire flashing before her, Brimo the wild witch-huntress, while her mad hounds howled around. She had one head like a horse's, and another like a ravening hound's, and another like a hissing snake's, and a sword in either hand. And she leapt into the ditch with her hounds, and they ate and drank their fill, while Jason and Orpheus trembled, and Medea hid her eyes. And at last the witch-queen vanished, and fled with her hounds into the woods; and the bars of the gates fell down, and the brazen doors flew wide, and Medea and the heroes ran forward and hurried through the poison wood, among the dark stems of the mighty beeches, guided by the gleam of the golden fleece, until they saw it hanging on one vast tree in the midst.

And Jason would have sprung to seize it; but Medea held him back, and pointed, shuddering, to the tree-foot, where the mighty serpent lay, coiled in and out among the roots, with a body like a mountain pine. His coils stretched many a fathom, spangled with bronze and gold; and half of him they could see, but no more, for the rest lay in the darkness far beyond.

And when he saw them coming he lifted up his head, and watched them with his small bright eyes, and flashed his forked tongue, and roared like the fire among the woodlands, till the forest tossed and groaned. For his cries shook the trees from leaf to root, and swept over the long reaches of the river, and over Aietes' hall, and woke the sleepers in the city, till mothers clasped their children in their fear.

But Medea called gently to him, and he stretched out his long spotted neck, and licked her hand, and looked up in her face, as if to ask for food. Then she made a sign to Orpheus, and he began his magic song. And as he sung, the forest grew calm again, and the leaves on every tree hung still; and the serpent's head sank down, and his brazen coils grew limp, and his glittering eyes closed lazily, till he breathed as gently as a child, while Orpheus called to pleasant Slumber, who gives peace to men, and beasts, and waves.

Then Jason leapt forward warily, and stepped across that mighty snake, and tore the fleece from off the tree-trunk; and the four rushed down the garden, to the bank where the Argo lay. There was a silence for a moment, while Jason held the golden fleece on high. Then he cried, 'Go now, good Argo, swift and steady, if ever you would see Pelion more.'

And she went, as the heroes drove her, grim and silent all, with muffled oars, till the pine-wood bent like willow in their hands, and stout Argo groaned beneath their strokes. On and on, beneath the dewy darkness, they fled swiftly down the swirling stream; underneath black walls, and temples, and the castles of the princes of the East; past sluice-mouths, and fragrant gardens, and groves of all strange fruits; past marshes where fat kine lay sleeping, and long beds of whispering reeds; till they heard the merry music of the surge upon the bar, as it tumbled in the moonlight all alone.

Into the surge they rushed, and Argo leapt the breakers like a horse; for she knew the time was come to show her mettle, and win honour for the heroes and herself. Into the surge they rushed [omission], till the heroes stopped all panting, each man upon his oar, as she slid into the still broad sea.

Then Orpheus took his harp and sang a paean, till the heroes' hearts rose high again; and they rowed on stoutly and steadfastly, away into the darkness of the West.

Narration and Discussion

Tell these events from a non-speaking character's point of view (e.g. Brimo, Apsyrtus, the dragon).

For further thought: How did "suspicion, hate, and fear" kill the dragons-teeth soldiers? Is there a useful thought there for our own lives?

Lesson #18

Introduction

The Argonauts find that it is harder work than they thought to get the Golden Fleece back to Iolcos.

Vocabulary

struck on a shoal: hit a sandbank or rocky area

shoals of fish: large numbers of fish swimming together. (It's interesting that Kingsley uses two different meanings of the word in one passage.)

whelp: puppy

our ship is foul with guilt: In Kingsley's version of the story, the Argonauts are still trying to get themselves to the place where they can be purified.

People

Lynceus (LIN-sooss or LIN-see-us): known for his excellent vision

Enceladus the giant: one of the ancient beings who (according to the myths) participated in a war against the Olympian gods, and who was buried under Mount Etna in Sicily. What do you think Kingsley is describing here?

