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babyrdie · 1 month

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Would you be interested about talking more about Jason and his character? I’d love to hear more about what you like about his characterisation in general, and how Apollonius describes him 🙂 /gen

Sure! Sorry for the delay, there was a lot to say since I don't usually talk about Jason here.

A few details first:

I was immensely inspired by Fernando Rodrigues Junior's translation because he wrote essays about the poem at the end of the edition, and they were very helpful. Credit to him. In addition to him, I looked for other academic opinions that better explained what I think. However, any opinion is still an opinion, be it mine or those of academics, and therefore you can certainly disagree.

When I refer to Jason as a non-traditional hero, I am talking about Argonautica. Pindar, for example, writes him in a traditional way. I’ll mention other sources here, but the focus is still Argonautica. Also, I'm going to assume that Argonautica uses the popular version of the myth (including Jason's family context and his ending with Medea) for character opinion purposes, but I'm aware that the text doesn't explicitly state anything.

I have reread considerable parts of the Argonautica (which is part of the reason I took so long to respond), but I haven’t reread it in its entirety. My memory may therefore be deceiving!

You asked about Jason, but I talked about Medea too because their developments are connected.

I'm not fluent in English and the translator is an ally, so please forgive any mistakes.

I'll take this opportunity to say that I think the debates surrounding the mythological Medea and Jason tend to be a waste of time, which is why I've given up on looking for anything about them here. Most of the time, people are making long posts about how Medea is cruel for killing her children as if people need constant reminders that killing your child (or children in general) is wrong. And no, someone posting something silly like "Medea is a queen" doesn't mean they don't know that Medea is cruel. People post about how Achilles and Odysseus are just little guys all the time and no one makes a post about how they're war criminals every time someone posts something like that. Because in the case of male characters, people realize it's a joke and in the case of female characters, people simply lose the ability to understand jokes. You have the right to sympathize with male characters who were also cruel, but you need to explain yourself if you do the same with cruel female characters. As for Jason, he's restricted to "the guy who was cruel to Medea" and apparently no one makes an effort to comment on anything more interesting about him, especially about the poem entirely dedicated to his journey. There are a lot of heroes who weren't as nice people as Jason either, but they at least get a chance to be explored in another way. It seems that most people don't want to talk about the complexities of the characters, most seem more focused on reaffirming obviousness (Medea is cruel) and reducing characters to a single thing (Jason is a bad husband). I'm incredulous that people don't comment, for example, on how Jason is innovative in Argonautica. No one comments on how Medea and Jason as a couple have an incredible dynamic and that part of the flavor of this couple is precisely that they're not cute and healthy. "Ah, but their marriage sucks!"...yes, it sucks! That's part of the fun! They're doomed, that's the point! Even Apollonius clearly knows about it, as I'll talk here. And it's not like I expect people to make deep, knowledgeable posts... I'm also just looking at mythology as a hobby and having fun with no major pretensions. I just wish the topic was less restricted, you know. Something other than debating Medea's morality or simply complaining that Jason is a bad husband. Likewise, trying to defend the morality of any of these characters is equally a waste of time.

Fernando (the mentioned translator) comments that, although Argonautica deals with many themes, by far the one that has most attracted academics to discuss the poem is the validity of the supposed heroism in the character of Jason. And, honestly, reading Argonautica I can see why. The elements of “young hero” and “hero who goes on a mission because he was ordered” are treated in a somewhat…different way here?

Okay, let's take Achilles and Perseus as an example, since I've already introduced them in this post. According to Pseudo-Apollodorus, Achilles was 15 when he joined the army, and even authors who don't give an exact age agree that he was very young. This is also visible in the iconography, since Achilles is always depicted beardless. His being young is part of the tragedy, but in the end he’s still a fearsome hero. His youth doesn’t inhibit his power, so to speak. Perseus is young (I'm not sure if he was a teenager or a young adult, though) and he went on a mission not because he wanted to, but because he had to — because of his mother, Danae, by order of King Polydectes. But in the end, Perseus is still heroic. He not only kills Medusa but saves Andromeda from the sea monster and returns home to save his mother, Danae. And he has divine help in this, but the divine help factor is something common for heroes. The thing is: Perseus doesn't need other people (note the term people, which excludes deities) to do things for him. Neither does Achilles, for that matter. Jason in Argonautica isn't like that. He’s young, he’s insecure, he’s passive, he’s unresponsive, he has people doing things for him all the time. Even the heroine of the poem, Medea, is more active and determined than he is, which is not exactly a common characteristic in Ancient Greek works. He isn’t fearsome like Achilles and he is not brave like Perseus.

In academia, Jason's character raised doubts. Among those who study ancient Greek literature, he seems to be...well, he's not like the others. Fernando comments on how Auguste Coaut, Alfred Körte, J.W. Mackail, C.M. Bowra, F. Wright, and G.W. Money all seem to think that Jason lacks something that makes him heroic — by ancient Greek standards — or even something that makes him a protagonist — i.e., the focal character who moves the narrative forward. The reasons are similar: he's passive, he's not brave, he has a weak presence, he's uninteresting, and some say he's selfish — in the sense of not doing something that benefits others. Compared to the other characters, Jason seems surprisingly lackluster to some readers, which is unexpected for a hero protagonist. When you read The Iliad, Achilles definitely doesn't seem like a weak presence or a coward. Same with Odysseus in The Odyssey and with other characters like Perseus and Heracles when their myths are told. None of these characters seem to need, for the most part, other people (note that I say people, not deities. Deities helping heroes is common) to solve things for them at all times. If anything, it's Achilles who is the most active of the Greek warriors in the Trojan War, it's Odysseus who is the main voice throughout the poem, it's Perseus who helps Andromeda and Danae, it's Heracles who overcomes his conflicts. They may receive help, but you can see that they’re capable. You don't question their capabilities at any point. Jason, on other hand, is very much questioned.

I'll give a summary, just to make it more understandable for those who haven't read it and to refresh the minds of those who have. The summary is focused more on Jason's attitudes or lack of attitudes, so it is not a summary of Argonautica itself. For example, I didn't describe Apollo's importance in the text because it doesn't really affect what I want to talk about. There are several myths mentioned by Apollonius that I didn't mention, and I also didn't mention all the reported fates of the Argonauts.

In Book 1, we have:

As Jason is leaving Ioculs, Apollonius points out that he’s hot like Apollo. Jason doesn't volunteer to be the leader and instead asks the Argonauts who should be the leader. Obviously, everyone chooses Heracles, the most experienced of the crew, but Heracles says that the job should go to Jason because he's the one who brought them together. And just because Heracles said it, the Argonauts agree. So not only did Jason not volunteer to take the lead, he wasn't the first choice. Furthermore, right at the beginning, Jason is already crying because he misses home (bro really wasn’t excited about this mission). The ship's seats are drawn at random, with the exception of Heracles and Ancaeus, who by unanimous decision are given the middle seat. Also by group decision, Tiphys is given the position of helmsman.

After making sacrifices to Apollo and Idmon, who is capable of divination, assuring them that they will return with the fleece but that Idmon is destined to die in a distant land, the Argonauts are both happy and saddened by both news. While everyone was having fun drinking and eating, Jason was despondent and thoughtful. Idas taunts him, insinuating that Jason is a fearful coward and that Idas, on the other hand, is strong and courageous. Jason doesn’t respond to Idas, but Idmon gets angry and reprimands Idas for not comforting a discouraged comrade with appropriate words. Idmon and Idas argue and the one who stops the argument is Orpheus singing and playing. The most Jason does is stop Idas from attacking Idmon, but all the Argonauts do that and not just Jason (that typical moment when a lot of people try to break up a fight lol).

When they land on Lemnos, an island of only women (they killed the men) who had even armed themselves to defend themselves, Jason's way of avoiding conflict is through eroticism and not heroism. Because he’s beautiful and charming, he’s captivating (like, all the women of Lemnos thought he was really hot lol). Thus, the heroes avoid conflict with the women and even spend days having sex (in Jason's case, with Hypsipyle, the queen of Lemnos). And it's not Jason who reminds the heroes that they have a mission to accomplish, but Heracles is the one who does. Heracles, who had stayed to guard the ship Argo, has to go and remind everyone that they have a mission and that the Golden Fleece won’t go to Iolcus alone.

They disembark at the place of the Deliones, ruled by the newly married king Cyzicus. That part wasn't a problem for them, as Cyzicus was a good host. When they left, they were attacked by six-armed giants (known as Earth-born men) because such monsters were created by Hera as a trial for Heracles. However, Heracles dealt with them all. They set off again and it was night when the boat was moved to get closer to Deliones' home again without anyone noticing that they were on the same land they had been on before. The Doliones, who were constantly having problems with other people, thought the Argonauts were enemies and attacked them. Jason then kills Cyzicus without recognizing him and subsequently the rest of the Argonauts kill other Doliones. Only later did they realize that they had killed their own allies and spent three days mourning. Cyzicus' widow hanged herself.

Then they set off. As they sailed, a bird made a noise. Mopsus, hearing the animal, realized that it was a sign of good omen (birds were considered signs in divination) and told Jason where they should go and what to do. After doing what Mopsus said they should, they rowed again. When the sea became too strong, Heracles alone rowed hard enough, but ended up breaking his oar. They’re in Mysia and Heracles orders them to prepare something to eat while he goes to get wood to make a new oar. However, Heracles is accidentally left behind in Mysia along with the Argonaut Polyphemus (Heracles wanted to look for Hylas, who had been taken by the nymphs while looking for water, and so didn’t embark in time. And Polyphemus was the one who heard Hylas screaming, so he also stayed to help Heracles) without Jason noticing the absence. When the Argonauts notice Heracles' absence, Telamon accuses Jason of doing it on purpose so that Heracles wouldn’t overshadow him, and Jason doesn’t even defend himself. Telamon tries to get Tiphys to return for Heracles, but Boreas' sons (Zethes and Calais) stop him. The situation only ends when the god Glaucus intervenes and explains that Heracles was left behind by divine will, as he must finish his labors rather than continue with the Argonauts.

In Book 2, we have:

The Argonauts arrive at the home of the Bebrycians, whose king Amycus has a habit of challenging travelers to fight him in a boxing match. He then orders the Argonauts to choose the bravest warrior and doesn't even care to know who they are, which angers Polydeuces. That's why it's not Jason who volunteers, but Polydeuces (Helen's brother. The Dioscuri are part of the Argonauts and Polydeuces, specifically, is the demigod of Zeus. Castor is the son of Tyndareus). And indeed, it’s Polydeuces who defeats Amycus. This caused Bebrycians to attack the Argonauts, which led to a fight in which the Argonauts won and sent their enemies running (like, literally). One of the Argonauts comments that if Heracles was still with the Argonauts they probably wouldn't have gone through this, since Amycus would hardly challenge Heracles.

At one point, they stop at a place near the house of Phineus, an elderly and blind seer who is daily tormented by harpies because of a divine punishment imposed by Zeus. The Argonauts want to free him from the problem with the harpies, but it isn’t Jason who does it, but Zethes and Calais (demigods of the god of the north wind Boreas). Phineus, being a seer, prophesies to the Argonauts the challenges they will have to face. What he says leaves everyone scared, including Jason, who even takes a while to respond to Phineus because he’s so shocked.

They have to pass two rocks that move to crush those who sail between them, but they manage to advance. Not because of Jason, but because the goddess Athena helped them and the helmsman Tiphys was skilled. After they pass the Clashing Rocks with Athena's support, Tiphys notices how fearful Jason is and tries to comfort him telling him that they have divine help (in this case, Athena) and that Phineus, who is a seer, said that the voyage would continue well. Discouraged, Jason gently responds that he shouldn’t have accepted Pelias's imposition and instead should have never set out because he fears that he will lead all his companions to their deaths. However, the Argonauts motivate him and he regains the motivation to continue.

