Book 2: The Argonauts Meet Phineus Who Tells Them How To Overcome The Journey Ahead
Amykos fights Polydeukes
The men row to the land ruled by Amykos, ruler of the Bebrykians. Apollonius tells us that, once upon a time, a nymph named Bithynian Melie bore Amykos to Poseidon Genethlios.
Amykos has a weird backstory as a ruler. We’re told that he has become famous far and wide for battling visitors in a boxing match as soon as they land on his territory. Many men from neighbouring territories had died due to this odd custom, but the Argonauts show up completely unassuming.
When Amykos sees the Argo pull into the bay, he rushes down to ask the men about their mission and identity, saying (something like): “Hey guys, it’s the law here that you can’t leave without fighting me in hand-to-hand combat. Therefore, choose the best man among you and set him up to box me. If you DON’T do this, the punishment will be way worse”.
Hearing this, the Argonauts are pretty pissed off. Luckily for them though, they do have Polydeukes who is known for being an incredibly skilled boxer. And so, he stands up in front of the Argonauts and Amykos to agree to the fight.
Amykos turns to look at him and takes off his cloak, readying himself for (what he thinks will be) a quick victory. Polydeukos takes off his own robe, signalling he is just as ready.
The pair walk from the bay to find a suitable place to fight. Once they agree on a spot, their comrades sit down in their supporting corners on the sand.
Before we can get into the fight, Apollonius gives us a physical run down of the two men: Amykos is compared to the monstrous offspring of Typhoeus or one of the children of Gaia. Conversely, Polydeukos is described as being like a star in the heavens. It’s safe to say that the two men are INCREDIBLY different physically speaking.
In his respective corner, Polydeukos tests his arms to make sure the rowing hasn’t tired him out too much, whereas Amykos is raring to go. In the space between them, Amykos’ servant, Lykoreus, places two sets of leather straps which had been dried to hardness. Amykos then instructs Polydeukos to pick whichever he would like and put them on his hands and arms. Polydeukos doesn’t reply but smiles in response, picking up the best-looking straps.
Kastor and Talaos give Polydeukos words of encouragement. Aretos and Oryntos do the same for Amykos (the narrator notes them as poor fools since they didn’t know that this would be the last time that fate would allow them to tie his thongs muwahaha).
Straps on, the men set themselves up in fighting stance. They start their attack — Amykos coming down HARD on Polydeukos. But Polydeukos uses his cunning smarts to escape the onslaught. He stands his ground, swapping all of Amykos’ blows for a blow of his own. Long fight short, Polydeukos punches Amykos in the side of the head above his ear, shattering the bones in that spot and KILLING Amykos. All the Argonauts cheer at their victory.
However, all is not so swell. The Bebrykians start advancing on Polydeukos with their clubs and spears to get their revenge. All of the Argonauts raise their weapons in response and move to stand in front of Polydeukos, protecting him from the impending fight. And then — all hell breaks loose.
The first to go head-to-head are Kastor and Aner. Kastor strikes the Bebrykian in the head, splitting it into two halves. Aner’s head-pieces drop on opposite sides of his body and hit the ground.
Polydeukos faces Itymoneus and Mimas. The hero knocks Mimas down to the ground with a swift kick, Itymoneusthe he hits with his right fist above the guy’s left eye, tearing off the lid and leaving the eye exposed (ew).
Oreites (Amykos’ attendant) wounds Talaos in the side. He doesn’t kill him but his spear does pierce his belt and graze the skin.
Aretos wields his mighty club against Iphitos, but Klytios comes to his defence and kills Aretos.
Ankaios takes a different approach to the fight — he just picks up his axe and goes into the middle to attack whoever comes into his line of vision. Soon after he finds his position, he’s joined by the sons of Aiakos (Peleus & Telamon) and Jason.
Long fight scene short, the Argonauts kill every last one of the Bebrykians. To celebrate, the men round up all of the cattle and sheep to prepare for a great feast.
As they’re doing this, they simply can’t help themselves and talk between them of how differently the fight would have gone if Herakles had been there. They say things along the lines of: “Imagine what these cowards would have done if we had brought Herakles here! If he had come, there would have been no boxing match at all! As soon as Amykos had said his terms, Herakles would have hit him with his club and down he would have gone! How thoughtless we were to leave him behind”.
As darkness falls, the men stay where they are to tend the wounds of the injured among them. After sacrificing to the immortals and eating a great feast, they burn the victim’s bodies and drink a little wine to perform the correct burial rites. However, Apollonius notes that this does not allow the men to sleep well and they get next to no rest.
In the morning, the Argonauts untie the boat, place as much booty as they can fit on board as humanly possible and then set off through the Bosporos.
On the following day, they tie up the ship on the coast across from the Bebrykians.
The men reach Phineus…
On this Thynian coast lived a man named Phineus, son of Agenor. Apollonius gives us his backstory, explaining that this guy had been given the gift of prophecy by Apollo. However, Zeus punished him shortly after so that he was forever doomed to be old and blind (we’ll find out more about this in a bit*). Zeus made sure that Phineus could not even enjoy the edible gifts people brought him in exchange for his oracular readings, having the Harpies swoop down and snatch the food from his mouth and hands. Sometimes these Harpies left behind nothing at all, but other times they would leave just enough for him to eat to live. More than that, each and every time they would pour a foul stench over the food so that no one could bear to stand anywhere near it.
Anyways, cut to present Phieus and he’s sitting about his dwellings. All of a sudden he heard the crew’s voices and realises that the men passing are the ones Zeus had previously told him would come to see him while journeying across the world. The king of the gods had told Phienus that he should accept them into his home and set food before them. And so, Phineus rises from his bed and grabs his staff, hobbling over to the door. He reaches the outside world and sinks, dizzy and tired, just at the entrance of his home.
