Jason and the Argonauts
This is the title of a poem by Apollonius of Rhodes who lived in the third-century AD. The poem
deals with a Greek king, Athamas and his two wives. His first wife, Nephele was afraid of her
two children (especially Phrixus, one of the two children) being killed by Ino, the soon-to-be
second wife. Nephele, herself, was killed by the king, and Athamas subsequently married his
second wife, Princess Ino. She came from a great family; Ino was the daughter of King Thebes.
Ino had an urge to kill Phrixus, the boy, so that her children (presumably from an earlier
marriage) would inherit the Athamas' kingdom. Princess Ino had thought up an elaborate plan to
do away with Prince Phrixus. To accomplish this plan, Princess Ino had to gather all of the corn
seed on Athamas' farm and then parch the seeds so that the crop would not grow, a task which
she accomplished. When the king became aware of the crop not growing, he sent a messenger to
an oracle to ask what he should do. Princess Ino intercepted the messenger and persuaded, most
likely through bribery, to say to the king that the crop would not grow unless the king offered up
Prince Phrixus as a sacrifice.
The people of the region in Greece, who feared starvation, convinced King Athamas to permit
the death of Phrixus. At the time of the death of Phrixus and his sister, who was included in this
sacrifice, each were taken to the altar. Then, a ram with a fleece of pure gold, took the two and
threw them into the air. Hermes had sent him and his sister in answer to their mother's prayers.
The ram, Prince Phrixus and his sister, Helle, travelled across Europe and into Asia. When they
entered Asia, Helle fell into a body of water and as a result, drowned. However, Phrixus and the
ram safely arrived in the country of Colchis on the Black Sea. The Colchians were kind to
Phrixus and they even let him marry one of King Æetes' daughters. It was at this time that
Phrixus sacrificed the ram that had saved him to Zeus and he gave the golden fleece to King
Æetes, who was the Colchian king.
Phrixus had a cousin by the name of Pelias and he was the one who killed his own father to gain
control of a kingdom in Greece. However, the king had a young son who was the rightful heir to
the kingdom, and this man was Jason. Jason had been sent away to a safe place where he could
grow into a bold man who would take away the kingdom from his wicked cousin, Pelias.
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Pelias was told by an oracle that he would be killed by a kinsmen one day who would be wearing
only one sandal. Such a man did come to the town in time and he did wear just one sandal. Pelias
became afraid. For it was Jason who was the one who only shod one sandal. Jason told Pelias
that he came to recover the kingdom that was rightfully his and that the kingdom should be ruled
rightly, without evil. Pelias agreed to hand over the kingdom, but under one condition: The
condition was that the dead Phrixus wanted the Golden Fleece returned from King Æetes, which
would bring the spirit of Phrixus back to his home. Pelias asked that Jason go on the journey as
opposed to himself, for he was old and Jason was young and strong. So Pelias promised to give
up the kingdom on the return of Jason with the Golden Fleece. Jason agreed and organized
Hercules, Orpheus, Castor, Pollux, Achilles' father, Peleus and many more. This group of men
were subsequently known as the Argonauts. Hera was also with Jason, to remind him not to
leave behind a dying life.
Jason and the Argonauts (which was named after their ship, the Argo) first sailed to Lemnos, an
island where only women lived. Only one man, the king, was left on the island. Although the
women had risen up against the men on the island by killing them, they gladly helped the
Argonauts with gifts of food and wine.
The Argonauts travelled to where the Harpies lived. The Harpies were flying creatures with
hooked beaks and claws who left an awful odour whenever they go. The Argonauts met an old
man with the power of prophecy who had a problem. Every time Phineus, the prophet, came to
eat, the Harpies would come and take the food, leaving nothing left. He was left withered and
weak from the lack of food. The Argonauts decided that they would help fix this problem. Two
men from the Argonauts who were sons of Boreas (the great North Wind) helped because the
prophet knew that only two men were needed to defeat the Harpies (this was because Phineus
was a prophet). The two brothers took their position while the old man started to eat. Sure
enough, the Harpies attempted to snatch the food away from the prophet. However, the sons of
Boreas followed the Harpies, who had already taken the food from Phineus. They took their
swords and hit the Harpies. However, they wanted to kill the flying monsters. But they
remembered that these beasts were the act of Zeus and that they should not kill them. The old
man thanked the Argonauts for their help and offered some advice for navigating through the
Clashing Rocks, the next encounter on their journey. He said that to navigate through them
safely, one should send a dove through first. If the dove survived and wasn't crushed by the
rocks, the ship would survive. If the dove died, then the ship would not survive.
The next morning the Argonaut sailed off with a dove to the Clashing Rocks. They set the dove
free and the dove made it through with the exception of the bird's tail feathers, which were cut
off by the rolling rocks. Next, the ship went through, and, like what the prophet said, the ship
survived and passed through safely, but part of the stern of the ship was cut off, like the tail
feathers of the bird.
