Book 4: Jason, Medea & The Argonauts Finally Make It Home
Aeetes Attempts to destroy the Argonauts
Apollonius opens this book by asking the goddess to help him retell the sufferings and thoughts of Medea. He says that he is at a loss whether to call what happens the cause of a mad and sickening burden of desire or a shameful panic. Either way, whatever this feeling is happens to be what causes Medea to abandon the tribe of the Colchians.
The action opens with Aeetes, who has been awake all night to try and come up with a plan to kill the Argonauts. Although his anger encourages these thoughts, it’s his daughter who is his real target of his rage. After Jason performed the tasks with such ease, Aeetes knew he could not have done so without help. And not just any help, but only Medea’s help could have such effects on a man. Aeetes stews all night on how to punish her.
We now cut to Medea who is woken up by an intense feeling of fear (Apollonius says that Hera is the one to inflict her with such emotion). Medea is sure that people have become aware of how she assisted Jason and she’s certain that this will bring about her destruction. She’s so terrified of people knowing her involvement that a fire fills her eyes and a terrible roaring erupts in her ears. In her distress, she gives out a horrible lament and pulls at her hair.
Apollonius tells us that Medea would have killed herself with her poisons before she could bring Hera’s plans to fruition had not the goddess encouraged her to flee in terror with Phrixos’ sons. Medea’s heart grows calm at the thought and, changing her plans impulsively, she empties her casket of drugs and places the vials in the folds of her dress. She kisses her bed and both sides of her chamber door. Lastly, she cuts off a lock of her hair and leaves it in her room for her mother as a memorial of her virginity.
Medea cries out (something like): “I leave this lock to take my place since I’m leaving. Goodbye, homeland!"
Sobbing, she runs from her home and through the narrow streets of the city. She uses her left hand to hold up her robes over her eyes, hiding her identity from the passing citizens, and with her right she lifts the hem of her tunic off the ground. No one recognises Medea as she leaves — not even her father’s guards.
Although she intended to head straight for the Argo, Medea finds herself overcome with sudden fear and she stops to reflect on her situation. She looks up to the moon and says (something along the lines of): “How many times have the moon’s incantations caused me to hide when my mind was so in love? It seems that you are now a victim of madness like I am. A cruel god has given Jason to us to cause unforgettable pain.”
Medea continues walking, climbing the banks of the river to further her journey. On the opposite bank, she can see the Greek heroes burning a fire and so she calls loudly to Phrontis, Phixos’ youngest son. He, his other brothers and Jason realise that the call is Medea’s voice and are completely dumbstruck. As soon as the other men catch on, they too can’t quite believe what they’re hearing. Three times Medea cries out to them and three times Phrontis shouts back at her.
The heroes hop on their boat and row quickly in her direction. They don’t even come to a complete stop when Jason hops off the boat and onto dry land, running to meet Medea. After Jason runs Phrontis and Argos, the two sons of Phrixos.
With both arms, Medea embraces their knees and says (something similar to): “Save me from my wretchedness and save yourselves from Aeetes! He knows what we did and the situation can not be salvaged! Let’s go before he has the chance to chase us. I will get you the Golden Fleece by putting the serpent which guards it to sleep. Please do not abandon me now because I have no one else to protect me!”
Even though Medea is distressed by what’s happening, Jason’s heart is described as rejoicing. He gently raises Medea from her kneeling position and says (something like): “May the king and queen of the gods witness my oath that I will make you my wife in my home when we return to Hellas.” He immediately takes her right hand in his and leads her onto the Argo.
Medea tells the men where to row the ship so that she and Jason can grab the Fleece while the land is still covered in darkness. The men row as fast as they can, speeding through the water at a great pace. Medea rushes back and stretches her hands out towards the land in despair while Jason tries to comfort her.
Medea & Jason go to get the Golden Fleece
Just before dawn, Medea and Jason step off the ship onto a grassy bit of land called “the Ram’s Bed”. Apollonius mentions how the land got its name: it’s the first spot where the magical Ram had chilled out after the flight from Greece when it had brought Phrixos to Colchis. Regardless, the pair follow a path down to the Sacred Grove, looking for the huge oak that the Fleece hangs on.
Suddenly the pair come face to face with the terrifying serpent that guards the Fleece. Hearing them approach, the serpent lifts its vast neck and catches them with its sharp eyes. It begins to hiss incredibly loud — so loud that women who had just given birth, apparently, wake in terror and throw their arms around their infant children in panic (Apollonius’ comparison, not mine).
As the monster uncurls itself and rolls towards them, Medea calls upon Sleep to bewitch the beast. She then calls out to Hekate to grant success to this little mission. Behind Medea follows Jason, who is described as being absolutely terrified … thank god Medea is there because our little hero could not have done this alone!
The monster slowly begins to succumb to Medea’s spell, stretching out its spirals to get itself comfortable on the hard ground. Even as it does this it tries to lift its head to eat Medea and Jason, but it can’t muster the strength to go through with its desire. Medea continues to sing to the beast and sprinkles drugs over its eyes as it falls into a deep, deep sleep.
Seeing the compromised monster, Jason beelines it to get the Golden Fleece. Medea stays where she is, continuing to rub the beast’s head with the drug until Jason gives the order to return to the ship. The pair SPRINT back to the boat as fast as they can.