When the Argonauts come bumbling into the scene, they see Phineus and gather around him. Since Phineus is super old, the guy is gasping for air and struggling for breath. Despite this (how? I’m unsure) he still manages to get out his prophecy: “You must be the men led by Jason. I beg you to save me from my misery — do not abandon me! I’m blind and doomed to be old forever, but — believe it or not — this is not the worst of it! The worst of all is that the Harpies swoop from some invisible lair to snatch the food from my mouth. If they ever leave me a scrap, the stench is so disgusting I struggle to eat at all. It had been decided by the gods that the sons of Boreas will chase these Harpies away. It will not be as total strangers that they will act to protect me because I was once famous for my powers of prophecy; my father was Agenor and when I ruled over the Thracians I won their sister Kleopatra with a bride price and brought her home as my wife” (not an exact quote*). And with that, he stops speaking.
The heroes are seized by their deep grief, in particular the two sons of Boreas. They both wipe away tears and Zetes grasps the old man’s hand, saying (something like): “No one has suffered more greatly than you. Why have you been afflicted with so many woes? It was your own thoughtlessness that had you sin against the gods with your knowledge of prophecy and it’s because of this that they are angry. We are eager to help but we’re not going to chase off the Harpies until you swear that in doing so, we won’t incur any wrath of ANY of the gods”.
Phineus raises his hands towards Zetes and says (something along the lines of): “Silence! Let your mind not imagine such things! Let the gods show me no kindness after my death if I break my oath and no divine anger will arise from the help you give me”. This is really all the sons of Boreas need and so they spring into action immediately.
First, the Argonauts prepare a feast to lure in the Harpies. The sons of Boreas stand nearby so that they have a clear view when the Harpies appear. They have their swords in their hands and are raring to go!
At the exact moment the old man goes to touch the food, the Harpies come down from the clouds at an alarming speed. Their screams echo throughout the land and the heroes shout at the sight of them. The Harpies devour all the food on the table and then fly across the sea, leaving behind their stench.
The two sons of Boreas LEAP into action, chasing them over the waves. Zeus grants the pair the strength they need for such a journey as — without this godly intervention — they would not have been able to catch up with the harpies. Zetes and Kalais chase the monsters with such speed that they can just about touch them with their mortal fingers. In fact, they would have grabbed the beasts and destroyed them there and then had not Iris seen them. The goddess of rainbows races down to interfere, saying (something like): “Whoa whoa whoa guys! It’s not permitted by the gods for you to kill the harpies with your swords today. I swear that they will never visit Phineus again, but you need to chill the hell out because us gods kinda need the Harpies around”.
And so, Iris swears on the River Styx that the monsters would never again approach Phineus and we’re told that this is now also decreed by fate. This satisfies the sons of Boreas and so they turn round to hurry back to the others.
Apollonius then gives us a little contextual note, saying that this is the reason men now (“now” as in during the time of his contemporary audience*) call this island “Turning Island” (strophades). Supposedly before that, it was called the Floating Islands, but that’s neither here nor there.
ANYWAYS, the Harpies and Iris part ways: the Harpies return to their cave on Minoan Crete and Iris glides along to Olympus.
While all of this is happening, the heroes wash the filth off of the old man and perform a sacrifice of sheep (yes, they have some leftover sheep from when they killed Amykos and his men so those are being used now). They then prepare a great meal and sit down, as a weird family, to dine. Phineus dines along with them, and when they finish up they clear everything away and wait for the sons of Boreas to return. Since they have a lot of time to kill, Phineus decides to entertain the men by explaining how he got cursed by Zeus in the first place. He tells us that once he was given the gift of prophecy, he used to tell people everything they wanted to know. This became a problem for the gods because Zeus wished for men to remain somewhat ignorant of their futures and so, because Phineus was just exposing ALL the god’s plans, Zeus had to make an example of him.
Phineus then takes it upon himself to tell the guys about the path they must sail to get to Colchis and how to successfully complete their journey (since he’s a prophet and all that jazz). And so, in bullet points, Phineus explains these notes:
After the men leave Phineus’ house and his land, the first landmark they will come to face is the Clashing Rocks. This consists of two rocks that sort of hover in place where the sea narrows. No one has ever succeeded in passing through them, which is why the rocks have never rooted themselves — they constantly bash together and continue to make the sea super rough and super difficult to sail. Phineus advises that the men approach the rocks with caution and first let a dove fly through them. If the dove manages to safely pass, then the ship can follow. The Argonauts should row really hard, really fast to pass through the narrow channel, but so long as the dove was fine then they will be, too. Basically: their success is purely based on this dove and then how strong their arms are. Prayers will do absolutely nothing in this instance. However, if the dove is crushed between the rocks, Phienus tells the men to just turn around because in such a case, they’re doomed.
Now, if the Argonauts succeed in passing the Clashing Rocks and sail safely into the Pontos, Phineus advises them to continue onto the land of the Bithynians which will be to their right. They will find a harbour just past the mouth of the Rhebas and the Black Promontory.
Continuing a short distance over the sea, the Argonauts will then reach the land of the Mariandynoi on the opposite coast. There’s a path which goes down into the Underworld and down below this the River Acheron flows. Not far from this point, the men will pass by the many mountain peaks of the Paphlagones and opposite to this is the famed Bear Helike. When they’ve rounded that, the Great Shore will stretch out in front of them. At the end of the Great Shore there is a headland beside which the stream of the River Halys empties, and not far from there is the stream of the Iris which is a smaller river. Further from there, there’s some “elbow” of the mainland which juts out and after THIS is the mouth of the Thermodon which lies in a bay under the headland of Themiskyra. The plain of Doias is here and nearby are the cities of the Amazons. After this comes the Chalybes, labourers who own harsh and unyielding land where they mine and work on iron. Not far from there live the Tibarenoi who are rich in flocks.