The Argonauts quickly sailed on and they passed by the country of the Amazons, because they
knew that the Amazons were not gentle foes. They continued on, travelling all day. Finally, at
sunset, they arrived in Colchis, home of the Golden Fleece.
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On Mount Olympus, Hera went to seek Aphrodite's help. Since Hera had been overseeing the
adventure, she knew that there was danger involved and discussed the matter with Aphrodite. To
help the Argonauts, Aphrodite told Hera that she would send Cupid, Aphrodite's son, to the
Colchis and would make the daughter of the Colchian king fall in love with Jason. Medea was
the daughter of King Æetes. But Medea was a powerful magician and she could save the
Argonauts if they ever were in trouble.
While this was going on, the Argonauts made their way to the city to ask the king for the Golden
Fleece. Hera wrapped the Argonauts in a mist so they wouldn't be seen until they arrived at the
palace. King Æetes welcomed them to Colchis and was hospitable to them. Princess Medea also
made her way into the palace to see what these visitors, who had entered the palace, were doing.
As Princess Medea lay eyes upon Jason, Cupid, who was sent by Aphrodite to make the two fall
in love, drew his bow and shot an arrow into the heart of Medea. Amazed by the sight of Jason,
she quickly returned to her chambers.
King Æetes gave the Argonauts something to eat, making sure to take care of the needs of the
guest. It was only after this that King Æetes decided to ask what the men were doing in Colchis.
They responded by saying that they were seeking the Golden Fleece in hopes to return it back to
Greece. King Æetes was angered now for he did not like foreigners and he did not like the reason
why they came to Colchis. He did not like the idea of the Golden Fleece leaving Colchis, but he
said that if Jason proved his courage, Jason must do what the king himself has already done. He
said that Jason must harness two flame-breathing bulls whose feet were made of bronze and to
plow a field with them. As well, he must take the teeth of a dragon and grow them as if they
were corn seeds. A crop of armed men would grow and he must fight this crop of armed men.
The king said that he must do this if he wants the Golden Fleece returned. It was an impossible
task but Jason accepted the challenge.
Jason thought of Medea, who would be able to help him complete this challenge. If she could
invoke a magic spell to help him, he could defeat the bulls and the dragon-teethed men. Both
agreed to this plan and Medea gave Jason a charm that when it was sprinkled over his weapons,
he and his weapons would become invincible for a day. As well, he was given a stone that if too
many men attacked him, he could throw the stone at the enemy. This would make the enemy turn
on one another and fight each other.
Later on, Jason made his way to the field where the king and the other Colchians were. Soon
enough, the bulls started to attack Jason, but Jason had the charm with him and he resisted the
attack like a rock to the waves. After he defeated the bulls, many men rushed to attack him.
Jason used the charm once again to make the warriors turn on each other and fight. Like Medea
said, the warriors did so, and Jason's challenge was fulfilled.
The king returned to the palace, now thinking that he won't give the Golden Fleece. Meanwhile,
Medea met the Argonauts and asked if she could join them on their journeys. She also told them
to quickly get the Golden Fleece from a serpent which was guarding the sacred wool. Again,
Medea worked her magic by lulling the serpent to sleep. The Argonauts grabbed the fleece and
quickly retreated from where the serpent was lying.
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By now, the king had found out what the Argonauts had done. So, King Æetes sent in son,
Asyrtus, in pursuit of the Argonauts. He led an army much larger than that of the Argonauts.
However, to even the odds, Medea killed her brother, Asyrtus. There were many stories as to
how he died. The two that seem to be the most sensible were either the incident where Medea
invited her brother to talk and while doing so, Jason would kill him by striking him down. The
alternative was that Asyrtus came aboard the Argo (for reasons unknown). While on board,
Medea killed him by cutting him up into pieces. King Æetes, in this case, would be commanding
the ship that was trailing the Argo. Medea would then dump the mutilated body of her brother
into the sea. The king then stopped the pursuit to pick up the pieces from the ocean. However, it
is not known what exactly happened to the death of Asyrtus. In any case, the Argonauts had
escaped.
On the return trip, they had to pass through the rock of Scylla and the whirlpool of Charybdis,
most dangerous natural occurrences, however, Hera guided the Argonauts to safety. Another
incident occurred when they sailed to Crete. They landed there, by the request of Medea, for she
knew a man by the name of Talus. He was the last man left of the ancient bronze race. He was a
creature made all of bronze except for one ankle - this was the only point where he was
vulnerable. However, he was not a kind man because he threatened to crush the Argo if the
Argonauts approached. Medea sensed this and made Talus crape his vulnerable ankle and he
bled to death.
