There was a dreadful union between the giant immortal Typhon
And
the black fearful eyed Echidne, Half serpent, half woman
The
terrifying result of this unnatural union was a huge boar
A
great strong beast whose capture was Heracles fourth labor
The
gigantic boar ravished farmland in the west of Arcadia
And
Heracles had to capture it alive, or he would fail his labor
So,
he had to force it into a snowdrift on mount Erymanthus
And
snared it with a noose and took it to his cousin Eurystheus
There was a dreadful union between the giant immortal Typhon
And
the black fearful eyed Echidne, half serpent, half woman
The
terrifying end result of this unnatural union was the hydra
A
great many headed Drakon who inhabited the swamps of Lerna
It
was the second labor of Heracles to kill the water Drakon
And
the hero drew the great creature out to fight in the open
Then
with his bronze sword he hacked off heads from the hydra
But
for every head he severed two grew in place of the other
If
that wasn’t bad enough the Hydra's breath was itself lethal
And
even to smell its footprints was enough to kill any mortal
Very
Soon the beast’s heads tangled around him like serpents
Iolaus
his nephew comes to his aid and his death he prevents
As
Heracles cut off its heads and to prevent new ones sprouting
Iolaus
with a flaming torch sealed the wounds by cauterizing
Finally,
Heracles lopped off the last one and Hydra was dead
He
buried deep below a boulder the Hydras one immortal head
Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera
Murdered
his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By
ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors
The
labors were set by his cousin king Eurystheus
Heracles
final labor was the capture of Cerberus
He
was instructed to bring the up the hellhound
From
Hades the kingdom of the dead underground
You
must first cross the river Styx to reach Hades
Which
for the first problem for our hero Heracles
In
order to cross the river, you must first be dead
If
not, have a bribe for Charon the boatman instead
Heracles
met neither condition aggravating Charon
But
He simply glowered fiercely at the ferryman
And
Charon meekly conveyed him across the river
The
greater challenge was yet to come however
Cerberus
had three heads, and all had razor teeth
Covered
with snakes on its back and underneath
It
also had another great venomous snake for a tail
And
over this hellhound Heracles had to prevail
The
venomous snakes lashed out at Heracles wildly
While
Cerberus lunged at the heroes’ throat directly
Fortunately,
he was wearing his lion's skin cape
The
impenetrable hide and helmet with jaws agape
He
eventually choked Cerberus into submission
And
dragged it to Tiryns for his due recognition
Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera
Murdered his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors
The labors were set by king Eurystheus his cousin
Get
the apples of the Hesperides was labor eleven
The
Hesperides or even the Daughters of Evening
Were
nymphs assigned by Hera to do the guarding
They
were a special type of apples that’s evident
Which
the goddess received as a wedding present
They
were kept in a grove in the Far Western lands
In
the mountains named after Atlas of the Titans
The
grove was guarded by a many-headed dragon
A
most fearsome babbling creature named Ladon
Each
head had its own tongue making no sense at all
And
finally, the grove was surrounded by a high wall
In
order for his eleventh labor to be of any success
Heracles
was told he would need help from Atlas
Atlas
the Titan was brother to Zeus’s father Cronus
But
in the war against Zeus backed the wrong horse
And
so for all time Atlas must support the heavens
By
means of a pillar on his shoulders as a penance
So,
he asked Atlas to get the apples from the garden
The
Titan agreed, as it relieved him of his burden
He
told Heracles to hold the pillar while he went
Into
the grove to retrieve Hera’s wedding present
Heracles
first needed to deal with the dragon, Ladon
This
he did with an arrow over the wall to the garden
Then
Heracles took the pillar while Atlas was gone
He
returned with the apples and the job was done
But
atlas had forgotten how pleasant life could be
Without
keeping heaven and earth apart for eternity
So,
he told Heracles he would have to fill in for him
For
an indeterminate period of time just on a whim
Heracles
feigned agreement to the Titans suggestion
But
said that he needed for his shoulder a cushion
So,
he asked if Atlas would take back the burden
While
he went to fetch one and come back again
The
Titan graciously obliged him without concern
And
Heracles then strolled away never to return
Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera
Murdered
his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By
ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors
The
labors were set by king Eurystheus his cousin
His
tenth labor was stealing the cattle of Geryon
The
three headed Geryon owned the herd of cattle
It
was he and two headed Orthrus he had to battle
After
clubbing the hound with just a single blow
Heracles
stole the cattle dispatching Geryon also
Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera
Murdered
his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors
The labors were set by king Eurystheus his cousin
The
ninth Labor took Him to the land of the Amazon
To
retrieve the belt of the amazon queen Hippolyte
A
magical girdle for which he must probably fight
A
race of fierce warrior women and great archers
Who
were the first people to use mounted fighters
To
get the belt as a gift for the daughter of Eurystheus
Heracles
used other heroes among them Theseus
But
as it turned out, the Amazon queen Hippolyte
Willingly
gave Hercules her belt perhaps to be polite
But
Hera was not about to let the hero off so easily
The
goddess stirred up the Amazons very cleverly
With
a rumor Heracles had captured their queen
And
a great battle then ensued to vent their spleen
But
Heracles made off with the belt of Hippolyte
And
Theseus an Amazon princess to their delight
Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera
Murdered
his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By
ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors
The
labors were set by his cousin king Eurystheus
The
eighth labor for our hero and his squire Abderus
Was
to captures the man-eating mares of Diomedes
The
King of Thrace was fed to his horses by Heracles
He
soon herded them down to the sea as he planned
Where
he embarked them for Tiryns his homeland
Once
he returned, they were released by Eurystheus
Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera
Murdered his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors
The labors were set by king Eurystheus his cousin
The
seventh was a creature sent up by Poseidon
A
fire belching bull of huge size he had to beat
The
bull was ravaging the countryside of Crete
The
hero overpowered it despite its flaming breath
And
sent it to Athens were Theseus inflicted death
Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera
Murdered
his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors
The labors were set by king Eurystheus his cousin
The
sixth Labor sent him to arcadia once again
Killing
the Stymphalian birds he was requested
The
shores of Lake Stymphalus the birds infested
He
could not approach the man killers directly
To
fight them as the ground was far too marshy
And
the birds used as arrows metallic feathers
To
rain them upon any approaching aggressors
He
sought the assistance of the goddess Athena
And
she gave him castanets to help with his labor
He
used the castanets to make the birds take flight
Then shots them by the dozen both left and right
Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera
Murdered
his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors
The labors were set by king Eurystheus his cousin
The
fifth labor Eurystheus Took great pleasure in
He
chose a Labor he hoped would be demeaning
And
he was sure would humiliate his heroic cousin
Heracles
was to clean the stables of King Augeas
And
he must do it in a single day to have success
King
Augeas possessed for years vast herds of cattle
Their
deposits of manure was to be Heracles battle
So
much had been deposited by the cattle of Augeas
That
a thick aroma hung over the Peloponnesus
But
Heracles Instead of using baskets and shovels
He
diverted two rivers through the Augean stables
Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera
Murdered
his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors
The labors were set by king Eurystheus his cousin
It
was in Arcadia for the fourth labor he was given
His
quest was to hunt the huge Erymanthian boar
And
capturing the boar alive was labor number four
He
immobilized the boar on Mount Erymanthus
Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera
Murdered
his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors
The labors were set by king Eurystheus his cousin
Capturing
a beast was the next labor he was given
He
spent the next year hunting the Cerynitian hind
In
Arcadia near the Ladon River it was there to find
The
Cerynitian hind was a fleet-footed female deer
Who
had golden horns and ran faster than a spear
The
hind was sacred to goddess of the hunt Artemis
So