Charybdis (Ka-RIB-diss): one of a pair of sea monsters who lived in either side of a narrow channel

Scylla [SEE-lah]: the other of the pair

Amphitrite (Am-fi-TRI-tee): the wife of Poseidon the sea god

Places

Ierne: Ireland

Aeaea (Ay-EE-ah): the island home of Circe, thought to be somewhere west of Italy

Sardinia: the second-largest island in the Mediterranean, located west of Italy

Anthemusa (or Anthemoessa): an island, possibly in the Gulf of Naples

Lilybaeum: the western tip of the island of Sicily; on the site of present-day Marsala

Reading

Part One

So they fled away in haste to the westward; but Aietes manned his fleet and followed them. And Lynceus the quick-eyed saw him coming, while he was still many a mile away, and cried, 'I see a hundred ships, like a flock of white swans, far in the east.' And at that they rowed hard, like heroes; but the ships came nearer every hour.

Then Medea [omission] laid a cruel and a cunning plot; for she killed Absyrtus her young brother, and cast him into the sea; and said, 'Ere my father can take up his corpse and bury it, he must wait long, and be left far behind.' And all the heroes shuddered, and looked one at the other for shame; yet they did not punish that dark witch-woman, because she had won for them the golden fleece.

And when Aietes came to the place, he saw the floating corpse; and he stopped a long while, and bewailed his son, and took him up, and went home. But he sent on his sailors toward the westward, and bound them by a mighty curse [if they returned without Medea].

So the Argonauts escaped for that time: but Father Zeus saw that foul crime; and out of the heavens he sent a storm, and swept the ship far from her course. Day after day the storm drove her, amid foam and blinding mist, till they knew no longer where they were, for the sun was blotted from the skies. And at last the ship struck on a shoal, amid low isles of mud and sand, and the waves rolled over her and through her, and the Heroes lost all hope of life.

Then Jason cried to Hera, 'Fair queen, who hast befriended us till now, why hast thou left us in our misery, to die here among unknown seas? It is hard to lose the honour which we have won with such toil and danger, and hard never to see Hellas again, and the pleasant bay of Pagasae.'

Then out spoke the magic bough which stood upon the Argo's beak, 'Because Father Zeus is angry, all this has fallen on you; for a cruel crime has been done on board, and the sacred ship is foul with blood.'

At that some of the heroes [omission] seized Medea, to hurl her into the sea, and atone for the young boy's death; but the magic bough spoke again, 'Let her live till her crimes are full. Vengeance waits for her, slow and sure; but she must live, for you need her still. She must show you the way to her sister Circe, who lives among the islands of the West. To her you must sail, a weary way, and she shall cleanse you from your guilt.'

Then all the heroes wept aloud [omission]; for they knew that a dark journey lay before them, and years of bitter toil. And some upbraided the dark witch-woman, and some said, 'Nay, we are her debtors still; without her we should never have won the fleece.' But most of them bit their lips in silence, for they feared the witch's spells.

And now the sea grew calmer, and the sun shone out once more, and the heroes thrust the ship off the sand-bank, and rowed forward on their weary course under the guiding of the dark witch-maiden, into the wastes of the unknown sea.

[Omission for length: The Argonauts sail "for many a weary day," till even the magic bough complains that it has had enough.]

But ere they could pass Ierne, the land of mists and storms, the wild wind came down, dark and roaring, and caught the sail, and strained the ropes. And away they drove twelve nights, on the wide wild western sea, through the foam, and over the rollers, while they saw neither sun nor stars. And they cried again, 'We shall perish, for we know not where we are. We are lost in the dreary damp darkness, and cannot tell north from south.'

But Lynceus the long-sighted called gaily from the bows, 'Take heart again, brave sailors; for I see a pine-clad isle, and the halls of the kind Earth-mother, with a crown of clouds around them.'

But Orpheus said, 'Turn from them, for no living man can land there: there is no harbour on the coast, but steep-walled cliffs all round.'

Part Two

So Ancaeus turned the ship away; and for three days more they sailed on, till they came to Aeaea, Circe's home, and the fairy island of the West. And there Jason bid them land, and seek about for any sign of living man. And as they went inland Circe met them, coming down toward the ship; and they trembled when they saw her, for her hair, and face, and robes shone like flame.