When the Argo reached Greece, the Argonauts disbanded leaving Jason and Medea taking the
Golden Fleece to Pelias. When they arrived, Jason and Medea found that Pelias had forced
Jason's father to kill himself and his mother had died of grief. Jason asked Medea for ways to
punish Pelias. They accomplished this by convincing Pelias that there was a way to make the old
young again. To prove this, they took an old ram and sacrificed it. Medea used one of her charms
and turned the old ram, that was now in boiling water, into a young lamb. So, to make Pelias
young again, Medea convinced Pelias' daughters to cut Pelias up. However, when this was
complete, both Jason and Medea had vanished, leaving Pelias killed by his own daughters. If
there was one benefit from this, it was that Jason had his revenge now.
It has also been said that Medea offered Jason to make Jason's father young again, and this might
have happened. By doing this, she gave Jason the secret to perpetual youth.
Jason and Medea moved to Corinth where they had two sons. Medea missed her family in
Colchis but her love for Jason seemed to be more important. All this for a man who would
eventually betray her. The first example of this occurred when Jason married the daughter of the
King of Corinth. As a result of the King of Corinth fearing the powers of Medea, the King
ordered Medea and her two helpless children out of the country. While alone one day, Medea
thought of Jason, and suddenly, Jason himself appeared. She said nothing but Jason said that if it
wasn't for Medea's comments to the king about her powers, she could have still lived in Corinth.
He had come to Medea now because he was not a man to fail a friend, and he would see that she
had plenty of gold and everything necessary for her journey. However, Medea was very angry.
Through her words, she explained that it was she that was the one who obtained the Golden
Fleece by conquering the bulls, the dragon-men and the serpent warder of the Fleece. Jason
retorted by saying that he had not been save by her but by Aphrodite who had made Medea fall
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in love with him. He also said that she owed him a great deal for moving her to Greece, a
"civilized country". Medea, who was an intelligent woman, knew that he was being stubborn and
said nothing more. Medea wanted revenge. So, she decided that she would kill Jason's bride. She
decided that she would take a robe and anointed it with deadly drugs. She then placed it into a
casket and told her sons to deliver it to the new bride. To ensure that she would die, she would
have to wear it at once. The princess received this gift and wore it at once. No sooner had she put
it on when a fire devoured her, melting her flesh away. She had died.
When Medea knew that the deed was done, she turned her mind to one more dreadful task. This
task was far more dreadful, for she was going to kill her own two sons. She did so, but not
without feeling sorrow for what she had done. But when Jason realized Medea had killed her
bride, he was determined to kill Medea. But when he arrived at Medea's house, she had already
left in a chariot that was drawn by dragons. As this occurred, Jason cursed her, but not himself,
for what had happened.
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Perseus
The story of Perseus is written by the authors Ovid and Hesiod.
King Acrisius of Argos had only one child, a daughter, named Danaë. She was beautiful above
all the other women of the land, but the King was not content because he had yet to have a son.
Journeying to Delphi, he was told by the priestess that he would never be the father of a boy, and
even worse, his daughter would have a son who would kill him.
To escape his fate, he ensured that Danaë would not have any children. He shut and guarded her
in a house built of bronze and sunk underground. He hoped that in this way, he would not have
to kill her and spare his own life. One day, Zeus visited her and she bore his son. For a time, she
tried to conceal the child from her father, but the narrow limits of the bronze house made it
increasingly difficult and soon Perseus was discovered by his grandfather. Acrisius was very
angry but was afraid to kill the boy or his mother because he feared Zeus. He had a great chest
made, placed the two in it, and brought it to the sea and cast it into the water. The chest was
tossed out to sea and finally one-day, they landed on an island but they had no way to get off it.
Fate willed it, or even Zeus, that they were be discovered by a good fisherman, name Dictys. He
came upon the box, broke it open and took them home to his wife who was as kind as he. The
two lived there for many years, Danaë was content to let her son follow the fisherman's humble
trade. But in the end more trouble came, Polydectes, the ruler of the small island (and Dictys'
brother) fell in love with her. He wanted her, but not her son (who was now fully grown), and he
set himself to think of a way of getting rid of him.
There were some fearsome monsters called Gorgons who lived on an island and were known far
and wide because of their deadly power. Polydectes probably talked to Perseus and told him that
there was nothing that he rather have than a head of one of them. He announced that he was to be
married and called his friends to the celebration, including Perseus. Each guest, as a custom,
brought the bride-to-be a gift, except Perseus alone. Mortified, he stood up and declared that he
would go off and kill Medusa (which was one of the Gorgons) and bring back her head as his
gift. This was exactly what the king had planned. There were three of them and whoever looked
at them was turned instantly to stone.
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Not daring to see his mother, he sailed off to Greece to learn where the monsters were to be
found. He went to Delphi, but all the priestess could tell him was that the men should not eat
Demeter's golden grain but only acorn. He then traveled to Dodona where the Selli lived and
made their bread from acorns. They did not know where the Gorgons lived.
