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wheels      running    close   together察   there   were    men    fighting    and    women 

watching   from   high   towers。   The   awful   figure   of   the   Darkness   of   Death 

was shown there察too察with mournful eyes and the dust of battles upon her 

shoulders。 The outer   rim  of   the   shield showed the   Stream  of   Ocean察  the 

stream that encircles the world察swans were soaring above and swimming 

on its surface。 

     All in wonder the heroes gazed on the great shield察telling each other 

that only one man in all the world could carry itHeracles the son of Zeus。 

Could   it   be   that   Heracles   had   come   amongst   them拭  They   went   into   the 

feasting   hall   and   they   saw   one   there   who   was   tall   as   a   pine   tree察  with 

unshorn tresses of hair upon his head。 Heracles indeed it was He turned to 

them a smiling face with smiling eyes。 Heracles They all gathered around 

the strongest hero in the world察and he took the hand of each in his mighty 

hand。 



                                       V。 THE ARGO 

     The   heroes   went   the   next   day   through   the   streets   of   Iolcus   down   to 

where the ship lay。 The ways they went through were crowded察the heroes 

were splendid in their appearance察and Jason amongst them shone like a 

star。 

     The   people   praised   him察  and   one  told   the   other   that   it   would   not   be 

long   until   they   would   win   back   to   Iolcus察  for   this   band   of   heroes   was 

strong enough察they said察to take King Aetes's city and force him to give 

up to them the famous Fleece of Gold。 Many of the bright´eyed youths of 

Iolcus   went   with   the   heroes   who   had   come   from   the   different   parts   of 

Greece。 

     As they marched past a temple a priestess came forth to speak to Jason察

Iphias was her name。 She had a prophecy to utter about the voyage。 But 

Iphias was very old察and she stammered in her speech to Jason。 What she 

said was not heard by him。 The heroes went on察and ancient Iphias was left 

standing there as the old are left by the young。 

     The   heroes   went      aboard   the   Argo。    They   took   their   seats   as   at  an 



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         THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE HEROES WHO LIVED BEFORE ACHILLES 



assembly。 Then Jason faced them and spoke to them all。 

     ;Heroes of the quest察─said Jason察 we have come aboard the great ship 

that Argus has built察and all that a ship needs is in its place or is ready to 

our hands。 All that we wait for now is the coming of the morning's breeze 

that will set us on our way for far Colchis。 

     ;One   thing   we   have   first   to   dothat   is察  to   choose   a   leader   who   will 

direct us all察one who will settle disputes amongst ourselves and who will 

make   treaties   between   us   and   the   strangers   that   we   come   amongst。   We 

must choose such a leader now。; 

     Jason   spoke察  and   some   looked   to   him  and   some   looked   to   Heracles。 

But Heracles stood up察and察stretching out his hand察said此

     ;Argonauts Let no one amongst you offer the leadership to me。 I will 

not take it。 The hero who brought us together and made all things ready 

for our goingit   is he and no one else   who should be our leader in this 

voyage。; 

     So Heracles said察and the Argonauts all stood up and raised a cry for 

Jason。 Then Jason stepped forward察and he took the hand of each Argonaut 

in his hand察and he swore that he would lead them with all the mind and 

all the courage that he possessed。 And he prayed the gods that it would be 

given to him to lead them back safely with the Golden Fleece glittering on 

the mast of the Argo。 

     They drew lots for the benches they would sit at察they took the places 

that for the length of the voyage they would have on the ship。 They made 

sacrifice   to   the gods   and   they  waited   for   the   breeze of   the   morning   that 

would help them away from Iolcus。 

     And while they waited Aeson察the father of Jason察sat at his own hearth察

bowed and silent in his grief。 Alcimide察his wife察sat near him察but she was 

not silent察she lamented to the women of Iolcus who were gathered around 

her。 ;I did not go down to the ship察─she said察 for with my grief I would 

not   be   a   bird   of   ill   omen   for   the   voyage。   By   this   hearth   my   son   took 

farewell   of   me   the only  son   I   ever   bore。   From  the   doorway  I   watched 

him go down the street of the city察and I heard the people shout as he went 

amongst them察they glorying in my son's splendid appearance。 Ah察that I 



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might live to see his return and to hear the shout that will go up when the 

people look on Jason again But I know that my life will not be spared so 

long察I will not look on my son when he comes back from the dangers he 

will run in the quest of the Golden Fleece。; 