Jason grips the Golden Fleece in his hands to run with it, but the thing is so big and sparkly that it’s described as reaching down to his feet. At times he has to stop and readjust the Fleece, rolling it up to make it easier to transport.
As the pair join the group, the sky brightens with the first signs of dawn. The young men stare at the Fleece which shone like Zeus’ lightning. Every single Argonaut approaches it wanting to touch it, but Jason restrains them and throws a robe over the Fleece to keep it hidden.
Jason says his final words to his men: “Let’s now go home. The object which we took this terrible voyage for is now ours thanks to Medea’s skill. With her consent, I shall take her home to be my wife. She has brought noble aid to all of Achaia. Keep her safe! Aeetes, I imagine, will come with great force to prevent us from reaching the open sea. Therefore each second man on his bench should row and the other men should protect our journey home by holding onto their shields as a barrier between enemy attack. Now, men — we have in our hands the fate of our children, our country, and our parents. On our success rests whether Hellas will reap despair or great glory!”
The Argonauts shout in eagerness in response. Jason uses his sword to cut the ropes at the ship’s stern, separating them from the land and allowing the ship to sail out. He then takes his place near Medea, all armoured up. The pair sit beside Ankaios, the steersman, as the ship races forward.
The Argonauts leave Colchis
Back in Colchis, everyone is RAGING at what Medea has done. A meeting is called and all of the Colchians arrive — so many people that it would be impossible to count! — and are met by Aeetes standing on his chariot. The horses were given to Aeetes by his father Helios (so they’re super fast) and his equipment glinted in the morning light; in his left hand he raised his shield, in the other a huge torch, and beside him lay his spear. Apsyrtos stands below, holding the chariot reins in his hands.
Aeetes raises his arms and calls up to Helios and Zeus while the Colchians watch. He tells the deities to witness the wrongs he has suffered because of his daughter. He then shouts terrible threats to the people in front of him, saying that if they are not to bring back Medea so that he can take revenge for all that had happened, they will bear the brunt of his rage.
Hearing the king’s threat loud and clear, the Colchians get their ships ready, place their equipment on board and go out to sea in search of Medea.
Luckily for the Argonauts, Hera is looking out for them (remember: not because she likes Jason but because she hates Pelias). She sends a strong wind their way so that Medea can reach the Pelasgian land and bring disaster upon Pelias and his house.
On the third morning, the Argonauts tie up the boat to the Paphlagonian shore at the mouth of the river Halys because Medea had told them to get off the boat and offer sacrifices to Hekate. So the men build a little shrine to honour the goddess.
Jason and the heroes recall that Phineus had said that they would follow a different route on the way back. Having the time to think, all the men begin to discuss what their options could be. Pulling up short, Argos, son of Phrixos, says (something like): “When our ship was destroyed, we were trying to get to Orchomenos via the route Phineus told you to travel to get to Colchis. But there is another way for ships which is more inland … so why don’t we try that? There’s a river called the Istros. When the waters reach the boundaries of the Thracians and the Scythians, it splits in two: one stream empties into the sea, but behind it, the other flows through the deep gulf leading to the Trinakrian sea. That’s where your homeland is, so that’s the route I suggest.”
Once he’s finished, the goddess gives the men a favourable omen to show her approval of Argos’ words. Before leaving, the men leave Lykos’ son there and then sail across the sea with billowing sails, their eyes fixed on the mountains of Paphlagonians.
Meanwhile, we cut back to the Colchians briefly to see what’s up with them. Apollonius tells us that some of the Colchians travel out towards the Clashing Rocks at the mouth of the Pontos, but others (under the command of Apsyrtos) make for the river. However, Apsyrtos guides his ships another way and has them enter through Lovely Mouth, thus leaving the Argonauts behind them and sneaking around the front. Because of this, Apsyrtos crossed the neck of the land and reached the Ionian Sea before the Argo. Once the Colchians arrive, they block off every path the Argonauts can escape from so that no matter which way they approach, they will sail into his trap.
The Greek heroes travel down the river and come out at two nearby islands of the Brygoi (these islands had been dedicated to Artemis, goddess of the hunt). On one of these islands is a sacred shrine, but the Argonauts choose to disembark on the other, thus avoiding Apsyrtos’ great force. You see, this area of the sea is filled with many surrounding islands and Apsyrtos decided to stay away from the Brygoi out of respect for Artemis, therefore packing the other islands with his Colchians to guard the sea. And so, the Argonauts chose the Brygoi to avoid an all-out war.
Realising that they’re stuck, the Argonauts stop to think of their plan of action. At first, they assume that Apsyrtos has come for the Fleece, but realise that since Aeetes had promised them the Fleece if they should complete the challenges — which Jason did — it couldn’t possibly be that. They then float the idea that Apsyrtos has come for them to retrieve Medea. If this was the case, the Argonauts agree that Medea should be entrusted to Artemis and separated from everyone else until one of the kings decides whether she is to return to her father’s house or follow the heroes back to Greece.
