Greek Myth #2 Flashcards
What are the 6 sources for the Jason and the Argonauts myth?
1) Homer’s odyssey: circa 750 B.C.
2) The poet Pindar in his fourth Pythian ode: 462 BC
3) Main source: the epic poem Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes: circa 260-240 BC
4) Apollodorus in his library: circa 125 AD
5) Athenian playwright Euripides in Medea 431 B.C.
6) Roman poet Ovid in Latin epic poem the Metamorphoses circa 1 A.D.
The hero Jason was the rightful prince of which Greek city? Who held the throne instead of Jason’s father?
Iolcus, Thessely
His father’s half brother, Pelias (Jason’s half-uncle)
The story of Jason and the Argonauts essentially begins because of what? (Hint: involves King Pelias and Jason)
Jason returns to his home Iolcus, on his way home he loses a sandal while crossing a river.
King Pelias had heard a prophecy from the oracle to beware of a stranger wearing only one sandal.
Upon Jason’s return, he approaches King Pelias wearing only one sandal, which of course forces the Usurper king to send Jason off on an impossible task.
What was the mission that King Pelias the usurper of Jason’s fathers throne, sent Jason on? (After returning home with only one sandal)
To retrieve the golden fleece, a talismanic treasure located in the far-off Black Sea kingdom of Colchis.
What is the Golden Fleece and where did it come from?
The Golden Fleece was a talismanic treasure, located in the far-off Black Sea kingdom of Colchis.
The fleece had once belonged to a magical, flying ram,
What is the back story of the Golden Fleece’s origin?
The Fleece had once belonged to a magical, flying ram, which figured in the fortunes of another branch of Kretheus’ family.
Athamas married twice, his second wife, Ino, persecuted her predecessor as well as the two children of the first marriage.
She made an attempt on the lives of the children, (Phrixos and Helle). Ino engineered the plan for their father to kill them, but they were saved by the magic ram sent courtesy of Hermes, who carried them out of harm’s way on its golden back.
Helle fell off the rams back into a stretch of water which was named Hellespont thereafter but Phrixos clung on. The ram touched down in Colchis.
Phrixos sacrificed the ram, as a way of returning to the gods, but the Fleece stayed for the time being with Aietes (ruler) in Colchis.
Jason may have not been given Pegasus or any particular divine tools, but what divine material did he use to build his ship the Argo?
Timbers that came from the sacred oak tree of Zeus.
The Argo’s timber had the power of prophetic utterance
What great heroes were members of the Argonauts?
Orpheus Telamon Peleus Heracles Kastor & Polydeukes
and Jason.
Who took care of Jason as a kid and taught him to be a hero?
The Centaur Cheiron
What is a Centaur?
Half man (top), half horse (bottom)
What was the first destination on the Argo’s voyage? What was unique about this location?
The island of Lemnos.
The island was inhabited by only women.
When there husbands turned away from them in favor of slave-girls from the Thracian mainland, the Lemnian wives murdered their husbands, the slave-girls and all the remaining men on the island.
What did the Argonauts do on the island of Lemnos? What made them leave the island?
The Argonauts lay with the lonely widows, and Jason lay with the Queen of the Lemnians, Hypsipyle
The Argonauts did not want to leave the island until Herakles shamed them, and reminded them of the true purpose of the quest.
What was the Argonauts second destination, after the island of Lemnos? What happened there?
The land of Mysians.
Heracles young squire, Hylas, was looking for a spring when a nymph drew him beneath the water in the spring and embraced him.
Heracles remained on the island after the Argo sailed on, to continue the search for his squire who he most likely had romantic feelings for.
What was the Argo’s third destination after the land of Mysians? Who did they meet there?
Salymydessus in Thrace, where they met king Phineus.
King Phineus had prophetic insight which relieved gods’ secrets to mortals.
Any gifts of food brought to him by people who wanted to consult him were rendered inedible by the harpies, which poured a repelling stench over his food.
What condition was the blind king Phineus in when they Argo’s arrived? What did Phineus prophetic insight determine about the Argos? What advice did he give the Argos to help with their mission?
He was starving to death. His prophetic insight could see that Kalais and Zetes, sons of Boteas and brothers of Phineus’s first wife Kleopatra would chase the Harpies away from him forever.
He told the Argos to negotiate the dreaded Clashing Rocks at the entrance of the Black Sea, and continue sailing along its southern shore.
What did they Argos see while coasting along the southern shore of the Black Sea?
They saw the eagle which daily flew to tear out Prometheus’ endlessly self-regenerating liver. They even heard the tortured titans screams.
What was the Argo’s fourth destination after meeting King Phineus and taking his advice to sail along the southern shore of the Black Sea?
Colchis, the destination of their mission. The city that contained the Golden Fleece.
What did Aietes (leader of Colchis) do once Jason and the Argonauts arrived and requested to take the Golden Fleece?
He sent them on an impossible mission, Jason must yoke two bronze-hooved, fire-breathing bulls, plow with them, and sow the furrows with the teeth of a serpent, (the one slain by Cadmus when he founded Thebes).
Just like with Cadmus, the teeth would harvest: armed soldiers.