     Then the women of Iolcus asked her to tell them of the Golden Fleece察

and Alcimide told them of it and of the sorrows that were upon the race of 

Aeolus。 

     Cretheus察the father of Aeson察and Pelias察was of the race of Aeolus察

and of the race of Aeolus察too察was Athamas察the king who ruled in Thebes 

at   the  same   time   that   Cretheus   ruled   in   Iolcus。 And   the   first   children   of 

Athamas were Phrixus and Helle。 

     ;Ah察  Phrixus   and   ah察  Helle察─  Alcimide   lamented察   what   griefs   you 

have   brought   on     the   race   of   Aeolus   And   what   griefs   you    yourselves 

suffered The evil that Athamas察your father察did you lives to be a curse to 

the line of Aeolus 

     ;Athamas   was   wedded   first   to   Nephele察  the   mother   of   Phrixus   and 

Helle察the youth and maiden。 But Athamas married again while the mother 

of these children was still living察and Ino察the new queen察drove Nephele 

and her children out of the king's palace。 

     ;And now   was   Nephele   most   unhappy。   She had to live   as   a   servant察

and   her   children   were   servants   to   the   servants   of   the   palace。 They   were 

clad   in   rags   and   had   little   to  eat察  and  they   were   beaten   often  by   the 

servants who wished to win the favor of the new queen。 

     ;But although they wore rags and had menial tasks to do察Phrixus and 

Helle looked   the   children   of   a   queen。 The   boy  was   tall察  and   in   his   eyes 

there often came the flash of power察and the girl looked as if she would 

grow into a lovely maiden。 And when Athamas察their father察would meet 

them by chance he would sigh察and Queen Ino would know by that sigh 

that he had still some love for them in his heart。 Afterward she would have 

to   use   all   the   power   she   possessed   to   win   the   king   back   from   thinking 

upon his children。 

     ;And   now   Queen   Ino   had   children   of   her   own。   She   knew   that   the 

people     reverenced     the  children    of  Nephele     and   cared    nothing    for  her 



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         THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE HEROES WHO LIVED BEFORE ACHILLES 



children。 And because she knew this she feared that when Athamas died 

Phrixus and   Helle察the  children of   Nephele察 would be brought to   rule in 

Thebes。 Then she and her children would be made to change places with 

them。 

     ;This    made    Queen     Ino  think   on   ways    by  which    she   could   make 

Phrixus and Helle lose their lives。 She thought long upon this察and at last a 

desperate plan came into her mind。 

     ;When it was winter she went amongst the women of the countryside察

and she gave them jewels and clothes for presents。 Then she asked them to 

do secretly an unheard´of thing。 She asked the women to roast over their 

fires   the   grains   that   had   been   left   for   seed。   This   the   women   did。   Then 

spring came on察and the men sowed in the fields the grain that had been 

roasted over the fires。 No shoots grew up as the spring went by。 In summer 

there was no waving greenness in the fields。 Autumn came察and there was 

no grain for the reaping。 Then the men察not knowing what had happened察

went to King Athamas and told him that there would be famine in the land。 

     ;The king sent to the temple of Artemis to ask how the people might 

be saved from the famine。 And the guardians of the temple察having taken 

gold   from   Queen   Ino察  told   them   that   there   would   be   worse   and   worse 

famine and that all the people of Thebes would die of hunger unless the 

king was willing to make a great sacrifice。 

     ;When the king asked what sacrifice he should make he was told by 

the guardians 

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