Their immediate neighbours are the Mossynoikoi who dwell in the adjoining wooded plain and hills. It’s here that the Argonauts are advised to pull into shore. They will need to make a plan to drive off the awful birds on this coast because they are VICIOUS. While on campaign the Amazon queens, Otrere and Antiope, built a shrine to Ares on this island and it’s here that help will come to the men. Phineus is unable to explicitly tell the men what exactly that help is but tells them to rest assured that they will find it if they go.
Once they deal with that island they should sail on. On the mainland opposite the island lives the Philyres, beyond them are the Makrones and after them the vast tribes of the Becheires. After those people come the Sapeires (whose neighbours are the Byzeires) and beyond them, finally, are the Colchians.
Phineus tells the men to continue sailing until they reach the furthest point of the Pontos where the Phasis flows into the sea through Kytaian land. On entering the mouth of the river, the men will see towers which belong to Kytaian Aeetes and the shaded grove of Ares. This is where the fleece hangs on the top of an oak tree and is guarded on all sides by a dragon/serpent (however you want to translate that … but picture a serpent if you choose to go with dragon) which never sleeps.
Obviously, the Argonauts are TERRIFIED hearing this. None of them have calm words to speak, and so finally Jason gets up and says (something like): “You have relayed the paths we must travel to get to Aeetes, but I would also like to know if we will make it back to Greece. How can I do this? How can I make this crazy journey for a second time? I have no experience and neither do my companions, and the Colchian land lies pressed against the edge of the Pontos AND OF THE ENTIRE KNOWN EARTH”.
Phineus replies (something along the lines of): “Once you have done this journey over there, have confidence you can get your booties back. A god will guide you through a different route back — look to Aphrodite for cunning help, because it’s with her that your success rests. Now don’t ask me anything else!”
AND NOW we’re all caught up because the sons of Boreas return to the scene: flying in and landing on their feet in front of the others. The heroes jump up when they see them and ask about a million questions about what happened, to which Zetes answers all of them by telling them all how far they had driven the Harpies off, how the goddess Iris had prevented them from killing the Harpies and even sworn an oath(!!!!) that they would not return, and lastly how the Harpies had gone into the cave. Everyone is THRILLED by the news.
Jason then says (something like): “Phineus, there was indeed some god looking out for you because he brought us here so that the sons of Boreas may help you. If this god could also give you back your vision I would be ELATED”.
Phineus replies (something along the lines of): “Look Jason, what has already happened can’t be undone, nor is there any remedy for it in the future. My eyes are empty and wasting away. But instead of that, I ask the god to kill me now as in death I will find happiness!” (Phineus has some super dark words there but that’s what Apollonius says and so that’s what I’m telling you).
The two men continue to speak until the morning.
In the morning, Phineus’ neighbours all gather around him. Apollonius tells us that they used to visit him every day to hear their prophecies — each of them bringing Phineus a portion of their food as payment. Paraibios, dearest of all to Phineus, approaches the house and is glad to find the Argonauts taking care of the old man. In earlier times Phineus had told him that an expedition of heroes set from Hellas to Colchis would put an end to the Harpies assault, and now Paraibios sees this prophecy come to fulfilment.
After giving all of his neighbours his wise counsel, Phineus tells them all to go away apart from Paraibios. He has a private moment with Paraibios and then sends him away too.
When Phineus and the Argonauts are left alone, Phineus says to them (something like): “Friends, not everyone tramples on others and forgets kindness. Such a man is Paraibios. This man laboured to his limit, but his poverty weighed him down and grew worse so there was no respite for his labours. He was paying a penalty for his father’s mistake. When his father was alone in the mountain and was cutting down trees, he did not listen to the cries of a nymph who tried to convince him not to cut down that particular tree — this tree was her home and her whole life. In his youth, he didn’t care about another’s feelings and cut it down anyway. The nymph set a joyless fate upon him and his children for the future. When this man came to me, I realised his offence and told him to build an altar to the Thynian nymph and perform sacrifices on it, asking her to release him from his father’s doom. After escaping the fate which the gods had decreed for him, he has never forgotten or neglected me. I have trouble getting him to leave as he always wants to stay and help me in my distress”.
At that moment, Paraibios reappears bringing two sheep from his flock. At the old man’s bidding, Jason and the two sons of Boreas assist him in bringing the sheep inside. Towards the end of the day, the men make sacrifices at the hearth and call upon the god Apollo. The young men of the crew move to prepare a meal, they dine, and then they all go to bed beside the ship. Some men are noted to sleep inside Phineus’ home.