When and how Hermes and Athena came to his help was not known but he must have known
despair before they did so. At last, however, as he wandered, he met a strange and beautiful
person none other than Hermes, the guide for the giver of good. This radiant person told him that
before he attacked Medusa, he must first be properly equipped, and that what he needed was in
the possession of the nymphs of the North. To find the nymph's abode, they must go to the Grey
Women land where all was dim and shrouded in twilight. The three other women were all grey
themselves and withered as in extreme age. They had but one eye for the three, which they
would take turns with, each removing it from her forehead after she had had it for a time and
then handing it to another. Hermes unfolded the plan. He would lead Perseus to them and when
they arrived, he would remain hidden until one of them took their eye out of their forehead to
pass it on. At that moment, he would rush forward and seize the eye and refuse to give it back
until they told him how to reach the nymphs of the North. Hermes gave Perseus a sword to attack
Medusa, which could not be bent or broken by the Gorgon's scales. This was a wonderful gift,
but what use was a sword if the creature to be struck by it could turn it into stone before he was
within striking distance? Pallas Athena stood beside Perseus and she took off the shield of
polished bronze and gave it to him. She told him he would be able to see Medusa in it as in a
mirror, and so avoid her deadly power.
When they found the Grey Women, Perseus carried the plan and was successful in learning
where the nymphs of the North lived. And so without knowing, he was bound for the country of
the Hyperboreans. No one had been able to reach the place of the Hyperboreans but since
Hermes was with him, the road laid open to Perseus. There he found a host full of people always
banqueting and holding joyful revelry, who welcomed him kindly. They gave him three things:
winged sandals, a cap which made the wearer invisible, and a magic wallet which would always
become right size for whatever was to be carried in it.
Now, Perseus was ready for the Gorgons and Hermes knew where they lived. So the two flew
back across the ocean and over the sea to the Terrible Sisters' island. Luckily they were asleep
when Perseus found them. In the mirror of the shield, he saw the creature with great wings and
bodies covered with golden scales and hair a mass of twisting snakes. Athena and Hermes
pointed out which one was Medusa because the other two were immortal. With a single sweep of
the sword, he cut her neck and his eyes were fixed on the shield with never a glance at her, he
swooped low enough to seize her head. He dropped it into the wallet, which closed around it.
The other two Gorgons woke up horrified at the sight of their slain sister, they tried to pursue the
slayer, but Perseus had on the cap of darkness and they could not see him.
On his way back, he came to Ethiopia and found that a lovely woman was about to be devoured
by a horrible sea serpent. Her name was Andromeda. When Perseus arrived, the maiden was on a
rocky ledge by the sea, chained there to wait for the coming of the monster. Perseus found her
and on the instant loved her. He waited beside her and when the great snake came for its prey, he
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cut off its head. Perseus took Andromeda to her parents and asked for her hand, which she gladly
gave him.
When he returned to the island, where he lived for so long, he found no one. The fisherman's
wife had died long ago and Dictys and Danaë had fled from the furious Polydectes when she
refused to marry him. They had taken refuge in the temple. The king was having a banquet at the
palace, and Perseus seized the opportunity. He walked into the palace and took out the head of
Medusa and all the guests and the King were turned into stone. When the islanders knew that
they had been freed from the tyrant, Perseus found Danaë and Dictys. He made Dictys king of
the island and he and his mother returned with Andromeda to Greece to reconcile with Acrisius.
When they reached Argos, they discovered that Acrisius had been driven away. Perseus heard
that the King of Larissa was holding a great athletic banquet and he journeyed to take part. In the
discus-throwing competition when his turn came and he hurled the heavy missile, it swerved and
fell among the spectators. Acrisius was there on visit and the discus struck him and he died at
once.
Through this act, Apollo's oracle proved to be true. Perseus and Andromeda lived happily ever
after. Their son was Electryon, who was the grandfather of Hercules. Medusa's head was given
to Athena, who bore it always upon aegis, Zeus' shield, which she carried for him.
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Theseus
This story is written by Ovid.
Theseus was a great hero from Athens who was the son of the Greek king, Aegeus. Theseus did
not grow up with his father, but in fact his mother in southern Greece. King Aegeus left Theseus
with his mother before the child was born. He left a sword and a pair of shoes in a hollow under
a stone. King Aegeus said that if Theseus, when he was old and strong enough, could roll the
stone away, then Theseus could travel to Athens to claim himself as the son of the king. Theseus,
at a young age, accomplished this feat and his mother told him what to do. His grandfather left a
ship for him to use to travel to Athens, but Theseus declined the offer, saying that it would be too
easy for him. Theseus decided that it would be better to travel by land because he felt that he
wanted to become a great hero at a young age and he believed that the safety of a ship was not
the way to go about this. Theseus wanted to become as great a hero as the famous Hercules, and
Theseus always had Hercules in his mind, trying to become as great a hero as Hercules. This was
quite natural considering that Hercules and Theseus were cousins.