Medea though … yeah, she does NOT like this. Immediately she called Jason aside, away from his companions, and says (something like): “Jason, what’s the plan here? Has your success made you forgetful? Do you not care about the promises you’ve made me? What about those oaths to Zeus — where have they gone? It was those promises that made me abandon my home, my household, my parents, and everything that was and still is important to me. This is not how I should have behaved and now I’m in this mess all because I wanted you to succeed. Worst of all is that when I was found out for helping you, in my craziness I then helped you steal the bloody Fleece! No Jason, you don’t get to just drop me off on some island so you and my brother and whoever else can decide my fate. I’m telling you that I’m following you to Hellas as your wife: you MUST protect me with all you have. Consider the agreement (we both pledged ourselves) valid forever. If not, then right now you can slash my throat so that my actions can receive their proper reward. I will suffer a horrible fate for what I have done, whereas you will return safely home. I pray to Hera that when you are worn out with suffering you will one day remember me and that Fleece of yours will vanish into darkness like a dream. May the Furies drive you straight from your homeland because of what I have suffered through your heartlessness. What I say the gods will not leave unaccomplished for you have broken your solemn oath.”
I would just like to interject and remind everyone that the men haven’t made a decision at this point. They have every right, given their predicament, to want Medea off the boat if she poses a threat to them all. Of course, she helped them, but I do think that — given her psycho brother is currently chasing them — the men have every right to weigh up their options. It seems like this is an extraneous circumstance, no? Especially because this is not just about Jason’s safety, but about the collective safety of fifty people. Are they really going to sacrifice all their men in order to save one woman? Or kill all of them, including Medea, just so they don’t have to abandon her? The options that the men are looking at are lose-lose situations. This doesn’t mean that Medea doesn’t have every right to be mad and curse the hell out of Jason (in fact I support it), but she does need to be rational.
Anyways, Medea is seething with anger. Unable to speak, Medea turns over her options in her head. She seriously contemplates setting the ship on fire and destroying it in front of the men’s eyes, only to then throw herself on the all-consuming flames. So that’s Medea’s mental state at the moment.
Seeing Medea’s distress, Jason aims to calm her down. He encourages her to relax and then says (something along the lines of): “I’m not happy about this but we are just trying to avoid a battle here. We have a huge enemy blazing around us all because of you being on this boat. If we try to fight them, we will all die. If that happens then the pain will be even worse for you as you will be left as easy prey for your brother and the Colchians. We’re trying to come up with some kind of plan — okay? — just please relax.”
To Jason’s credit, he does try his best. Fortunately for him, Medea’s crazy brain is having a field day, She looks at the hero and says (something like): “Here’s the plan. We need to persuade my brother to come here so that we can handle him alone. Soften him with nice gifts so that I can convince the heralds to make Apsyrtos meet me. If he’s on his own then you will be able to kill him easily and we can escape the Colchians together.”
Jason likes the sound of this and so the pair get ready to deceive Apsyrtos.
First, they send him many gifts of friendship including the purple robe of Hypsipyle. Second, Medea gives her message to the heralds in the hopes of successfully luring Apsyrtos to come to her by himself. The story she tells the heralds is that she had only left with the Greeks in a bid to steal the Fleece from them, but she needs his help. She asks him to come to her on his own in the cover of night so that they can devise a trick by which she may take the Golden Fleece to return it to Aeetes’ home. She explains that it was the sons of Phrixos who had forced her to help Jason and so now she wants to get away and honour her people. The heralds run off to deliver this message and the gifts to Apsyrtos.
Jason & Medea kill her brother
Medea now waits for her brother in the temple of Artemis.
The trick deceives Apsyrtos and he quickly crosses the sea in his ship to meet Medea. He steps on the holy land in the middle of the night and goes to find his sister in the darkness. When he sees her, Apsyrtos thinks to test her to see if she is really willing to plan treachery against the strangers. The pair engage in a deep conversation, ironing out all the details of how they would bring destruction to the Greeks, when Jason appears from the shadows.
Jason leaps out from his hiding place with his sword raised in his hand. As he strikes Apsyrtos, Medea turns her eyes away and covers her face with her veil so that she doesn’t have to watch the blood spurt from her brother’s body. Apsyrtos falls to his knees and Jason takes the body to bury it in the ground while it’s still fresh.
Medea holds up her torch to signal to the other Argonauts on the ship that they were successful in their mission The other heroes bring the Argo alongside the Colchian ship and wipe out the entire Colchian crew. Jason appears at the end, eager to help, but they already had it handled.
All the Argonauts (and Medea, obviously) sit around to figure out the best plan for the rest of the voyage. Peleus is the first to speak, saying something like: “While it is still night we should get back on the ship and row in the opposite direction to that which the Colchians control. My guess is that when it’s morning and they see we’re not here, they won’t chase us further. Without their leader, they will break apart and argue over what to do and so the passage for us to escape will be easier.”
The men agree and quickly row with all their strength to the island of Elektris, the last of the islands, near the mouth of the river Eridanos. When the Colchians realise that their leader has been killed, they go searching for the Argonauts in their rage. Luckily for the Greeks, Hera restrains them by aggressively sending lightning flashes throughout the sky.
Now that the Argonauts believe they are safe, they dock the boat at the land of the Hylleans. These people accept the Arognauts and their guests, helping them to plan their route of escape and, in return, getting a nice tripod of Apollo for their assistance (back story of the tripod: when Jason had gone to the Pythia to make enquiries about his voyage, Apollo had given him the tripod for the long journey. It was fated that any land in which the tripod was dedicated would never be overcome by an enemy invasion. For this reason, the tripod lies hiding in this land to this day — it is near the city of the Hylleans and is buried deep in the ground so that mortals can not see it).
