Maew Chapter 19

Question 1

Iolcus

Answer 1

A town in Thessaly, the northern part of mainland Greece, from which Jason and the Argonauts embarked

Question 2

Apollonius of Rhodes

Answer 2

A scholar from the 3rd century BC, who wrote the Argonautica, the best-known story of Jason and the Argonauts

Question 3

Athamas

Answer 3

Husband of Nephele and later Ino, father of Phrixus, Helle, and two unnamed children by Ino

Question 4

Phrixus

Answer 4

Son of Athamas, hated by Ino, as she fears he will inherit everything, rather than one of Ino’s sons. Ino tricks Athamas into thinking Phrixus must be sacrificed, but he gets away on a golden ram

Question 5

Hellespont

Answer 5

“sea of Helle”, the narrow strait between the Aegean and Propontis, where Helle lost grip of the ram and fell to her death

Question 6

Colchis

Answer 6

A town in Aea, on the eastern edge of the Black Sea, where the ram landed and was sacrificed to Zeus.

Question 7

Aeetes

Answer 7

King of Colchis, he received the pelt of the golden ram from Phrixus. He hung the pelt in a grove of Ares, where a dragon protected it

Question 8

Tyro

Answer 8

A niece to Athamas, she was the mother of Pelias and Neleus, as well as Aeson

Question 9

Pelias

Answer 9

A son of Tyro and Poseidon, he ruled Iolcus, and locked his half-brother Aeson up. He was a tyrant, who sent Jason on his quest for the fleece

Question 10

Aeson

Answer 10

Father of Jason, half-brother to Pelias. When Jason was born, he pretended it was still-born and gave Jason to Chiron (who named him and raised him)

Question 11

One-Sandal Story

Answer 11

Jason was going to Iolcus to confront Pelias, and came across an old woman trying to cross a stream. He carried her on his shoulders across, but lost a sandal in the process. The woman was Hera, who decided to help Jason for it.

Pelias, however, knew a man with one sandal would be his downfall, and so sent Jason to get the Golden Fleece when he arrived in Iolcus.

Question 12

The Argo

Answer 12

The ship which Jason and his crew sailed, named after its builder, Argus.

Question 13

Important Argonauts

Answer 13

Heracles
Orpheus
The Dioscuri: Castor and Polydeuces
the Boreads: Zetes and Calais, sons of the North Wind
Telamon, father of Ajax
Peleus, father of Achilles
Meleager
Admetus
Augeus
Tiphys, the helmsman
Idmon, a seer
Argus

Question 14

Island of Lemnos

Answer 14

First stop of the Argonauts, the men have all been killed; the Argonauts have sex for a year before moving on.

Question 15

The Doliones

Answer 15

the group of people the Argonauts encounter second: they are very hospitable at first, but when the Argonauts sail away and hit a storm, unknowingly pulling back into the same port, they are attacked and a great battle ensues

Question 16

Amycus

Answer 16

A bully who boxed passers-by, usually killing them. Polydeuces defeats him

Question 17

Hylas

Answer 17

a lover of Heracles, captured by water nymphs while Heracles is cutting himself another oar (the first one broke). The Argonauts sail away before Heracles can return from looking for Hylas.

Question 18

Phineus

Answer 18

A blind king, who had abused his prophetic power and was punished with torment by harpies, who made it impossible for him to eat. Boreas and Zetes fought the Harpies off, and freed him for his torment, in exchange for information of their future path.

Question 19

The Symplegades

Answer 19

“Clashing rocks”. The Argonauts are told to let a dove fly through, and if the dove makes it, so will they. The dove escapes with a tail feather clipped, they escape with the banner at the back of the ship clipped.

Question 20

Medea

Answer 20

Daughter of Aeetes, a sorceress struck by Eros to love Jason. She helps him acquire the Golden Fleece and leave, on the condition that he marry her

Question 21

What does Aeetes demand of Jason?

Answer 21

That he yoke two fire-breathing bulls, then use them to plow the land and plant the other half of the dragon teeth from Cadmus’ dragon, and kill the warriors that grow.

Question 22

How does Jason accomplish Aeetes’ task?

Answer 22

He is helped by Medea to get protection from the fire of the bulls, and to trick the warriors into fighting one another. The rest is through his strength and fighting abilities

Question 23

How does Jason get the fleece?

Answer 23

Medea uses a sleeping potion on the dragon guarding it, and they get out of there

Question 24

What happens in Jason’s escape?

Answer 24

Medea’s brother, Apsyrtus, is killed and used as distraction to escape half the fleet. The other half give up the chase later when Medea and Jason get married, and the Phaeacians protect them

Question 25

Apsyrtus

Answer 25

Medea’s brother, either a grown man whom Jason/Medea kill in his pursuit, or a child who Medea chops up to distract her father.

Question 26

Talus

Answer 26

A bronze giant who threw boulders at passers-by from Crete. Kept alive by a vein of ichor replenished through a hole in his ankle. Dies when Medea causes the hole to become unplugged, and he falls off a cliff to his death

Question 27

How does Pelias die?

Answer 27

When Medea and Jason return to Iolcus, Medea tells Pelias’ daughters that she can restore his youth by chopping him up and cooking him, and demonstrates with an old ram. They are convinced, and chop him up, but Medea only makes a stew. Medea and Jason are exiled for this.

Question 28

Glauce

Answer 28

The woman Jason wants to leave Medea to marry (she is the daughter of the king, Creon)

Question 29

Medea’s reaction to Jason leaving her

Answer 29

She asks that the women of Corinth allow her to take her revenge, then she treats a dress with acid and gives it to Glauce through her children. Glauce tries it on and dies, as does Creon (her father) when he embraces her in death.

Medea then kills her two children and takes off in the Dragon-Wagon to Athens, where Aegeus had promised her refuge.

Question 30

Jason’s death

Answer 30

Depressed and old, Jason sits beneath the rotting Argo, when a bit of it fell off and crushed Jason’s head, killing him.

Question 31

Calydon

Answer 31

Town in the district of Aetolia, where Meleager was born to Oeneus and Althaea, king and queen

Question 32

Meleager

Answer 32

One of the Argonauts, who organized the Calydonian Boar Hunt, consisting of many of the Argonauts and other heroes, and notably Atalanta.

Question 33

Atalanta

Answer 33

A Huntress, abandoned by her father and raised by bears. She drew first blood in the Calydonian Boar Hunt, and so Meleager (who got the kill) gives her the pelt (also, he wants to sleep with her). This causes a huge fight at the end of the hunt

Question 34

Meleager’s Death

Answer 34

During the fight after giving Atalanta the pelt, Meleager kills his uncles. Meleager’s mother, Althea, is very upset about this, and throws a log into the fire, which the fates had said marks the end of Meleager’s life (when it burns out, he will die)

Question 35

Atalanta and suitors

Answer 35

Atalanta posed a challenge: whoever beat her in a footrace, she would marry. She would kill the suitors after giving them a head start, however, until Melanion came along. He won by distracting Atalanta with golden apples of the Hesperides along the way. They got married, but had sex in a shrine of Zeus and got turned into lions as punishment (according to Greek legend, lions can’t mate with other lions)