At one point, they are attacked by a wild boar and Idmon dies because of the animal. The Argonauts are obviously alarmed, but it isn’t Jason who resolves the situation. Peleus is the first to react and wounds the animal, and Idas is the one who delivers the fatal blow. Later in the journey, the helmsman Tiphys dies from an illness.

After losing their companions, the Argonauts are sad and don’t continue their journey. Jason, as their leader, doesn’t motivate them and instead joins them. Ancaeus, driven by Hera, motivates them to continue without fear and yet Jason does nothing. Peleus, however, is motivated and tries to encourage Jason, who dejectedly says that he thinks they have an evil fate awaiting them in a hopeless mood. And then Ancaeus, still driven by Hera, simply decides not to waste time with Jason and moves the ship himself. Hera is really motivated to bring Medea to Iolcus lol

Further on, they pass by the island of Ares, and one of the island's birds attacks Oileus, causing him to stop rowing. In the face of this attack, Jason does nothing. The ones who resolve the situation are Clytius, who kills the bird, and Eribotes, who tends to Oileus's wound. All of this without Jason's order. Furthermore, it’s Amphidamas who gives the suggestion that prevents the birds from stopping attacking them: to make noises to scare them away.

Later, the Argonauts encounter the sons of Phrixus, who had brought the Golden Fleece to Colchis years ago, in trouble after being shipwrecked. One of them, Argus (not to be confused with Argus, Arestor's son, who built the ship Argo), asks the Argonauts for help. It’s Jason who diplomatically mediates the situation, noting that this is part of Phineus' prophecies. After helping the sons of Phryxus, Jason takes the opportunity to ask them to reward him by helping him get the Golden Fleece. Argus, however, tells them about how cruel, powerful, and a demigod of Helios Aeetes is. This leaves everyone frightened, and once again, Jason does nothing to lift their spirits. But Peleus cheers everyone up.

Sighting Colchis, it’s Ancaeus who tells them that they must choose a strategy on how to approach Aeetes. Argus advised them where they should anchor the ship, so Jason gave the order for Argus's advice to be followed.

In Book 3, we have:

The Argonauts are still on the ship, unnoticed. Athena and Hera then think about how to get them the golden fleece. Hera wants to know if they should advise/influence them to try to deceive the king with smooth words or if Athena has a scheme in mind. Both then thought about what to do, until Hera gave an option: ask Aphrodite to make her son, Eros, make Medea fall in love with Jason.

On the Argo, Jason once again wants to know the Argonauts' opinion on his plan and encourages them to speak up, stating that as common cause is common cause, so is the right to speak. The plan is for the Argonauts to rest on the Argo while Jason, the sons of Phrixus, and two other comrades go to the palace to speak with Aeetes. He will then first see if, with words alone, he can deal with Aeetes or if it will be necessary to resort to more violence. Jason thinks it’s better to first test speech before violence, and comments that years before Aeetes welcomed Phrixus, so why assume that he would immediately be antagonistic to foreigners (in the future we will discover that Aeetes actually hates foreigners and only accepted Phrixius by divine order from Hermes). The Argonauts by mutual consent accept Jason's idea, and the comrades chosen to go along with him and the sons of Phrixus are Telamon and Augeias.

They easily go to the palace without being interrupted by the Colchians because Hera helped them to go unnoticed along the way. Medea quickly calls her sister, Chalciope, as she is Phrixus' widow and the mother of his children. Next come Aeetes and his wife, Eidiya. Taking advantage of the distraction, Eros shoots Medea, who immediately falls in love with Jason.

Aeetes asks his grandsons what happened and who these strangers are, and Argus, who is the oldest, answers. Basically, he describes the Argonauts in a very complimentary way, talks about how they saved him, says that they need the fleece to end a curse and even says, “Hey, Jason’s grandfather is Cretheus. Cretheus is Athamas’ brother. Guess who Athamas is? My grandfather! In other words, we’re related!” Aeetes gets furious because he thinks the Argonauts want the throne and tell them to leave, and threatens that he would have beheaded them if he hadn’t eaten with them. Jason tries to calm him down with his typical sweet and flattering words, but then Aeetes proposes to give him the fleece if Jason successfully completes a practically impossible task. Faced with this, Jason immediately becomes discouraged and thoughtful, but finally, desperate, he says that he will accept even if it is destiny to die because he has to carry out the order imposed by a king. Afterwards, Jason gets up and leaves with his companions while Apollonius describes that he is so hot that he surpasses everyone in beauty.

Argus suggests to Jason that he get help from Medea, as she is a follower of Hecate. He says that he can try to get her to contact Jason by asking his mother, Chalciope, to speak to Medea, since they are sisters. Jason accepts the suggestion. Returning to the Argo, Jason says that Aeetes has given the task of plowing the field using two fire-breathing oxen and planting seeds that create warriors (these are the seeds of Cadmus, who used them to form the first Thebans) and that it is Jason's duty to kill all the warriors on the same day, and he says that he accepted because there was nothing else to do. All the Argonauts are silent and desperate because no one (this includes the demigods in the group) there thought that this is a task that any of the Argonauts could accomplish. Again, it is Peleus who encourages them and comforts Jason. The Argonauts are excited and prepared.

Argus, however, stops the Argonauts and tells them that they must wait, as he will try to get help from Medea since she is skilled in the arts of Hecate. There are again bird signs, and Mopsus interprets to them that this is a positive sign that they should get help from Medea. All the Argonauts agree because they remember Phineus' words, except Idas. Idas finds it shameful that they’re asking for help from Aphrodite and not Ares, mocks the bird signs and thinks it’s bad that they focus on begging "waekling girls" instead of engaging in acts of war. The Argonauts murmur among themselves, but none actually say anything. Jason, as usual, ignores Idas and tells Argus to do as he was suggested, so Argus leaves to speak to his mother.

Argus talks to Calchiope, who agrees to talk to Medea that the foreigners want her help. She asks Medea to accept for the sake of Calchiope's children, but Medea would have already accepted for Jason anyway. Medea then prepares the necessary drugs and, at night, leaves to give them to Jason at the Temple of Hecate. Hera decides that she will make Jason more attractive to Medea, and Apollonius says that he has become so attractive that even the Argonauts are amazed and Mopsus immediately feels a good omen. Mopsus was supposed to go with Jason, but Hera tells him through a raven that no maiden will allow herself to be seduced with strangers around, so Mopsus assures Jason that it will be successful e but that he will have to go alone. Jason and Medea meet at the Temple of Hecate and the general idea is that they flirt with each other, Jason uses sweet words to convince Medea to help him (she is unsure about being a traitor to Colchis), Medea notices how hot Jason is, they blush and there is a promise of marriage in exchange for the help (it is not a hard promise for Jason, as he likes Medea and likes the idea of marrying her). So they return to their proper places, Jason having the drugs that will help him in the task of Aeetes. Jason tells the Argonauts that it was a success and everyone is happy, except Idas who continued to sulk.

For the first time, Jason is able to have a moment of martial prowess all to himself as he successfully accomplishes Aeetes' task, including killing the warriors born from the seeds. However, he’s also only able to do so because Medea helped him by giving him drugs that made him temporarily invulnerable (in fact, he knew it would work because he had previously sprayed the drug on his equipment and had the Argonauts try to break it to see if it was invulnerable). Jason is compared to both Ares and Apollo. Apollo has been used before, but Ares to describe Jason is clearly a characteristic unique to this event of marcial demonstration.

In Book 4, we have:

Hera urges Medea to leave with the Argonauts, as she wants her to be Pelias' punishment (he dishonored Hera). Medea runs to the Argonauts and tells them that she will put the fleece-guarding serpent to sleep and take the fleece herself, as long as Jason truly marries her under divine witness. Jason is happy, comforts her and makes a vow to Hera that he will make Medea his wife. They shake hands, as if making a deal. While being taken away on the Argo, Medea is sad to say goodbye to Colchis, but Jason comforts her.

They stop at the place where they will get the fleece. It is Medea who uses her drugs to put the guardian beast of the golden fleece to sleep. And during this process, Jason is described as being afraid while Medea does everything. She tells him to get the Golden Fleece, and then he goes and does it. The two return to Argo, where Jason shows the Argonauts the fleece and tells them to get ready as Aeetes will certainly come after them. Jason puts on his war armor and stands near Medea. Argus suggests where they should go and Hera gives a sign of good omen, which encourages the Argonauts and makes them do what Argus said.

The Colchians pursue the Argo, which makes Medea extremely angry (it’s said that she wanted to set the ship on fire, to get an idea) and Jason has to calm her down. She tells him that she has a plan to kill Absyrtus, her brother who is pursuing them, and Jason agrees to go along with the plan. Absyrtus is tricked and killed by Jason in front of the temple of Artemis, and her brother's blood splashes on Medea. Jason performs a sort of ritual to atone for murder (to avoid retribution from the Erinyes) and buries Absyrtus. The two return to the Argo, where Peleus encourages the Argonauts to row vigorously. Furious at the death of their prince, the Colchians are more than willing to pursue the Argonauts, but are prevented by Hera.

Zeus was angered by what Medea and Jason did to Absyrtus, and he wanted them to purify themselves with Circe on Aeaea. But none of the Argonauts knew this, so they passed right by the island and Zeus caused them to get lost. Hera, knowing what Zeus wanted, makes them turn back (there is a scene where she literally screams to warn them). Circe helps them, even recognizing that Medea is related to her because Medea has the bright eyes of the descendants of Helios.

Hera convinces Thetis to have the Nereids help the Argonauts to safe passage, using Achilles to do so (basically, he and Medea here are destined to marry in Elysium. So helping the Argonauts is helping her son's wife). Thetis goes to the Argo and, visible only to Peleus, simply tells him what needs to be done and then leaves. The Nereids really help them.

They arrive at the Phaeacian island, but the king wants to hand Medea over to Aeetes so that there will be no trouble. Medea, who is no fool, repeatedly begs Arete, the queen, not to let this happen. Arete is moved by Medea and goes to speak to her husband, Alcinous. Alcinous says that if Medea isn’t married, then he will hand her over to Aeetes because he is her guardian. But if Medea is married, then he won’t hand her over since she must stay with her husband. Arete sends a herald to warn Jason that he must marry Medea. The Argonauts celebrate the wedding of Jason and Medea, although they both wanted to marry at Ioculs with Jason's family present (in fact, Hera even sends nymphs to the wedding. And Medea and Jason consummate the marriage on a bed covered with the Golden Fleece). The next day, Alcinous agrees to help them, gives them gifts and Arete gives Medea handmaidens. The Argonauts set off and the second fleet of Colchians (remembering that the first was stopped by Hera) gives up pursuing them.

The Argonauts are stranded in Libya. Unable to get out, the Argonauts lose hope and quickly become discouraged. Medea and the handmaids too. Nymphs from Libya appear to give advice to Jason, who passes it on to the group. Peleus (yes, him again. He’s been working hard) interprets the instructions correctly and they finally make it out of there. They arrive at the Garden of the Hesperides and are very thirsty, so Orpheus asks them if they know of a source of water and promises to honor them when they return home. They reply that Heracles had previously come, killed the serpent and stolen the golden apples, and before leaving, he became thirsty and struck a rock and made water gush out for him to drink. The Argonauts go to drink from this new spring and one of them mentions that, even from a distance, Heracles was still of help to them.

Many things happen, including the presence of the god Triton to advise the Argonauts, but when they pass through Crete a bronze giant named Talos tries to stop them. However, Medea says that only she is capable of subduing Talos and so she alone deals with him using spells. The poem ends with the Argonauts arriving at Pegasae.