Apollonius now interjects the story to tell us that when Apsyrtos died, Zeus was pretty pissed off by what the Greeks had done. He decided at the time that they should be cleansed of the murder by Circe and only return home after many sufferings. Cut back to the present and none of the heroes knew this, so when they set sail again it’s in total ignorance of what lies ahead.
They leave behind the Liburnian islands, Kerkyra, Melite and Kerossos and then, far across the sea, Nymphaie, where Calypso lived. It’s only then that Hera realises what Zeus is up to. To help them complete the voyage, Hera gathers winds from the opposite direction to help sweep them back towards Elektris.
As the boat begins rushing backward, one of the planks of wood (an oak plank from Dodona which was set in the middle of the keel by Athena) starts speaking to the men. Yep, you heard that right. The thing speaks with the voice of Zeus and scares the bejesus out of the men. It tells them that they can not escape suffering on the ocean until Circe cleanses them for the murder of Apsyrtos. The voice orders Polydeukos and Kastor to pray to the immortal gods and grant them passage to the Ausonian sea, where they will be able to find Circe.
The sons of Tyndareus leap up and fulfill their instructions. Raising their hands to the immortals, the duo pray for everything they may need to have to succeed on their journey. The other Argonauts are completely overcome by despair but the Argo continues to speed on.
The men go to Circe’s Island
The Argo now enters the most remote part of the Eridanos. Apollonius tells us that it’s in this location where Phaethon once fell after he was shot by Zeus, and this is why the water still exhales a heavy vapor. So when the heroes come to these waters, they spend days worn out and exhausted, weighed down by the foul smell that rose from the branches of the Eridanos as Phaethon’s corpse steamed.
From there the Argonauts sail onto the Rhodanos and through the lakes which spread over the distance into the land of the Celts. There the heroes would have met their dark fate, but Hera leaps down from the heavens and screams from the top of the Herkynian rock. All the Argonauts quake in fear at the sound of her voice. The goddess’s cry causes them to turn back to find the safe route back to Hellas.
After the long journey, they finally reach the coast of the sea (this is mostly because Hera covered the boat in a magical mist so that they would not be bothered by any more scary people). The Argonauts come out of the central mouth of the river and disembark off the boat onto the Stiochades Islands. Here they build altars to Zeus, have a little moment, and then get back on the boat to make their way to the island of Aithalia. From there they sail along the Ausonian Sea and fix their eyes on the coast of Tyrrhenia.
Now they reach the harbour of Circe’s island and moor the boat to the shore. They find Circe purifying her head and hair in the water because she had been disturbed by dreams during the night. Her beasts — not all beasts but not all man, some hybrid in the middle because … well, we know why — had all come with her. It’s the animals that cause the heroes to pause, staring at the beasts in astonishment.
The men only really understand who they’re standing in front of once they meet Circe’s eyes. Only when they catch the glimmer in them do they realise that this goddess must be the sister of Aeetes.
But Circe keeps the men waiting. She only goes towards the men once she is sure that she has dismissed the fears caused by her nightmares. As she approaches the house, she offers an invitation for the men to follow her inside.
However, Jason tells the other Argonauts to remain where they are, taking Medea by the hand so that only the two of them meet with the powerful goddess. The pair walk up the path that Circe had taken until they reach her palace.
Once inside, Circe sees them to some chairs. Medea buries her face in her hands and Jason presents the sword he used to kill Aeetes’ son. Neither of them raise their eyes to look at Circe, shame holding them back from meeting her gaze. But Circe understands what they’re here for: she knows that they have committed murder and that they need purification.
First of all, to help cleanse them of the murder which could not be undone, she stretches a baby pig over them and — slitting its throat — soaks their hands with its blood. Then she makes a series of offerings, calling upon Zeus to watch her as she does. Her Naiad servants carry all of the impure waste out of the house while at the hearth Circe prepares offerings and sings her prayers. She prays that the Furies may calm and that Zeus might be nice to them.
When everything has been properly completed, Circe sits them on polished chairs opposite her. At once she asks them the details of their voyage and why they thought to come to her. In reply to Circe, Medea gives a gentle response in Colchian. She tells her of the expedition and the heroes’ travels — everything that she can think of, she offers to Circe willingly. The only thing she does not detail is the murder of her brother, but Circe feels pity for Medea’s tears.
After Medea is done, Circe says (something like): “It’s a shameful journey you have become involved with. I don’t think that you will escape the anger of Aeetes as soon he will come to take vengeance. Since you are a suppliant and a member of my family, I will bring no further evil upon you now that you have come here. But you cannot stay. Leave my house and go with this stranger. I will never approve of what you have done and therefore can never allow you to stay as a guest in my home.”
Hearing this, Medea is seized by a terrible grief and weeps in lamentation. She covered her eyes with her robe and shook with fear as Jason led her from the house.
Hera gets involved
Cut to the gods and Iris now runs off to inform Hera of the Argonauts leaving Circe’s Island (this is because Hera had previously told Iris to watch out for their return to their ships because the queen of the gods likes to be in the know).
