CREATURES OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY – SPHINX

 

There was a dreadful union between the giant immortal Typhon

And the black fearful eyed Echidne, half serpent, half woman

The Sphinx was the bizarre result of this most Unnatural union

And it had the body of a lion and the upper parts of a woman

She also had the wings of an eagle as well as the tail of a serpent

And guarding the entrance to Thebes was how Her time was spent

Any traveler who wanted to enter Thebes had to first get past her

And to do that She would ask them a riddle that they had to figure

If the travelers were able to figure out the riddle, they had to try

They would pass safely by and she would by her own hand die

But if they were unable to figure out the riddle, they were given

They would not pass safely by and she would devour them then

Then One day on the road to Thebes the Sphinx met with Oedipus

And the Sphinx duly set him her complex riddle, which went thus

'So, what creature walks on four in the morning on two by day

And on three in the evening?' you must answer to pass by this way

Oedipus thought for a while, and then said the answer was known

'It is a man. When he’s a baby, he crawls on four, When full grown

He walks on two, and when he is an old man, he leans on a staff.'

With that said she let out a terrible scream like an hysterical laugh

Then the Sphinx threw herself to her death from atop the Acropolis

And wise Oedipus was then granted entrance to Thebes forthwith

HERO’S OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY - JASON

 

Jason was born as the son of the rightful King of Iolcus

But his lawful throne was then usurped by his uncle Pelias

Pelias lived in constant fear of losing what he had taken

He kept his father imprisoned and planned to murder Jason

 

Jason's mother Polymede mourned as if her son had died

And Pelias was deceived and never knew she had lied

Jason was taken to the wilderness and raised by a centaur

Chiron the Centaur tutored him in the hunting arts and lore

 

When he came of age, he set out to claim the throne of Iolcus

Not realizing he had a powerful ally on Mount Olympus

Hera, wife of Zeus nursed a rage against Pelias the usurper

Rashly he’d honored all the Gods except heavens queen Hera

 

Hera contrived a raging torrent to test the mettle of Jason

And beside the river’s bank sat a poor withered old woman

Would Jason ignore the old woman and cross over the river

Or would he take pity and offer to pick her up and ferry her

 

Without hesitation he put her on his back and entered the water

Halfway he staggered under the unexpected weight of Hera

Losing a sandal in the fast current was part of Hera’s plan

On the other side his burden was once again an old woman

 

King Pelias had been warned many years before by an oracle

"Beware Pelias a stranger who wears but a single sandal."

Arriving in Iolcus, Jason asserted his claim to the usurper

But Pelias was not going to give it to a one-shoed stranger

 

Pelias managed to persuade Jason to undergo a form of test

Seeking out the fabled Golden Fleece was to be Jason’s quest

Word soon went out across the length and breadth of Greece

That adventurer's were needed to search for the Golden Fleece

 

Pelias thought with the dangers of dragon’s roar and serpent’s hiss

His nephew Jason would never return from the land of Colchis

Among the many heroes were Heracles and the heroine Atalanta

And an impressive crew was soon assembled for the adventure

 

Jason chose from the best that Greece had to offer in his view  

All that was needed was a magnificent vessel for them to crew

So, Jason had a ship constructed by the worthy shipwright Argus

Who called it “Argo” after himself out of vanity more or less

 

The heavenly Hera enlisted the aid of her fellow goddess Athena

This patroness of crafts provided a prow in the form of a figure

It was crafted from timber hewn from Zeus’s own sacred grove

Giving it magical property to help the seekers of the special trove

 

And so, one bright autumn morning the Argo set out to sea,

Her benches crewed by ranks of the heroic in her company

And it wasn't long before trouble found Jason and his men

Spending two weeks on an island populated only by women

 

After many weeks at sea the Argonauts again made land fall

It was at Salmydessus that they made their next port of call 

The King welcomed them but was in no mood for festivities

Because he had offended the Gods and was plagued by miseries

 