As you've probably noticed, Jason is a character who is constantly insecure and afraid. He has no attitude most of the time, he gets discouraged easily and has to be motivated by the Argonauts (when the opposite would be expected and Jason, as the leader, would be the motivator). He also doesn't defend his honor when he's accused (which is strange, considering how this was handled in Ancient Greece). He has people constantly solving things for him (whether they're arguments or bigger things), and when Jason is the one who solves something, he does it through the erotic aspect rather than the heroic one or using diplomacy instead of force. He has a mission imposed on him, he cries when he leaves to go on the mission and, in the middle of it, he even wishes he had never gone. Even when he accepts to do the task imposed by Aeetes, he once again reaffirms that he was ordered by a king and that there's nothing he can do about it. In the first two Books, Jason's character is considered by many to be almost irrelevant, with his greatest martial feat being accidentally killing someone he shouldn't have (Cyzicus). Instead, other characters take temporary prominence with each challenge faced. From Book 3 onwards, Jason's character gains prominence, although he evidently shares the prominence with Medea, who is also more grounded and a more appealing character to most readers than he is.

In John Frederick Carpescken's opinion, the protagonist of the story isn’t Jason as an individual, but the Argonauts as a group. The poem doesn’t begin by talking about a specific hero, as The Iliad does with Achilles and The Odyssey with Odysseus, but about men in group: “Beginning with thee, O Phoebus, I will recount the famous deeds of men of old, who, at the behest of King Pelias, down through the mouth of Pontus and between the Cyanean rocks, sped well-benched Argo in quest of the golden fleece” (translated by R.C. Seaton). In later moments, different characters have their qualities emphasized and most of them are quite necessary for the narrative to work. The poem doesn’t end with Jason like The Iliad and The Odyssey; in fact, it ends with the group's arrival at Pagasa. For this reason, Jason's weak presence isn't necessarily a thing that causes narrative problems in the unit, since he isn’t really the protagonist.

Gilbert Lawall doesn't see it that way. He sees Jason as a weak leader who is more of a victim than an active player, since he is only brought to where he is because of Apollo's prophecy and Pelias' plan. During much of the narrative, other heroes, especially Heracles, solve the problems. But he sees this as Apollonius' intention. For him, Jason being weak in Books 1 and 2 and starting to gain some prominence in Book 3 isn’t a mere coincidence, but a purposeful choice by Apollonius as a way to demonstrate a narrative about Jason's growth. With Hypsipyle, he learns that it’s possible to use eroticism as an ally tool. With Cyzicus, Jason becomes more alert after accidentally killing an ally and it’s intentional that, after this episode, force is the last resort (because, when it was the first, it caused this). With Phineus, Jason learns to be merciful, as he sees what happens if he displeases the gods (although it doesn't work out very well, as Jason commits a crime outside Artemis' temple in Book 4). Such teachings, however, aren’t about becoming a hero, according to Lawall. Instead, Jason is the opposite of a hero, he’s an anti-hero. He achieves things by being treacherous and relying on the help of others. Thus, Argonautica demonstrates the corruption of the traditional hero narrative.

Charles Beye believes that Jason is indeed the protagonist, and he thinks that Apollonius clearly emphasizes this. But he doesn’t think that Jason is some kind of anti-hero, he simply thinks that Apollonius deconstructs aspects of the Greek epic epic genre. Since Argonautica is a deconstruction, it makes sense that the protagonist also represents a deconstruction. In his interpretation, what Jason seeks to represent is a love hero. He’s a hero who is beautiful, charming and achieves things more through erotic power than through any other aspect. Heracles being forgotten in Mysia is, therefore, intentional from a narrative perspective, because Heracles, being a typical hero of a Greek epic epic, doesn’t fit into a poem that seeks to deconstruct this.

Graham Zenker also believes that Jason's main weapon is erotic power. But Apollonius' intention is not to deconstruct the epic's narrative, but rather to contribute to it with a new aspect: a narrative in which eros prevails and Jason, as the protagonist, is also represented by this. Idas, who throughout the poem opposes Jason whenever he has the opportunity, is a kind of representation of an obsolete type of heroism. In this case, the type that acts impulsively and violently. The greatest example of this is when he disagrees with the plan to get Medea's help, something that is accomplished through the erotic sphere, and ends up being wrong, since Jason only accomplishes Aeetes' task thanks to this. More than once, Jason's beauty is emphasized. Upon arriving in Lemnos, he has a detailed description of his beauty and charms the women, twice he is compared to a bright star (once with Hypsipyle, once with Medea) and once Hera highlights Jason's beauty when he goes to meet Medea. Furthermore, according to Zenker, Jason constantly avoids force and prefers diplomatic means, with force being a last resort. He often prefers to make group decisions rather than making them himself, including regarding the crew leader. When given confusing advice when the heroes were lost in Libya, Jason wanted to hear everyone's opinion. At no point does he have superhuman feats on his own, as the only time this happens is when doing Aeetes's task, and in that case he was under the influence of Medea's drugs. For Zanker, Jason's indecision and fear are purposefully written to make him more human and relatable.

Francis Vian sees Jason as the most human hero of the crew, and that is why he is the main character — because Apollonius is interested in portraying a human hero rather than showing heroes doing great deeds. In fact, while all the Argonauts embark on a quest for glory of their own free will, Jason is only there because it was forced upon him. Jason isn’t even thinking about honors; he is thinking about a peaceful life when he returns to Iolcus. While Pelias wants to get rid of Jason because he fears that he will take the throne because of Apollo's prophecy, Jason himself never shows any interest in being king.

Personally, I’m immensely inclined towards some of these interpretations (all mentioned by Fernando, remember), especially Zenker's.

In my interpretation, Jason is in fact extremely human and, next to other more impressive heroes, he actually can look quite pathetic. He’s afraid and insecure and at no point does he repeatedly complain about how shameful this is, he’s just that way. The poem doesn’t constantly judge the character for demonstrating characteristics considered as “weakness”, it just introduces this as a casual part of the narrative. There is no feeling that we are seeing a moral lesson, you know. It’s different from the way, for example, ancient authors wrote the myth of Achilles hidden as a girl in Skyros. Many condemned — even directly — the attitude as unmanly and unheroic and Achilles’ attitude of choosing war was seen as Achilles recovering the honor that was lost, to eventually become the ideal of male youth (I have already posted about this). Here we don’t have that, here Apollonius does not seem to have any intention of necessarily portraying this as a horrible defect that urgently needs to be corrected. Yes, the other characters sometimes get irritated with Jason, but this is simply something normal that happens when a bunch of men spend days together at sea. I mean, the characters also get irritated by other Argonauts. Furthermore, although I see Jason as the protagonist and not the typulation itself, I still find Carspecken's observation regarding the poem's opening in comparison to the Homeric poems pertinent. Let's see:

“Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls, great fighters’ souls, but made their bodies carrion, feasts for the dogs and birds, and the will of Zeus was moving toward its end. Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed, Agamemnon, lord of men and brilliant Achilles.”

The Iliad. Translation by Robert Fagles.

Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways, who was driven far journeys, after he had sacked Troy's sacred citadel. Many were they whose cities he saw, whose minds he learned of, many the pains he suffered in his spirit on the wide sea, struggling for his own life and the homecoming of his companions. Even so he could not save his companions, hard though he strove to; they were destroyed by their own wild recklessness, fools, who devoured the oxen of Helios, the Sun God, and he took away the day of their homecoming. From some point here, goddess, daughter of Zeus, speak, and begin our story

The Odyssey. Translation by Richmond Lattimore.

Beginning with thee, O Phoebus, I will recount the famous deeds of men of old, who, at the behest of King Pelias, down through the mouth of Pontus and between the Cyanean rocks, sped well-benched Argo in quest of the golden fleece.

Argonautica. Translation by R.C. Seaton.

[This translation is in prose format.]

Homer opens both poems by addressing the Muse (Fagles translates as Goddess). This is because the Olympian Muses, often associated with the god Apollo, were deities of art and knowledge and believed to be sources of inspiration for poets. In the Theogony, for example, Hesiod credits his poetic ability to the Muses, who inspired him. Apollonius does not begin by addressing a Muse, but rather Apollo. But he isn’t asking Apollo to sing or tell anything (not asking Apollo for inspiration, as Homer is asking the Muse), he’s simply saying he will begin with him since it’s Apollo's prophecy that inspired Jason's mission.

Homer then gives an idea of the theme of the poem (in The Iliad, Achilles' anger that will lead many to death and which was caused by a conflict with Agamemnon. In the Odyssey, the long and exhausting journey that Odysseus has after leaving Troy) and it’s notable that in both cases the main hero is emphasized. Achilles is referred to directly by name, while Odysseus is the "man of many ways", recognizable by that being the character's epithet. But Apollonius not only does not mention Jason by name, he simply doesn’t mention him directly at all, instead he refers to the Argonauts as a group. When your read it, you has the impression this isn’t about Jason having a journey, it’s about the Argonauts being on a journey. This is different from Odysseus who, although he also has a story with crew members, is still very obviously more prominent than the others.

This, of course, could open the door to the interpretation that the protagonist is, therefore, the Argonauts as a group and not Jason in isolation, as is the case with Achilles and Odysseus. Personally, I think that is a valid idea as well. But I also find it intriguing how, even at the moment when this was supposed to tell about how Jason is the hero of the poem, the credit is fairly shared with Jason's companions. And, since he’s a character who is written in a diplomatic way and who clearly understands the idea of "unity is strength", I think it makes perfect sense for his character. In my interpretation, this is an early indication of what Jason's personality is like: a diplomatic person, a person who considers the abilities and opinions of his companions equally. He isn’t the leader who will give orders and they will obey and he isn’t the leader who will be remembered above the others, he’s the leader who is willing to listen and who doesn’t mind others taking the glory. In order to please the crew, Jason was perfectly willing to allow Heracles to be the leader.

In fact, the moment when Apollonius invokes a muse is in the opening of Book 3, where he invokes the muse Erato as a play on words with the name Eros, since Eros is part of the theme of the poem. And this time, he actually talks specifically about Jason instead of the Argonauts, which is quite convenient. Like, if in Books 1 and 2 Jason is often overshadowed and the Argonauts clearly stand out in many moments, it is from Book 3 onwards that he gains prominence. And, curiously, it’s precisely in Book 3 Apollonius opens the poem similar to Homer. But there is still a difference from Homer: Achilles is remembered for having led many to death because of his anger and Odysseus is remembered for having endured a long journey, while Jason... well, he’s remembered for being loved by Medea and right after that Apollonius talks about the power of Aphrodite. To me, this is just another sign that when Jason finally gets his moment to shine, his main skill is being loved/desired. It's the strength of Eros and Aphrodite that are primarily on his side, not martial gods.

[1] Come now, Erato, stand by my side, and say next how Jason brought back the fleece to Iolcus aided by the love of Medea. For thou sharest the power of Cypris, and by thy love-cares dost charm unwedded maidens; wherefore to thee too is attached a name that tells of love.

Argonautica, Book 3. Translation by R.C. Seaton.

Another moment in which he does this is in Book 4, although this time the protagonist is neither the Argonauts (as in book 1) nor Jason (as in book 3), but Medea. While the Argonauts are associated with the conquest of the Golden Fleece and Jason with the conquest through eroticism, Medea is a maiden with wiles. To me, this indicates that Medea here isn’t just a helpmate to the hero, as she was in Book 3, but is now a heroine herself.

[1] Now do thou thyself, goddess Muse, daughter of Zeus, tell of the labour and wiles of the Colchian maiden. Surely my soul within me wavers with speechless amazement as I ponder whether I should call it the lovesick grief of mad passion or a panic flight, through which she left the Colchian folk.

Argonautica, Book 4. Translation by R.C. Seaton.

Also, like Perseus, Jason doesn't seem to want to embark on a quest for glory. He goes because it's a task imposed on him, and in any case, Jason wonders if he should have gone. Furthermore, he's not shown to be seeking a large fee upon returning home; most of the time, what he seems to want as a reward for returning is safety, since Jason is constantly fearing for his own life and the lives of his crew. But unlike Perseus, Jason doesn't become a traditional hero during the journey. He continues to be a non-traditional hero, and in the end he still manages to do what is necessary. While Perseus is, to me, special because he is a hero who doesn't seek glory, Argonautica Jason is special not only because he doesn't seek glory but also because he doesn't have any truly glorious attitudes (something Perseus has).