Heracles dared not wound it and so dare not miss
So
between tendons and bones he aimed with his bow
Pinning
its legs without drawing blood with his arrow
Artemis
was displeased but Heracles appeased her
Simply
by blaming king Eurystheus his taskmaster
Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera
Murdered
his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By
ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors
The
labors were set by his cousin king Eurystheus
For
His second labor he needed his nephew Iolaus
Because
his task was to kill the many headed Hydra
Which
was known to dwell in the swamps of Lerna
It’s
not clear exactly how many heads it possessed
Some
claim they know but mostly they only guess
What
was known by those who looked it in the face
When
you cut off a head two more grew in its place
If
that wasn’t enough the Hydra's breath was lethal
To
smell its footprints was enough to kill a mortal
He
sought out the fearsome monster in its own lair
He
forced it into the open with fire arrows in the air
But
then the fight began to go in the Hydra's favor
Twining
its heads around him despite his endeavor
Hydra
called upon an ally, a huge crab for assistance
The
crab bit Him on the heel sapping his resistance
On
the verge of failure things looked bad for Heracles
He
called Iolaus the son of his twin brother Iphicles
Iolaus
who had driven Heracles to Lerna in his chariot
Looked
on in anxiety as his uncle was tied in a knot
With
Heracles tangled Iolaus rushed in to save the day
Grabbing
a burning torch and dashing into the fray
So,
cutting the hydra’s heads off was Heracles aim
And
Iolaus would sear the wounded neck with flame
This
prevented and further heads from sprouting
So,
Heracles cut off the heads with Iolaus cauterizing
Finally,
Heracles lopped off the one immortal head
Burying
it deep below a rock to ensure it was dead
Heracles when driven mad by the Goddess Hera
Murdered
his three children and his wife Megara
The
Delphic oracle punished him for the murders
By ordering him to perform the Twelve Labour's
The labour's were set by King Eurystheus his cousin
And
his first task was killing the Nemean Lion
It
was no ordinary lion but a supernatural monster
Its
skin could not be penetrated by arrow or spear
So,
he blocked the entrance to the lion's cave
And
then Heracles entered fearless and brave
At
close quarters he fought the creature fiercely
And
strangled it with his bare hands savagely
Ever
after he wore its skin about him as a cape
And
as a helmet he wore its head with jaws agape
The son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene was Heracles
And
his twin by Alcmene and Amphitryon was Iphicles
Hera,
the wife of Zeus was jealous of his last mortal son
And
she decided on a path to vent her hate and anger on
So
while he was still an infant Hera, wanting him dead
Sent
a pair of serpents to kill him as he slept in his bed
But
to Hera’s disappointment things didn’t go as planned
Heracles
was found with a strangled serpent in each hand
Heracles
is known as the strongest by far of all mortals
Stronger
than many of the Gods and victorious in battles
But
offsetting his strength was a lack not of intelligence
But
he did lack wisdom and had very little common sense
And
it was his quick temper that often left him undone
Once
when he was too hot, he threaten to shoot at the sun
His
pride was easily offended and held grudges at length
And
his appetites for life were as great as his strength
If
he held grudges, he would still do anything for a friend
Once
his anger passed, he was his fiercest critic in the end
He
was too strong for anyone to force on him at any time
Any
kind of a punishment no matter how bad the crime
That
he was willing to do the most severe penance shows
That
he had a fundamental sense of justice that he chose
During
his many punishments Heracles shows us at length
Patience,
fortitude and endurance as heroic as his strength
Many
of the great deeds of Heracles occurred more or less
While
doing a penance for acts of anger or carelessness
As
a man His first heroic deed was the killing of a lion
Which
had been savaging the countryside from Cithaeron
And
then he defeated Erginus, who was the one exacting
An
unjustified annual tribute from Creon the Theban king
In
gratitude Creon the Theban king offered to the victor
Heracles
the hand in marriage his young daughter Megara
Lycus
tried to seize the throne when Creon died years later
But
Heracles soon put an end to that by killing the usurper
But
in the rejoicing that follows, taking a hand again is Hera
Acting
with anger and hatred that had never relented in her
She
struck Heracles with a fit of madness at the celebration
