Page:Greek and Roman Mythology.djvu/141

THE GREEK HEROES 127 obtained the kingdom. When Jason afterwards divorced Medea to wed the daughter of king Creon, Medea killed Creon and all his daughters by means of a magic poi- soned garment. Then, after murdering both of her own children, she fled to Athens in a chariot drawn by drag- ons, where she married Aegeus. In consequence of her unsuccessful murderous attack upon Theseus she returned to her home in Asia. Medea is the mythical prototype of all witches, who were similarly charged with murdering children ; but at the same time she is so closely related to the moon god- desses Hecate and Hera that she must herself be re- garded as a moon heroine. Jason, however, may be a figure resembling the Boeotian Cadmus, and may have received his name from 'lawA/cos, lolcus. 166. To this, the simplest form of the myth of the Argonauts, was by degrees added a whole series of local legends and sailors' tales, and an ever-increasing number of heroes were mentioned as having joined in the expe- dition. It was said that at Chalcedon, on the Bosporus, Pollux had defeated in a boxing contest the giant Amycus (' tearer '), who had prevented the navigators from gain- ing access to a spring. On the other side of the Bos- porus the Argonauts met the blind king Phmeus, who was tormented by Harpies. As soon as he sat down to eat, the Harpies came along and seized or befouled the food. They were therefore pursued by Zetes and Calais, the sons of Boreas, and driven away forever (c/. the Stymphalides). To express his gratitude for this ser- vice, Phineus told his rescuers how to avoid the further dangers of the voyage, particularly how to pass success- fully the rocks of the Symplegades (< striking together ? ) ;