Regarding Jason's hesitation in relation to the mission, we have some examples:

Pelias imposes the mission (Book 1):

[5] Such was the oracle that Pelias heard, that a hateful doom awaited him to be slain at the prompting of the man whom he should see coming forth from the people with but one sandal. And no long time after, in accordance with that true report, Jason crossed the stream of wintry Anaurus on foot, and saved one sandal from the mire, but the other he left in the depths held back by the flood. And straightway he came to Pelias to share the banquet which the king was offering to his father Poseidon and the rest of the gods, though he paid no honour to Pelasgian Hera. Quickly the king saw him and pondered, and devised for him the toil of a troublous voyage, in order that on the sea or among strangers he might lose his home-return.

Jason, still at the beginning of the trip, already misses home (Book 1):

[519] Now when gleaming dawn with bright eyes beheld the lofty peaks of Pelion, and the calm headlands were being drenched as the sea was ruffled by the winds, then Tiphys awoke from sleep; and at once he roused his comrades to go on board and make ready the oars. And a strange cry did the harbour of Pagasae utter, yea and Pelian Argo herself, urging them to set forth. For in her a beam divine had been laid which Athena had brought from an oak of Dodona and fitted in the middle of the stem. And the heroes went to the benches one after the other, as they had previously assigned for each to row in his place, and took their seats in due order near their fighting gear. In the middle sat Antaeus and mighty Heracles, and near him he laid his club, and beneath his tread the ship's keel sank deep. And now the hawsers were being slipped and they poured wine on the sea. But Jason with tears held his eyes away from his fatherland. [...]

Jason wishes he had never accepted the mission (Book 2):

[619] He spake, and at once he sped the ship onward through the midst of the sea past the Bithynian coast. But Jason with gentle words addressed him in reply: "Tiphys, why dost thou comfort thus my grieving heart? I have erred and am distraught in wretched and helpless ruin. For I ought, when Pelias gave the command, to have straightway refused this quest to his face, yea, though I were doomed to die pitilessly, torn limb from limb, but now I am wrapped in excessive fear and cares unbearable, dreading to sail through the chilling paths of the sea, and dreading when we shall set foot on the mainland. For on every side are unkindly men. And ever when day is done I pass a night of groans from the time when ye first gathered together for my sake, while I take thought for all things; but thou talkest at thine ease, eating only for thine own life; while for myself I am dismayed not a whit; but I fear for this man and for that equally, and for thee, and for my other comrades, if I shall not bring you back safe to the land of Hellas."

I agree tha tJason avoids violence on the Argonautica, and most of the time, violence is mostly committed by other crew members. Jason doesn't want to be traditionally masculine, he wants to resolve things calmly. In Book 3, he explicitly states he don’t like using force as first recurse: “And let us not merely by force, before putting words to the test, deprive him of his own possession. But first it is better to go to him and win his favour by speech. Oftentimes, I ween, does speech accomplish at need what prowess could hardly catty through, smoothing the path in manner befitting”. He doesn't want to reaffirm his ideal manhood by reinforcing his leadership by taking decisive and self-efficient actions, he wants to know what the group thinks and wants to respect their decision. In Book 3, he even says “My friends, what pleases myself that will I say out; it is for you to bring about its fulfilment. For in common is our task, and common to all alike is the right of speech; and he who in silence withholds his thought and his counsel, let him know that it is he alone that bereaves this band of its home-return”. He doesn't get upset when Heracles is chosen as leader, although he is honored to be chosen as leader later. He doesn't want to resort to violence when there are other means, such as eroticism, to choose. If he can avoid a fight on Lemnos, why not? If he can lessen the difficulty with Medea's help, why not do so? Even if Idas disagrees, in the end Idas and his need to show himself as a hero of brute strength got him nowhere, while Jason and his new resources succeeded. On the other hand, in the two episodes of violence that Jason was emphasized, it resulted in something negative for Jason himself, and not just for the victim. In the Book, he accidentaly killed the one who had hosted him, and this resulted in the suicide of the king's young wife. In Book 4, the plan to kill Apsyrtus takes place in front of the temple of Artemis and both he and Medea need to turn to Circe to be purified of the crime.

Jason is, in fact, a social and realistic hero. Given the ancient Greek tradition of epic heroes with superhuman abilities and immense courage, it isn’t surprising that many academics accustomed to analyzing heroes in the Homeric model have read Argonautica and found Jason to be a dull character. However, I disagree. Jason isn't dull in Argonautica because he doesn't fit into epic heroism! Actually, he's special because he doesn't fit into epic heroism!

At the core of Jason’s heroic persona, therefore, is collaboration. He is gifted at forming and shaping his relationships with women and men, crewmembers and foreigners alike. At Pagasae and Colchis, for example, he reveals a keen interest in nurturing the crew’s sense of commonality (cf. ξυνός, 1.336, 337; 3.173), and at the end of Book 1 he proves his dedication to upholding the camaraderie of the men when he forgives Telamon, fostering the crew’s loyalty to himself and to one another (1.1337-43). This commitment to group cohesion is celebrated in Book 2 when the Argonauts dedicate a shrine to Homonoia (Unity) and make solemn oaths “to aid one another for all time (εἰσαιέν) with unity of mind (ὁμοφροσύνῃσι νόοιο)” (2.714-19).15 Jason is also anxious to cultivate good relations with people outside of his crew: over the course of the poem, he frequently embraces the value of diplomacy (cf. συνθεσίας, 1.340), and his experiences with Hypsipyle at Lemnos (3.721-910) and with Medea at Colchis (esp. 3.948-1147) confirm his talent at wooing women. Jason is a social hero. He is also remarkably realistic. While Achilles and Odysseus are certainly imbued with realism on the level of emotion, relationships, and various experiences they face, on a strictly heroic level they are superheroes. Achilles’ strength is impossibly incredible. Odysseus’ dependence on strategy and cunning is more believable than Achilles’ biē, but the sheer degree of excellence Odysseus possesses in a variety of fields is not: in the world of the Odyssey, he is unmatched in mētis (passim), strength (e.g. he throws a heavier discus further than any of the Phaeacian nobles, Od. 8.186-98), archery (e.g. the contest with the suitors, Od. 21.404-23), and hand-to-hand combat (e.g. he wins a wrestling match against Philomeleïdes, Od. 4.341-46, and slaughters dozens of suitors in Book 22). In contrast, Jason never once does something beyond human ability, excluding the contest at the end of Book 3 where he relies on Medea’s magic to accomplish the impossible tasks Aeetes has set. Jason is a credible hero with credible skills.

Iliadic and Odyssean Heroics: Apollonius’ Argonautica and the Epic Tradition, by Rebecca van der Horst, pg 7-8.

[Mêtis = wisdom/craft/skill, biē = strength]

Another interesting detail is the clear lack of connection between Jason and Chiron in the Argonautica. Pindar, before Apollonius, had already written Jason as one of Chiron's students and even says that the name "Jason" was given to him by Chiron, without revealing his previous name. This is, in some ways, similar to the version of the myth in which Achilles was originally called Ligyron but was renamed Achilles by Chiron (see Library 3.13.6). This version also doesn’t belong to Classical Greece, since in Archaic Greece Hesiod had already written that Jason taught by Chiron on Pelion.

Scholiast on Homer, Od. xii. 69: Tyro the daughter of Salmoneus, having two sons by Poseidon, Neleus and Pelias, married Cretheus, and had by him three sons, Aeson, Pheres and Amythaon. And of Aeson and Polymede, according to Hesiod, Iason was born: "Aeson, who begot a son Iason, shepherd of the people, whom Chiron brought up in woody Pelion."

Catalogues of Women, frag 3. Translation by H.G. Evelyn-White.

[...] Deep-thinking Cheiron reared Jason under his stone roof [...]

Nemean Ode, 3.50. Translation by Diane Arnson Svarlien.

“[...] But you know the chief points of this story. Good citizens, show me clearly the home of my ancestors, who rode on white horses. For I am the son of Aeson, and a native; I do not arrive in a strange foreign land. The divine centaur called me by the name Jason." [...]

Pythian Ode, 4.75. Translation by Diane Arnson Svarlien.

Apollonius, who is from Hellenistic Greece, postdates both Hesiod and Pindar. I find it really unlikely that he wouldn’t have heard of the idea of Jason being educated by Chiron in childhood either through oral or written tradition. One could argue that there may not have been room in the narrative to fit this detail, but in fact there was. In Book 1, Chiron appears and with him goes his nymph-wife Chariclo who carries Achilles in her arms. Chiron's intention is to offer Peleus the chance to see his son. If, for Apollonius, the relationship between Chiron and Jason was as relevant as the relationship between Chiron and Peleus or Chiron and Achilles, he would have had a great opportunity to show it in Book 1 since Chiron was watching the Argonauts leave. In Book 2, the myth of Chiron's birth is told and again Chiron's relationship with a student is emphasized: Aristaeus, the son of Apollo and Cyrene, who wanted to maintain her maidenhood but was carried off by Apollo to Libya; In Book 4, Hera says Chiron and the nymphs are caring for Achilles on Pelion.

So we already know of the following relationships:

In Book 1, we know that Chiron has a wife (unnamed, but I assume it's Chariclo, since she's his wife in other sources), is raising Achilles, and has come to see Peleus. That's 3 relationships. One of them is his wife, and therefore a romantic relationship. Since Chariclo is the one holding Achilles, it seems they're both responsible for Achilles. As for Peleus, Chiron in mythology is depicted as being fond of Peleus (depending on the source, he and Chariclo are both Peleus's grandparents via his mother Endeis), and that seems to be the same case here.

In Book 2, we know that his father is the titan Cronus and his mother is the nymph Philyra. The reason he was born half-horse is because Cronus turned into a horse at the last minute so that Rhea, his wife, wouldn't notice him cheating on her. In addition, Apollo took his and Cyrene's son, Aristaeus, to be raised by Chiron. So we already know his genealogy and we also know that Rhea is involved in the myth. We don't know his relationship with these three characters in the birth myth, but we do know that Apollo saw Chiron as a trustworthy figure, and that's why Apollo himself entrusted Aristaeus to him.

In Book 4, Hera tells Thetis about Achilles being raised by Chiron and the water-nymphs on Pelion. Hera and Chiron know each other, as is notable because Chiron knows the Olympians in general and this is even indirectly mentioned in the Argonautica with the idea of the marriage of Thetis and Peleus being celebrated by the gods (the place of the celebration is usually on Pelion, it is on this occasion that Chiron gives the spear to Peleus that Peleus gives to Achilles. The one that Homer says only Achilles can lift). Again, we have Achilles as a student. Here we also have water-nymphs in the role of taking care of Achilles, so apparently Chiron here also has a relationship with the water-nymphs, since he entrusts his student to them. Maybe because his wife is a nymph too? Maybe because he's used to them, since they live on Pelion?

Given that it’s possible to infer so much about Chiron's relationships, including two students, even when the character only has a brief physical appearance and doesn’t even really interfere in the narrative, it seems unlikely to me that Apollonius would leave out Jason and Chiron's connection simply for "lack of opportunity". In fact, the Argonautica itself references several different myths, it is like a big crossover. Indeed, in my opinion it makes no sense for Apollonius to be silent about this part of the Jason myth if he really considered this myth. Thus, I think Apollonius didn’t consider Jason being raised by Chiron, which, given the lack of typical characteristics of the heroes taught by Chiron, makes sense. And Pseudo-Apollodorus mentions a version in which Jason lived in the country: "Jason loved husbandry and therefore abode in the country" (Library, 1.9.16). I imagine that this or something similar was probably the case for Apollonius as well. I personally prefer this version of Pseudo-Apollodorus compared to Hesiod and Pindar's, but that's because I find Jason more interesting the less typically heroic he is. And let's face it, being raised by Chiron is really obvious a traditional heroic motif.