So Theseus made the trek by land. It would be a long and dangerous journey because there were
many bandits that roamed the countryside. To achieve the greatness that Theseus believed he
should achieve, he killed every bandit on the way to Athens. Theseus' form of justice was very
effective: he believed that what each of the bandits had done to others, Theseus must do to the
bandits. An example of this occurred when Theseus met Sinis, a man famous for killing people
by strapping people to the trunks of two pine trees that were bent to the ground. Sinis would then
let the trees stand straight again, thus hurling the victim that was strapped to the trees through the
air to their death. Theseus knew about this, and he killed Sinis by this method. There were many
other bandits that were killed by Theseus and he killed them using the same method that each
bandit used to kill their victims. When Theseus arrived in Athens, he was praised by the people
for his help to kill the bandits in the country. The king invited him to the palace, not knowing
that Theseus was his son. In fact, the king was frightened that since Theseus was so popular with
the people that they might make Theseus the king. So, King Aegeus invited Theseus to dinner
with the intention of poisoning him. This was not a plan of his, but a plan that Medea had
thought up. Medea was the heroine of the Quest of the Golden Fleece who fled from Corinth to
Athens in her flying chariot. She had obtained a great influence over King Aegeus and didn't
want to have that changed if a son appeared in the life of the king. Theseus was invited to a
splendid dinner with the king. During the dinner as Medea handed the poisoned cup to Theseus,
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Theseus drew his sword to reveal his identity to the king. As soon as the king caught sight of the
sword, he instantly recognized his son and threw the poisoned cup to the ground. Medea, as she
always did, fled without a trace to Asia. Soon after, King Aegeus proclaimed that Theseus was
his son and heir. This gave Theseus the opportunity to endear himself to the people of Athens.
Years before the arrival of Theseus to Athens, a terrible misfortune happened to the city. Minos,
the ruler of Crete, lost his only son, Androgeus, while visiting King Aegeus in Athens. Aegeus
sent Androgeus on a dangerous expedition, to kill a bull. This is something that a host should
never do. As a result, Androgeus was killed by the bull. Minos invaded the country of Greece to
avenge his son's death. He captured the country and threatened to demolish it unless King
Aegeus sent seven maidens and seven youths to Crete every nine years. When the 14 Athenians
arrived in Crete, they were given to the Minotaur to devour. The Minotaur was a creature that
was half bull, half human which was the offspring of Minos' wife, Pasiphaë, and a beautiful bull.
Poseidon had given the bull to Minos with the assumption that Minos would sacrifice it to
Poseidon but Minos could not bear to kill the bull, so he kept it for himself. Poseidon decided
that Minos should be punished, so he made Pasiphaë fall in love with the bull.
When the Minotaur was born, Minos did not kill it. Instead, he had Daedalus, a great architect
and inventor, build a place to confine the Minotaur so the Minotaur could not escape. Daedalus
built the Labyrinth, a structure that was famous throughout the world. This was the place where
the 14 Athenians were taken to when they were sent to Crete. Co-incidentally, these 14 people
were sent just after Theseus arrived in Athens.
After hearing the story of Minos and the tributes to him every nine years, Theseus offered to be
one of the victims that was to be sent. Everyone praised him for his nobility, but they had no idea
that Theseus would try to kill the Minotaur once inside the maze. He told his father that if he was
successful, he would change the sail of the ship that carried the victims from black to white to
tell the king of his success well in advance of his arrival in Greece. This was to show that
Theseus had survived.
When the victims arrived on the island of Crete, they were paraded around before the inhabitants
on their way to the maze. Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, was one of the spectators and she fell
in love with Theseus as soon as she saw him. She quickly summoned for Daedalus to ask if there
was a way out of the Labyrinth. Ariadne promised Theseus the answer to getting out of the
Labyrinth if he would take her back to Athens and marry her. He agreed to this compromise and
she gave him a ball of thread which he could attach to the entrance of the Labyrinth. This would
allow him to re-trace his steps whenever his wished. So Theseus made his way into the Labyrinth
to find the Minotaur. He allowed the ball of thread to unwind so that he could re-trace his
journey later. It wasn't long before he came across the Minotaur; the Minotaur was sleeping.
Theseus jumped on the creature and pinned him to the ground. Then, Theseus proceeded to
batter the beast to death. Once the Minotaur was dead, he got up and found his ball of thread.
Theseus instructed the other people out of the maze while following the ball of thread that guided
the way. They boarded the ship that they arrived on and headed towards Athens.
The ship travelled to the island of Naxos where they briefly stopped over . There are conflicting
stories as to what happened on the island. The first story said that while on the island, Theseus
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deserted Ariadne while she slept on the island. The other story, which favours Theseus more,
said that Ariadne suddenly became seasick. As a result of this, she was left on the island while
Theseus stayed on the ship to do some necessary work. A terrible storm carried him out to sea
and when he returned, he found that Ariadne had died. Both stories agree that when they sailed
near Athens, Theseus forgot to put out the white sail to show his success in Crete. It was either
that he forgot to hoist the sail or that he was filled with grief over the death of Ariadne that he
failed to put it out. As a result of his failure to hoist the white sail, when King Aegeus saw the
black sail at the Acropolis he assumed that his son had died. He was so filled with grief that he
jumped off from a rocky cliff into the sea and was killed. The sea into which he jumped was
then, and still is known as the Aegean Sea.