And she came and looked at Medea; and Medea hid her face beneath her veil. And Circe cried, 'Ah, wretched girl, have you forgotten all your sins, that you come hither to my island, where the flowers bloom all the year round? Where is your aged father, and the brother whom you killed? Little do I expect you to return in safety with these strangers whom you love."

[Omission for length and content: In Kingsley's story, Circe refuses to perform the cleansing ceremony, but sends them on to a place where they can, apparently, do it themselves; so their next adventures are part of the journey there. However, other versions say that Circe did everything necessary, which changes the rest of their journey into their return home.]

They sailed on [past] Sardinia [omission], till they came to a flowery island, upon a still bright summer's eve. And as they neared it, slowly and wearily, they heard sweet songs upon the shore. But when Medea heard it, she started, and cried, 'Beware, all heroes, for these are the rocks of the Sirens. You must pass close by them, for there is no other channel; but those who listen to that song are lost.'

Then Orpheus spoke, the king of all minstrels, 'Let them match their song against mine. I have charmed stones, and trees, and dragons, how much more the hearts of men!' So he caught up his lyre, and stood upon the [deck], and began his magic song.

And now they could see the Sirens on Anthemusa, the flowery isle; three fair maidens sitting on the beach, beneath a red rock in the setting sun, among beds of crimson poppies and golden asphodel. Slowly they sung and sleepily, with silver voices, mild and clear, which stole over the golden waters, and into the hearts of all the Heroes, in spite of Orpheus's song.

And all things stayed around and listened; the gulls sat in white lines along the rocks; on the beach great seals lay basking, and kept time with lazy heads; while silver shoals of fish came up to hearken, and whispered as they broke the shining calm. The Wind overhead hushed his whistling, as he shepherded his clouds toward the west; and the clouds stood in mid blue, and listened dreaming, like a flock of golden sheep.

And as the heroes listened, the oars fell from their hands, and their heads drooped on their breasts, and they closed their heavy eyes; and they dreamed of bright still gardens, and of slumbers under murmuring pines, till all their toil seemed foolishness, and they thought of their renown no more.

Part Three

Then one lifted his head suddenly, and cried, 'What use in wandering forever? Let us stay here and rest awhile.' And another, 'Let us row to the shore, and hear the words they sing.' And another, 'I care not for the words, but for the music. They shall sing me to sleep, that I may rest.' [omission] Then Medea clapped her hands together, and cried, 'Sing louder, Orpheus, sing a bolder strain; wake up these hapless sluggards, or none of them will see the land of Hellas more.'

Then Orpheus lifted his harp, and crashed his cunning hand across the strings; and his music and his voice rose like a trumpet through the still evening air; into the air it rushed like thunder, till the rocks rang and the sea; and into their souls it rushed like wine, till all hearts beat fast within their breasts.

And he sang the song of Perseus, how the gods led him over land and sea, and how he slew the loathly Gorgon, and won himself a peerless bride; and how he sits now with the gods upon Olympus, a shining star in the sky, immortal with his immortal bride, and honoured by all men below.

So Orpheus sang, and the Sirens, answering each other across the golden sea, till Orpheus's voice drowned the Sirens', and the heroes caught their oars again.

And they cried, 'We will be men like Perseus, and we will dare and suffer to the last. Sing us his song again, brave Orpheus, that we may forget the Sirens and their spell.'

[Omission for length and content: Butes, "the fairest of all mortal men," was so entranced by the music that he "forgot all heaven and earth" and was taken by the Sirens.]

And as Orpheus sang, they dashed their oars into the sea, and kept time to his music, as they fled fast away; and the Sirens' voices died behind them, in the hissing of the foam along their wake.

But when the Sirens saw that they were conquered, they shrieked for envy and rage, and leapt from the beach into the sea, and were changed into rocks until this day.