Jason being with Chiron isn’t explained as far as I know (it could be my mistake), so I just assumed it was maybe because of Jason's family drama. I mean, Tyro had the twins Pelias and Neleus — that's Nestor's father! — with Poseidon, and with king of Iolcus Cretheus she had Pheres — that's Admetus' father, Admetus is the one who was served by Apollo for a while and who is Alcestis' husband —, Amythaon and Aeson. Pelias and Neleus were abandoned by Tyro because they were Poseidon's sons and she was afraid (detail: Poseidon tricked her by pretending to be a river god she loved. She didn't even know it was Poseidon. See Library 1.9.8) and so they were found and raised as commoners, but were later recognized and returned to being royalty (see Pseudo-Apollodorus' Library, Menander's Epitrepontes and Aristotles' Poetics). But Pelias was determined to be king of Iolcus and came into serious conflict with his brothers, which led to Neleus leaving Ioculs and founding Pylos (see Description of Greece 4.2.5), Pheres leaving Iolcus and founding Pherae (see Library 1.9.14) and Amythaon apparently following Neleus to Pylos (two of his sons went with Neleus according to Diodorus Siculus’ Library of History 4.68.3 and, according to Pindar in Pythian Odes 4.125, he was in Messania. Pylos is located in Messania). The only brother who remained in Iolcus was Aeson, and I can imagine why Aeson and his wife — she has several possible names — would think that sending Jason to Chiron was the best option. But honestly, it just makes the idea that Jason could be living a simple life in the countryside instead of sheltered with Chiron more appealing. This kid who grew up loving the countryside and didn't really think about being anyone special, this kid who wasn't raised by a wise centaur and who was already involved in a twisted family plot before he was even born. This child who grew up to set off on a journey he wasn't sure or confident about, but who survived to return victorious and with a devoted wife. This man who, along with his wife, left a trail of destruction. This wife whose extreme devotion proved to be capable of extreme hatred as soon as he dared to abandon her after everything she had done for him. The development seems more interesting to me with the version where he's not with Chiron, honestly.

Returning to Argonautica, Jason’s beauty is also different from the beauty of traditional heroes, especially the Homeric ones. Many heroes have been described as beautiful, but in Jason’s case his beauty is mainly emphasized in moments when it is clearly associated with his mission. Achilles’ beauty, for example, has no intrinsic role in his mission. Although Athena beautified Odysseus in The Odyssey, Odysseus’ achievements have no relation to his appearance. And in any case, Odysseus in his normal state (without Athena’s interference) isn’t repeatedly emphasized as objectively beautiful: after all, that isn’t his defining characteristic. His defining characteristic is his mind, something that is indeed emphasized. Likewise, even if Achilles is objectively the most beautiful of the Achaeans, his strength is still emphasized more than his beauty. Because Achilles’ main ability isn’t charm, it’s being strong beyond human capacity. Big Ajax is described as the second most handsome of the Achaeans, but this doesn’t interfere narratively with the character. Agamemnon is also handsome and even compared to three gods — Ares, Poseidon, Zeus —, but again: that doesn’t define him.

Now, let's look at some examples:

Here, in Book 1, Jason is compared to Apollo and this happens just when he is starting the journey.In addition to Apollo representing the ideal of young men, which includes the ideal of young men's beauty, he is also a deity involved in Jason's mission. After all, the prophecy came from him, and in addition, Apollo is also present at other points in the poem. Therefore, I particularly interpret it as reinforcing that Jason is objectively handsome as much as the association of Jason and Apollo. But there are academics who theorize that it's a kind of parody, since, as Jason hasn't done anything yet, there is no reason for this comparison with a god to happen.

[292] Thus with moaning she wept, and her handmaidens, standing by, lamented; but Jason spake gently to her with comforting words: "Do not, I pray thee, mother, store up bitter sorrows overmuch, for thou wilt not redeem me from evil by tears, but wilt still add grief to grief. For unseen are the woes that the gods mete out to mortals; be strong to endure thy share of them though with grief in thy heart; take courage from the promises of Athena, and from the answers of the gods (for very favourable oracles has Phoebus given), and then from the help of the chieftains. But do thou remain here, quiet among thy handmaids, and be not a bird of ill omen to the ship; and thither my clansmen and thralls will follow me." [306] He spake, and started forth to leave the house. And as Apollo goes forth from some fragrant shrine to divine Delos or Claros or Pytho or to broad Lyeia near the stream of Xanthus, in such beauty moved Jason through the throng of people; and a cry arose as they shouted together. And there met him aged Iphias, priestess of Artemis guardian of the city, and kissed his right hand, but she had not strength to say a word, for all her eagerness, as the crowd rushed on, but she was left there by the wayside, as the old are left by the young, and he passed on and was gone afar.

Here, in Book 1, Jason's beauty is emphasized when he’s on Lemnos. And it’s precisely his beauty that causes the conflict to be avoided.

[721] Now he had buckled round his shoulders a purple mantle of double fold, the work of the Tritonian goddess, which Pallas had given him when she first laid the keel-props of the ship Argo and taught him how to measure timbers with the rule. More easily wouldst thou cast thy eyes upon the sun at its rising than behold that blazing splendour. [...] [774] And he went on his way to the city like to a bright star, which maidens, pent up in new-built chambers, behold as it rises above their homes, and through the dark air it charms their eyes with its fair red gleam and the maid rejoices, love-sick for the youth who is far away amid strangers, for whom her parents are keeping her to be his bride; like to that star the hero trod the way to the city. And when they had passed within the gates and the city, the women of the people surged behind them, delighting in the stranger, but he with his eyes fixed on the ground fared straight on, till he reached the glorious palace of Hypsipyle; and when he appeared the maids opened the folding doors, fitted with well-fashioned panels. Here Iphinoe leading him quickly through a fair porch set him upon a shining seat opposite her mistress, but Hypsipyle turned her eyes aside and a blush covered her maiden cheeks [...]

[I shortened the description about Jason's equipment and didn't put Hypsipyle's dialogue to make it shorter and kept the parts that highlight his beauty. But the description of Jason's clothing here is a deconstruction of Homer's typical arming scenes.]

In Book 3, the first time they see each other after the Argonauts are received by King Aeetes, Jason's beauty is described as far more remarkable than that of his companions. Medea is described as admiring Jason's appearance and "honey-sweet words." Notably, she isn’t admiring things like strength, courage or achievements, but rather Jason's beauty and the way he speaks well, both constituent elements of courtship/flirting.

[396] He spake outright; and Jason rose from his seat, and Augeias and Telamon at once; and Argus followed alone, for he signed to his brothers to stay there on the spot meantime; and so they went forth from the hall. And wonderfully among them all shone the son of Aeson for beauty and grace; and the maiden looked at him with stealthy glance, holding her bright veil aside, her heart smouldering with pain; and her soul creeping like a dream flitted in his track as he went. So they passed forth from the palace sorely troubled. And Chalciope, shielding herself from the wrath of Aeetes, had gone quickly to her chamber with her sons. And Medea likewise followed, and much she brooded in her soul all the cares that the Loves awaken. And before her eyes the vision still appeared -- himself what like he was, with what vesture he was clad, what things he spake, how he sat on his seat, how he moved forth to the door -- and as she pondered she deemed there never was such another man; and ever in her ears rung his voice and the honey-sweet words which he uttered. And she feared for him, lest the oxen or Aeetes with his own hand should slay him; and she mourned him as though already slain outright, and in her affliction a round tear through very grievous pity coursed down her cheek; and gently weeping she lifted up her voice aloud: "Why does this grief come upon me, poor wretch? Whether he be the best of heroes now about to perish, or the worst, let him go to his doom. Yet I would that he had escaped unharmed; yea, may this be so, revered goddess, daughter of Perses, may he avoid death and return home; but if it be his lot to be o'ermastered by the oxen, may he first learn this, that I at least do not rejoice in his cruel calamity."

In Book 3, Hera beautifies Jason before meeting Medea. Clearly, Hera saw that beauty could be useful for the mission.

[919] Never yet had there been such a man in the days of old, neither of all the heroes of the lineage of Zeus himself, nor of those who sprung from the blood of the other gods, as on that day the bride of Zeus made Jason, both to look upon and to hold converse with. Even his comrades wondered as they gazed upon him, radiant with manifold graces; and the son of Ampycus rejoiced in their journey, already foreboding how all would end.

Here, in Book 3, they meet at Hecate's temple, where Jason speaks to her in order to convince her to help him. Again, his beauty and manner of speaking are emphasized as part of the reason Medea is in love with him. Plus, it’s precisely Medea's passion for Jason that makes the mission a success.

[1131] Thus he spake; and her soul melted within her to hear his words; nevertheless she shuddered to behold the deeds of destruction to come. Poor wretch! Not long was she destined to refuse a home in Hellas. For thus Hera devised it, that Aeaean Medea might come to Ioleus for a bane to Pelias, forsaking her native land. [1137] And now her handmaids, glancing at them from a distance, were grieving in silence; and the time of day required that the maiden should return home to her mother's side. But she thought not yet of departing, for her soul delighted both in his beauty and in his winsome words, but Aeson's son took heed, and spake at last, though late: "It is time to depart, lest the sunlight sink before we know it, and some stranger notice all; but again will we come and meet here."

In Jason's case, his attractiveness isn't just a detail, it's an intriguing part of his character. It's the most valuable weapon he has. And he seems to be, at the very least, unconsciously aware of this. After all, the way Jason behaves with Medea when they meet at the Temple of Hecate is amusingly akin to negotiation, something we already understand Jason enjoys using as a tool rather than immediate violence.

That is where Jason comes in, love-hero extraordinaire. Similar to Jason's interaction with Hypsipyle at Lemnos, Jason's first meeting with Medea near the temple of Hecate is cast in heroic light but celebrates erotic, not martial, prowess. As Jason sets out from the Argo to join Medea, he is described in grandiose, heroic terms: "Never before had there been such a man in earlier generations, neither among all the descendants of Zeus himself nor among all the heroes (ἥρωες) sprung from the blood of the other immortals, as on that day Zeus' wife had made Jason, both to behold and to converse with. Even his very comrades marveled as they gazed upon him, radiant with graces (xapítɛoσiv)” (3.919-26). Jason stands above all other heroes not for his skills as a soldier or a strategist, but as a symbol of attractiveness and charisma. To quote Beye, "[These lines] convey the grandeur of any traditional epic hero's entrance into battle, except that kallos and kharitas replace menos." He brings as weapons not a sword but his charm and sexual allure. Notably, while Athena similarly beautified Odysseus before his meeting with Nausicaa (6.229-37), Homer only notes that Athena made him appear taller and stronger with prettier hair; there are no sweeping statements about Odysseus looking more spectacular than any other hero ever born. That is Jason’s own special privilege as the “Eros-Heros”. And Jason does not even technically need Hera's help to stand out as a sex magnet: at Lemnos, without any god's embellishments, he attracted all of the women's eyes (3.774-86); at Colchis, after first meeting with Aeetes, Jason departs with his companions and Apollonius notes how "wondrously among all of them the son of Iason was distinguished for his beauty and graces (κáλλεï Kai Xapítɛooi)" (3.443-44); and Medea, too, has already become spellbound by his natural attractions (esp. 3.451-58). Jason appears to be, quite simply, a stud. And this appraisal of the hero is even more pronounced if, as some scholars propose, the gods are interpreted not as actual characters in the poem but as "allegorized psychology" (Beye [1982] 126), namely, that Cupid's arrow is not real but rather serves as a dramatization of how Jason's own sexual attraction provokes and inflames Medea's passion. Regardless, Jason's sexuality is—with and without divine help potent, and Apollonius is clearly bestowing on that eroticism heroic flavor.