His tormentors had the heads of women with bird’s bodies

The creatures were razor-clawed scourges known as Harpies

These beasts were possessed of reprehensible table manners

Every evening they dropped down to defecate upon his dinners

 

They hung around the King's repast making such a racket

That had he been able to eat he didn’t have the stomach for it

As a result, poor King Phineus just grew thinner by the hour

And the vicious harpies would then return to their tower

 

Two Argonauts were descended from the north wind directly

And this relationship gave them the power to fly limitlessly

The pair chased the Harpies far away without hesitating

So, they would never bother him again while he was dining

 

In gratitude he informed Jason of a danger just across the seas

On route to the Fleece namely two rocks called Symplegades

These rocks had the disconcerting habit of crashing together

Upon any ship that tried to navigate through the channel there

 

Phineus warned Jason not to try and pass straight through

But suggested a method which might help Jason and his crew

Something passing between the Rocks would start them crashing

Then the Argo could follow in its wake and safely passing

 

The Gods help was needed so an offering was made to Athena

And when the Argo approached, she caused them to crash together

The Argo was able to pass between the rocks relatively safely

They negotiate through the Symplegades with minor damage only 

 

When the clashing rocks were no more than a distant memory

They reached the shores of Colchis after many days at sea

In Colchis they had to face challenges in search of the trove

Before finding where the Golden Fleece hung in the grove

 

King Aeetes of Colchis was the barbarian kingdom's ruler

And it sat on the far edge of the heroic world’s perimeter

He and his people were not at all well disposed to strangers

And because of the fleece were suspicious of newcomers

 

King Aeetes had taken a disliking to Jason on first sight

And did not intend losing what Aeetes saw as his by right

And he was telling Jason this and that he should have known

That King Aeetes considered the Golden Fleece to be his own

 

Aeetes was about to eject Jason from Colchis unceremoniously

When his daughter Medea reminded Aeetes about hospitality

Medea was motivated by love thanks to the god’s intervention

Hera persuaded Aphrodite to intervene on the behalf of Jason

 

After the Goddess of Love had struck Medea with a passion

King Aeetes then calmed down considerably in regard to Jason

The moment she first saw him Medea was completely smitten

And the king suddenly became suspiciously reasonable then

 

Of course, Jason could have the Fleece that was no trouble

Aeetes couldn't imagine why he had been so inhospitable

All he required of Jason just as a simple good faith token

Were a small number of farmyard chores to be undertaken

 

There were two bulls stood in the adjacent pasture grazing

Jason should catch them and harness them ready for plowing

Then plough the field, sow it and reap the harvest in a day

That done King Aeetes would give the Golden Fleece his way

 

The bulls were a bit unusual in that their feet were a hazard

Made of brass sharp enough to rip a man from gullet to gizzard

And then of course there was the matter of the Bulls bad breath

In point of fact, it didn’t smell they just breathed flames of death

 

Medea was a famous sorceress and famed for magic potions

She gave Jason salves that he smeared on like body lotions

This protected him against the brazen hooves and fiery death

So, he could approach the bulls with out fearing their breath 

 

Disregarding the flames that danced all about his shoulders

And avoiding the hooves he managed to harness the creatures

This done he set quickly about the task of plowing the field

Then this was followed by sowing the seeds he had to yield

 

What Jason did not know, as he was Gaily sowing the seed

Was that the crop he was sowing was very strange indeed

Aeetes had given Jason dragon's teeth to scatter all about

As soon as they were planted in soil, they began to sprout

 

Jason had sowed the field and turned to complete his test

And was shocked to discover what crop he must harvest

Each seed had produced a fearsome fully armed warrior 

Jason must now reap what he sowed to complete his chore

 

As Jason prepared to do battle his discomfort was hard to hide

The king’s daughter Medea hurried across the field to his side

This time there were no magic potion's salves or embrocations

But Medea merely gave Jason a basic psychology suggestion

 

Jason was sensible enough to recognize a good piece advice  

And used her suggestion by employing the simple device

Jason picked up a rock and threw it at the closest warrior

This warrior then turned to his left and accusing the soldier

 

