Argonauts

• 1. The Quest For The Fleece

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  King Pelias of Iolcus sat upon a throne he had stolen from his half-brother Aeson. An oracle warned him that a descendant of Aeolus would seek revenge for this unlawful act. He killed every prominent descendant he could find, yet spared Aeson because their mother Tyro pleaded for his life. Aeson married Alcimede and they bore a son named Jason. Pelias intended to kill the baby immediately, but Alcimede faked a burial and smuggled the infant to Mount Pelion. There the centaur Chiron raised the boy as his own trainer of heroes.

  When Jason turned twenty years old, an oracle ordered him to dress as a Magnesian and head to the court at Iolcus. While traveling, he lost one sandal crossing the muddy Anauros river while helping an old woman who was actually Hera in disguise. The goddess was angry with King Pelias for killing his stepgrandmother Sidero after she had sought refuge in Hera's temple. Another oracle warned Pelias to be on his guard against a man with only one shoe. Among the crowd standing near the sacrifice to Poseidon stood a tall youth in leopard skin with just one sandal. Pelias recognized that Jason was his nephew.

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• 2. Heroes Of The Argo

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  The ship Argo was built by Argus, son of Arestor or Polybus, and named after its creator. No definite list exists for all fifty-four crew members who joined Jason. H. J. Rose explains this absence because an Argonautic ancestor was an addition to even the proudest pedigrees. Ancient sources like Apollonius Rhodius and Hyginus provide varying lists totaling between forty-six and fifty-five names. Heracles appeared among them but left early when Hylas was ravished away by nymphs. Orpheus played the lyre to counter the song of the Sirens during their voyage.

  Atalanta was included on some lists though Apollonius claims Jason forbade her presence due to potential strife. Castor and Pollux sailed as sons of Zeus and Leda from Sparta. Idmon served as a seer while Tiphys acted as the helmsman. These figures came from diverse regions including Thessaly, Arcadia, and Thrace. Their combined skills ranged from prophecy to boxing matches against King Amycus of the Bebryces. Each hero brought unique strengths to the perilous journey ahead.

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• 3. Voyage Through Mythical Waters

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  The Argonauts first stopped at Lemnos where they discovered all males had been murdered. The women had conspired to kill their fathers and husbands after Aphrodite visited them with a noisome smell for neglecting offerings. Hypsipyle spared her father Thoas and became queen. She fell in love with Jason and bore him sons named Euneus and Nebrophonus. The other crew members consorted with the Lemnian women before Hercules chided them into departure.

  Later they reached Bear Mountain where King Cyzicus received them with generous hospitality. A storm drove them back to the same island causing mutual ignorance between Greeks and Doliones. Jason killed Cyzicus himself during the night battle when the king mistook them for Pelasgican enemies. On the next day the Argonauts mourned and cut off their hair before giving Cyzicus a costly burial. They then sailed past Mysia leaving Heracles behind while Polyphemus founded the city Cius.

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• 4. Medea And The Murder

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  Medea daughter of Aeëtes promised to help Jason yoke the brazen-footed bulls that puffed flames from their mouths. Hera asked Aphrodite to inspire Medea with love for the man so she could save his life. She gave him a drug to anoint his shield, spear, and body making him immune to fire or iron for one day. When armed men rose from sown dragon teeth, Jason threw stones at them until they fought each other. He slew them while Medea lulled the sleeping dragon guarding the fleece in the grove of Ares.

  After stealing the fleece, Medea murdered her brother Apsyrtus to ensure their escape from Colchis. She cut his body limb from limb and threw the pieces into the deep sea. Gathering his child's limbs, Aeëtes fell behind in pursuit and turned back to bury them. Zeus sent a furious storm upon them as anger over the murder drove them out of course. The ship spoke saying the wrath would not cease unless they journeyed to Ausonia and were purified by Circe.

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• 5. Conflicting Return Routes

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  Sozomen wrote that when the Argonauts left Aeëtes they returned via a different route crossing the Sea of Scythia. They sailed through rivers near Italy and built a city called Emona which is part of modern-day Ljubljana in Slovenia. At summer they dragged the Argo on machines to the Aquilis river falling into the Adriatic Sea. Zosimus claimed they arrived at the mouth of the Ister river discharging into the Black Sea before going up against the stream. Pliny the Elder noted some writers claimed the ship came down an unknown river into the Adriatic Sea near Tergeste.

  Other accounts describe the ship being carried across the Alps on men's shoulders after passing along the Ister and Savus rivers. This journey led to Nauportus lying between Emona and the mountains. Some traditions state they returned directly through the Black Sea while others insist on an overland path through Europe. These divergent narratives reflect how ancient authors struggled to reconcile geography with mythological necessity.

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