When Jason is compared to the rising Sirius, a simile used in the Iliad to describe Diomedes and Achilles right before their most significant contributions to the Trojan war, Apollonius further suggests that Jason's meeting with Medea is a kind of aristeia. As soon as Medea catches her first glimpse of Jason, Apollonius jumps into a simile that compares Jason to the star Sirius: “But soon he appeared to her longing eyes, striding on high like Sirius from the Ocean, which rises beautiful and bright to behold (каλòç μèv ȧρíÿηλòç t' έσidéolai), but casts unspeakable grief on the flocks. So did Jason come to her, beautiful to behold (кaλòc εioopάaolai), but by appearing he aroused lovesick distress" (3.956-60). The adjective "beautiful" (kaλòc) appears twice in this passage in the same metrical position. In contrast, when Diomedes (II. 5.1-8, preparing to enter the battlefield for his aristeia) and Achilles (II. 22.25-32, advancing on Hector for their final climactic battle) are compared to Sirius, the star is conspicuous for its brightness (μάλιστα / λαμπρὸν παμφαίνῃσι, 5.5-6; λαμπρότατος, 22.30), not its beauty, and the gleam of Sirius is specifically connected to the sheen of the heroes' armor (Diomedes' helmet and shield; Achilles' bronze breastplate). The focal point in Homer is on the Iliadic warriors' tools of war. In Apollonius, Jason's only weapon is his attractiveness. And yet it is no less effective at producing physical symptoms similar to death in Medea: her heart falls out of her chest, her eyesight darkens, and her body freezes, unable to move (3.962-65). Jason conquers through passion, not steel. Therefore, as Beye says, Apollonius sets the stage for Jason's interaction with Medea in this scene to be "almost a preliminary aristeia” ([1982] 137). Like Diomedes who is about to commence his famous rampage and Achilles who will soon kill the best of the Trojan warriors, Jason will be participating in an event that will determine his fate as a hero. He cannot win Aeetes’ trial alone, and thus far, acquiring Medea’s assistance has been the best (and only) feasible plan presented to the Argonauts. Jason's success, therefore, is vital. It is, without a doubt, the most important moment in Jason's career thus far. And he performs admirably. His keen blend of diplomacy and romance cuts through all of Medea's indecision and wins him her full support. In his first speech, Jason sets up (as he did earlier with her father) many of the hallmarks of successful negotiation: Argus — continuing in Jason's role as intermediary between the Greeks and Colchians — is the one to arrange the meeting, and when Jason meets alone with Medea, he notes that the two of them have come to the table "with good will for each other" (ἀλλήλοισιν εὐμενέοντες, 3.980), observes that the temple of Hecate provides neutral and safe ground for their deliberation (3.981), emphasizes his status as a suppliant and guest in her land (3.985-989), and states that Medea should be upfront about her questions and conditions (3.3.978-79, 982). When Jason and Argus were dealing with Aeetes, they proposed subduing the Sauromatae as payment but made it clear that they were open to pursuing other forms of payment per Aeetes' desire ("as it is pleasing to you yourself, just in that way it will come to pass,” 3.350). Similarly, within the first eight lines of his first speech, Jason twice tells Medea that she should feel free to ask for and speak whatever she desires (3.979, 982). As with Aeetes, Jason is willing to parley.

Ilidiac and Odyssean Heroics: Apollonius’ Argonautica and The Epic Tradition, by Rebecca van der Horst, pg 123-126.

[Aristeia = when a character proves himself to be an aristo, that is, the best. It’s the character's moment of prominence, traditionally linked to a martial demonstration. For example, Book 16 of The Iliad is the aristeia of Patroclus. The author is suggesting that Jason's moment of "aristeia" is his conquest of Medea, as this is indeed his greatest achievement in Argonautica. As for the quote “[These lines] convey the grandeur of any traditional epic hero's entrance into battle, except that kallos and kharitas replace menos”, it’s like: "[These lines] convey the grandeur of any traditional epic hero's entrance into battle, except that beauty and graciousness replace violence”]

The importance of eros to the success of the mission is most evident in Book 3 in the scene where Aphrodite, the goddess of love and sexuality, at the request of Athena goes to her son Eros, the god of eroticism, and asks him to influence Medea. He does so, and Medea immediately falls in love with Jason, begins to feel immensely affected by him, and is slowly becoming more obsessed. If it weren’t for Aphrodite and Eros, either the literal gods or the concepts they represent, would Jason have succeeded? And the most interesting part is that this element of Eros/Aphrodite in association with Jason's victory is an element that exists even in sources other than Argonautica. For example:

Pindar's Pythian Ode says that Aphrodite taught Jason, which highlights that Jason's skill at flirting was useful. An interesting detail is: Pindar is temporally earlier than Apollonius, which indicates that, although Jason's realistic nature fits with the Hellenistic period (Apollonius' time), the characteristic of associating Jason in some way with Aphrodite or Eros was already present in Classical Greece (Pindar's time).

[...] And the queen of sharpest arrows brought the dappled wryneck from Olympus, bound to the four spokes [215] of the indissoluble wheel: Aphrodite of Cyprus brought the maddening bird to men for the first time, and she taught the son of Aeson skill in prayerful incantations, so that he could rob Medea of reverence for her parents, and a longing for Greece would lash her, her mind on fire, with the whip of Persuasion. [...]

Pythian Odes, 4.200. Translation by Diane Arnson Svarlien.

[Son of Aeson = Jason. Persuasion = Peitho, a goddess typically depicted alongside Aphrodite and whose persuasive power, which she personifies, can be associated with erotic persuasion.]

Euripides, also from Classical Greece, wrote Jason in the play Medea dedicating the success of the Argonauts' mission to Aphrodite.

Jason It appears, woman, that I must be no mean speaker but like the good helmsman of a ship reef my sail up to its hem and run before the storm [525] of your wearisome prattling. Since you so exaggerate your kindness to me, I for my part think that Aphrodite alone of gods and mortals was the savior of my expedition. As for you, I grant you have a clever mind—but to tell [530] how Eros forced you with his ineluctable arrows to save me would expose me to ill-will. No, I will not make too strict a reckoning on this point. So far as you did help me, you did well. But in return for saving me [535] you got more than you gave, as I shall make clear. First, you now live among Greeks and not barbarians, and you understand justice and the rule of law, with no concession to force. All the Greeks have learned that you are clever, [540] and you have won renown. But if you lived at the world's edge, there would be no talk of you. May I have neither gold in my house nor power to sing songs sweeter than Orpheus if it is not my lot to have high renown!

Medea, 522-545. Translation by David Kovacs.

[He’s replicating Medea who, having discovered that Jason intends to abandon her for Creusa, had retaliated that Jason only succeeded because of Medea's help.]

Orphic Argonautica, of unknown authorship, has many similarities to Apollonius' poem, including the roles of Aphrodite and Eros.

[...] Then, on the advice of Hera, Medea of the unlucky marriage was conquered by the allure of Jason; for the Cytheran mother of love, Aphrodite, sent desire into her, and the most ancient one [Eros] sent an arrow into her heart. [...]

Orphic Argonautica, 858. Translation by Jason Colavito.

Hyginus' Fabulae directly mentions Aphrodite's interference. I'm using it as a source of Greek myth because Hyginus basically tells Greek myths adapted to a Roman audience, hence the Roman names. He even sometimes cites which Greek author he’s referencing, including mentioning Apollonius.

[...] He had carried her across when others who had passed over despised her. And so since she knew that Jason could not perform the commands without help of Medea, she asked Venus to inspire Medea with love. At Venus' instigation, Jason was loved by Medea. [...]

Fabulae, 22. Translation by Mary Grant.

[Juno = Hera. Venus = Aphrodite.]

Ioannis Tzetzes, while writing a Byzantine scholia of Lycophron's poem Alexandra, told of how “Love is also called "Iynx" and a certain bird called "seisopygis", which the witches use for love potions” and, in explaining the myth of the bird, mentions that Aphrodite gave it to Jason while teaching him how to woo Medea, a version similar to Pindar's.

[...] So, they say, this Iynx was first given by Aphrodite to Jason, teaching him how to charm Medea. They say that this Iynx was a woman before, the daughter of Peitho or Echo and Pan, and having bewitched Zeus for the love of Io, she was pursued by Hera and turned into a bird. Others say that the Iynx is a very melodious lyre, hence everything desirable is called Iynx. [...]

Ad Lycophronem, 310.

Even in sources where neither Aphrodite nor Eros are directly mentioned, the success of the mission is often linked to Medea's love for Jason, as this is what made her help him. To avoid having to quote excerpts, some sources that describe such a correlation are Library by Pseudo-Apollodorus (1.9.23), Library of History by Diodorus Siculus (4.46.4), Olympian Odes by Pindar (ode 13). It’s also notable how Hera, the goddess of marriage, plays an important role in Jason's mission, as she wished to take revenge on Pelias for not honoring her (Library of Pseudo-Apollodorus even specifies that Pelias committed sacrilege by killing a person inside Hera's temple, this is in 1.9.8). So Jason's mission isn’t only interfered with by deities associated with love and eroticism like Aphrodite and Eros, but also with the interference of the goddess of marriage, Hera, who purposely plans Medea as an evil for Pelias — an evil motivated by the desire to be useful to Jason, since that is the reason why Medea tricks Pelias' daughters into killing their father.

This, of course, doesn’t mean that only deities associated with sexuality and marriage are involved, since, as I said, Apollo (this one is very present, but not as active as Hera) and Athena also participate. If we count non-Olympians, we still have: the Nereids, who help the argonauts; the Nymphs of Libya, who advise Jason; Glaucus, who warns them about the Zeus's plan for Heracles; Triton, who also advice them. Perhaps the Hesperides could also be considered, since they indicate where there is water to drink. Of the non-Olympian deities, most are related to the sea, which makes sense given the sea voyage (Glaucus, Thetis and the other Nereids, Triton. Although it’s interesting to remember that Thetis's help still has to do with the sphere of marriage, since it is influenced by Medea being her future daughter-in-law. Hera's first attempt to convince Thetis was also through marriage, as she mentioned Peleus as an Argonaut, although this aspect didn’t work). The nymphs of Libya are associated with the foreign land aspect, which also makes sense.

Having established that I believe in the interpretation that Jason’s mission will be accomplished through love and eroticism rather than martial power, I want to comment on how Aphrodite persuades her son Eros, here depicted as a child, to influence Medea. Aphrodite finds him playing with Ganymede, the young Trojan kidnapped by Zeus for being too beautiful. But Eros is a cheat and continues to cheat at the game while laughing at Ganymede’s frustration, which angers Ganymede and causes him to give up the game and leave — Ganymede here also seems to be a significantly juvenile figure, since the text narrates him and Eros, who we know is depicted as a child, playing dice as “as boys in one house are wont to do” and Aphrodite calls him an “innocent child.” Aphrodite approaches and reprimands Eros for gloating after winning unfairly, and then tells him that she will give him a new toy if he can make Medea fall in love with Jason, which Eros accepts although he’s initially suspicious of the proposal. But it turns out that this is no random toy, it’s a golden ball that belonged to Zeus himself and has detailed description. Such elements seem too specific for a supposedly simple scene of a mother convincing her son with a toy, and this has certainly led to possible interpretations in academic circles.

[...] Amid this farrago, one item commands special attention: the golden ball with which Aphrodite bribes her spoiled and willful son Eros when she seeks to win his aid for the proposed scheme. Apollonius describes the ball in some détail (although, as we shall see, commentators find it difficult to agrée on its appearance and construction) in Aphrodite's speech to her son, as follows: I will give you the beautiful toy of Zeus, which his dear nurse Adrasteia made for him while he was still a child in the Idaean cave, a well-rounded sphère. You'd get no finer one from the hands of Hephaestus. Its circles are wrought of gold, and around each one twofold rings whirl in a circle. The seams are hidden, and a dark blue spiral runs over them all (3, 132-40).

