To be continued…
EPISODE 84
IN WHICH WE DISCOVER THE TRIALS THAT AWAIT JASON
Previously: The Argonauts have been received into the palace of the king of Colchis. As soon as she set eyes on Jason, Princess Medea fell in love with him. Thus have decided the gods who protect the Argonauts, for Medea is an enchantress.
The king of Colchis waited for his guests in the great reception hall surrounded by his court. Now that he had washed and fed them, he could question them. Jason and his companions made a noisy entrance, laughing and talking all together. A little surprised, Aeetes asked:
“Who are you and what has brought you to my kingdom?”
Jason replied: “We are young Greeks, all of us the sons of kings or gods. We have crossed the seas, braved countless dangers, to come and ask you to give us the Golden Fleece.”
A blast of anger overcame the king. Who did this pretentious youngster think he was? Who was he to dare lay claim on what was his country’s glory and renown? His face hardened and he replied in a cutting voice:
“I would only be able to give our precious Golden Fleece to the man who would demonstrate as much bravery as I have.”
“But I am brave! My companions are all brave! Tell me what we must do to prove it to you!” Jason interrupted him in a loud voice.
King Aeetes was now in the grip of rage: so, then, they took themselves for heroes! So, they liked taking risks, did they! In that case, they would get what they asked for.
“First of all you will have to tame two powerful bulls. They were created by the god Hephaestus himself, the god of Blacksmiths. Their hooves are of bronze and they belch out flames. After that you will yoke them to a plough and you shall till the field which I will indicate to you. Then you will sow these dragon’s teeth that I give you here in the same field. From each tooth, an armed warrior shall be born, whom you will have to vanquish. All this I have myself accomplished. If you succeed, then I shall give you the Golden Fleece which you have come to claim.”
Hearing this list of trials, the entire assembly shuddered. A faint scream escaped from the mouth of a young girl sitting behind the king. It was Princess Medea. She knew that her father was sending Jason to his death. The young man hesitated for a few moments, but he had no choice. He accepted the trials. Then he retired with his comrades. He had not yet looked once at Princess Medea.
That evening every man on the ship beseeched Jason to let him pass the trials in his stead. This one boasted about his strength, the other about his speed, the third about his agility. But the young man was unyielding. King Aeetes had challenged him personally; he had to take up the challenge himself. He left his companions in a great state of anxiety, and he went peacefully to rest. The truth was that he was very worried himself, but he would not have shown it for anything in the world. He counted on the goddess Aphrodite, of whom old Phineas had spoken, to sort things out for him. But the night progressed, and he could not find sleep.
That night in the king’s palace someone else could not sleep either. Princess Medea turned and tossed in her bed. Her black, loose hair became tangled on her pillow. Her face had become extremely pale. She burned with love for this young Greek. Horrid images kept coming back before her eyes: she imagined that fine body that she had seen in the baths being torn to pieces by the metal hooves of the two monstrous bulls. She imagined the fire belched up by the beasts setting Jason’s long hair on fire and transforming him into a living torch. She imagined the army of warriors piercing his body with a thousand arrows. It was an unbearable vision for this heart in love. At the same time, she thought of her father, the king, who was so proud of his Golden Fleece. Helping Jason meant betraying her father. Yet she, Medea the enchantress, thanks to her magic powers, could save the man she loved. She knew that. She even knew that she was Jason’s only chance. Which would she choose, loyalty to her father or her passion for Jason?
To be continued…
EPISODE 85
IN WHICH JASON MEETS MEDEA
Previously: In order to obtain the Golden Fleece, Jason must succeed in a series of terrifying trials. Only Princess Medea can save him.
It was a truly strange night, a night without end. Medea had slipped outside the palace. She had reached the woods and under the solitary gleam of the moon had sought the herbs and roots that she needed. She was looking for one plant in particular, which had grown at the exact spot where the first drop of Prometheus’ blood had fallen. When she found it, tears ran down her cheeks. And she no longer knew whether they were tears of joy or of sorrow. Of joy, because with this unique plant she would be able to render a man invincible for an entire day, and therefore save the stranger with whom she had just fallen in love. Of sorrow, for in this way she would be betraying her father for ever. She returned to her room and prepared an ointment which made one insensitive to fire and to the sword.
Jason could not find rest either. Now that all the Argonauts were asleep, he had got up noiselessly and was staring hard into the darkness. All of a sudden, he saw a shadow move on the beach. The shadow was approaching the ship. Jason held his breath and waited. The shadow was wearing a long hooded cloak which concealed its form completely. Soon, it was only a few paces away, and it climbed agilely on board. Jason was crouching low. He bounced brusquely, seized hold of the stranger from behind and restrained him in a headlock.
“Who are you and why have you come here?” he asked gruffly.