Part Four

Then they came to the straits by Lilybaeum, and saw Sicily, the three-cornered island, under which Enceladus the giant lies groaning day and night, and when he turns the earth quakes, and his breath bursts out in roaring flames from the highest cone of Aetna, above the chestnut woods.

And there Charybdis caught them in its fearful coils of wave, and rolled mast-high about them, and spun them round and round; and they could go neither back nor forward, while the whirlpool sucked them in. And while they struggled they saw near them, on the other side [of] the strait, a rock stand in the water, with its peak wrapped round in clouds--a rock which no man could climb, though he had twenty hands and feet, for the stone was smooth and slippery, as if polished by man's hand; and halfway up a misty cave looked out toward the west.

And when Orpheus saw it he groaned, and struck his hands together. 'Little will it help us,' he cried, 'to escape the jaws of the whirlpool; for in that cave lives Scylla, the sea-hag with a young whelp's voice; my mother warned me of her ere we sailed away from Hellas; she has six heads, and six long necks, and hides in that dark cleft. And from her cave she fishes for all things which pass by--for sharks, and seals, and dolphins, and all the herds of Amphitrite. And never ship's crew boasted that they came safe by her rock, for she bends her long necks down to them, and every mouth takes up a man. And who will help us now? For Hera and Zeus hate us, and our ship is foul with guilt; so we must die, whatever befalls.'

Then out of the depths came Thetis, Peleus's silver-footed bride, for love of her gallant husband, and all her nymphs around her; and they played like snow-white dolphins, diving on from wave to wave, before the ship, and in her wake, and beside her, as dolphins play. And they caught the ship, and guided her, and passed her on from hand to hand, and tossed her through the billows, as maidens toss the ball. And when Scylla stooped to seize her, they struck back her ravening heads, and foul Scylla whined, as a whelp whines, at the touch of their gentle hands. But she shrank into her cave affrighted--for all bad things shrink from good--and Argo leapt safe past her, while a fair breeze rose behind. Then Thetis and her nymphs sank down to their coral caves beneath the sea, and their gardens of green and purple, where live flowers bloom all the year round; while the Heroes went on rejoicing, yet dreading what might come next.

Narration and Discussion

What might have happened if Medea had not killed her brother? Did that justify such a terrible act? (Zeus appeared to think not.)

For further thought: "Those who listen to that song are lost." Are there songs (or words, or ideas) against which people should plug their ears? What are some ways to shut them out?

Lesson #19

Introduction

The Argo lands near a city ruled by the very wealthy King Alcinous and Queen Arete. What might be a relaxing holiday for the sailors, however, turns into a dangerous situation, as emissaries from Medea's father are already there waiting for them.

Vocabulary

jest: joke

steel mail-shirts: armour

quays: docks, piers

happy: fortunate, blessed

People

Alcinous (Al-KEE-nohs): King of the Phaeacians; the husband of Arete. He also appears in The Odyssey.

Hephaestus [Heh-FEH-stus or Heh-FEE-stus]: the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, and volcanoes.

Places

a long high island: possibly the island of Corfu

Liburnia: part of modern-day Croatia

Reading

Part One

After that they rowed on steadily for many a weary day, till they saw a long high island, and beyond it a mountain land. And they searched till they found a harbour, and there rowed boldly in.

[Omission for length: The Argonauts are puzzled by the appearance of an unfamiliar city, especially when they pull the ship in for a closer look and are shouted at rudely by sailors on the pier.]

But they limped ashore, all stiff and weary, with long ragged beards and sunburnt cheeks, and garments torn and weather-stained, and weapons rusted with the spray, while the sailors laughed at them (for they were rough-tongued, though their hearts were frank and kind). And one said, 'These fellows are but raw sailors; they look as if they had been sea-sick all the day.' And another, 'Their legs have grown crooked with much rowing, till they waddle in their walk like ducks.'

At that Idas the rash would have struck them; but Jason held him back, till one of the merchant kings spoke to them, a tall and stately man.

