The myths and legends of the ancient Greeks are amazing stories about great people who have achieved more than others. And although they did not possess superpowers in fact, their exploits from this seem even more magnificent. One of the most striking stories of the ancient world is the legend of Jason and the Argonauts. It is believed that it arose around the eighth century BC and displays stories about the development of the Black Sea by the Greeks. And if earlier many believed that the described events were fictitious, there is a lot of evidence that the inhabitants of Hellas still visited Georgia, that is, in Colchis. Indeed, in the epic “Argonauts” real geographical names and descriptions of local religious holidays are mentioned, even if they are embellished with fabrications.
Background: Golden Aries
Before you talk about the journey itself, it is worthwhile to figure out what Iason and the Argonauts were looking for. Long before this voyage, the goddess Nefela gave birth to a boy and a girl, Frix and Gella, from King Atamant. Later, the king married again, and the stepmother wished to destroy her adopted children. By cunning and bribery, she made the king sacrifice the twins. But Nefela saved the children from death by sending them a golden-aries ram. Frix and Gella climbed onto the animal and soared into the sky. But during the storm, the girl could not resist and died at sea, and the boy safely reached Colchis.
At that time, the country was ruled by the wise king Eet, the son of the sun god. He gladly accepted the boy, married his daughter, and a wonderful lamb was sacrificed to the gods. The fleece itself was hanged in a sacred grove, and it, according to legend, brought prosperity to the kingdom. But then Eet's son was born, so soon the king wished to get rid of Friks. He agreed to leave Colchis, but wanted to pick up the fleece. During a quarrel, Eet kills the son-in-law, but he manages to curse all the owners of the wonderful thing.
Offended prince
So, what Jason and the Argonauts were looking for on the far shores of the Black Sea, we figured out. Now it's time to talk about the heroes themselves and their lives. The Thessalian queen Tyro had two sons - Pelius and Eson, whose father was King Iolk. After the death of the latter, the throne was supposed to depart to Eson, but Pelius by cunning took power from his brother. The latter sends his son Jason to the centaur Chiron, fearing for his life.
Having matured, Jason returns home to regain the throne. On the way, he helps the old woman to cross the river, not knowing that it was Hera herself. It is easy to guess that a noble act brought the young man the favor of the goddess and her help. Pelius agreed to return the throne to Jason, provided that he would bring him the golden fleece. That's what Jason and the Argonauts were looking for at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains.
Expedition preparation
The prince accepted his uncle's offer and began to assemble a team for a difficult trip. Heroes from all over the country came to his aid. Among them were the mighty Hercules, the twins Kastor and Polidevk, the boreid brothers Zet and Kalaid, the sweet-voiced Orpheus, Theseus, Meleager, the huntress of Atalanta. In total, about 60 courageous travelers went to Colchis. For them, construction work began on a deserted shore. It is worth noting that the Greeks until that time did not know how to build ships, only small boats in which they sailed to neighboring islands. But the goddess Hera turned to Athena for help, who revealed the secret to Argu, the old carpenter. The ship, called the "Argo", went on glory. Soon it sailed away from the shore, taking away daredevils.
The journey begins
Argonauts are heroes of myths and legends, so their journey is filled with unusual adventures and fabulous events. On the island of Lemnos, sailors helped local residents get rid of the madness and punishment sent to them by Aphrodite and the Kabiri gods. Many of the heroes got married, as there were no men on the island. But the journey continued, because the goal was not achieved. "Argo" sailed across the Thracian Sea, the Hellespont, Propontis, reached Mysia (Mysia). The Argonauts in Mysia were forced to leave three of their comrades: Heracles, who, by the will of the gods, was to return to Hellas and perform his twelve exploits, handsome Gilas, who was dragged to the bottom of the nymph, and Polyphemus, who was destined to found the city of Kios and become ruler in it .
Further, the heroes traveled to the land of Bebriks, where they defeated Amik, the son of Poseidon and the Bithine Nymph, and made a promise from him to hospitably accept strangers, and not fight them to death. In Thrace, the Argonauts helped the blind soothsayer Phineus get rid of the harpies, and he warned them of many dangers along the way. And finally, the ship docked on the shores of Colchis.
Sunny country
So, the goal of the journey was achieved: here, in Colchis, is what Jason and the Argonauts were looking for. But the local king did not really want to give the golden fleece to the aliens. After passing the test and using the help of Medea (the daughter of Eet), the heroes took possession of the relic and returned to Greece. True, their return was long, since the gods turned away from the Argonauts due to the murder of the little prince. It is worth noting that Pelius did not keep his word and did not return the throne to Jason. But this is a completely different story ...