And
in a rage, he killed both Megara and their three children
The
Delphic oracle decided as punishment for these murders
Heracles
is ordered to perform as penance Twelve Labors
So
not for the first time that he had to atone for his crimes
Since
he had come of age Heracles had proved many times
His
unerring marksmanship with bow and arrow and spear
A
possessor of superhuman strength and a champion wrestler
He
needed all of these for the labors set by one of his family
His
cousin Eurystheus, who was king of Tiryns and Mycenae
By
rights, Heracles should have had the crown upon his head
But
Hera had tricked Zeus into crowning Eurystheus instead
To
begin his labors Heracles had to kill the Nemean lion firstly
This
he did by strangling the beast with his bare hands only
Then
His second labor was to kill the many-headed hydra
This
he did with Iolaus his nephew in the swamps of Lerna
Then
his task was to capture the fleet footed Cerynitian hind
It
was in Arcadia he caught it after it took him a year to find
He
then returned once more to Arcadia for his fourth labor
On
mount Erymanthus he captured the huge Erymanthian boar
Next
was cleaning the Augean stables a task meant to demean
But
Heracles diverted two rivers to leave the stable yards clean
Once
more he had to return to the stark wilderness of Arcadia
To
find flesh eating Stymphalian birds and kills their number
The
seventh labor involved a huge fire-breathing creature
The
Cretan bull ravaging the countryside he had to capture
The
mares of Diomedes then had to be brought to Eurystheus
This
was achieved with the help of his young squire Abderus
He
went to the land of the Amazons for the ninth of the labors
To
steal the belt from Hippolyte the queen of the women warriors
For
labor ten he was sent outside ancient Greece by Eurystheus
He
captured the cattle of Geryon and killed Geryon and Orthrus
Stealing
the apples of Hesperides was to be labor number eleven
This
he did killing Ladon and securing help from Atlas the Titan
The
twelfth and final labor for Heracles was to capture Cerberus
He
dragged the hellhound from Hades and gave it to Eurystheus
Penance
was done upon completion of the twelfth labor
Though
could not bring back the victims of the murder
In
the years after as well as in between his great Labors
Heracles
had a great many other adventures and chores
He
was one of the Argonaut sailing with the hero Jason
Wielding
a massive club which was his favorite weapon
He
wore as a cloak the skin he took from the Nemean lion
It
was his usual garb and as a helmet he had its head on
Heracles
accomplished some amazing feats for a mortal
He
once forced the god Poseidon to give way in battle
In
another encounter he wounded Ares the god of war
And
he wrestled the great god Zeus himself to a draw
The
hero could move mountains that hindered his way
He
could and did toss boulders about like pebbles all day
Heracles
even relieved the Titan Atlas of his eternal burden
He
stood and on his back supported the weight of heaven
So
strong he was the deciding factor in battle with the Titans
Defeating
the Giants and winning victory for the Olympians
When
the Titanic sons of Gaia tried to storm the godly citadel
When
a hail of flaming oaks and rocks almost won the battle
The
deities of Mount Olympus would never have prevailed
Without
Heracles and his bowmanship which never failed
His
reward in recognition of his assistance in their victory
Was
to become the only mortal born hero to become a deity
When
Heracles allowed a centaur to ferry across a river
His
wife Deianara on the other side the centaur attacked her
Heracles
killed him with an arrow but before the Centaur died
He
told her for a love potion to keep some blood he supplied
Deianara
used some on Heracles' tunic to keep him faithful
But
it contained Hydra poison from the arrow and was fatal
He
used Hydra venom on the arrow, which Deianara didn’t see
And
was poisoned when He donned the tunic dying in agony
On
his funeral pyre lightning consumed his mortal remains
And
he was apotheosized by Zeus and joined the Olympians
So,
he was given a home on Mount Olympus for eternity
And
Heracles also married the lovely goddess of youth Hebe
But
there was part of him had not come from Zeus his father
And
that part had come from Alcmene his mortal mother
The
mortal part of his soul went to the Underworld directly
And in Company of heroes roams the Elysian Fields eternally
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
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
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
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