'Do not be angry, strangers; the sailor boys must have their jest. But we will treat you justly and kindly, for strangers and poor men come from God; and you seem no common sailors by your strength, and height, and weapons. Come up with me to the palace of Alcinous, the rich sea-going king, and we will feast you well and heartily; and after that you shall tell us your name.'

But Medea hung back, and trembled, and whispered in Jason's ear, 'We are betrayed, and are going to our ruin, for I see my countrymen among the crowd; dark-eyed Colchi in steel mail-shirts, such as they wear in my father's land.'

'It is too late to turn,' said Jason. And he spoke to the merchant king, 'What country is this, good sir; and what is this new-built town?'

'This is the land of the Phaeacians, beloved by all the Immortals; for they come hither and feast like friends with us, and sit by our side in the hall. Hither we came from Liburnia to escape the unrighteous Cyclopes; for they robbed us, peaceful merchants, of our hard-earned wares and wealth. So Nausithous, the son of Poseidon, brought us hither, and died in peace; and now his son Alcinous rules us, and Arete the wisest of queens.'

So they went up across the square, and wondered still more as they went; for along the quays lay in order great cables, and yards, and masts, before the fair temple of Poseidon, the blue-haired king of the seas. And round the square worked the ship-wrights, as many in number as ants, twining ropes, and hewing timber, and smoothing long yards and oars. And the Minyae went on in silence through clean white marble streets, till they came to the hall of Alcinous, and they wondered then still more.

For the lofty palace shone aloft in the sun, with walls of plated brass, from the threshold to the innermost chamber, and the doors were of silver and gold. And on each side of the doorway sat living dogs of gold, who never grew old or died, so well Hephaestus had made them in his forges in smoking Lemnos, and gave them to Alcinous to guard his gates by night. And within, against the walls, stood thrones on either side, down the whole length of the hall, strewn with rich glossy shawls; and on them the merchant kings of those crafty sea-roving Phaeacians sat eating and drinking in pride, and feasting there all the year round.

[Omission for length: description of the palace and its orchards and gardens]

Part Two

So they went in, and saw Alcinous sitting, like Poseidon, on his throne, with his golden scepter by him, in garments stiff with gold, and in his hand a sculptured goblet, as he pledged the merchant kings; and beside him stood Arete, his wise and lovely queen, and leaned against a pillar as she spun her golden threads. Then Alcinous rose, and welcomed them, and bade them sit and eat; and the servants brought them tables, and bread, and meat, and wine.

But Medea went on trembling toward Arete the fair queen, and fell at her knees, and clasped them, and cried, weeping, as she knelt--'I am your guest, fair queen, and I entreat you by Zeus, from whom prayers come. Do not send me back to my father to die some dreadful death; but let me go my way, and bear my burden. Have I not had enough of punishment and shame?'

'Who are you, strange maiden? and what is the meaning of your prayer?'

'I am Medea, daughter of Aietes, and I saw my countrymen here today; and I know that they are come to find me, and take me home to die some dreadful death.'

Then Arete frowned, and said, 'Lead this girl in, my maidens; and let the kings decide, not I.'

And Alcinous leapt up from his throne, and cried, 'Speak, strangers, who are you? And who is this maiden?'

'We are the Heroes of the Minyae,' said Jason; 'and this maiden has spoken truth. We are the men who took the golden fleece, the men whose fame has run round every shore. We came hither out of the ocean, after sorrows such as man never saw before. We went out many, and come back few, for many a noble comrade have we lost. So let us go, as you should let your guests go, in peace; that the world may say, "Alcinous is a just king."'

But Alcinous frowned, and stood deep in thought; and at last he spoke--'Had not the deed been done which is done, I should have said this day to myself, "It is an honour to Alcinous, and to his children after him, that the far-famed Argonauts are his guests." But these Colchi are my guests, as you are; and for this month they have waited here with all their fleet, for they have hunted all the seas of Hellas, and could not find you, and dared neither go farther, nor go home.'

'Let them choose out their champions, and we will fight them, man for man.'

'No guests of ours shall fight upon our island, and if you go outside they will outnumber you. I will do justice between you, for I know and do what is right.' Then he turned to his kings, and said, 'This may stand over till tomorrow. To-night we will feast our guests, and hear the story of all their wanderings, and how they came hither out of the ocean.'