He could feel the stranger tremble and he loosened his grip a little. He snatched a lit torch and brought it sharply closer to the face of the mysterious visitor. Imagine his surprise when he discovered the face of a young woman! She let her hood slip back, and a torrent of black hair flowed on her shoulders. Jason remained speechless.
“I am Medea, King Aeetes’ daughter,” she said. Her voice was grave, almost gritty, yet the tone was vivid and rapid. “Are you afraid of death?”
Confused, Jason answered: “If I were afraid of death, I would not have come here.”
The young woman was throwing quick glances around her, to be sure that she would not be caught by surprise.
“You are brave, this is good, but bravery alone will not suffice. Without me you will be lost. The sun will be rising soon, we must make haste. I have prepared for you an ointment which will render you invincible for a day. Wash yourself and anoint your body with this salve. Do not forget to rub your weapons thoroughly with it as well. In this way no one will be able to defeat you.”
And she held out to him a small flask. Jason took it with one hand and with the other caught the wrist of the young girl. He feared this could be a ruse by King Aeetes.
“Why do you do this? Why are you betraying your father? What do you wish in return?” he asked.
Medea answered in a single breath: “Because I love you. In return I want you to promise to take me with you far away from here and marry me.”
Jason suddenly remembered the prophecy of old Phineas: “Have faith in Aphrodite, the goddess of Love!” and his mistrust vanished.
He answered: “I promise,” then he placed a kiss on the hand he was holding and let it go. The enchantress put her hood back on to hide her face. Before leaving the ship, she gave him one final counsel:
“When the army of warriors is born of the dragon’s teeth, throw this stone in their midst and they will kill one another instead of attacking you.” Then she disappeared into the night. Jason looked at her go and a shiver ran through him.
When rosy-fingered Aurora appeared, the Argonauts woke up one by one and found Jason washing himself in the sea. He was joyful and confident and he asked them to help him coat his shield, his helmet and all his weapons with a strange balm. Then he pretended to practise. “Comrades, strike my shield with all the strength you can put into your swords,” he told them. The first to try brandished his weapon, which fell crashing upon Jason. Jason did not even flinch. A second struck at him with greater force. Jason did not budge this time either. A third attacked
him with even greater might. Still nothing happened. Cries of joy burst out. Jason was invincible! Jason was going to win.
Jason came to the meeting place appointed by King Aeetes accompanied by an astonishing procession. Orpheus was playing wonderful songs which were then taken up by the other youths at the top of their voices. Echion was telling the passers-by episodes of their adventures. Each seemed as joyful as if they had been going to a celebration! “Poor young men, they have lost their senses,” sighed the people they came across on their way. “They do not know that they are marching to their deaths.”
To be continued…
EPISODE 86
DURING WHICH JASON UNDERGOES HIS TRIALS
Previously: Medea has come in secret to offer Jason her help. She has prepared for him a magic salve which should render him invincible.
The field which King Aeetes had set as their meeting place was a fairly ordinary field. An enormous plough for tilling the earth was set on the ground. “You only need to attach the two bulls of Hephaestus to it and then you can dig the furrows!” sneered Aeetes. The public now waited. Jason was standing in the middle of the field. Suddenly, the two bulls emerged and a murmur of terror swept across the assembled crowd. Their metal hooves raised clouds of dust from the ground, they belched out flames and a thick smoke enveloped them. The two bulls charged dead straight at Jason, who did not budge. Soon a haze enveloped them, preventing the spectators from seeing what was happening. Was he being trampled on? Was he being burnt? The smoke, which made their eyes sting, dispersed little by little. Everyone then saw Jason, who had seized one of the bulls by the horns and was restraining him against his shoulder; and the other bull, which he had forced to the ground, was kept down under his knee. A stupefied murmur spread across the gathered crowd. Jason caught hold of the plough and yoked the bulls to it. He dug furrows in the field to thundering applause. Even the inhabitants of Colchis could not prevent themselves from applauding. Princess Medea, sitting beside her father, had not ceased to mutter protective spells. She was trying not to smile because her father was in a furious mood. He stood up and threw to Jason a helmet full of dragon’s teeth. “We’ll see whether you still think you are so very clever once you are faced with an army of warriors,” he mumbled.