Furthermore, this marvelous ball, when thrown, leaves a gleaming trail, like a shooting star (ἀστὴρ ως3, 140-41). Students of thè poem hâve long suspected that this toy is not merely a child's plaything. While they recognize that its significance is far greater than the brief description might suggest (thè bali never actually appears in the poem), they characterize it differently. Accordingly, we are told that the ball represents either «thè earth», «thè universe» or «Planetenkreise und Sonnenkugel»; or that its ornamentation has «sans doute une signification astronomique». Two associations hâve quite properly led them to recognize the ball's importance. First, in the visual arts, a ball associated with the adult Zeus regularly symbolizes his power over thè universe4. Second, Adrasteia, the nurse who gave it to him, frequently represents thè inevitability of fate that her name implies. A third association will remove any doubt about the weight we must accord this symbol, and that is the following fact. Apollonius is alluding to a contemporary didactic poem, Aratus’ Phaenomena, in a fashion that makes it certain that the bail represents the spherical cosmos. Recognizing this allusion clarifies two further issues. First, it sheds light on the much-debated question of the ball's physical appearance. Next, and more importantly, the implications of Eros' control of the bail taken on startling — even alarming — force.

Eros Ludens: Apollonius' Argonautica 3, 132-41, by Mary Louise B. Pendergraft, pg 95-96.

[This book by Aratus mentioned by Pendergraft describes constellations and weather signs. It’s available online at Theoi]

Therefore, the toy being so specific may seek to represent a power of cosmic origin, represented both by the clearly cosmic theme of the object’s appearance and by the fact that its former owner was none other than the king of the gods and, therefore, the one who has great power over the cosmos. Eros, in fact, was immediately introduced as a cunning and deceitful figure who obtains victory through reprehensible means — a child who doesn’t accept being told “no.” And it’s now this unstable figure who holds the power of the narrative.

When we realize that the marvelous toy, once Zeus's and now Eros', represents a model of the cosmos, we can feel only shock at the farreaching implication of the scene: the universe is but a bauble used to bribe a spoiled child. Now, Apollonius did not create the figure of Eros with a ball, but he did give it an almost unprecedented significance. When Anacreon pictures him as a ballplayer (Fr. 302 Page) or a dicer (Fr. 325 Page — the game at which he is cheating Ganymede in Argon. 3) he plays with the lives of individual men: he is ruthless, perhaps, but not of universal relevance. Eros does play a cosmic role in some other contexts: in Orphic writings he has a cosmogonic function. He holds the globe in artistic representations as well: on Roman coins, on gems, and on small bronzes — all, apparently, dating later than our poem. These traditions imply a belief in the creative power of Eros, of love as a guiding force in the world, a notion reminiscent of Empedocles' λórns or Lucretius' Venus. They portray, in short, the force of attraction, of fertility and life, ruling the cosmos. Radically different is the character Apollonius gives to his Eros. This deity evokes no awe or reverence; rather, he is simply a most unpleasant child. His mother complains of his temper, his shamelessness, his wickedness; she can win his cooperation only through bribery (3, 90-99). Greedy, suspicious, and heartless, he laughs at Ganymede's distress at being cheated; he is wheedling and impatient; distrusting even his mother, he counts his dice before entrusting them to her (3, 114-30, 145-55). Yet our investigation has made it clear that we must take him seriously, since his toy is nothing less than the universe. The closest parallel to such a figure is none of those we have mentioned, but rather Alcibiades' notorious shield device, where Eros wielding Zeus's thunderbolt provoked outrage by its arrogance. We can appreciate the response of Alcibiades' contemporaries by comparing Apollonius' vignette to Aratus' Phaenomena, a comparison he invites through his deliberate evocation of this source for his heavenly globe. «From Zeus let us begin» is the famous phrase that opens the poem; «we all depend on him in every way; for indeed we are his offspring». The Stoic poet also stressed the regularity and predictability of the stars and their movements; their reliable pattern, the visible form of the celestial sphere, is clear evidence of Zeus's providential care for his creatures: «he, kindly to mankind, gives us sure signs»>. Apollonius transforms this lofty and reassuring symbol by presenting the cosmic orb as a plaything for a selfish and petulant boy. The fate of the universe, as well as of individuals, is controlled neither by Adrasteia the inevitable nor by a providential father-god; events are not fixed or predictable; rather, everything is subject to the love-god's self-gratifying whims. The figure of Eros ludens has become an emblem that well represents the non-traditional and anti-heroic ethos of the Argonautica.

Eros Ludens: Apollonius' Argonautica 3, 132-41, by Mary Louise B. Pendergraft, pg 101-102.

[The aforementioned shield of Alcibiades is described by Plutarch: “But all this statecraft and eloquence and lofty purpose and cleverness was attended with great luxuriousness of life, with wanton drunkenness and lewdness, with effeminacy in dress, — he would trail long purple robes through the market place, — and with prodigal expenditures. He would have the decks of his triremes cut away that he might sleep more softly, his bedding being slung on cords rather than spread on the hard planks. He had a golden shield made for himself, bearing no ancestral device, but an Eros armed with a thunderbolt. The reputable men of the city looked on all these things with loathing and indignation, and feared his contemptuous and lawless spirit. They thought such conduct as his tyrant-like and monstrous”. Perhaps the implication of this image with Eros having the power of Zeus was a kind of mockery of the way Alcibiades was sometimes seen as excessively lustful by the Greeks. You can read it here.]

Thus, Argonautia is a poem that not only doesn’t follow what is traditionally expected, but has as its theme love. Love isn’t only a pleasant concept, but also a destructive, selfish, suspicious and deceitful concept represented in the childlike figure of Eros, who now holds the power of the narrative when in more traditional narratives (such as the Homeric poems) it should be Zeus (the former owner of the toy). Ironically, these adjectives that can be used to describe the way Eros is represented in Argonautica also fit with what we know Jason and Medea's relationship will become. These signs are already showing up in the narrative, especially in the character of Medea, who is in fact destructive and deceitful if necessary for her beloved. Therefore, when Jason chooses to employ eros as a weapon he isn’t simply being weak, but is using a dangerous power. In the same way that Eros didn’t care about Ganymede's frustration for the sake of his own satisfaction, Jason and Medea will leave a trail of destruction with each questionable action that Medea will take for the sake of love.

As for his dynamic with Medea in Argonautica… I got the impression that I was reading characters with at least partially reversed gender roles! Who is the character that causes desire in other people, beautiful, fearful, insecure and who receives help from his love interest? Jason! Who is the character who is firm, courageous, active and who will achieve conquests in exchange for the hand of her beloved? Medea!

In mythology you usually see mortal men somehow making conquests for a beautiful woman (often the woman's high status is also part of the reward). Some examples: anything involving Helen; Odysseus, who marries Penelope either in exchange for solving Tyndareus's problem or by winning a race against other suitors; Pelops, who had to compete for the hand of Hippoddamia; Hippomene, who had to prove himself in competition with Atalanta to marry her; Perseus, who saved Andromeda from death and thus won her love; Heracles, who fought with the river god Achelous for the hand of Dejanira. In other cases, although the man doesn’t directly do anything for the marriage, he still marries a beautiful — and high-status — woman as a reward for some virtue/achievement of his. Some examples are Cadmus, who received the goddess Harmonia as his wife thanks to his importance in the founding of Thebes, and Neoptolemus, to whom Menelaus gave his daughter as a wife as a reward for participating in the Trojan War and thus fulfilling the prophecy.

Well, Jason doesn't do any such things. He certainly didn't receive Medea as a reward, since Aetes didn't actually authorize the marriage and the only deity who is actively willing their marriage is Hera, and this is usually attributed to her wanting revenge on Pelias (here in the Argonautica this is the reason as well. It's mentioned at the beginning of Book 1, and then Hera mentions it in her line in Book 3 and it’s repeated in the narrative of Book 4) and not wanting to reward Jason. He also didn't gain Medea's interest because of his deeds, after all she fell in love with him before he had even proven anything significant — Eros shot her with the arrow. And while Medea is described as beautiful and even a princess of status, these are certainly not the main characteristics about her that make Jason want her as is the case in the examples I gave. In fact, the reason Jason promises to marry Medea is because of her talents — i.e. Medea's help in saving Jason. And such talents aren’t skills expected of a good wife like weaving — an example is Penelope, whose weaving theme is a strong characteristic and whose character was used as an example of an ideal wife —, the talents Jason is placing value on is her ability to make drugs and, depending on the version, even her capacity for violence, which wasn’t an element men generally looked for in their wives in mythology.

On the other hand, divine interference (Hera who spoke to Athena, who asked Aphrodite, who made Eros interfere) aside, the reason Medea falls in love with Jason isn’t his heroism or his typically male virtues. Most of the time, I got the impression that the most striking characteristic of Jason to Medea was his beauty. She wasn’t heroically saved by a fearless man like Andromeda was, she didn't see her suitor defeat a god to get her as Dejanira, she didn't have a horrible situation in her home resolved by the foreign hero as Ariadne, etc. And, madly in love with Jason, Medea wants to have him through her usefulness rather than her beauty, modesty, or status (she has all these characteristics, though. Even modesty! She seems quite shy in Book 3, in fact). She wants him to see how she can save him, and she wants that to be enough to make him want her too. She wants him to see how brave and capable she is of achieving victory, and for that to seduce him. Furthermore, Medea's desire for Jason is clearly more emphasized than Jason's desire for Medea, which is also unusual for ancient Greek literature in the case of characters who actually form a couple. I say "actually form a couple" because I'm obviously not referring to cases like Phaedra x Hippolytus or Echo x Narcissus, because in those cases the male characters didn't simply show less interest than the female character...they really didn't want anything to do with them! This isn’t the case with Jason here, Jason actively takes action to establish the relationship. He isn’t a victim. The reciprocity of Jason's love is a matter of debate, as at times his supposed romantic feelings for Medea seem to be mixed with an interest in her usefulness. Personally, I interpret it as him finding her beautiful and interesting rather than merely convenient, but I don't think he will ever love Medea as she loves him.

In Emotion, Genre and Gender in the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius, pp. 52-217, Dimitra Karamitsou discusses gender roles in Greek literature. She explores Homer's epics and gender roles in tragedies and comedies, but unfortunately I won't comment on what she said because it would be too long for an already long post. So I'll stick to Argonautica only, although I won't show everything she explored and I'll focus only on what she said about Jason and Medea, since that's the focus of the post. Note that she's Greek and read Argonautica in Greek, so she's definitely not analyzing it with the same translation as us. Also, her text is also in Greek, which is why I'll summarize it instead of excerpting it. On the subject, she says:

In the Argonautica, Apollonius follows the idea of women with intense emotions. This wasn’t uncommon for the Hellenistic period, as seen in Callimachus' Hecale, Moschus' Europa, and finally in Theocritus' characters: Simaetha of Idyll 2, Gorgo and Praxinoa of Idyll 15, and Alcmene of Idyll 24. The increasingly popular identification of women with intense emotions in the Hellenistic period is due to the strengthening of the female role of the period, both in the domestic and in the public sphere. Thus, female characters become the object of greater interest for Hellenistic authors, also influenced by the desire of the literature of the time to distance itself from more typical ideas, which sometimes included challenging gender stereotypes. In the Argonautica, the woman is not related to the heroic man and, instead, is more focused on the erotic sphere unlike the focus on chastity. This is consistent with the characteristic of Hellenistic literature of emphasizing eroticism. The strengthening of the female role in the narrative of the Argonautica is also evident in the number of female monologues and even dialogues between women and men, compared to previous epics. They are, however, still characterized mainly by more traditionally feminine emotions in literature, such as fear, anxiety and sadness. However, Karamitsou comments that the subversion of gender roles on both sides is notable in the Argonautica. In fact, women (especially Medea) begin to occupy a leading role in their own right and take typically masculine actions that develop the plot. This is a consequence of the tendency of Hellenistic poets to wish to turn to less explored ideas.

