lecture 20 & ch. 19

Question 1

Who is Hera’s instrument for punishing Pelias?

Answer 1

Medea

Question 2

When Jason and the Argo land on Colchis, Jason receives a task. Who assigns this task? What is the task?

Answer 2

1. King Aeetes
2. Jason is tasked with taking two fire breathing bronze hoofed bulls and yoking them together. He then must use them to plow the Earth, once done, he must take the dragon’s teeth and plant them in the soil in Colchis.
   - Once planted, soldiers emerge from the teeth and Jason must survive the onslaught.

Question 3

Jason cannot complete King Aeetes’ task on his own, he receives help. Who does he receive help from? Why does this person help? How does this person help?

Answer 3

1. Medea
2. She helps him because Aphrodite, on behalf of Hera and her revenge plan against Pelias, sends Eros to arouse Medea for Jason and Jason agreed to marry her if she did help.
3. Medea provides Jason with a fancy ointment that will protect him from the fire breathing bulls if he rubs it over his body prior to initiating King Aeetes’ task.

Question 4

How was Jason able to obtain the golden fleece?

Answer 4

The dragon guarding the Golden Fleece was put to sleep by Medea, which allowed for Jason to take the Golden Fleece.

Question 5

Does Jason keep his word and marry Medea as well as take her back to Greece with him?

Answer 5

YES

Question 6

After obtaining the golden fleece, the Argonauts begin their escape back to Greece. What path does their getaway follow? Why are they pursued by King Aeetes?

Answer 6

1. Their getaway will be accomplished by sailing up the Ister River and emerging in the Adriatic Sea.
2. There pursued either because of the:
   - stolen golden fleece,
   - the potentially abducted Apsyrtus,
   - and maybe for Medea.

Question 7

While in pursuit, King Aeetes; fleet splits in two, half following the Argo and the other half aiming to confront the Argo in its path. What are the two different versions describing the involvement of Apsyrtus, Medea’s
brother.

Answer 7

1. Medea abducted Apsyrtus, her baby brother, before she leaves home.
   - While being pursued, she dismembers her brother and throws his body parts into the water behind the Argo.
   - King Aeetes stops to collect the pieces so he can provide a proper burial and by stopping to do so, the Argo is given time to make their getaway.
2. Apsyrtus is the commander of the fleet that pursues the Argo.
   - When both ships emerge in the Adriatic Sea, Apsyrtus is killed.
   - Jason conducts a series of mutilations on his body; effectively performing a series of rituals to prevent his ghost from haunting them.
   - Jason and Medea will eventually bury Apsyrtus.

Question 8

Regarding heroism, what is different about Jason?

Answer 8

Jason receives help throughout his entire career from Medea.

Question 9

Other than the main voyage of the Argo, there were two additional adventures the Argonauts went on. Describe the stop at Lake Tritonis.

Answer 9

The Argo is thrown inland in Libya and must carry the ship to Lake Tritonis.
- All trapped in the lake, the Argonauts go to the garden of Hesperides.
- In the garden, nymphs are crying because the snake that had guarded the tree was killed by Heracles.
- Triton then assist the Argo and leads them back to the Mediterranean.

Question 10

Other than the main voyage of the Argo there were two additional adventures the Argonauts went on. Describe the interaction that occurred near Crete.

Answer 10

While sailing past Crete, the Argo sales past the giant Talus.
- Talus requires transfusions of ichor; he has a plug in his ankle that needs to be topped up by ichor, without it, he ceases to function.
- Talus has a very fun habit of throwing rocks at ships as they pass by.
- Medea knocks Talus’ ankle with a rock, forcing the plug to come out and the ichor to leak, resulting in talus being killed.

Question 11

Although the Argonautica narrates the adventure of Jason, the focus is elsewhere. What is the focus for this story?

Answer 11

MEDEA
She is key in enabling Jason’s accomplishments.

Question 12

Upon the Argo’s return to Thessaly, Pelias has killed both Jason’s parents as well as his brother. How is Hera’s revenge completed?

Answer 12

Medea was the final piece that Hera needed.
- She goes to Pelias’ daughters, telling them that Pelias is getting old and it would be nice if you was able to live longer which would allow him to rule for longer.
- The daughters agree that it would be nice, Medea then shows them an example by using a ram and chopping it up, putting it in a pot with magic, other charms are used, and out comes a baby ram.
- The daughters then chop up Pelias and bring him to Medea. She puts the pieces in a pot, does the same thing she did with the ram but nothing happens because “oops I guess I forgot a secret ingredient whoopsies.”

BOOM. happy hera. Pelias dead.

Question 13

After the murder of Pelias, Jason and Medea flee to Corinth. what does Euripides depict occurring while they are in Corinth?

Answer 13

1. Jason decides it would be a good thing for their family
   if he remarried, he then goes on to marry the Corinthian princess.
2. Medea comes to the opinion that marriage sucks and decides to take vengeance.
3. She has been expelled from Corinth but has been granted 24 hours by the king to prepare before her
   leave.
4. She tells her 2 children to bring wedding gifts to their new stepmom and beg her to let them stay in Corinth,
   the kids do as they’re told and the princess says yes they can stay.
5. The princess then wears the gown and tiara (the wedding gifts) given to her, without knowing Medea had poisoned them, the princess and her father Creon are taken in fire and die.
6. In her final act, Medea decides that Jason will be forced to live in the state that she is currently living in. She kills their sons, leaving Jason with nothing.

