Chapter 12: Iason and the Argo
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♠ Od 10.135-39 – Homer, Odyssey
and we came to the isle of Aeaea, where dwelt fair-tressed Circe, a dread goddess of human speech, own sister to Aeetes of baneful mind; and both are sprung from Helius, who gives light to mortals, and from Perse, their mother, whom Oceanus begot. Greek Text
♠ Th 956-62 – Hesiod, Theogony
And Perseis, the daughter of Ocean, bore to unwearying Helios Circe and Aeetes the king. And Aeetes, the son of Helios who shows light to men, [960] took to wife fair-cheeked Idyia, daughter of Ocean the perfect stream, by the will of the gods: and she was subject to him in love through golden Aphrodite and bore him neat-ankled Medea. Greek Text
♠ Mim 11 W – Mimnermos: Iambi et Elegi Graeci 2, p. 86, ed. M. L. West. Oxford 1972.
But if things were as Skephios says (Demetr. Sceps. fr. 50 Gaede) citing Mimnermos —who, having placed the dwelling of Aietes in Okeanos far away in the East, said that Iason was sent there by Pelias and fetched the fleece—then the expedition over there to unknown and obscure locations to get the fleece would not be deemed plausible; nor the voyage through desolate, uninhabited, and removed from us places would be glorious or known to all.
Neither Iason himself would have brought back the great fleece
from Aia having completed his grievous journey,
finishing the troublesome task for insolent (hubristês) Pelias,
nor would they have reached the beautiful stream of Okeanos. (Transl. E. Bianchelli)
♠ Mim 11a W – Mimnermos: Iambi et Elegi Graeci 2, p. 86, ed. M. L. West. Oxford 1972.
Strabo continues:
and below:
the city of Aietes, and where the rays of swift Helios
lie in a golden chamber
near the lips of Okeanos, where godlike Iason went (Transl. E. Bianchelli)
♠ Eumelos fr 3 PEG – Poetae Epici Graeci 1, pp. 109-10, ed. A. Bernabé. Leipzig 1987.
But when Aietes and Aloeus were born of Helios and Antiope, then the noble son of Hyperion apportioned out the land among his children. He gave that though which Asopos flows to mighty Aloeus; and that which is owened by Ephyra he gave entirely to Aietes. Then Aietes voluntarily gave it to Bounos until he himslef or his son or his grandson should return; and he went to the land of Kolchis. (Transl. E. Bianchelli)
♠ ApB 1.7.4 – Apollodoros, Bibliotheke (Library)
Canace had by Poseidon Hopleus and Nireus and Epopeus and Aloeus and Triops. Greek Text
♠ Epimenides 3B13 – Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, vol. 1, p. 35, ed. H. Diels and W. Kranz. 6th ed. Berlin 1951.
♠ Hes fr 255 MW – Hesiod, Megalai Ehoiai (Great Catalogue of Women) in Fragmenta Hesiodea, p. 124, ed. R. Merkelbach and M.L. West. Oxford 1967.
Schol. Ap. Rhod. 2 1122 (p. 141. 21 Wendel), “Argos”
This was one of the children of Phrixos. Herodotos (FGrHist 31 F 39) says that they were born to Aietes’ daughter Chalkiope, while Akousilaos (2 F 38) and Hesiod in the Great Catalogue of Women say that they were born to Aietes’ daughter Iophossa. And he says that there were four of them: Argos, Phrontis, Melas, and Kytisoros; however, Epimenides (457 F 12; Vorsokr. 3 B 12) adds a fifth one, Presbon. (Transl. E. Bianchelli)
♠ Epimenides 3B12 – Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, vol. 1, p. 35, ed. H. Diels and W. Kranz. 6th ed. Berlin 1951.
For translation, see above Hes fr 255 MW. Greek Text
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Edited by Elena Bianchelli, Retired Senior Lecturer of Classical Languages and Culture, Univ. of Georgia, March 2022.