Part Three

So Alcinous bade the servants take the Heroes in, and bathe them, and give them clothes. And they were glad when they saw the warm water, for it was long since they had bathed. And they washed off the sea-salt from their limbs, and anointed themselves from head to foot with oil, and combed out their golden hair. Then they came back again into the hall, while the merchant kings rose up to do them honour. And each man said to his neighbour, 'No wonder that these men won fame. How they stand now like Giants, or Titans, or Immortals come down from Olympus, though many a winter has worn them, and many a fearful storm. What must they have been when they sailed from Iolcos, in the bloom of their youth, long ago?'

Then they went out to the garden; and the merchant princes said, 'Heroes, run races with us. Let us see whose feet are nimblest.'

'We cannot race against you, for our limbs are stiff from sea; and we have lost our two swift comrades, the sons of the north wind. But do not think us cowards: if you wish to try our strength, we will shoot, and box, and wrestle, against any men on earth.'

And Alcinous smiled, and answered, 'I believe you, gallant guests; with your long limbs and broad shoulders, we could never match you here. For we care nothing here for boxing, or for shooting with the bow; but for feasts, and songs, and harping, and dancing, and running races, to stretch our limbs on shore.'

So they danced there and ran races, the jolly merchant kings, till the night fell, and all went in. And then they ate and drank, and comforted their weary souls, till Alcinous called a herald, and bade him go and fetch the harper.

Part Four

The herald went out, and fetched the harper, and led him in by the hand; and Alcinous cut him a piece of meat, from the fattest of the haunch, and sent it to him, and said, 'Sing to us, noble harper, and rejoice the Heroes' hearts.' So the harper played and sang, while the dancers danced strange figures; and after that the tumblers showed their tricks, till the Heroes laughed again.

Then, 'Tell me, Heroes,' asked Alcinous, 'you who have sailed the ocean round, and seen the manners of all nations, have you seen such dancers as ours here, or heard such music and such singing? We hold ours to be the best on earth.'

'Such dancing we have never seen,' said Orpheus; 'and your singer is a happy man, for Phoebus himself must have taught him, or else he is the son of a Muse, as I am also, and have sung once or twice, though not so well as he.'

'Sing to us, then, noble stranger,' said Alcinous; 'and we will give you precious gifts.'

So Orpheus took his magic harp, and sang to them a stirring song of their voyage from Iolcos, and their dangers, and how they won the golden fleece; and of Medea's love, and how she helped them, and went with them over land and sea; and of all their fearful dangers, from monsters, and rocks, and storms, till the heart of Arete was softened, and all the women wept.

And the merchant kings rose up, each man from off his golden throne, and clapped their hands, and shouted, 'Hail to the noble Argonauts, who sailed the unknown sea!'

Then he went on, and told their journey over the sluggish northern main, and through the shoreless outer ocean, to the fairy island of the west; and of the Sirens, and Scylla, and Charybdis, and all the wonders they had seen, till midnight passed and the day dawned; but the kings never thought of sleep. Each man sat still and listened, with his chin upon his hand. And at last, when Orpheus had ended, they all went thoughtful out, and the Heroes lay down to sleep, beneath the sounding porch outside, where Arete had strewn them rugs and carpets, in the sweet still summer night.

Narration and Discussion

Alcinous promised, "I will do justice between you, for I know and do what is right." If you were Alcinous, what would you do about the dispute between Medea, the Argonauts, and the men from Colchis?

Why couldn't Jason just "have it out" with these enemies?

Creative narration: The song of Orpheus, describing the Heroes' adventures, kept the audience spellbound long into the night. As we are now drawing close to the end of Jason's story, find a creative way (alone or with friends) to illustrate the parts you remember or like best.

Lesson #20

Introduction

According to Kingsley, the Heroes have still not been cleansed from their guilt over the murder; but other tellers, as has been explained, prefer to end that part of the story on Circe's island. In any case, there are still a few adventures left for them all before they arrive home.