Hera then gives Iris a further mission, saying (something like): “Go and get Thetis to come up out of the sea and visit me. After that go to Hephaestus and tell him to dampen the blasts of fire until the Argo is safely beyond them. Then go to Aiolos — the guy who rules the winds — and inform him of what I have in mind. I want him to calm every single gust of wind and ensure that no breeze is to make the sea choppy. Only Zephyrus is to blow until the Argonauts reach the Phaeacian island of Alkinoos.”
Without delay, Iris goes down from Olympus to where Nereus’ house is among the waves. She goes to Thetis and tells her to go see Hera.
Then Iris flies off to visit Hephaestus and asks him to chill. After this, she goes off to Aiolos and tells him to calm his winds. While ALL of this is happening, Thetis goes to see Hera.
When Thetis arrives, Hera says (something like): “You know how I feel about Jason and the Argonauts who have helped him in his task, but now they must travel past Scylla and Charybdis. Ever since you were a baby I brought you up and cherished you beyond all other goddesses among the sea because you did not lie with Zeus even though he wanted you. Out of respect for me you rejected him. He then swore that no immortal could marry you if he could not and despite this, even though you were unwilling, he kept his eyes on you until Themis told him how you were fated to bear a son greater than his father. Though Zeus was keen, he left you alone out of fear of this prophecy and I gave you the best of men to be your husband so that your marriage might please your heart. I called all the gods together for the wedding and raised the marriage torch myself because of how kind you’ve always been to me. I’m reminding you of this because now I need you to do something for me: help the ship reach the harbour of the Phaeacians. Do not allow the Argonauts to fall into Charybdis or fall victim to Scylla.”
Thetis agrees and goes back down into the sea. She calls her sisters to help her in Hera’s mission, telling them how the queen of the gods specifically asked for their assistance. They all quickly dispatch towards the Ausonian sea, with Thetis speeding off until she reaches the Aiaian shore of the Tyrrhenian mainland. Here she finds the Argonauts beside their ship, amusing themselves by throwing a discus and shooting various arrows.
Among them, she sees Peleus, her dear husband. She moves closer and touches his fingers to get his attention. Although she has not made herself visible to anyone else, Peleus can see her clearly. She says to him (something like): “Do not stay here, but in the morning sail your ship far away. The Nereids are coming to help bring the ship safely through the rocks which are called Planktai; unfortunately, this is the route that fate will guide you through. I’ll be there to help, but keep this between me and you. Do not tell anyone else of my presence.” And with that, Thetis dives back into the water and disappears from sight.
Peleus is overwhelmed with bitter grief after Thetis leaves him. His loving wife hadn’t visited him since she had abandoned their bed chamber in anger over baby Achilles. Apollonius tells us the story: in the dead of night Thetis would hold baby Achilles in a raging fire after anointing his limbs with ambrosia in a bid to make him immortal and keep old age away from his body. But one night Peleus had awoken and lept from his bed to see his son grasping at the flames. At the sight of this, he let out a terrible scream. When Thetis heard this she snatched the crying baby and dropped him to the floor and she sped from the house. After this, she did not return. So back in the present moment, Peleus’ mind is gripped by helpless despair thinking of this, but even so, he goes to relay Thetis’ instructions to the men.
The men stop what they are doing, finish up their games, prepare for supper, and then go off to bed.
The argo faces many familiar mythological monsters
In the morning, the men leave and Zephyrus guides them on their journey.
The wind first carries the ship to Anthemoessa where the Sirens live. When the Argonauts roll on by, the Sirens open their mouths to sing. The men hear their calling loud and clear and many of them are overcome with the desire to swim to the Siren’s beaches. However, Orpheus knows how to rid the air of their tempting song. He picks up his lyre and plays a fast-rolling tune LOUDER than the Sirens are singing. That, plus the sound of the breeze and the wind, helps the Argo sail on by.
But alas, one man is still enchanted by the song. The son of Teleon jumps off the Argo because his heart has been softened by the song. He would have died there and then had not Aphrodite swopped in to pick him up from the waves and settle him on Cape Lilybaeum.
After the Sirens, the men go on to face Scylla & Charybdis. On the other side of these monsters lay the Planktai rocks. The Nereids now come up to guide the ship (Thetis put her hand on the blade of the rudder) through the Planktai and avoid Scylla & Charybdis. Just as they are about to crash into the rock, the nymphs handle it and settle the ship on a safe path. They take their positions at regular intervals above the rocks and the breaking surf on either side of the ship. The Nereids pass the ship from one of them to the other until it clears the dangerous strait, never letting it touch the rocks.
The Phaeacians receive the Argonauts
After all the mythological monster madness, the Argo sails over the sea to the Phaeacians. Alkinoos and his people welcome them warmly with sacrifices to please the gods.
Now this is crazy, guys — amongst all this fun energy, out of NOWHERE the Colchians appear nearby. They had traveled through the mouth of the Pontos and passed the Dark Rocks to end up at Phaeacia. This panics the Argonauts and Medea, all of them wondering if they would have to armour up and prepare for battle. The Colchians send a herald to talk to the Phaeacians, demanding them to hand over Medea so that she can be given back to her father. If they fail to do this, the Colchians threaten a terrible conflict led by Aeetes.
Despite their thirst for war, King Alkinoos holds them back. He has no desire to engage in war and so goes about resolving this issue without any fighting.
