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The hostile reception of the previous evening could not have contrasted more
with the welcome awaiting Jason and the Argonauts in Salmydessus.
This city was ruled by King Phineus; a skinny and blind old man, who invited
them all to his palace for a feast. He told them that he had chosen this affliction when
the gods had given him the options of a short life or blindness as a punishment for
foretelling the future too accurately. But his choice had enraged Helios, the stilt god,
who was offended that Phineus should have chosen a continual state of darkness
over the sunlight he provided. And Helios sent some monsters called the Harpies to
plague him.
As the visitors were being served food, a group of hideous birds descended and
devoured everything, covering everything they did not eat in stinking droppings.
Two of Jason's crew members managed to chase the Harpies away. Jason then asked
the king to help them cross the Symplegades flocks to which he readily agreed.
The impenetrable Symplegades Rocks or Clashing flocks guarded the entrance to
the Black Sea, and no one had ever succeeded in passing through them. They were
two enormous boulders which were not attached to the seabed, but crashed together
unpredictably, crushing ships as they collided and flinging up a seething, roaring
mass of sea water.
Tired front rowing, the Argonauts approached the rocks, and they watched in
awe as the dreaded rocks clashed together with a thunderous roar. Atalanta quickly
ran to the stern and found the basket that Phineus had given them. Inside was a
white dove. Remembering the blind king's words, Tiphys steered the Argo in as close
to the Clashing Rocks as possible, then Atalanta opened the basket and released
the dove into the air. It flew between the boulders and managed to pass through,
sacrificing only a couple of tail feathers before the rocks clashed.
Now when the boulders were on the rebound, it was the Argo's turn.
The current was very strong as the rowers heaved into the rock's
gaping jaws. The
water surged around them and hurled on their heads. The gap was narrowing rapidly.
Tearing their muscles, they managed to drag the oars through the foaming water.
The boulders were just inches away. The colossal rocks clashed violently together.
The earth shook and the rocks rained down into the water. But somehow, the Argo
was safely through, although a shattered carving on her stern showed how close
they had come to calamity.
The rowers shouted gleefully and gave thanks to the goddess Hera and goddess
Athena who helped them in this dangerous quest. When the crew looked back, they
found the rock remain motionless. It was prophesied that once a ship passed through
safely, it could riot move anymore. The rowers continued their journey and the next
stop was Colchis, a tiny barbaric kingdom. |
