Legends of Heroes

Wu Shiyuhttp://sla.sjtu.edu.cn/bbs

Jason and the Golden Fleece)

tale told for 3000 years.

金羊毛的来历Athamas,king in Boeotia first wife, cloud goddess Nephele two children, Phrixus and HelleHis second wife: InoJealous,plotted their deathsSacrificing Phrixus end drought. Nephele, winged ram

金羊毛的来历Helle fell, drowned, Hellespont. ram spoke,Phrixus, heart, and took Colchis. Phrixus sacrificed, Poseidon, settled in the house of Aietesthe Golden Fleece on an oak in a grove sacred to Ares,

guarded by a dragon.

The Golden Fleece

Photo: Hellespont

Aeson rightful king of Thessaly.Pelias, power-hungry, overthrew Aesonkilling all descendants of Aeson, sparedJason saved, women cluster, still-born. Alcimede sent, centaur Chiron for education.

Centaur Chiron

Pelias: beware of a man with one sandal.games in honor of PoseidonJason claimed, lost one sandals, helping an old woman Iolcus, announced, one sandal"To take my throne, which you shall, you must go on a quest to find the Golden Fleece." Jason accepted the quest.

assembled group heroes, the Argonauts ship, the ArgoThe Argonauts

the Argo

一路上的磨难实在是难以尽述。 The Isle of Lemnos (races of women)Cyzicus (Heracles returned to Labors, Hylas lost)Phineas and the Harpies (Harpies,how to pass ~)The Symplegades (the only way to reach Colchis)The arrival in Colchis

The Claim of the Golden Fleece

Jason arrived in Colchis modern Black Sea coast of Georgiaclaim the fleece as his ownAietes promised to give, perform three tasks

Jason discouraged depression. Hera Aphrodite, Medea, fall love. Medea aided Jason

ointment from oxen's flames.threw a rock into the crowdsprayed a potion, herbs. The dragon fell asleep, seize the Golden Fleece. sailed away with Medea.

Medea distracted her father, who chased them as they fled, by killing her brother Apsyrtus and throwing pieces of his body into the sea; Aietes stopped to gather them.

Return Journey

Zeus, punishment storms at the Argo and blew it off course. The Argo spoke and seek purification with Circe, a nymph living on the island called Aeaea. After being cleansed, they continued their journey home.

Return Journey

Sirens Chiron had told Jason that without the aid of Orpheus, the Argonauts would never be able to pass the Sirens. The Sirens lived on three small, rocky islands, sang beautiful songs that lured sailors to come to themcrashing of their ship into the islands. When Orpheus heard their voices, he drew his lyre and played music more beautiful and louder, drowning out the Sirens' bewitching songs.

TalosThe Argo then came to the island of Crete, bronze man, Talos. hurled huge stones Talos one blood vessel neck to his ankle, by only one bronze nail make him immortal by removing the nail Talos bled to death.

Jason returns

Pelias' daughters make father younger pieces, boilingpieces cauldron water magical herbs. demonstrated with a sheep, a lamb. The girls, sliced and diced their father and put him in the cauldron. Medea did not add the magical herbsPelias dead.Pelias' son, drove them into exile

Treachery of Jason

the couple settled in CorinthJason engaged to Creusa Medea confronted Jasonall the help, retorted, thank AphroditeInfuriated, revenge, a cursed dress, stuck to her body and burned her to death father, burned to death, save her.

killed the two boys fearing that be murdered or enslaved already gone; Athenschariot sent by her grandfather, the sun-god Helios.

As a result of breaking his vow to love Medea forever, Jason lost his favor with Hera and died lonely and unhappy. He was asleep under the stern of the rotting Argo when it fell on him, killing him instantly. The manner of his death was due to the deities cursing him for breaking his promise to Medea.

never achieved his true goal—to become king of the land of Iolcus one of violence and tragedy as well as adventure

Heracles: The Greatest Hero of all

The son of Zeus and a mortal woman, AlcmeneThe greatest hero of allZeus tricks AlcmeneHera hated Zeus’s son Babyhood, difficulties

Heracles' Maturity

Great strength and courageExceptional or excessive appetites, and powerExtremes of sexual appetite50 daughters (king Thespios)

Cleanse of his crime

Excessive passion, of rageThe madness by Hera. madness, children, wife Megaraconsult the oracleCleanse of his crime

The twelve labors

serve his cousin as a slave for 12 yearsperform whatever labors Three recognizable groupsPeloponnesus(6); further away(7-9), Far West (10-12)

The first six labors

Involves animalsFirst labor The second laborThe third labor Labor fourLabor fiveLabor six

Labor 7-9

Stranger and more dangerousThe Seventh Labor (the Cretan bull)The Mares of DiomedesGirdle of Hippolyta

Labor 10-12

Edge of the worldThe Cattle of GeryonApples of the HesperidesThe Labor of Cerberus

Side Works

A warrior, not a kingA fighter of animals, of monstersRole as a pan-Hellenic hero

Achieve immortality

Marry DeiniraNessos, the cetaurHis bloodBurn and eat away his fleshFuneral pyreburnsBody dies, psyche

Interpretation

1. Represents the spread of Greek culture, spread through colonies2. Representing the humanizing of unknown lands.

a contradictory character

First, both admirable and horrifying, both powerful and powerless. Second, supremely ill-fated, and supremely fortunate. And thirdly, resists Death, and intentionally embraces it. both a serious figure and also a comic figure both masculine and feminine

kind of “everyman”

see in him both our best and worst potential. embodying, and thus mediating between, nature and culture. violent side representing nature. His civilizing side representing culture.

The Boreads (sons of Boreas, the North Wind) who could fly, Heracles, Philoctetes, Peleus, Telamon, Orpheus, Castor and Pollux, Atalanta, and Euphemus.

First, plow a field with fire-breathing oxen, the Khalkotauroi, that he had to yoke himself. Then, sowed the teeth of a dragon into a field. Overcome the sleepless dragon which guarded the Golden Fleece.