Medea is completely gripped by fear seeing the Colchians show up. She pleads with the Argonauts and many times she goes to touch the knees of Arete, the wife of Alkinoos. She says (something like): “Oh queen, please show kindness to me and do not hand me over to the Colchians. Against my will, I left my home in the company of foreign men. I left because hateful fear persuaded me — I made a mistake and there was no other way out. Be rest assured that my virgin belt remains unstained just as it was in my father’s house. Take pity on me and try to win over your husband. May the gods grant you a life of fulfillment, children, and the glory of an unravenged city!”
However, Medea isn’t finished with her pleas. She then turns to the Argonauts and says (something along the lines of): “It is because of you and the tasks you had to achieve that I am in this position. It’s thanks to me that you yoked the bulls and reaped the deadly harvest, and it’s because of me that you will return home with the Golden Fleece. I am the one who lost everything, but you will all go home because of my sacrifices. If I fall into Aeetes’ hands to be put to death, it is thus because of you. No temples or towers or other means of defense is mine other than all of you. You were once brave but now that you see the Colchians at our door you have forgotten all your courage.”
Hearing her, the men pick up with spears and draw their swords to show their support for her.
As night surrounds them, the Argonauts, the Phaeacians, and Medea settle in for rest. Although sleep finds the others, Medea is described as lying in despair among them. The pain in her chest makes her cry with grief in the darkness.
In the city, King Alkinoos and his wife Arete lay in bed and talk about what to do with Medea. Arete says to her husband (something like): “This girl has brought so much help to the Argonauts and has suffered so much at the hands of the Colchians. Argos is close to our island. Aeetes’ home is nowhere near here and we don’t even know who he is, we’ve just heard of him. The young girl’s pleas have really broken my heart. Please, dear husband, do not hand her over to the Colchians. According to what she has said, Jason is bound by great oaths to make her his wife in his palace. And so, if you give Medea back to her father then you are allowing Jason to break such oaths. Do not him to do so, and do not allow an angry father to commit horrible outrages against his child.”
Arete’s words warm Alkinoos’ heart. The king replies (something along the lines of: “Arete, I want to help the Argonauts drive off the savage Colchians. But at the same time, I am afraid of outraging Zeus and his customs. No king is greater than Aeetes and if he wanted to he could pursue his anger to Hellas, no matter how far away he lives. Therefore, I have to come up with a plan: if Medea is a virgin then she should be sent home. However, if she is sharing her husband’s bed then I will not separate her from her spouse, nor will I hand over to its enemies any child she may be carrying.” And with that, he falls asleep.
Arete waits for a beat and then LEAPS out of bed, hurrying through the palace to find anyone who will listen to her. As she rushes her maidservants keep pace with her. She asks them to summon her herald, which they do. Once Arete is face to face with the royal herald, she tells him to go tell Jason that he NEEDS to have sex with Medea and not even to bother pleading with King Alkinoos. If he has sex with her and “marries” her, then Alkinoos will not hand her over to the Colchians. When she finishes speaking, the herald runs off to find Jason.
… and jason & medea get married
The herald finds Jason awake beside the Argo (which is in the harbour of Hyllos near the city). He tells Jason the whole message and then runs off back to the palace.
All the Argonauts rejoice at the news, immediately begin to prepare wine in honour of the gods, and bring a sheep to the altar for sacrifice.
Some of the Argonauts go to make Medea’s marriage bed ready in a sacred cave. After laying down a couch they throw the Golden Fleece on top. The nymphs then come to scatter flowers all around. Although a wedding is supposed to be romantic, the Argonauts did have to suit up with their weapons just in case the Colchians attacked by surprise before the ceremony could be completed. However, to finish off the scene, Orpheus sings the marriage hymn with his lyre at the entrance of the cave chamber.
Apollonius tells us that Jason actually had no desire to get married on this island, but he goes through with the ceremony because he wants to return home safe and sound. Medea too, obviously, but necessity forces the pair to marry and f*ck. The narrator stresses that even while they were doing the deed, both of them were overcome with worry that Alkinoos’ judgement would not come to fruition. After this, they all go to bed.
In the morning the streets of the city are busy with the island’s inhabitants. Alkinoos goes to reveal his decision about Medea as soon as he rises. He leaves the palace holding his golden staff of legal authority. Following him are Phaeacians dressed for war (just as backup… you know, just in case).
As the king descends on the Argonauts, Hera spreads the rumour of what happened between Jason and Medea. All the Phaeacian women follow the king down to the shore — one brings a ram specially chosen from her flock, another a heifer that had not yet been made to work, and others place amphoras of wine near the cave. Women bring cloths, gifts of gold and jewellery of all kinds to congratulate the new bride.
When they make it down to the shore, the women are struck at the sight of the handsome heroes. The scene they walk into sees Orpheus beating the ground in rapid time with his sandal to the tuneful sound of his lyre and his song. Whenever the Argonauts sang of marriage, all the nymphs blended their voices with them in a wedding hymn. At other times the nymphs sang and danced by themselves in a circle in the honour of Hera, since it was she who gave Arete the great idea of revealing Alkinoos' decision.