Jason managed to get each seed man to turn on its brother

Until he had all the warriors in the army fighting each other 

Jason had completed the harvest by means of the slaughter

With the assistance of Medea king Aeetes young daughter

 

So, Jason with more than a little help from the forces divine

The strange harvest was brought in well before the deadline

Aeetes had to agree to let the Golden Fleece go to the Argo

But he confided in Medea he had no intention of doing so

 

And Medea, still entranced by the Goddess of Love Aphrodite

Confided in turn in Jason about her fathers intended treachery

Under cover of darkness to the temple grove she led Jason

Where the Fleece was nailed to a tree and guarded by a dragon

 

It was at midnight when they crept into Ares sacred precinct

And quickly drawing his sword was our hero’s first instinct

But Medea very wisely restrained the impetuous hero Jason

And she used her powers as a sorceress to distract the dragon

 

While Medea held the fearsome dragon completely spell bound

Jason crept to the tree and removed the fleece without a sound

Once he had the prize, they made off together with the Fleece

Eluding pursuit they set sail at once for the journey back to Greece

 

So, the hero Jason had succeeded in the great heroic quest and thus  

He returned with his golden prize to reclaim the throne of Iolcus

But although Jason had actually sworn to love and honor Medea

Our fickle hero jilted and abandoned the lovely Medea for another

GREEK MYTH’S – PHRIXUS AND THE GOLDEN RAM

 

One day in Colchis appeared a man called Phrixus

With his sister Helle he had travelled from Iolcus

This in itself was nothing unusual or worth mention 

Apart from his unorthodox mode of transportation

For he arrived on the back of a golden flying ram

Saved from sacrifice and carried off by the lamb

Helle, sister of Phrixus never completed the journey

As she had fallen from the ram's back into the sea

In a narrow passage of water, they came to call

The Hellespont in memory of her most tragic fall

But Phrixus arrived in Colchis safely from Greece

And sacrificed the ram to the gods and hung its fleece

HERO’S OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY - PERSEUS

 

King Acrisius of Argos was warned by an oracle of Apollo one-day

That he would be killed in time by a son born to his daughter Danae

Fearful He locked her up in a bronze tower and threw away the key

And thus prevented her from having children or being able to marry

 

The bronze tower had no doors but it had one very small window

Then one night Danae who was very sad saw a strange sort of glow

The god Zeus entered disguised as a golden shower bright as dawn

He joined in union with the girl and as a result Perseus was born

 

Acrisius learned of this and when entered the tower he was furious

Danae sat with a baby on her lap, smiled and said, "this is Perseus"

Acrisius put Danae and baby into a brazen chest and cast it out to sea

Perhaps the King expected it to sink like a stone but it was not to be

 

Instead of sinking the chest floated away from the shores of Argos

Eventually fetching up on a lonely beach on the island of Seriphos

Dictys the king’s brother found the chest while he was out fishing

And he took its contents under his protection without questioning   

 

One-day king Polydectes, Dictys's brother took a fancy to Danae

And he pressed his attentions upon her, which she turned him away

Perseus who had grown up to become a very strong young man

Made his own objections to Polydectes as only a young man can

 

And the king angry but outwardly amenably agreed he would desist

He would have married her by force if Perseus wasn't there to resist

So he grew more subtle in the pursuit of achieving his desire of her

And so decided on a plan to be rid of Perseus so he could not interfere

 

Polydectes pretended to be marrying Hippodameia a friend’s daughter

And everybody was required to bring a gift no matter who they were

Polydectes pretended to be furious when Perseus arrived empty-handed

“Why do you dishonor me and my bride in this way”? He demanded

 

Perseus though very strong and brave was also very poor in his defense

He explained to the king that he had no money and he meant no offence

He pledged to bring the king any gift in the world and he would cede

“Then bring me the head of the gorgon Medusa!" and Perseus agreed

 

The gorgons were horrible but Perseus set off to kill medusa as he said

Instead of hair the creatures had black serpents that writhed on their head

And they had brazen hands that could have crushed Perseus effortlessly

But worst of all if you looked a gorgon you were turned to stone instantly

 