The next day, Zeus blows some lovely wind the Argonaut’s way. And since we’re mentioning Zeus, Apollonius tells us about the BACKSTORY OF THE WINDS (I wish I was making this up because this is a particularly odd digression, but alas, here we go): once upon a time, there was a girl named Kyrene. Kyrene grazed her flocks by the marshes of Peneios. She wanted to remain a virgin but once she had her flocks by the river … well, as you can probably guess, Apollo saw her with his beady little eyes, snatched her up and carried her far from Haimonia. He handed her over to the protection of nymphs of the land who lived beside the Hill of Myrtles in Libya. There she had Apollo’s son Aristaios and because he liked Kyrene so much, Apollo made her a long-lived nymph and huntress. However, Apollo took their baby son and had him brought up in the cave of Cheiron. When the child grew up, the muses went to find him a wife and taught him the arts of healing and prophecy. They also made him keeper of their flocks which grazed on the Athamantian plain of Phthia, around Othrys and the stream of Apidanos. When Sirius was burning Crete with its fire and the inhabitants could find no relief, that’s when Apollo advised them to summon Aristaios to save them. At his father’s bidding, he left Phthia and settled in Keos, having gathered the Parrhasian people (those descended from the race of Lykaon) and saving them all. He built a large altar to Zeus and performed sacrifices to Sirius and Zeus. This entire digression is all to say that the reason why there were nice ass winds in the morning for the Argonauts is that Zeus sends the Etesian winds because the priests on Keos STILL make these offerings to get the same winds that once extinguished that manic fire. Got it? Got it.
Anyways, the heroes then leave thanks to this very specific mythological wind.
The clashing rocks
The men sail to the opposite coast and build an altar to the twelve gods, sacrifice animals and then board their ship to row further along. On this coast, Euphemos also caught the dove which Phineus had told them to get in preparation for the Clashing Rocks. So the men board the ship again and when they pull out of this coast, Athena watches them carefully. Without delay, she leaps onto a cloud and quickly floats towards the Pontus (oh cloud travel??? HOW FUN) to bring help to the rowers.
When the Argo reaches the Clashing Rocks, the men’s knees are knocking together. They can hear the sound of stone crashing against stone and their hair stands up on end. Euphemos takes up his position at the prow, holding the dove in his hands. Tiphys gives the other men instructions on how to calmly row close enough to the rocks so they can safely release the bird.
As they round the last bend, they catch sight of the rocks opening up and so Euphemos releases the dove ahead of them. All the Argonauts watch on in silence. The dove soars between the Clashing Rocks. When the rocks finally come together, they clip the dove’s tail feathers — but it still manages to fly safely out the other side. The rowers all cheer.
As the Rocks open up again, Tiphys screams at the men to row with all their might. They row in fear until the water begins to push them into the middle of the rocks. Then — and only then — the most terrifying fear caught them all. Beyond the rocks, they could see the expanse of the Pontos, but suddenly a huge wave rose in front of them. The men turn away, bracing for the wet impact.
On the plus side, Tiphys has EVERYTHING under control. He eases off on the ship’s rubber (the poor thing is struggling) and the brunt of the wave’s force rolls smoothly under the keel. But not all is great for the Argonauts — as soon as the wave recedes, another begins pressing towards them. This means the ship is now being tossed among the waves. As the old wave drags the ship towards the exit of the Clashing Rocks, another comes to throw them back. Euphemos yells at all of the men to put all their force into their oars and they cry out as they beat the water. Whatever progress the rowers make, the ship gets thrown back twice as far by the surge. Suddenly a wave rushes upon them from the opposite direction and the ship is tossed further through the sea. The current held the Argo amid the Clashing Rocks and the rocks themselves thundered and shuddered.
Athena sees this and decides the Argonauts have endured quite enough. She holds one of the cliffs with her left hand and with her right she shoves the boat through. The boat gets shot through to the other side. However, much like the bird the Clashing Rocks catch the tip of the stern of the Argo. But all in all, everyone is safe.
Seeing she’s done her job, Athena goes back up to Olympus. Apollonius tells us that the Clashing Rocks are, from this day forward, rooted to their place. It had been previously cemented by fate that once men were to make it through such a danger successfully, the rocks would basically be defeated and thus give up their magical powers. Which is exactly what happened. Woohoo!
Once they are safely through, the Argonauts relax. Tiphys is the first to speak, saying (something like): “It’s because of our ship that we have come through this danger. The responsibility lies with Athena who CLEARLY breathed her divine strength into the Argo with every nut and bolt. The gods do not permit the Argo’s destruction. Jason, do not fear the king’s orders now that a god has granted us safe passage through the rocks. Phineus said that after this we would successfully accomplish our challenges — SO LET’S GO DO THIS THING!!!”
Jason answers him by saying (something along the lines of): “Tiphys, why do you offer me consolations in my grief? I have no way to make myself feel better. When Pelias gave me this instruction I should have refused the expedition even if it meant a cruel death. I am in permanent terror and my burdens are unendurable — I hate sailing our ship on the sea and I hate our stops on land because we’re ALWAYS surrounded by enemies. Ever since you all assembled first for my sake, I have had so much anxiety and it’s genuinely painful. You can speak in such a way because you only have to worry about yourself, but I have no anxiety for myself and far too much anxiety for all of these men. The only anxiety I have regarding me is that I worry I will not be able to bring you all back and unharmed to Greece”.
So after this speech, Apollonius tells us that this isn’t actually what Jason is thinking. In fact, Jason sees this as his time to test all of his men. Why he chose right now is genuinely beyond me, but he does. But luckily for everyone (including us as the reader), the Argonauts pass this test with flying colours. They all shout back their words of encouragement for him and tell him he’s doing a great job.
At this, Jason’s heart goes all gooey and he speaks again: “I now have confidence from your encouragement. Since you are confident amid our grim terrors, I will no longer be anxious. —” (slight intrusion, but wouldn’t it be nice if real life were so easy?) “— Now that we have sailed through the Clashing Rocks I can pretty much do anything I set my mind to since that was BY FAR the most scary thing I will ever have to face. No, excuse me, we can do anything we set our minds to … so long as we travel the route that Phineus told us to and remember his prophecies because let’s be honest, without him we wouldn’t have known what to do about those crazy ass rocks”. (not even remotely an exact quote*).