The Colchians gather for the meeting and Alkinoos declares the terms of his judgment. In response, the Argonauts announce the fulfillment of marriage. And so, Alkinoos continues to arrange matters in the same way he had before without a fear of Aeetes showing up unannounced. The Colchians do try to push back but Alkinoos tells them to either respect what he has said or move their ships from his harbour.
Everyone is happy, the Argonauts hang out for a bit and after seven days they get back in the boat and go on their merry way. King Alkinoos gives them many gifts (many of which are noted as being just from Arete: she gives them twelve Phaeacian servants to be Medea’s attendants) and sends them off politely.
The ship gets stuck in North Africa
Unfortunately for the Argonauts, it was not fated for the heroes to get to Greece just yet. The wind pushes the boat off course for nine whole nights and just as many days. This goes on until they find themselves deep within Syrtis from where the ships can no longer return once they have been forced into the gulf. Realising their misfortune, the men leave the ship and go on land to get their bearings. Once they understand the gravity of their situation, grief seizes them. In every direction, as far as the eye could see, was sand. No path leading to a forest, no city on the horizon, and no indication of fresh water. Just. Sand.
All the men start to babble to one another, trying to figure out where it was they had landed. The steersman, Ankaios, addresses everyone calmly (even though he’s pretty helpless himself): “This … this is a disaster. Now that we have been thrust into the desert we will have to endure terrible sufferings. We can’t even sail these waters with the lack of wind and no tide, so I’m going to call it. There’s no way we’re leaving her and getting home safely. It is clearly not in Zeus’ will for us to continue this journey of our lives.” (I said he was calm, not that he was encouraging). All the men agree and they weep at his words.
Soon the evening gloom rolls in and the men throw their arms around one another in an embrace. They all cry as they part ways, each one going off alone to collapse in the sand and wait for death. I know, reader, that I shouldn’t say this but I just have to: that is unintentionally one of the funniest things I have ever read. If you have the book, please go and read just this section. It’s just so absurd that I laugh every single time and I would LOVE to share my gloomy giggles with you.
Anyways, Medea is the only one who is not alone as she waddles off into the sand to die. She is joined by her serving ladies, who let their blonde hair trail off in the sand as they lay. They just lay down facing the sky, hair in the sand, and sing a very long, very dramatic lament.
As our beloved dramatic creatures are feeling sorry for themselves in the sand, the guardians of Libya (nymphs*) take notice of their peculiar behaviour. They give it until midday before getting involved, probably hoping that the Argonauts would come to their sense. They don’t, and so these guardians go to gather around Jason and gently lift his cloak from his head (oh god I forgot to mention that some of the men are SO DRAMATIC they’ve covered their heads with their cloaks! This is WILD honestly) to speak with him.
Jason shrinks back as the sunlight hits his eyes. Realising that there are goddesses over him, he turns his eyes away in awe so as to not disrespect them. What he doesn’t know is that the goddesses are visible only to Jason at this time. Regardless of that, they lean in close to him and say (something like): “What in the world is going on here?? Why are you all downcast and despairing? We know who you all are and what you have achieved. We are shepherd goddesses of the land and guardians of Libya, so trust us when we ORDER YOU to get up and stop being babies. Get your comrades up too and pay requital to your mother for the pain she suffered in carrying you for so long in her belly. As soon as Amphitrite releases the chariot of Poseidon you can get back on the boat and return home safe and sound.” And with that, they disappear.
Jason sits up and calls after the goddesses. He asks them what their final words mean as he can’t understand them, but the goddesses have already gone and are unable to help him anymore.
Frustrated but encouraged, Jason jumps to his feet. He shouts at everyone to wake up and gather around him to hear the news. Once they all get comfortable, Jason says (something sort of like): “Three goddesses just stood over me and told me to get up and rouse you all. They said that we have to pay requital to our mother for all the suffering she endured when carrying us in her belly as soon as Amphitrite loosens the speeding chariot of Poseidon. I have to be honest with you all — I literally have no idea what this means. They said they were heroines and guardians of Libya and claimed to know who we were and what we had done, so I trust that it has to be something useful. But before I could ask them to decipher it, they had all disappeared into the desert.”
All the men are stumped hearing the goddesses’ words to Jason. But right as the men begin to scratch their heads, they receive a sign from the gods: from the sea sprang a monstrous wave with the might of a horse heading towards the shore.
Peleus sees this and says: “I declare that the chariot of Poseidon has just been loosened by the hands of his wife! The goddesses were not speaking of a real horse, they were talking about a wave! Our mother must therefore be the ship itself as it has constantly had us in her belly and has suffered pains on our adventure.” (Not an exact quote*).
And so, what do the men do? The men PICK UP THE BOAT AND PUT IT ON THEIR SHOULDERS TO CARRY IT IN THE DIRECTION OF THE WAVE. I could not make this up. The Argonauts carry the boat and walk along the sand to find new water to put it in. They carry the darn thing for TWELVE WHOLE DAYS AND AN EQUAL NUMBER OF NIGHTS through the deserts of Libya. They only put the boat down once they entered the lake of Triton.
The plot of land they reach is actually the Garden of Hesperides. This is where the Golden Apples are guarded in the sacred territory of Atlas. All the heroes approach the area but the Hesperides become dust and earth as they rush up to ask for their help.