Theseus was made the King of Greece but he didn't want to be the king because he felt that a
people's government where everyone would be equal would be better suited for Greece. He
resigned his power and organized a commonwealth, building a council hall where the citizens
would gather and vote. Theseus did keep the title of Commander in Chief of Greece. As a result
of the change in government, Athens became the happiest and most prosperous of all the cities
on Earth. In fact, it was the only place in the world where everyone governed themselves. It was
for this that in the War of Seven against Thebes when the victorious Thebans refused to bury
those of the enemy who had died, the defeated turned to Theseus for help. Theseus led an army
against Thebes and conquered her and forced her to allow the dead to be buried. However,
Theseus did not avenge the evil that had taken place during the war. Instead, he refused to allow
his army to loot the city. He was the perfect knight.
Theseus still had a love for danger. He went to the country of the Amazons, the women warriors,
and brought away one of them, whose name is given sometimes as Antiope as well as Hippolyta
in other cases. It is certain that it was she who bore Theseus' child who was named Hippolytus.
After the birth of Hippolytus, the Amazons came to Greece to rescue her. They invaded Attica
and some say they made it as far as Athens itself but were defeated by Theseus' army. After this,
no other enemy invaded Greece as long as Theseus lived.
He also took part in many other adventures. He was one of the men that travelled on the Argo
that searched for the Golden Fleece. He also took part in the Calydonian Hunt where he was one
who tried to kill the boar that lay waste on Calydon. He saved a man's life on this hunt, the life of
Pirithoüs. Pirithoüs was a man who was as adventurous as Theseus but was not nearly as
successful; he was always in trouble. Their friendship developed after Pirithoüs wanted to test
what a great hero Theseus was. To test this, Pirithoüs decided to steal some cattle from Theseus
in Attica. When he found out that Theseus was pursuing him, Pirithoüs met Theseus, wanting to
see who the better man was. As impulsive as Pirithoüs was, he submitted to Theseus and said
that he would accept any penalty that Theseus offered. After hearing this good gesture, Theseus
asked that he only need be a friend of his.
Another example of Theseus' helpfulness occurred during the wedding of Pirithoüs and his wife.
Many Centaurs were invited to the reception. Centaurs are animals that are half human and half
horse. They were related to the bride and they caused much trouble at the wedding. They became
drunk and seized the women. Theseus came to the defense of the bride who was being carried
off. A battle resulted from this incident between the Centaurs and the Lapithae, the people of
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which Pirithoüs was the king. Theseus helped to finally drive off the entire race of Centaurs from
where the Lapithae lived.
After the death of his first wife, King Pirithoüs attempted to get the most carefully guarded lady
in the universe, that lady being Persephone. Theseus agreed to help his friend because he liked
this dangerous and near impossible undertaking. Theseus suggested that Pirithoüs should attempt
to win over Helen, the heroine of Troy, who was only a child at the time. Pirithoüs agreed and
Theseus captured the young girl with Pirithoüs hoping that he could marry her when she had
grown. Helen had two brothers, Castor and Pollux, and these two were more than a match for
any mortal hero. When the two brothers arrived where Helen had been taken to, Pirithoüs and
Theseus could not be found because they had slipped into the underworld. The details of this
journey are not known, but the Hades welcomed the two, in hopes to amuse himself. When they
arrived, Hades instructed them to sit in two chairs, which were known as the Chairs of
Forgetfulness. Anyone who sat in these chairs forgot everything and did not move from the
chair. Pirithoüs remained in the chair forever, but Theseus was lifted from the chair by Hercules
when he travelled to the underworld and brought him back to Earth. Pirithoüs remained because
the King of the Underworld knew that it was Pirithoüs who wanted to carry off Persephone.
Later on in his life he married Phaedra, the sister of Hippolyta, the Amazon woman who had
borne his son, Hippolytus. Great misfortunes fell upon them as a result of this. Hippolytus grew
up away from Theseus near the town where Theseus himself had grown up. Hippolytus grew up
to be a great hunter and a strong man who despised people who lived in luxury and people who
were silly enough to fall in love. He disliked Aphrodite very much as a result. He only praised
Artemis, the huntress. When Theseus and Phaedra travelled back to his home town, he met
Hippolytus and a strong bond between father and son grew. Hippolytus took no notice of his
stepmother, but Phaedra fell deeply in love with her stepson. This was a punishment by
Aphrodite to hurt Hippolytus for his hate for Aphrodite.
When one of Phaedra's nurses realized that Phaedra wanted to kill herself, she quickly went to
Hippolytus and told him of the situation. The nurse told him that Phaedra was in love with him.
