Transcript Odyssey - UW Canvas

Jason and the Argonauts
• What is the Argonautica? (Title of epic poem in
corporating myth of Jason and the Argonauts [lit.
“sailors” [nautai] of the Argo”]
• How does the Argonautica compare with the
Odyssey?
• Does the Argonautica correspond to any actual
voyages of the Greeks?
• Who is the “author” of the Argonautica?
Different versions, most famous now of
Apollonius of Rhodes
Origin of Golden Fleece (see Hyginus
2,3 in Anthology p. 217)
• Athamas and Nephelê have children Phrixus and Hellê.
• Athamas remarries, new wife Ino (sister of Semele and Agave)
• Ino wishes to get rid of stepchildren Phrixus and Helle; roasts all
seeds so that crops fail, produces fake Delphic oracle calling for
sacrifice of Phrixus by Athamas
• Motif of human sacrifice and substitution/abduction (cf. myth of
Iphigenia, d. of Agamemnon, Abraham and Isaac in Old Testament)
• Escape of children on golden ram, Helle falls off into sea
• Phrixus reaches Colchis, where he sacrifices the ram. Fleece (skin) is
dedicated to Ares.
• aetiology of Hellespont (pontos, “sea” of Helle)
• Detail of golden fleece: fleece and purification? Fleece and gold
dust in rivers? Connection with Hittite myth of Teshub and the skin
bag (kursa)?
• General connection with Greek colonization of the Black Sea
region?
Athamas, ram, Phrixus, Helle. Red figure vase, Lucania, mid 4th c.
BCE.
Phrixus and the Golden Ram
Jason’s family and events in Iolkos
• Pelias usurps the throne from his brother
Aison/Aeson
• Aeson sends his son Jason off to be educated by the
centaur Chiron away from danger of Pelias. [Why
have a centaur as a teacher?]
• Now grown up, Jason returns wearing one sandal
(and confirming an oracle that a one-sandaled man
will end Pelias’ life)
• Confrontation and agreement: Jason manipulated
into fetching the golden fleece
Voyage of Argo
• construction by Argus [lit. “swift, shining”] of Argo [from
same root as name Argus]] under instruction of Athena
and special speaking prow of oak from Dodona (place of
oracle of Zeus).
• All-star crew includes: Heracles, Orpheus (singer with
power to move animate and inanimate [trees, rocks],
Dioscuri [Castor and Polydeuces], Boreads [Zetis and
Calais], Theseus [in some versions], and many more
heroes with special powers
• [How is this different from labors of Heracles and
Theseus? Why so many heroes?
• Selected episodes:
• Island of Lemnos and the Lemnian women, queen
Hypsipyle. Offense against Aphrodite, foul smell and
desertion by husbands, killing of husbands.
• [Doliones], [Bebryces and their king, Amycus]
• Heracles and Hylas and the nymphs
• Phineus and the Harpies (“snatchers”), his prophecy
about the Symplegades.
Map of first part of journey of the Argonauts
Myth associated with Lemnos
• Women of island refuse worship of Aphrodite
• Afflicted by foul smell
• desertion by husbands, introduction of Thracian
women as concubines
• killing of husbands and fathers by Lemnian
women
• Only Hypsipyle hides her father
• Society of females (cf. Amazons) led by Hypsipyle
• Arrival of Argonauts, sex with women
Ritual associated with Lemnos
• Fire ritual (Lemnos is sacred to Hephaistos, blacksmith god)
• Women of Lemnos extinguish all fires and separate
themselves from the male population.
• For nine days they sacrifice to subterranean and other secret
deities.
• A sacred ship brings new fire to Lemnos from Delos (sanctuary
of Apollo).
• The new fire is distributed to craftsmen and households, and
the island returns to normal life.
• cf. festival of Skirophoria at Athens: Women separated
themselves from men, abstained from sex, ate garlic and wore
no perfume
• What connections can we draw between this ritual and the
myth of the Lemnian women?
Heracles and Hylas
• Hylas as young man on cusp of adulthood (ephebe)
• Relationship between Heracles and Hylas as typical relationship
between older and younger male with erotic elements
• Nymphs (Gr. numphê, “young woman (unmarried), young wife”),
local goddesses associated with local landscape, mountains, rivers,
streams, caves.