He finishes speaking and the men cheer him on. They all turn back to rowing, soon passing by the Rhebas River and the peak of Kolone, and not long after that by the Black Promontory. After that, they sailed past the Phyllis (back story which Apollonius gives us: ages ago, a guy called Dipsakos received Phrixos when he was flying to Colchis on his ram and had to make a pit stop. So we’re told that on this land there is still a shrine to him and the Argonauts see it as they sail by).
All night long the men continue to row.
The argo docks at Thynis
Just before sunrise, the Argonauts enter the harbour of Thynias. When they step onto dry land they realise just how exhausted they truly are.
The god Apollo now appears to them — on both sides of his face hang his golden curls, in his left hand he carries a silver bow, and his quiver is slung around his back from the shoulder. Under his feet, the whole island shook and the waves washed over dry land. The Argonauts are totally dazzled when looking at the god but no one could dare to look directly into his eyes. They all stand, looking down at the ground until the god passes through the air far away out to sea.
After a long silence, Orpheus finally speaks up and says (something like): “Come, let us call this the holy island of Apollo of the Dawn because he appeared to all of us here on his dawn journey. Let us build an altar to him and make what sacrifice we can. If he ends up granting us a safe return, then we can offer to him thighs of horned goats. But for the moment we should please him with sacrifice and libations!”
At once, some of the men move off to build an altar. The others scour the island to see what animals they could find for the sacrifice. Apollo grants them a successful hunt, and on the holy altar they burned two thighs from each animal while calling upon Apollo of the Dawn. As the meat burned they performed a dance sacred to Apollo called the Iepaiion Iepaiion. With them, Orpheus raises his voice in song and strums his lyre. The Argonauts finish their dance and song, pour out libations and swear that they will forever help each other in concord of mind. Even to this day, there stands a shrine to Apollo (because of course there is).
On the third day they left the island, taking advantage of the strong west wind to push them further on their journey. They pass the mouth of the River Sangarios, the rich land of the Mariandynoi, and the streams of Lykos and Lake Anthemoeisis. The wind drops during the night and at dawn, the Argo reaches the harbour of the Acherousian headland (*insert very long description of the landscape in your mind because it is far too long for me to include in note form*). The men dock the ship on the land by entering the River Acheron.
The Argonauts meet the Mariandynoi
Lykos, the ruler of this area, and the other Mariandynoi soon realise that the Argonauts have arrived. What the Argonauts don’t know is that their fame as destroyers of Amykos and his people had preceded them. For this reason, the Mariandynoi run from all directions to ally with them, hailing Polydeukos as a god. As it turns out, the Mariandynoi had long been in a state of war with the Bebrykians and had wanted them gone for a while. In essence, the Mariandynoi are happy to greet the Argonauts and the Argonauts are thrilled to be received so kindly.
Anyways, all the men walk to Lykos’ palace and enjoy a feast. They listen to one another’s stories and generally have a great time. Jason tells Lykos the lineage and name of each of his comrades, of Pelias’ instructions, of how they had been entertained by the Lemnian women and of all they had done at Dolonian Kyzikos. He also explains how they reached Mysia and Kios and even their unwilling abandonment of Herakles. He speaks of Glaukos’ prediction and how they had killed the Bebrykians, as well as Phineus’ prophecies and his suffering. Lastly, Lykos hears of how the men had escaped from the Clashing Rocks and encountered Apollo on the island. As you can imagine, Lykos was totally glued to this story the entire time Jason is talking to him.
However, Lykos feels pity for the abandoned Herakles. He says (something like): “Friends, what a man you have lost to your journey to Aeetes. I saw him here at my father’s palace and know him well. He came here on foot when he travelled through the Asian continent to recover the girdle of Hippolyte — at that time, I was only young. He then took part in the funeral games for my brother Priolas who was killed by the Mysians. Herakles boxed against Titias who surpassed all young men in beauty and strength, and beat him. He brought under my father’s rule not only the Mysians and the Mygdones but also the land of the people of Bithynia as far as the river Rhebas and the peak of Kolone. But since Herakles lived far away, the Bebrykians and the people of Amykos’ rule have robbed me of this territory in recent years. For a long time now they have extended their boundaries to the marshes of the River Hypios, but now you’ve dealt with them! And so, I will now offer whatever I can in return. I shall send my son Daskylos to accompany you all on your voyage, for with him on board you will enjoy a hospitable welcome all along the coast as far as the mouth of the Thermodon. Moreover, high up on the top of the Acherousian headland, I will build a shrine to Polydeukos and every sailor on the sea will see it from afar. As for the gods, I shall farm a fertile area in front of the city”.
This kind of conversation continues all day. The men feast and drink late into the night. In the morning the Argonauts return to the ship and Lykos gives them countless gifts in thanks and hospitality. And of course, his son also now boards the Argo to do the last part of the journey with Jason and the men.
Tiphys & Idmon die
Of course, as things seem to be going really well for the Argonauts, disaster strikes. The first of the men to die is Idmon the prophet. It’s unfortunate considering his prophetic skill did absolutely no favours in saving him from death. The story goes that Idmon goes for a walk in the marshlands and there, sitting hitting in the reeds, is a boar. Idmon’s just strolling leisurely along the bank of the muddy river when the boar leaps at him from his hidden position and GORES Idmon in the thigh, cutting right through the muscle to the bone (yikes). Idmon falls to the ground with a yell, and it’s this sound that causes the other Argonauts to go looking for him. Peleus finds him first and aims his javelin at the boar. The animal rushes at Peleus but luckily, Idas is close by and saves Peleus from getting impaled. The men leave the boar on the ground, but Idmon they carry to the ship. He dies in the arms of his companions.