Jason took the dragon’s teeth and began to sow them in the furrows. He sowed them all and afterwards he covered the field once more with soil. Everyone then saw the entire field heave up and down in waves, quake and then lift up. Yet from these seeds grew neither flowers nor fruit—no, what emerged instead were spear points and helmets, then, little by little, warriors in full armour. An army of fearsome warriors had just been born. Most of the spectators fled screaming away, panic-stricken. But Jason retained his calm. He threw a glance towards where King Aeetes and his daughter Medea were sitting, saluted them with a deep bow, and then took out of his pocket a large stone. It was the one that Medea had given him as a gift. The ferocious warriors got into ranks, then they marched straight against Jason. They were so numerous that their marching steps made the ground tremble. When they came right up to him, only then did Jason throw the stone in their midst. Everyone instantly saw the warriors halt their advance. They turned towards one another, as though this pebble had been launched by one of them, and they began to fight among themselves. They were not a dragon’s offspring for nothing: their ferociousness knew no bounds. They killed one another to the last! The field was red with their blood, but Jason had not spilt a single drop of his own. The victorious hero then walked towards King Aeetes to claim the prize of his victory, the Golden Fleece. But Aeetes, livid with rage, answered him viciously: “Tomorrow, we shall see to this tomorrow,” and he returned to his palace. The Argonauts were so happy for their leader’s triumph that they did not worry about this at all.
They organized a great feast on the beach. And throughout the entire night there were only songs and dances. The wine flowed in great streams. Echion told time after time of Jason’s extraordinary victory, till he lost his voice. In their insouciance, the Argonauts were unaware that Aeetes was preparing a nasty surprise for them…
To be continued…
EPISODE 87
IN WHICH WE SEE THAT KINGS DO NOT ALWAYS KEEP THEIR WORD
Previously: Thanks to Medea’s witchcraft, Jason has succeeded in all the trials. King Aeetes ought now to offer him the Golden Fleece, the prize of his victory.
The fires of joy lit by the Argonauts illuminated the beach with their red reflections. The songs and laughter of their celebrating could be heard far in the distance. They reached even as far as the palace of King Aeetes, whose wrath had not ceased to grow.
“Ah, so these scoundrels are amusing themselves! They are rejoicing, those louts! If they think they have won, they are far mistaken!” he howled. “Never, never shall I give them the Golden Fleece!”
The ministers and counsellors of the king trembled with fear, yet someone did have the courage to say: “But your Majesty, Jason has succeeded in his trials and you have promised—”
“And so? What of it?” cried Aeetes. “I am the king, am I not? I can do as I like.” And he ordered that his entire army be quietly marshalled together, to go and attack the Argonauts on the beach. “We shall take them by surprise before sunrise,” he laughed unpleasantly, “and we shall burn their accursed ship.” The ministers and counsellors looked at one another, shocked to see that their king was not keeping his promise, but they obeyed. Hiding behind a curtain, Medea had heard everything. There was not a moment to lose. She left the palace running, taking her half-brother with her.
At that time of night, there were no watchmen around the Argo. Medea came easily to where Jason was. She was out of breath and the words stumbled out of her mouth:
“Quick, quick, Jason, my father has betrayed you. He is getting ready to take you by surprise and to massacre you this very night. Follow me and I shall lead you to the Golden Fleece. Afterwards, we shall have to flee.”
The Argonauts, who had formed a circle around her, were suspicious.
“This woman is a sorceress, it is unwise to follow her,” said someone.
“It may be a trap,” fretted another.
But Jason knew that he could trust her. “Prepare the ship for our departure,” he commanded, “I will be back.” And he disappeared behind Medea into the night.
The Golden Fleece was hanging from a sacred tree which was a few miles away. Jason knew they were getting near it when he saw a strange phosphorescent light in the darkness. It was a light unlike any that he had ever encountered. Even the moonbeams seemed pale by comparison. Jason approached, fascinated. He then discovered simultaneously the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life, and the most atrocious. The Golden Fleece, hanging from a branch, was even more dazzling than it had been in his dreams. But there was a dragon of hideous ugliness coiled around the tree trunk. He was as big as the ship of the Argonauts and his shimmering scales seemed to be made of metal. His mouth spat out fire and venom, his long claws tore to pieces anything that came within their reach. A shiver of horror ran through Jason. How was he going to defeat this monster?
“He is immortal,” whispered Medea, “force is no good against him, let me deal with him.” And the young girl advanced bravely towards the dragon. He raised his huge mouth in her direction, but the enchantress began to sing and the dragon stood still. Medea’s song was solemn, repetitive, spellbinding. While she sang, she pronounced words of magic. Soon the dragon, instead of attacking, began to sway his head gently from right to left, to the rhythm of the music. Without stopping her strange song, Medea picked some branches from a juniper bush which grew at the dragon’s feet. Then she shook the branches before the monster’s eyes, and the dragon fell asleep. She made a sign to Jason to approach. Jason straddled over the sleeping dragon, climbed on the tree and unhung the Golden Fleece with a trembling hand. They both fled, running. A circle of light enveloped them in the night. This light was so bright that they risked being detected by
the king’s army.
To be continued…
EPISODE 88
IN WHICH MEDEA SAVES THE ARGONAUTS
The Adventures of Hermes, God of Thieves Page 22