However, Hippolytus was disgusted by the thought of love, but this guilty love sickened and
horrified him. He went to the courtyard of the house with the nurse following. Little did he know
that Phaedra was sitting there. Hippolytus did not see her and continued on with the conversation
saying that he would never love any woman and that he would not enter the house again unless
his father was present there. As he turned around to leave, he spotted Phaedra. Phaedra, soon
after this incident, killed herself. Theseus found out about this after he made his way to the
courtyard where the nurse was. The nurse informed him of Phaedra's death. Phaedra had left a
letter that was addressed to Theseus. Theseus read the letter and was angered by it. Theseus told
his slaves that Hippolytus had killed his wife. Just as this was occurring, Hippolytus entered the
courtyard, wondering what the problem was. He was unaware that the letter said that Hippolytus
killed Phaedra. He questioned his father on his stepmother's death. Theseus was angered by what
Hippolytus had said and based on what the letter had said, Theseus punished him by sending him
away in exile. But Hippolytus told his story and swore on Zeus that he had not killed Theseus'
wife. Theseus did not believe him and maintained the banishment of Hippolytus from Greece.
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Hippolytus left from Greece, but not in exile. Death was close at hand for Hippolytus though. As
he travelled in his chariot, a large sea monster emerged from the water and caused the horses on
the chariot to run away. This knocked the chariot over and seriously hurt Hippolytus.
Theseus was later told the truth by Artemis. She told him that the letter was untruthfully written
and that Phaedra was madly in love with Hippolytus. Moreover, Hippolytus was innocent. As
this happened, Hippolytus, who was barely living, was carried in. Hippolytus proclaimed his
innocence, and only now did Theseus believe him, after hearing the truth from Artemis. Artemis
had said that it was Aphrodite who had killed Hippolytus. As Artemis left from the presence of
Theseus, Hippolytus died.
The death of Theseus was wretched as well. He was at the court of a friend, King Lycomedes.
Many people said that he had gone there because he felt that Athens had banished him. For some
unknown reason, the king, who was his friend, killed him.
Even if the people of Athens had banished Theseus, the people honoured him like no other
mortal. They built a great tomb for him and said that it would be a sanctuary for slaves and all
people who are helpless, in memory of one who through his life had been the protector of the
defenseless.
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Hercules
The story of Hercules is written by the authors Ovid and Theocritus.
Hercules (who was also known as Heracles), was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, the wife of
Amphitryon. As a father, Zeus had great hopes for his offspring. On the day of his birth, he
announced to all the gods the arrival of a child to his kingdom who would become king. Hera,
who was the guardian of married women, delayed the arrival of Hercules. Eurystheus, the cousin
of Hercules, who was a "spineless creature", came into the world before Hercules. Zeus had to
live up to his promise and made Eurystheus king. As a result of this, Hercules could only be a
champion in his service to his family and the world.
Hercules demonstrated his strength right from birth. He choked the serpents that had been sent to
him by the jealous Hera. When he was born, he was first named Alcide ("the strong") but was
renamed "Heracles" ("the glory of Hera") after overcoming the tests that were imposed on him
by Hera.
Hercules was educated by Linus, the musician. He learned literature and music but was found to
be a mischievous student. When Linus wanted to beat him one day, Hercules grabbed a stool and
hit Linus with it, killing him. At his trial, Hercules was acquitted on the grounds that he was only
defending himself. Amphitryon feared his adopted son (most likely due to his strength) and sent
him to a Scythian cattleman, Teutarus, who taught Hercules archery.
At the age of eighteen, Hercules spent fifty days trying to kill the lion of Cithaeron. Each night
he returned to the palace of King Thespius. Because King Thespius wanted to have Hercules
father his grand-children, he put one of his fifty daughters in Hercules' bed each night. Thus,
Hercules had fifty sons, the Thespeiades, who would eventually colonize Sicily.
Hercules married Megara, the daughter of the Theban king. However, this marriage was not
successful. Hera, who was still jealous of Hercules, made Hercules go mad and made him kill his
children and threaten Amphitryon, who would have died because of Hercules if Athena hadn't
stopped him. To repent from his crime, he decided to leave his wife, Megara, and put himself at
the service of Eurystheus, his cousin who was now king.
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Eurystheus sent Hercules on a mission over his twelve years of servitude, a mission with twelve
labours. On his mission of twelve labours, he strangled the Nemean lion and made himself
armour from the hide. Secondly, he cut off the many heads of the Lernaean Hydra and brought
back the enormous Erymanthian Boar alive. With his arrows, he shot down the many birds of the
Stymphalian Marsh who raided the crops and killed men. As well, he cleaned the stables of
Augeias by diverting the courses of two big rivers, the Alpheus and the Peneius. He completed
this task in just one day. Furthermore, he brought back the angry Cretan Bull (alive for that
matter) who breathed fire through his nostrils. He killed Diomedes, who gave his horses human
flesh to eat. He also seized the girdle given by Ares to Hippolyta. Using the sun's golden cup, he
brought Geryon's cattle back to Greece from the Far East, fighting along the way with enemies
who included Neleus, who was the king of Pylus. Hercules retrieved the golden apples from the
Garden of the Hesperides, challenging the giant, Antaeus, the Pygmies and the dragon, Ladon,
and freeing Prometheus on the way. Lastly, from Hades, he brought Cerberus, the dog who
defended the gates of Hades.