The men remain on the shore and prepare a funeral. They lament for three days and on the fourth they bury dear Idmon with lavish honour (the Mariandynoi and King Lykos join in on the rites, too). Once they place the body into their make-shift tomb, the men slaughter countless sheep in offering to the gods.
But as my subheading suggests, not only Idmon dies here on the coast — we also lose Tiphys!!! NOOOOO!!!!!
Tiphys’ death is not as random nor dramatic as Idmon’s. The story is that Tiphys was just not fated to survive the sail further than this point. He gets a little sick and that turns into a deathbed. He’s laid to rest far from his home and the crew bury him shortly after they bury Idmon.
The difference here is that the crew lose their little minds after they bury Tiphys. Apollonius says that they sank down into a helpless despair, wrapping themselves in their cloaks and lying still without thought for food and drink. They would have delayed there longer had not Hera put overmastering boldness into Ankaios to talk to the others about taking over as steersman (who is that, you may ask? Astypalaia had borne him to Poseidon … so having Poseidon for a dad means that he has great steersman ability).
Ankaios rushes over to Peleus, saying (something line): “Jason literally brought me here because I know a thing or two about ships and so none of you should worry now that Tiphys is gone. Even if it’s not me that the men want as the steersman, there are others here who aren’t as great as me but are still great candidates! Do you mind running this by the guys? Cheers x”.
Peleus hears this and goes to address the rest of the men. He’s like “Men, why do we grieve and have no purpose? We know that these men died due to unavoidable fate. On the plus side, we have other steersmen among us and therefore we should not let this hold us back. Cast your grief aside and LET’S GO” (not an exact quote*).
Jason now replies with a little sass, saying (something like): “Okay Peleus, where is this steersman of yours?? The best steersman is now dead and everyone else is depressed about it. I predict a disaster for us no less grim than what fate was cast upon those who died. We have a miserable fate that is without glory, growing old and useless!”
With Jason dampening the mood, Ankaios presents himself as the new steersman. After him, Erginos, Nauplios, and Euphemos spring up to state that they too can take on the role, but the other guys all vote for Ankaios.
Again, the argo sets sail
Twelve days after starting their mourning for their lost men, the Argonauts finally set sail again. A strong west wind now blows them out of the Acheron. Though the men put their trust in the wind and opened up their sail, they also gripped their oars in their hands and continued to push the boat forward themselves.
They quickly sail past the mouth of the river Kallichoros and see the tomb of Sthenelos, son of Aktor, who had died on this seashore from an arrow wound. The Argonauts were gobsmacked seeing the tomb because, as it turns out, Persephone herself sent up a tearful shade of the son of Aktor to gaze out at the ship. He had begged her to be allowed to see his compatriots even for a short while. He looked as he did when he went to war, but then he retreated back into the gloom, leaving the Argonauts absolutely spooked. Mopsos, son of Ampykos, interprets this divine sign to mean that they must stop sailing and pour out their libations to the fallen soldier. So they go to shore and pay honour to Sthenelos with libations and sheep sacrifices. They also build an altar to Apollo and burn the thigh bones upon it to make sure the spirit and the god are happy. There, Orpheus also dedicates his lyre to the hero, which is why the place is known (to Apollonius’ contemporary audience) as “Lyre”.
When the men return to the boat, the wind is still in their favour. They set out to sea and a speedy pace, passing the stream of Parthenios before the day became night.
During the night the Argonauts keep moving, sailing by Sesamos and Erythinoi, Krobialos, Kromna, Kytoros. As the first morning light appears they round Karabis and row along the Great Shore all that day and into the following night. Soon after this they sailed into Assyrian territory, and here we get another little story: as it turns out, this is the plot of land where Zeus had once settled Sinope (daughter of Asopos) and had granted her perpetual virginity after he had been deceived by his own promises. Now what does that mean? Well, once upon a time Zeus had desired to have sex with the young Sinope. He went down to visit her and attempted to woo her, telling her that he would give her whatever her heart desired (in the hopes that, obviously, this would seduce her). This plan backfired MASSIVELY when Sinope turned to Zeus and said that she demanded eternal virginity. SHE BEAT ZEUS AT HIS OWN DAMN GAME! In fact, Sinope has a habit of outsmarting the gods because she had also fooled Apollo who wanted to sleep with her AND had managed to sidestep the River Halys when he had wanted her!! No man ever managed to take her virginity in all of mythology. What a boss.
Anyways, back to the Argonauts sailing around here. The men take a little break on the shore and are greeted by the sons of noble Deimachos of Trikka – Deileon, Autolykos and Phlogios – who had become separated from Herakles in another narrative line that I won’t get into. When they see the expedition of heroic men rolling up to shore, they tell the Argonauts who they are and how they wish to leave this place. The Argonauts let them on the boat and they all sail away.
Now with these men on board, the Argonauts leave behind the River Halys. On the same day, they sail past the cape of the Amazons which protects the harbour. It was here that Herakles once ambushed Melanippe, daughter of Ares, and took her as a hostage so that Hippolyte gave him her girdle (girdle is just a fancy word for belt).
The Argonauts pull into the cape beside the mouth of the Thermodon. No river is quite like the Thermodon, nor does any other split into so many little streams to cover the land as it flows into the sea. Apollonius tells us that if someone were to count them all, he would find FOUR SHORT OF 100(!!!!) However, there is a single source of the river which descends to the plain from the high mountain called Amazonian. From there it scatters through the higher terrain and then splits into all the little streams. Each one twists its own way, either staying close to the main river or making a long detour to find low ground. Many of these streams drain away unseen and unnamed, but the Thermodon itself empties into the Pontos below.