Orpheus is the only one who understands this divine wonder and seeks to win them over with his prayers: “Oh divinities, be gracious whether you are counted among the goddesses of heaven or just the shepherd nymphs. Show yourselves to us and help us find a source of water or something that we can drink from. If we make it back to Greece safe and sound, we will offer you gratitude, gifts, libations, and feasts.”
The Hesperides take pity on the heroes and so send up shoots of water for them to drink from. The goddesses also appear to them to give them some news about Herakles. Aigle says: “A great help in your suffering was that awful guy who just came here and killed the snake.” (Right for all of you non-mythology nerds, she’s talking about one of Herakles’ labours). “Yesterday some man came here wearing the skin of a lion and he shot and killed the creature that guarded these lands. He dashed about all over here looking for water, too. I don’t think he’s gone too far …” (Not an exact quote*).
Aigle motions in the direction Herakles went and the men joyfully run in that direction, trying to find their long-lost friend. One man (unnamed) says to another “What a wonder! Though Herakles is far away, he has saved us!” Short moment even shorter: they don’t find him but Apollonius does give us an update on him and Polyphemos.
Anyway, the only important part of this scene is that we get notes of two Argonaut deaths: one is Kanthos and one is Mopsos. Since we haven’t really spent any time with Kanthos I’ll only tell you what happened to Mopsos. We’re told that he got bitten by a poisonous snake when he stepped on it as it was chilling in the sand. Yup, that’s it. Fat load of use his prophetic skills were, then.
The men then get directions from Triton, who appears to them as they all gather around the Argo which is now sitting on the god’s lake. He gives them a clod of Earth, helps them get on board and then sends them on their way. However, the Argonauts don’t know that Triton is with them. They’re only aware of the god’s help when he takes hold of the keel of the ship and leads her out into open sea. From the top of his head to his belly and all around his back and his waist, his body is like that of any other god, but from the waist down he spread in two directions with the forked tail of a sea monster. When Triton lets the ship go he dives back beneath the waves. All the heroes shout when they see this, calling out prayers and great words to him.
On the following morning, Zephyrus drops and the south wind takes over to blow the ship closer to Greece. That night, the men lower the sail and take down the mast. They row all night long and into the next day, as well as that night and the following day. Soon, they can see rocky Crete rising in the distance.
Medea gets rid of Talos + The Men sail home
As the men get closer to Crete, they see the bronze-covered giant Talos breaking off rocks from a cliff and throwing them into the water below. This prevents the Argonauts from attaching their cables to the land at the harbour of Dikte, which slightly frustrates them. Though they are absolutely exhausted and had been hoping for the chance to stop, the heroes row the ship back from the land in fright.
Apollonius tells us that the Argonauts’ fear now outweighs their tiredness and the crew muster up the strength to row the Argo miles away from the dangerous coast — but Medea stands and orders them to stop. She addresses them with powerful words, saying (something like): “Listen up! I believe that alone I can destroy this man for you, whoever he is, even if his body is made from bronze! Even though you push yourselves to escape this coastline, use your gentle oar strokes to hold the ship just out of the range of the rocks until he yields to destruction at my hands!”
Even though the men are frightened of Talos, they do as Medea instructs. Once at a safe distance, Medea holds up a fold of her robe to cover her cheeks and moves towards the stern deck. The priestess begins to sing, hoping that her incantation will win over the magical help of the Keres. Three times she calls upon them with incantations and three times with individual prayers.
With Medea’s mind set upon evil, she casts a spell upon Talos. She grits her teeth in bitter fury and sends out dark phantoms in the vehemence of her wrath (this is what I call “dark sorceress mode”). Talos yields to destruction — as he’s heaving up great boulders to throw at them, he knocks his ankle on the sharp point of a rock. Talos’ ankle is the only exposed vain he has, meaning that when he cuts it, the poor giant bleeds to death in front of the Argonauts and Medea. He collapses into the sea with a crash.
Now that they are successful the heroes are able to dock the boat on the coast of Crete. They sleep on dry land for the first time in days.
The home stretch
As the glow of dawn appears, the men wake up and go to establish a shrine to Athena to offer her thanks. After this, they get back on the Argo and row away from Crete.
The book ends with some details about various little stops the heroes take, but none of those are big enough for us to focus on here (they’re always in the book if you do need them). Apollonius takes over for the final time, saying that he hopes such songs of heroes get sweeter every year for men to sing. He says that he has come to his conclusion as after this the heroes sailed to Aegina and then onwards to Iolkos. No other channel confronted them, nor did the wind storms block their paths. They sail undisturbed all the way home.
Watch Here:
Listen Here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3yDATaGLuyipDgyiSe75fN
Thumbnail Image: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/253427
Terracotta column-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water)
Attributed to the Orchard Painter ca. 470–460 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 156
”Jason led the Argonauts, a band of adventurers who set out on the ship Argo to steal the magical golden fleece of a ram, which was preserved in Kolchis on the Black Sea. With the help of the gods and the sorceress Medea, Jason was able to take the fleece from a grove protected by a dragon. Here, with Athena beside him, he reaches for the fleece. A companion prepares to board the ship.
The basis of the legend of the Golden Fleece is probably the ancient practice of extracting alluvial gold by causing the deposits in a stream to wash over a fleece, thereby catching the gold-bearing material in the curly pelt.” (Copied from Met Museum website).