Question 14

In Euripides’ Medea, what is her most famous line of dialogue?

Answer 14

“I’d rather stand in battle three times than bear one child.”
- This is her response to how men say that it’s the
bravery of men which keeps women and children safe; she doesn’t agree with the sentiment.

Question 15

In art, what is the feature of Medea?

Answer 15

She is often depicted during her escape from
Corinth, after murdering her children to get revenge on Jason.
- She makes her getaway in the dragon wagon (Helius’ chariot)

Question 16

Who is Meleager? Who is a notable family member of his?

Answer 16

1. He is the son of Oineus and Althaea.
2. HIS SISTER IS DEIANEIRA, Heracles’ 2nd wife and the reason for his demise.

Question 17

What is significant regarding the mortality of Meleager?

Answer 17

Upon his birth, the three fates show up to his house:
- 2/3 Fates say that he will be successful, powerful…
- The third fate points to a log burning in the fireplace
and says that when the log is consumed Meleager will
die.

Question 18

What happens during the Calydonian boar hunt that results in the death of Meleager?

Answer 18

Oineus committed a ritual offence against Artemis causing her to send the Caledonian Boor as a punishment.
1. Meleager and Oineus put a team together to defeat the boar and all sorts of heroes from Greek myth show up to participate in the hunt, including a single huntress, Atalanta (a devotee of Artemis).
2. The Greek heroes were not enthused about a female hunter being included in the hunt but Meleager had a little crush<3
3. During the hunt, Atalanta struck the first blow and Meleager struck the final blow.
4. Because Meleager killed the boar, he is granted the honor of skinning it, which he does. And he gives the skin to Atalanta, this is not received well by the other heroes (because duh. woman no hunt. woman no kill things? woman not get skin of prize boar.)
5. The outrage is so intense that a fight breaks out, resulting in Meleager killing his uncles.
6. Althaea gets word the her son killed her brothers, so she takes the log tied to Meleager’s life force, and throws it into the fire. Killing him.

Question 19

Who is Atalanta? Why is she kind of a girl boss?

Answer 19

1. She is a devotee to Artemis; committed to her virginity and refuses to marry.
2. Her father wants her to marry so they come to an agreement:
   - If someone can catch her during a foot race, the person that won can marry her.
   - If Atalanta were to win the foot race, she can do what she wishes with the other person i.e. she decapitates them and hangs their head on a wall.

Question 20

Atalanta is devoted to Artemis, and because of her devotion she refuses to marry, but Atalanta does marry. Who does she marry? How did this person win the footrace?

Answer 20

Melanion - He used divine apples.
- Throughout the race, he would throw the apples and because they were shiny, Atalanta would be distracted and go and get them. Due to the effective distractions, Melanion won the footrace and Atlanta’s hand.

Question 21

While Odysseus makes his journey home, there are 12 stops/events that occur before he returns to Ithaca. What are these stops? Briefly explain a notable feature.

Answer 21

1. Cicones (mini troy) - the crew ransacks it.
2. Land of the Lotus Eaters - the crew loses their desire to return home.
3. Polyphemus - Odysseus is cursed.
4. Island of Aeolus - Odysseus receives a bag of winds that prevents the crew from landing on Ithaca.
5. Laestrygonians - cannibals (oh my)
6. Island of Circe - Odysseus learns how to summon the dead (necromancer status. slay.)
7. The Sirens - Odysseus is the only man to have heard their song and not be lured by it.
8. Scylla - a 6 headed monster that eats 6 men of his
   crew.
9. Helius’ Island - Zeus destroys their ship.
10. Island of Ogygia - 7 year Calypso detour.
11. Phaeacia - Returns Odysseus to Ithaca
12. ITHACA - finally home after being gone for 20 years.

Question 22

Why was King Aeetes, of Colchis, so unwelcoming to the argonauts?

Answer 22

He was unwelcoming as he despised foreigners.
- He had received a prophecy
from an oracle that a
foreigner would be his
undoing.
- Because of this warning, Aeetes refused to give the golden fleece to Jason and instead gave Jason the dangerous task involving the fire breathing bulls, in hopes it would kill him.

Question 23

Who are the two best known sorceresses in Greek mythology?

Answer 23

1. Circe, daughter of Helius
2. Medea, granddaughter of Helius

Question 24

According to the ancients what was marriage meant to do to girls?

Answer 24

Marriage was meant to tame the Parthenos, but it was not always successful.

Question 25

How did Oineus offend Artemis?

Answer 25

He forgot to include her in the harvest sacrifice of Corinth.

Question 26

Who gave Melanoin the divine apples used to distract Atalanta during the footrace for her hand?

Answer 26

APHRODITE - from the Garden of Hesperides

Question 27

Polyphemus is a cyclops and the cyclops (along with the titans) are from the second generation of beings, therefore Polyphemus is from the 2nd generation correct?

Answer 27

WRONG. sort of.
- Polyphemus is a cyclops from Homer’s Odyssey.
- The cyclopes from the “2nd generation” are from Hesiod’s Theogony.

While these stories both mention cyclops, Hesiod and Homer depict cyclopes differently:
- Homer depicts them as brutes, uncivilized etc.
- Hesiod depicts them as blacksmiths; they were the ones that crafted Zeus’s thunderbolt.

Question 28

What keyword can be used to describe Odysseus?

Answer 28

CLEVER/CRAFTY