Jason and the Argonauts
What does the Delphic Oracle tell Pelias?
"Beware of the man wearing one sandal"
How does Medea try to help Jason win the kingdom back?
1. She makes Aeson young again, putting his cut up aged body into a pot with magical herbs and he climbs out youthful again 2. She tricks Pelias' daughters into doing the same thing to their father but not being sorceress they have killed him
King Aeetes' 3 tasks for the golden fleece
1. Yoke two bronze-hoofed, fire-breathing bulls 2. plow a field with these bulls and plant/sow dragon's teeth there 3. Defeat the Spartoi ("sown men") who grow out of the dragon' teeth
Characteristics of epics
1. opens in media res (middle of the story) 2. vast setting: covers many nations, world, universe 3. Usually begins with an invocation to the muse 4. Starts with a statement of the theme 5. Uses epithets (descriptive names for characters) 6. Includes long lists 7. features long and formal speeches 8. Includes divine intervention in human affairs 9. Heroes embody the values of civilization
Medea
Aeetes' daughter who falls in love with Jason An enchantress who worships Hecate
Harpies
An evil mythical monster with the head and body of a woman and the tail, wings, and talons of a bird harpazo, meaning to snatch, grab
Why were there no men on Lemnos island?
Aphrodite had decided to curse the women of Lemnos for neglecting her shrines. In punishment, the ladies were made to smell particularly foul. As a result, the men of Lemnos decided to repudiate their wives in favor of pretty and relatively odor-free slave-girls imported from Thrace. In revenge, the Lemnian women wrought havoc, killing every man they could get their hands on—not only those who'd broken their vows, but any and every male, presumably children too.
The name given to the sailors of the Argo
Argonauts
What constellation did the golden sheep become?
Aries
Why do modern and ancient story tellers often add and subtract Heracles from the Argo mission?
As a demigod (son of Zeus and a mortal) he elevates the prestige of any quest just by being there but it creates a weird power issue coz Heracles would by definition be the leader
Who helps Jason build his ship?
Athena
Stymphalian birds
Bronze quill-throwing, man-eating birds with poisonous dung Heracles shot most birds as his 6th labor for Eurystheus, King of Tiryns/Argos (depending on author) Surviving birds made a new home on an island in the Black Sea where the Argonauts ran into them These pets of Ares with brass claws and sharp metallic feathers they were able to launch at their victims, were eradicated by Hercules in his sixth labor.
What generation did the Argonauts preside in?
Came from the heroic generation BEFORE THE TROJAN WAR
Who does Aeson and his wife send Jason to?
Chiron the centaur
Where is Jason exiled to?
Corinth
How did the Argo make it through the symplaglades?
Expert timing and help from the magic oak navigator, which locks the cliffs in position and making the seaway safe for all sailors
How does Jason get the fleece eventually?
He gives Medea's sleeping potion to the fleece's guardian dragon
How does Jason defeat the Spartoi?
He throws a rock at them, so the Spartoi, not knowing who did it, turn on each other until all die
Who does Medea leave Colchis with (other than Jason)?
Her brother Absyrtus/Apsyrtus
Who does Jason carry across the river and what does this person do?
Hera She reveals her divinity and promises to watch over Jason as he has proven he is a brave young man
What does the golden fleece do?
It is a defense talisman that protects the owner's kingdom and bring healing and prosperity
Argo
Jason's ship
Pelias
Jason's uncle; stole Jason's throne; sent Jason on quest for Golden Fleece; killed by Medea
What happens when Jason asks for the fleece?
King Aeetes agrees only if he accomplishes impossible tasks
What does Medea give to Jason to help him?
Magic ointment to protect from bulls' fiery blasts so he can yoke them
How is Talos defeated?
Medea makes a rock fall on his vulnerable spot, the vein in the back of his ankle, so he bleeds to death
Hypsipyle
Queen of Lemnos where the women killed all the men on the island. Has an affair with Jason. A distraction from his journey. His first conquest as a hero.
Why does Medea have to leave Colchis?
She betrayed her father, King Aeetes She is no longer morally pure
Apollonius of Rhodes
Third century B.C. author of the Argonautica; his poetry reflects the Hellenistic aesthetic of minute descriptions and complicated characters Virgil greatly respected him, since he was very influential to other thinkers of the ancient world
Epithet
an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.
Talos
bronze robot who protects Crete
Chthonic
concerning, belonging to, or inhabiting the underworld
Aeson
father of Jason, king of Iolcus.
Hecate
goddess of magic, witchcraft, necromancy, has great herbal knowledge A chthonic associated with the Underworld, death, decay, and is very powerful often shown having 3 female faces (young, middle-aged, and old)
King Aeetes
king of Colchis; son of Helios and Perseis (an Oceanid), brother to Circe and Pasiphae, father of Medea
Hylas
lover and companion to Heracles, is sent to get water is so handsome that the river nymphs drag him down into the water to be their pet but he drowns kidnapped by nymphs, Hercules goes to find him and does not go back to the Argo
Symplagades
rock cliffs that opened and crashed closed and most ships got crushed
Phineus
ruler of Trace and a great seer who revealed too much to humans Zeus punished him by blinding him and leaving him on an island and tables of delicious food that harpies always grabbed before he could ever eat Jason and the Argonauts chase the harpies away and Phineus gives them hints to safely reach Colchis
Spartoi
sown men
Origin of the golden fleece
the gods gave a prince and princess a GOLDEN SHEEP the sheep was sacrificed to Zeus The sheep underwent catasterism The sheep turned into the constellation Aries
Argonautica
the most popular of several versions of the Golden Fleece myth 400 years after Homer (~300 BC)
Necromancy
the supposed practice of communicating with the dead, especially in order to predict the future
Catasterism
transformation into a heavenly body / a star or constellation