Anyways, after that insanely detailed history and geography of a bloody river, Zeus pushes the ship away from Themiskyra. What was the purpose of that entire narrative detour if the ship just moves right on past it and the men don’t even make a stop?? Obviously it’s for the whole connecting the contemporary audience to the mythological story but at times like this, it is tiring, long and a waste of reader’s attention spans (classicists don’t hate me x) The only fun note to come from this river talk is that we’re told the Amazons didn’t actually live in a single tribe — they lived in 3 separate ones. The most famous sector was ruled by Hippolyte, the second were known as the Lykastians and they dwelled a little further away, and then lastly the Chadesiansas were known for their javelin hurling skills.
MOVING ON (I swear): the Argonauts sail away from Themiskyra and coast along the land of the Chalybes for the next day and the following night. Apollonius tells us that these people don’t plough with oxen or cultivate any fruits. No flocks of theirs are on grazing land. Instead, they dig in the hard Earth to find what they need to live.
After the Chalybes, the Argo rounds the headland of Genetaian Zeus and hurries along the coast of the land of Tibarenoi. There, whenever the women bear their husband’s children, it is the men who fall on the beds and lie groaning. The women look after them with food and prepare their baths.
Next, they come to the Sacred Mountain and the land where the Mossynoikoi live in their mossunai in the high altitude (the huts they live in give the people their name). They are noted as being quite abnormal in their customs … which means you, dear reader, are in for a TREAT. Okay so these people are basically the total opposite of what is deemed “normal”: anything that would be normal to do in public (like at a public assembly or whatever) they do at home, and everything that people would do in their houses, they do outside in the middle of the street. And so there is NO PUBLIC SHAME about having sex out in the open. That’s Apollonius’ example, not mine! He says that these people have sex on the bare earth and don’t pay any attention to those nearby who may be watching. WILD that this is in a mythology book! Regardless of that, the king sits in the highest hut (“mossune”) and administers fair justice over the population. But if he makes a mistake then they lock him up and starve him for the day (such a weird note to end on — I absolutely love this section because of how bizarre it is).
Stymphalian birds & sons of Phrixos
The Argo passes the Mossynoikoi and spends the day rowing near the island of Ares (the island now faces them). Soon the men see one of the birds of Ares which inhabited the island. It’s described as shaking its wings at the ship and — from out of its literal wing — it shoots a super pointy feather at the Argo. The feather lodges itself in the shoulder of Oileus and, as you can expect, he drops his oar in shock. The crew just take a beat to stare at this feathered arrow until Eurybotes, who was sitting next to Oileus, pulls it out and dresses the wound.
Everyone’s a little weirded out by this encounter (or should I call it an attack?) but after a while, they settle back down. But then — another bird appears. Klytios sees the bird and stretches his bow in anticipation, letting go of an arrow at the bird to bring the bird down. He succeeds and the bird falls near the ship.
Amphidamas says to the crew (something like): “As you can tell from these creepy birds, we’re near the island of Ares. I don’t think that the arrows will be sufficient to allow us to land on the shore safely. Instead, we’ve got to think of some other strategy that will help us. Be mindful of Phineus’ instructions as you think and don’t be too cocky — not even Herakles was strong enough to use his bow to drive off the Stymphalian birds. Instead, he stood on a high peak and shook a bronze rattle in his hand to make a great noise causing the birds to flee in fear. And so let us too now think of something just as smart. Let’s armour up and give out a mighty scream so that the birds will be scared of the racket. If we reach the island, yell and bash your spears on your shields”. Everyone listening thinks they’re perfectly capable of doing such a thing, so they’re pretty happy with the plan.
Then men place their helmets on their heads and wave their spears in the air. Every second man continued rowing while the others concealed the boat beneath their lances and shields. Thankfully, Apollonius tells us that this stratagem is compared to covering a roof with tiles … in case you need a visual. The only problem with this plan is that the birds can’t be seen through this roof of armour, but that doesn’t deter the Argonauts. On no, they draw closer to the island and begin to beat their shields to create a loud, menacing noise. As predicted, the birds take off in every direction.
But no, reader, all was not so easy. As the birds fly off they simultaneously shake out their feathers, meaning that their dart/arrow/bullet deathers come raining down on the Argonauts.
The narrator uses this time to pose a question for the audience: what was Phineus’ intention in making the Argonauts stop here? After all, they could have just sailed on past — so why did the men need to deal with all this kerfuffle?
Well, here’s where I need to catch you up before moving on. Prior to this moment, the sons of Phrixos (yes the guy who had gotten on the back of the magical flying ram to get to Colchis — that guy’s sons) had embarked on a Colchian ship and were travelling from the court of Aeetes to the city of Orchomenos to recover their father’s wealth. He had bestowed this journey upon them when he was dying as a last hurrah. However, Zeus stirred up the North wind to push them off course (because of course he did). The sons of Phrixos were carried aimlessly on the waves and the force of the wind eventually destroyed their boat. With the help of the gods, the four of them had clung on to one of the planks and they were carried in despair towards the island. In the dead of night the sons of Phrixos, along with the plank, were thrown on the coast of the island. They slept on the beach and were woken up to the sound of voices … and now you’re caught up.
So now the Argonauts and the sons of Phrixos met each other and THIS is why Phineus made the Argonauts go to the island.
Argos (one of the sons — I know he has the same name as an Argonaut but such is this book) speaks first. He says (something like): “Whoever you are, we beg you by Zeus to show us kindness and help us since we are in distress. Storm winds swept on the sea and wrecked our ship. Now we ask you to give us clothes and take pity on us since we are men of your age and are in trouble. Show us respect and remember that Zeus is watching. Both suppliants and strangers belong to Zeus”.
