Episode 18: The Argonauts’ Voyage Home

In our penultimate episode of Season 3, and last that involves the Argonaut Adventure, we follow our heroes on their winding voyage home from Colchis over the seas and sands of most of the known world. They face many obstacles: a blockade by Medeia’s brother Absyrtos, Scylla and Charybdis, an unexpected storm that drives them to Africa and beaches the Argo in treacherous shallows, and finally Talos, the giant bronze sentinel that guards the island of Crete. As has become typical, Medeia saves the day by engineering the death of Talos from afar. Medeia reprises her central role after the Argonauts make it home by helping Jason exact revenge on King Pelias, who had usurped the throne and sent Jason on the quest for the Golden Fleece in the first place. As usual, we have visual aids to help you think about the myths narrated and analyzed in the podcast. We have a map as well as several vases from the ancient world that sheds some light on (and sometimes complicates) the literary versions that we follow. As always, our source text is Apollonius of Rhodes’ Argonautica (“Adventures of the Argonauts”), who was a very learned figure who worked at the famous Library of Alexandria. Apollonius’ epic tale reflects the current understanding of geography in the Hellenistic period, which was more developed than the earliest versions of the tales even if imperfectly understood.

The route the Argonauts took to get back to Iolcos according to Apollonius’ Argonaut Adventure. His version takes into account the current conception of geography while combining two earlier versions, one that took the Argonauts home by a northerly route along Oceanos (conceived of as a giant river encircling the known lands), another by a southerly route.

Along the way, the Argonauts and Medeia make quite a few stops, none more evocative of other mythical stories than her stop at Circaion (Circe’s Island, #6 above). Our fabulous student artist Allina Podgurski chose to represent the moment where Circe tells her niece Medeia she cannot stay on the island:

After purifying her, Circe tells Medeia she must leave.

The Argonauts also encounter Talos, a bronze giant that guards Crete—a fascinating encounter that puts the Argonauts, who needed to land to restock for the final part of the journey, in a tough spot. Medeia comes to the rescue (again), and through wiles and magic engineers the death of the ancient being. Here is a really cool vase housed in Ruvo, Italy, that shows the bronze giant swooning after Medeia (pictures in exotic dress to the left) essentially puts a spell on him from the ship.

Medeia (left), dressed in exotic eastern dress (the Greeks thought easterners were overly concerned with luxurious dress), casts a spell on Talos, who is surrounded by two Argonauts, the twins Polydeuces and Castor. For the whole vase, visit the Beazley Archives here. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

When Jason makes it home, he has to deal with King Pelias, who had usurped the throne and had sent him on the quest for the Golden Fleece in the first place. Again, Medeia steps to the fore, and convinces the king’s daughters that they can make him young again. To demonstrate this, she rejuvenates an old ram by cutting it up and boiling it in a magical potion in a cauldron, making it into a lamb. When the daughters cut up their father, it does not work.

Line drawing of a vase, partly damaged, in the British Museum (British Museum, London, 1837,0609.62).

In some versions, Medeia also is said to have rejuvenated Jason in the same fashion. Here is a cool pot that looks like it could be the same image (Medeia engineering the death of Pelias), but a close look at the pot reveals the name “Jason” (Ἰάσων) beside the male figure. Is this an allusion to Medeia’s rejuvenating Jason? But why is there a lamb in the cauldron? To prove that she has the power to do so?

Medeia rejuvenates ram to prove to Jason that she has the goods to do so?

Credits

Written and Narrated: R. Scott Smith

Sound Engineer: Samantha Coetzee

Voice Actors: Julia Sommer and A. J. O’Neill

Music: (opening and closing) Jared Sims, Brooklyn Tea (transition) Jack Anderson