Vocabulary

suppliant: one who requests help or mercy

bootless: useless

dragon-car: flying chariot. It's interesting that Jason appears to know this about Medea, since (we assume) she hasn't had any reason to use it during their travels. Keep your eyes open, though--it may come up later on.

ichor: immortal blood

People

Minos the just king: We will hear more about Minos in the story of Theseus.

Talos (or Talus): as explained in the text, a giant bronze "automaton" (or robot), made to protect Princess Europa from kidnappers, pirates, and invaders. (Those who have read Tanglewood Tales will have heard of "Talus" there, in the story of Theseus; but he really belongs in this story instead.)

Places

peak of Ida: Mount Ida, the highest mountain on the island of Crete.

Reading

Part One

Arete pleaded hard with her husband for Medea, for her heart was softened. And she said, 'The gods will punish her, not we. After all, she is our guest and my suppliant, and prayers are the daughters of Zeus. And who, too, dare part man and wife, after all they have endured together?'

And Alcinous smiled. 'The minstrel's song has charmed you: but I must remember what is right, for songs cannot alter justice; and I must be faithful to my name. Alcinous I am called, "the man of sturdy sense"; and Alcinous I will be.' But for all that Arete besought him, until she won him round.

So next morning he sent a herald, and called the kings into the square, and said, 'This is a puzzling matter: remember but one thing. These Minyae live close by us, and we may meet them often on the seas; but Aietes lives afar off, and we have only heard his name. Which, then, of the two is it safer to offend--the men near us, or the men far off?'

The princes laughed, and praised his wisdom; and Alcinous called the Heroes to the square, and the Colchi also; and they came and stood opposite each other, but Medea stayed in the palace. Then Alcinous spoke, 'Heroes of the Colchi, what is your errand about this lady?'

'To carry her home with us, that she may die a shameful death; but if we return without her, we must die the death she should have died.'

'What say you to this, Jason the Aeolid?' said Alcinous, turning to the Minyae.

'I say,' said the cunning Jason, 'that they are come here on a bootless errand. Do you think that you can make her follow you, Heroes of the Colchi--her, who knows all spells and charms? She will cast away your ships on quicksands, or call down on you Brimo the wild huntress; or the chains will fall from off her wrists, and she will escape in her dragon-car; or if not thus, some other way, for she has a thousand plans and wiles. And why return home at all, and face the long seas again [omission]? There is many a fair land round these coasts, which waits for gallant men like you. Better to settle there, and build a city, and let Aietes and Colchis help themselves.'

Then a murmur rose among the Colchi, and some cried 'He has spoken well'; and some, 'We have had enough of roving, we will sail the seas no more!'

And the chief said at last, 'Be it so, then; a plague she has been to us, and a plague to the house of her father, and a plague she will be to you. Take her, since you are no wiser; and we will sail away toward the north.'

Then Alcinous gave them food, and water, and garments, and rich presents of all sorts; and he gave the same to the Minyae, and sent them all away in peace. So [omission] the Colchi went northward into the Adriatic, and settled, and built towns along the shore.

Part Two

And the Heroes rowed [omission] for many a weary day, till their water was spent, and their food eaten; and they were worn out with hunger and thirst. But at last they saw a long steep island, and a blue peak high among the clouds; and they knew it for the peak of Ida, and the famous land of Crete. And they said, 'We will land in Crete, and see Minos the just king, and all his glory and his wealth; at least he will treat us hospitably, and let us fill our water-casks upon the shore.'

But when they came nearer to the island they saw a wondrous sight upon the cliffs. For on a cape to the westward stood a giant, taller than any mountain pine, who glittered aloft against the sky like a tower of burnished brass. He turned and looked on all sides round him, till he saw the Argo and her crew; and when he saw them he came toward them, more swiftly than the swiftest horse, leaping across the glens at a bound, and striding at one step from down to down. And when he came abreast of them he brandished his arms up and down, as a ship hoists and lowers her yards, and shouted with his brazen throat like a trumpet from off the hills, 'You are pirates, you are robbers! If you dare land here, you die.'