Believing that the prophecies of Phineus were being fulfilled, Jason is all like: “We will give you all these things. But tell us where you really live and what business compels you to travel over the sea? Also tell us your family names so that we know who we’re addressing” (not an exact quote*).
And so, Argos replies (with something along the lines of): “ A descendent of Aiolos called Phrixos travelled to Aia from Hellas. Phrixos reached the city of Aeetes mounted on a ram, which Hermes made golden, and even to this day you can see the fleece spread out on the branches of an oak. Phrixos sacrificed the ram to Zeus and Aeetes received him in the palace and, as a kind gesture, gave him in marriage his daughter Chalkiope and didn’t ask for a bride price for her. These two people are our parents. Phrixos died an old man in Aeetes’ house and, following our father’s instructions, we are travelling to Orchomenos to recover Athamas’ possessions. If you want our names, he’s Kytissoros, this is Phrontis and that one is Melas. I am Argos”.
The heroes are elated to meet them and show them great kindness.
Jason then says (something like): “No way! You’re related to me through my father! Kretheus and Athamas were brothers and I am Kretheus’ grandson! I am travelling with these guys from Hellas to Aeetes. But we will talk about this all later on … you guys need some clothes. Let’s grab you some and come back to this in a bit”.
Jason runs off to get them clothes and, once the sons of Phrixos are dressed, they all go to the temple of Ares to sacrifice some sheep. They take their places around the altar of small stones, perform the sacrifice and lift up their prayers.
After the sacrifice, Jason says (something along the lines of): “Zeus watches over everything and so he knows who of us respects the gods and who is unjust. Just as he saved your father from death at the hands of his stepmother and gave him great prosperity in a distant land, just so he brought you guys to safety. On the Argo, we may go in whichever direction we wish — whether to Aia or Orchomenes – because it was Athena who designed it and who cut the planks of the wood from Mount Pelion. Your ship though … that thing was clearly terrible since got destroyed. Have no fear, we’ll show you what a real boat looks like! Come help us get the Golden Fleece so we can bring it back to Hellas”.
Even though this speech is supposed to be encouraging, the sons of Phrixos are struck with horror. They just can not fathom the idea that these people really think they can get the Golden Fleece from Aeetes. Further than that — they think Aeetes will be happy about it!? The sons of Phrixos think the Argonauts are insane and they openly say that to Jason and the men. Argos says (something like): “Look guys, we will help you if you want us to — but you must be warned that Aeetes is a savage and cruel man. He boasts that he is the offspring of Helios and he has strength that would rival Ares. He won’t just receive you into the palace nor will he just hand over the Fleece. And if you think that you can take the fleece without Aeetes knowing … that’s also a no. Mainly because the damn thing is guarded by a deathless and sleepless serpent which is a product of Earth itself: it rose on the spurs of Caucasus below the Typhaonian Rock, where men say that Typhaon attacked the god. He was struck with one of Zeus’ lightning bolts and warm blood dripped from his head. To this day he lies encased in the waters of Lake Serbonis”.
Everyone hearing this just starts to panic. Peleus is the only one existing on any level of confidence, replying: “Don’t you even try to put terror into us. We are not short of courage. This crew is knowledgeable in the art of war AND all of us are descendants of the gods. Therefore I am super confident that the Colchian tribes will not be of help to Aeetes, should he refuse to give us the Fleece in friendship” (not an exact quote*).
The conversation continues as the men prepare the meat for feasting. After they eat, they all sleep.
Onwards to colchis
A gentle breeze wakes the men up in the morning. They raise the sail and soon leave Ares’ island behind them.
They sailed past the island of Philyra the following night. After that, the Argo shimmies on past the Makrones, the land of the Becheires, the violent Sepeires, and after them the Byzeres. Luckily for us, the boat cuts quickly through the sea so not all of these places come with a backstory.
Finally, the men reach the furthest recess of the Pontos. The tall peaks of the Caucasian mountains began to rise up in front of them and the atmosphere changed among the Argonauts. This is where Prometheus’ limbs are pressed against the harsh rock by the bronze shackles and his liver feeds an eagle each day. The men sail past Prometheus in the evening and watch the eagle flying near the clouds over the high point of the ship. Soon, the sound of Prometheus’ screams fill the air around them.
During the night, Argos guides them towards the Phasis at the boundary of the Pontos. Once entering the river they take down the sail and begin to row. To their left is the Caucasus and the city of Aia, to their right is the plain of Ares and his sacred grove — where the serpent guards the Fleece.
Jason takes a golden beaker and pours out drops of sweet honey and unmixed wine into the river as a libation for the goddesses of the land and the spirits of dead heroes. He quietly asks them to help in their task.
After this, Ankaios spoke. He says (something like): “We have now reached Colchis and the stream of the Phasis. Now we must consider whether we should go to Aeetes or figure out something else”.
At Argos’ urging, Jason now ordered the men to row into the thick marsh close by. Once they’re there, they anchor the ship. The men spend the night on board and wake to see the dawn rise.
Watch Here:
Listen Here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3yDATaGLuyipDgyiSe75fN
Thumbnail Image: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/240098
Terracotta jug
ca. 750–600 BCE
“Ships provided the link between Cyprus and the surrounding world, and the island was renowned for its shipbuilding. The vessel here is clearly provided with a mast, a sail shown furled, and a pair of steering oars. Of particular interest is the bird's head ornamenting the stern. This feature seems to have originated in the Aegean during the prehistoric period, and it survived well into the first millennium B.C. We do not know if the ship is Cypriot or foreign.” (Copied from Met Museum website).