When he returned back to Eurystheus, he brought back the results of each labour to Eurystheus.
Because Eurystheus was afraid of Hercules, Eurystheus shut himself within a bronze jar to
protect himself.
It is impossible to list all the feats that Hercules achieved. Hercules travelled everywhere,
including the depths of hell. He stood up to the forces of a different kind and succeeded in
injuring Hades and Hera with his arrows. Because of his feats, he was considered a superhuman,
conceivably already a god.
Hercules won the hand of Deianeira and lived with her in Calydon. Soon, after being chased by
bad luck and Hera's vengefulness, he accidentally killed one of his father-in-law's pages. As a
result of this incident, he had to leave with his wife and son and when they crossed the River
Evenus. Nessus, the boatman, tried to rape Deianeira. Before Nessus was killed by Hercules, he
had enough time to tell her that his blood was a love potion which would bring back her
husband's affection should she ever lose his affection.
After, Hercules went mad and went to ask Pythia, priestess of Apollo, of her opinion. She said
that to free himself of this evil, he must sell himself as a slave to someone. Omphale, the Queen
of Lydia, bought him and he was in her service for three years. This long separation between
Hercules and Deianeira led him to court Iole, who was the daughter of Eurytus. However, when
Deianeira was informed of this, she sent a new piece of clothing to Hercules which she had
soaked in Nessus' blood.
Hercules, who suspected nothing, put on the tunic and was seized by incredible pain. He tried to
tear the piece of clothing off but it stuck to his skin; the love potion turned out to be poison.
Hercules built a pyre and asked his companions to ignite it.
When the flames started to leap into the air, there was a strike of thunder, and Hercules was
taken up to heaven; he had just been immortalized. On Olympus, he married Hebe (the goddess
of eternal youth) and settled his differences with Hera.
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Atalanta
This story is written by Ovid, the Latin writer.
Deserted by her cruel and disappointed father, Iasus (also called Schoenius) left a tiny, wailing
baby lying on a mountainside to die. However, Iasus's scheme, resulting from his anger at a
daughter rather than a son, was unsuccessful. A she-bear came across the infant, adopted her, and
treated her as she would her own cub.
Six years later, when Atalanta was still a little girl, kind hunters found her while she was picking
berries. They took her in and taught her the ways of the human world. The trained her in many
things, including hunting, in which she excelled. She eventually became more than their equal in
all things involved in the life of a hunter.
One day as Atalanta was off hunting, two Centaurs, Rhoecus and Hylaeus, caught sight of her
and followed her through the woods. Her keen hearing and eagle-like eyes enabled her to spot
her pursuers before it was too late. She shot one arrow and killed both of the Centaurs with ease.
The great Calydonian Boar Hunt occurred as a result of a punishment to King Oeneus, who had
forgotten to make a sacrifice to Artemis at the harvest time. In revenge, Artemis sent a huge boar
to ravage the kingdom. A hunt was planned to get rid of the monster. When the day of the hunt
came, Atalanta emerged from the wood dressed in simple clothing, but beaming with pride. The
only woman in the hunt, she was looked upon unfavorably by the manly group of hunters
summoned by the king. However, Meleager, Oeneus's son, thought her the loveliest creature he'd
ever beheld. When the men protested her participation in the hunt, Meleager argued until the
men agreed to let Atalanta join the hunt. The horrible boar killed three men before it was struck
by Atalanta's arrow and wounded. Meleager finished off the beast and in appreciation, the other
hunters gave Atalanta the boar skin as a souvenir of her bravery and skill. Meleager's relatives
thought he should be given the skin and argued and threatened the girl and her family. Lashing
out in fury, Meleager tried to defend the woman he loved, but the fight led to his death.
After Meleager's death, Atalanta had many adventures. She competed in several different hunting
contests and went sailing around with the Argonauts. She had many suitors, but didn't really
want any. To avoid having to marry, she challenged any suitor to a footrace. But no man could
beat her.
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Aphrodite, as always, was offended at any woman who rejected the opposite sex. She wanted
desperately to make Atalanta fall in love and so she chose a bright young man for her to love.
Hippomenes was his name and he was given three golden apples. On the day of his race for her
hand, Hippomenes and Atalanta stood waiting at the starting line. Hippomenes had the golden
apples in his hand. As they began to run, Hippomenes rolled the apples one by one along the
ground in Atalanta's path, so they would catch her eye and she would stoop to pick them up. Her
pauses gave Hippomenes just enough time to get one stride ahead of her. He won the race and
she was now in his possession. They had a child together, Parthenopaeus, who was one of the
Seven against Thebes. As the result of a dispute with Zeus, the couple is believed to have been
turned into lions.
Myths previous location: http://www.classicsunveiled.com/mythnet/
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