Then the Heroes cried, 'We are no pirates. We are all good men and true, and all we ask is food and water'; but the giant cried the more--'You are robbers, you are pirates all; I know you; and if you land, you shall die the death.'

Then he waved his arms again as a signal, and they saw the people flying inland, driving their flocks before them, while a great flame arose among the hills. Then the giant ran up a valley and vanished, and the Heroes lay on their oars in fear.

But Medea stood watching all from under her steep black brows, with a cunning smile upon her lips, and a cunning plot within her heart. At last she spoke, 'I know this giant. I heard of him in the East. Hephaestus the Fire King made him in his forge in Aetna beneath the earth, and called him Talos, and gave him to Minos for a servant, to guard the coast of Crete. Thrice a day he walks round the island, and never stops to sleep; and if strangers land he leaps into his furnace, which flames there among the hills; and when he is red-hot he rushes on them, and burns them in his brazen hands.'

Then all the Heroes cried, 'What shall we do, wise Medea? We must have water, or we die of thirst. Flesh and blood we can face fairly; but who can face this red-hot brass?'

'I can face red-hot brass, if the tale I hear be true. For they say that he has but one vein in all his body, filled with liquid fire; and that this vein is closed with a nail: but I know not where that nail is placed. But if I can get it once into these hands, you shall water your ship here in peace.' Then she bade them put her on shore, and row off again, and wait what would befall.

And the Heroes obeyed her unwillingly, for they were ashamed to leave her so alone; but Jason said, 'She is dearer to me than to any of you, yet I will trust her freely on shore; she has more plots than we can dream of in the windings of that fair and cunning head.'

Part Three

So they left [Medea] on the shore; and she stood there in her beauty all alone, till the giant strode back red-hot from head to heel, while the grass hissed and smoked beneath his tread.

And when he saw the maiden alone, he stopped; and she looked boldly up into his face without moving, and began her magic song:--

Life is short, though life is sweet; and even men of brass and fire must die.
The brass must rust, the fire must cool, for time gnaws all things in their turn.
Life is short, though life is sweet: but sweeter to live forever;
sweeter to live ever youthful like the gods, who have ichor in their veins--
ichor which gives life, and youth, and joy, and a bounding heart.

Then Talos said, 'Who are you, strange maiden, and where is this ichor of youth?'

Then Medea held up a flask of crystal, and said, 'Here is the ichor of youth. I am Medea the enchantress; my sister Circe gave me this, and said, "Go and reward Talos, the faithful servant, for his fame is gone out into all lands." So come, and I will pour this into your veins, that you may live forever young.'

And he listened to her false words, that simple Talos, and came near; and Medea said, 'Dip yourself in the sea first, and cool yourself, lest you burn my tender hands; then show me where the nail in your vein is, that I may pour the ichor in.'

Then that simple Talos dipped himself in the sea, till it hissed, and roared, and smoked; and came and knelt before Medea, and showed her the secret nail. And she drew the nail out gently, but she poured no ichor in; and instead the liquid fire spouted forth, like a stream of red-hot iron.

And Talos tried to leap up, crying, 'You have betrayed me, false witch-maiden!'

But she lifted up her hands before him, and sang, till he sank beneath her spell. And as he sank, his brazen limbs clanked heavily, and the earth groaned beneath his weight; and the liquid fire ran from his heel, like a stream of lava, to the sea; and Medea laughed, and called to the Heroes, 'Come ashore, and water your ship in peace.'

So they came, and found the giant lying dead; and they fell down, and kissed Medea's feet; and watered their ship, and took sheep and oxen, and so left that inhospitable shore.

Narration and Discussion

What do you think of Jason's advice to the men from Colchis?

One of the men warns Jason in return that "a plague she will be to you." Is Medea more of a help or a problem?

Creative narration: It seems that even bronze robots worry about getting old. Create a commercial or magazine advertisement for Medea's "anti-aging remedy." Alternatively, create a commercial or advertisement that might interest the Heroes.