• Positive and negative aspects of nymphs in myth and cult. Why can
they be dangerous? Comparison with the Sirens.
• Death by drowning as sign of hero cult. More common for heroines
than heroes?
• Reason for removal of Heracles from the subsequent adventures of
the Argonauts? Look at variants preserved by Apollodorus
(Anthology p.26)
Hylas and the Nymphs: 19th c. CE
painting by Waterhouse
Phineus and the Harpies
• Phineus as blind prophet, punishment—for what? Mistreatment of
sons? Variants in Apollodorus (Anthology, p. 26)
• Harpuiai (lit. “snatching women” [fem.])/Harpies and snatching of
food, pollution with foul odor. Food in context of sacrifice to the
gods, and inability to sacrifice properly.
• Connotations of this root harp- in Greek: snatching as abduction,
usually of women (cf. “snatchings” of women in Herodotus’
introduction, and snatching winds which take young women away).
One variation has them abduct Phineus himself.
• aid from the Boreads (sons of the North Wind [Gr. boreas], Zetis
and Calais), pursuit and conditions of pursuit (Apollodorus,
Anthology p. 26)
• Phineus’ prophecy about the Symplegades.
Phineus at sacrifice and the Harpies (Harpuiai). Kleophrades
painter, Athenian red figure hydria, c. 480 BCE
Boread (right) pursues Harpies (Harpuiai). Phineus painter,
Chalcidian black figure eye cup, c. 530-520 BCE
Symplegades
• passage through the Symplegades, wandering
“clashing ones” (sun - “together’ plêg- “clash,
strike”), help of Athena. Cf. similar rocks (Planktai,
“wandering” [rocks]) in Odyssey – avoided by
Odysseus and his men.
• Connection with colonization of Black Sea region in
7th c. BC?
• Device of sending a dove through first, rocks become
fixed after Argo goes through.
Jason in Colchis
• Arrival in Colchis on the river Phasis, love and advice of Medea [Medeia],
d. of local king, Aietes (cf. Ariadne motif), who is hostile to Jason and the
Argonauts
• Who is Medea? Why is she necessary? Why does she do what she does?
• genealogy of Medea (see following slide): granddaughter of (god) Sun
(Helios), niece of Circe the sorceress (cf. Odyssey)
• Aeetes and the oracle, assignment of tasks: yoking of fire-breathing bulls,
sowing of dragon’s teeth. Cf. myth of Cadmus and the dragon’s teeth,
connection with creation of autochthonous inhabitants of a land.
• How is this achieved?
• Greek dragons chiefly as snake-like, chthonic/underworld connection.
Meaning of drakôn, root drk: “watching”, gaze of serpent.
• Taking of the fleece from the dragon: how is this achieved? Variants in the
myth, is preserved only in visual form (vase painting by Douris).
Genealogy of Medea
The same motif in another myth: Cadmus sows dragon’s
teeth. Late 15th c. CE illuminated manuscript.
Jason regurgitated by the Dragon, with Athena. By Douris,
5th c. BCE Athenian red-figure kylix (wine cup).
Jason reaches for the Golden Fleece (note serpent coiled around tree).
Athena to right, anonymous Argonaut, Argo with small head on prow. By
Orchard painter, Athenian red figure column krater, 5th c. BCE
Return journey of the Argo
• flight of the Argo and its strange course (see
map), other versions exist.
• Variants concerning killing of Apsyrtus, brother of
Medea, either by Jason or Medea (Apollodorus)
• encounter with Circe, Scylla and Charybdis,
Phaeacians - cf. Odysseus.
• episode in Libya and Lake Tritonis, overlap with
Heracles and the garden of the Hesperides [not
mentioned in Apollodorus]
• Crete and the bronze giant Talos, Medea, and the
ichor plug (ichor: bodily fluid in gods,
corresponding to blood in mortals)
• return to Iolcus.
Talos, the bronze giant of Crete, surrounded by Argonauts.
Athenian red figure krater, c. 4th c. BCE