For weeks he wandered on his perilous way in search of the gorgon’s lair

One night in an unknown country he was finally overcome by despair

Then suddenly appearing before him goddess of crafts and war Athena

She offered him help on how to find and defeat the gorgon Medusa

 

Go and seek out the kindly nymphs of the north she told him Firstly

Ask for the Cap of Darkness which renders the wearer total invisibility

Before he left Perseus was given her own mirrored shield by Athena

And the sickle of adamant and winged sandals from Hermes her brother

 

Seeking out the nymphs was not as simple as he had first thought

Perseus must first visit the Graeae sisters for the location he sought

And to find the graeae he had to go to the world’s western parameter

Find Atlas and ask him to direct him to the sister’s home in the vicinity

 

He traveled to the west and found Atlas one of the renegade Titans

Who was paying eternally for defying Zeus by holding up the heavens

Perseus politely asked atlas where he could find the three graeae sisters

This atlas duly did by nodding in the direction of the cave dwellers

 

The Graeae Sisters were strange hags with one eye between the three

Which they were constantly fighting over to have their chance to see

Perseus hid at the mouth of the cave and watched them very carefully

Then he picked his moment and snatched the eye so they couldn’t see

 

Then Perseus demanded they tell him the northern nymph’s location

If they did not then they would never get their precious eye back again

Eventually the old hags told Perseus what he need to know Reluctantly

He tossed the eye in a corner and on winged sandals flew across the sea

 

The northern nymphs were called naiads and were actually minor deities

They were mortal creatures who dwelt in pools and ponds in societies

The kindly Nymphs gave him the Cap of Darkness that he was seeking

As well as a special magic pouch to carry Medusa’s severed head in

 

They told him he must go still farther north to find the gorgons' lair

When Perseus found a large rocky island he would find medusa their

So with the cap of darkness and the magic pouch he set of north again

Where he found an island adorned with statues which used to be men

 

Before setting down on the island Perseus put on the Cap of Darkness

Then reflected in his shield he saw the gorgons asleep in the bleakness

Perseus then flew down safe in his invisibility to fine medusa prone  

And He swung the sickle and felt it tearing through sinew and bone

 

Still using the shield, he put the head in the magic bag without delay

And Before Medusa's sisters attacked him Perseus flew quickly away

On his way home first visited Atlas and because he pitied the titan

Using medusas head he turned him to stone and relieved his burden

 

As he traveled closer to Seriphos he saw a statue chained to a rock

When he flew down, he saw that it was not a statue, but a young woman

Her name was Andromeda and her mother had boasted that her beauty

Was greater than that of the Nereid’s who were the nymphs of the sea 

 

So Andromeda must be sacrificed to appease the god of the sea Poseidon

And a great sea monster would devour her from the rocks she stood upon

Even as she spoke a monster rose from the sea with the force of a cyclone

Perseus took the head from the pouch and the monster turned to stone

 

He cut her chains and took her to her father, King Cepheus of Phoenicia

Cepheus gladly agreed when Perseus asked for the hand of Andromeda

So once again for Seriphos Perseus set off and in his arms was Andromeda

There was one last stop so Perseus could compete in the games at Larisa

 

But when he threw a discus it hit an old man in the stands called Acrisius

So, the prophecy came true he was killed by his daughter’s son Perseus

And after mourning briefly Perseus and Andromeda’s last journey began

When they arrived the first person, they met was Dictys the fisherman

 

Dictys told them how the king hadn’t married and of his mothers burden

But Danae wouldn't marry him, so he forced her to be his handmaiden

Perseus was furious leaving Andromeda with Dictys he went to the palace

After alerting his friends he showed Polydectes and his court Medusa’s face

 

When Polydectes and his supporters had been turned to stone forever

As rulers Perseus and Andromeda lived happily for many years together

And their descendants became great kings down through the generations

After death Perseus and Andromeda were put in the sky as constellations