Jason's main emotional characteristic is his lack of anger. For example, he is not shown to be angry with Pelias despite all that he has done. The only time Jason is associated with anger throughout the poem is indirectly through the simile in Book 3, when he is doing Aeetes's task, which compares him to a wild boar ready to attack the hunters. Otherwise, Jason's lack of anger is evident throughout the rest of the poem. When Telamon fundamentally underestimates Jason's worth, he does not get angry despite this being the typical attitude of a male character in epic. In fact, throughout the poem, Jason treats Telamon kindly. For Karamitsou, Telamon offending him is not something that actually offends him, but something that makes him feel honored. Jason, as a leader, is less concerned with rewards and more concerned with companionship, which includes keeping his companions comfortable enough to be honest with him even if it’s in a negative way. For her, the value of friendship for Jason is confirmed when, after the situation is resolved, Jason is happy to know that Telamon would defend him with the same fervor that he defended Heracles if necessary. The terms μῆνιν and μενέηνας in Jason's speech denote anger, but in the first case he only states that being considered negatively by Telamon is not capable of making him angry, and in the second case he says that he would only be angry if the accusation referred to a material belonging. In this way, Apollonius indirectly associates anger with material belongings.

When Jason doesn’t participate in the festive atmosphere, Idas associates this with cowardice and insults him. Thus, while Telamon interpreted Jason's lack of reaction as indifference to Heracles and therefore a betrayal, Idas interpreted Jason's lack of reaction as a sign of cowardice and therefore a weakness. In both cases, Jason's heroism is questioned. In Idas' case, his name is not even mentioned after Idas's insult, since Idmon immediately takes action to defend him and, therefore, is the one whose name is mentioned. Jason's name appears again only when he, along with other Argonauts, tries to prevent Idas and Idmon from fighting physically. Thus, not only is he not overcome by anger, but he doesn’t want his companions to be. The other moment when Jason is expected to become angry, even by Hellenistic literary standards, is when Aeetes not only threatens him but also the Argonauts as a whole. He could, with right, respond to the insult in an angry manner. However, he addresses Aeetes calmly. While Aeetes gives an emotional speech, Jason gives a rational speech. He doesn't just try to calm Aeetes down, he tries to flatter him. This works, as Aeetes doesn't actually take any immediate violent action. It's notable that Jason is much more active in responding to Aeetes' insults compared to Telamon and Idas' insults, since in the case with the Argonauts he didn't even respond to them. This is because Telamon and Idas are angry fellows, while Aeetes is actually a threat. So while Jason's passivity has been criticized, it’s important in reaffirming the character's moral code (avoiding anger and violence) and in establishing him as a diplomatic and composed hero.

Another recurring emotion of Jason is embarrassment. When he is unable to make choices, the narrative depicts him as embarrassed. He’s often portrayed as introspective, often silent and apathetic while thinking. For her, this can be characterized as embarrassment or apathy, that is, the inability to allow oneself to experience an emotion and externalize it. Jason's constant refraining from experiencing emotion is sometimes contrasted with the experience of emotion by a female character. When they say goodbye, Jason's mother is quite emotional, while Jason seems mostly apathetic. When the women of Lemnos show their attraction to him, Jason simply looks at the ground. When he says goodbye to Hypsipyle, she’s clearly being quite emotional while Jason seems mostly practical. For Karamitsou, this is a consequence of Jason's indecision about how to deal with situations, which leads him to appear apathetic, which in turn can be a source of irritation to other characters. This is also contrasted with male characters, in this case the Argonauts. Jason shows no emotion when he learns that Heracles has been abandoned, unlike the others. While everyone is celebrating, Jason is not. Although Apollonius's decision to portray two Argonauts (Telamon, Idas) condemning this attitude may make it seem like he does, this isn’t the case, as demonstrated by the amicable way in which both episodes ended without Jason changing his personality. Jason's emotional detachment is positive, as it balances the tense atmosphere of the other Argonauts. He’s constantly perplexed and embarrassed by his own indecision, which often leads Jason to leave the final word to other characters. This characteristic manifests itself as indecision and apathy and, in a way, reaffirms the character's self-control and diplomacy.

Jason is also constantly afraid, which often leads to embarrassment. When Tiphys dies, he is saddened by his death and embarrassed by the lack of a solution to the problem of the absence of a helmsman. Aeetes's announcement makes him afraid, which causes him to become embarrassed. Karamitsou says that, although this contrasts with the previous view that apathy and indecision are related to self-control and diplomacy and therefore not negative, the two views do not cancel each other out, but coexist. Feeling afraid is simply human, and although Jason initially feels embarrassed, he tends to be able to deal with it appropriately and calmly rather than reacting too negatively. Jason's sadness and fear also make him a pessimist, as repeatedly throughout the poem he thinks that he or his companions will die. Even at the moment Jason accepts his most heroic task (Aeetes's task), he’s pessimistic in saying that he has no choice. Such a pessimistic trait may characterize him as someone with a weak psyche. Karamitsou, however, mentions the possibility that he may have used pessimism deliberately to test his companions, which is when Jason becomes depressed after passing through the Clashing Rocks. This is a possibility due to the way the terms are used in Greek, which may suggest a lie in Jason's behavior. If this was indeed the case, it worked, as the Argonauts cheer up in an attempt to cheer him up. Therefore, although sadness and fear are characteristics that get in the way of the mission, they also serve to demonstrate the character’s humanity.

Jason is also a romantically involved hero whose erotic relationships are important to moving the plot forward. However, he is different from the love interests. While Hypsipyle is shown to be much more loving and mournful, Jason not only doesn’t reciprocate the feeling to the same extent but he also doesn’t seem to have a real problem with leaving her behind. In fact, he seems more concerned with their possible child than with her. This may, perhaps, make him an opportunist. This is also true of his relationship with Medea. While Medea repeatedly shows her love in different ways, Jason is limited to mostly verbal promises. In the Temple of Hecate, Jason's soft words still seem more like an exercise in rhetorical skill than entirely sincere words. He also, in a way, manipulates Medea by comparing her to Ariadne while conveniently leaving out the detail that Theseus abandoned Ariadne (I’ll comment on this later). In Euripides' Medea, Jason acts in a similar way, as he admits that he prefers to abandon Medea in favor of Creusa because this will bring him fewer difficulties since Creusa is a princess of Corinth and Medea is a barbarian. Despite being an erotic hero, this characteristic concerns more the desire that Jason inflicts on others and less about the desire that Jason himself feels for other people. Jason's love as a weapon shows how love is the driving force of Apollonius' poem.

While Jason’s main emotional characteristic is his lack of anger, Medea’s main emotional characteristic is love. Although initially born from the direct intervention of Eros, the feeling seems to develop into a real characteristic of Medea. Thus, despite the obvious divine interference, there is still the element of realistic emotions in the narrative. Medea is primarily motivated by her love for Jason, which at one point is described as τρέλα (madness) and makes her indecisive, something Medea attributes to weakness and attributes to divine responsibility. Her love for him, however, initially arises from an idealized version of him. After all, even before they interact, Medea is already thinking of him in a very idealized way.

Furthermore, Medea is clearly more affected by love than Jason. At night, Medea's sleep is interrupted by a dream she has in which Jason comes to Colchis not for the golden fleece, but to ask her to marry him. This dream represents how her love for Jason is also a challenge to her expected loyalty to her father, a dilemma whose outcome we already know. Upon waking, Medea wakes up screaming and desperate, almost as if it were a nightmare. The passages that describe Medea's love are influenced by Sapho and Archilochus, with descriptions of “symptoms” of passion such as: inability to speak, cold sweat, paleness, tremor, blushing, ringing in the ears, internal burning, accelerated palpitation, weakness of vision, inability to move. In one scene, Medea also glances at Jason sideways through the veil she wears, which may represent a maiden looking at the source of her desire through a "barrier" (in this case, the veil, which is also a symbol associated with chastity).

Although initially a pure love, even typical of a young virgin, throughout the narrative it’s associated with characteristics such as deceit and magic. The etymology of the name Medea is a clue to the reader of the evolution of a seemingly innocent young woman into a cunning character (Medea means something like "planner, schemer"). The magical characteristic is reinforced by her connection with the goddess Hecate, her kinship with both Circe and Pasithea, and her own abilities as a sorceress. Apollonius uses πολυφάρμακος (polypharmakos, meaning "knowing many drugs/maybe charms", similar to the schemer Odysseus' epithet polytropos, meaning "of many resources"), and interestingly the term is used both when Medea is the chaste virgin of Book 3 and when she’s the treacherous witch of Book 4. The connection of love with magic occurs when Medea's primary way of proving her love is by offering to help Jason through her magical abilities. The deception associated with love, on the other hand, is initially introduced in the conversation with her sister, where Medea lets her sister think that she’s motivated by helping her nephews and not by her love for Jason.

However, such youthful love evolves to resemble a forced contract. Furthermore, Medea flees Colchis not motivated by love, but by fear of Aeetes's reaction. When Jason makes vows to Hera, he and Medea part hands as if in a business agreement. She also doen’t marry for love, but because it’s necessary for Alcinous to help the Argonauts, which includes Medea herself. This, coupled with Jason's interest in Medea's love being motivated by the usefulness of her love, makes this love doomed from the start, since it was formed entirely on need and fear. Even when she asks Arete for help, she does not use her love for Jason as a reason for sympathy, but rather fear of the consequences. Her love begins as an intense mental state, which is then externalized with intense physical symptoms. Its nature is dual. Initially it is identified with pure amorous desire, but later it’s associated with trickery and magic, losing its purity. The role of Medea's love in the narrative plot is crucial, as it’s Jason's main 'weapon' to complete the mission.

Like Jason, Medea is also embarrassed and indecisive, although in her case it’s about a specific dilemma: her father or her future husband. Choosing Jason means being a traitor, choosing to lose her home and her family's honor. Medea is often described as unsure of which decision to make, which is why Jason has to convince her in the Temple of Hecate, for example. This is also why the dream of marrying Jason causes her to wake up with a nightmare-like reaction. And when she does choose Jason, Medea really has no other option but to marry him. This is why Medea not only asks the Argonauts to take her with them to avoid Aeetes' punishment, she makes Jason swear by Hera that he will marry her. By marrying again, Medea is able to obtain a new home, a new family, and her honor is restored, since the betrayal is justified by a wife's behavior in helping her husband. Her indecision, however, diminishes when she helps Jason and, throughout the narrative, disappears. Therefore, in her case, her embarrassment and insecurity are more related to her role as a woman and her maidenhood. It’s shameful that she would consider betraying her father, who is her guardian. It’s also shameful that, as a chaste young woman, she would desire Jason in this way. After she actually chooses Jason, this disappears. Thus, it doesn’t seem that indecision is a fixedly defining characteristic of Medea, but rather occasional/occasional, although it actively affects her.

Medea, like Jason, is also afraid and sad. But if Jason's fear is triggered by his mission, Medea's fear is triggered by the lust/love she feels for Jason (sometimes she feels sad because she loves him) or by Jason's own fate (sometimes she feels sad when she sees him or imagines him in threatening situations). However, these feelings are later replaced by a feeling that Jason does not demonstrate, but that Medea does: anger. The presence of this emotion is particularly striking in Book 4, confirming the transition in Medea's personality. Medea, by giving the Golden Fleece to Jason, is metaphorically giving him her own chastity. For this reason, feelings related to the dilemma of chastity no longer have space after this moment in the narrative. Anger also represents Medea's development in love, which ceases to be fanciful and idealized and becomes full of doubts and suspicions. The main cause of Medea's embarrassment was her desire to help Jason, and so by having this dilemma suppressed, this emotion is also suppressed. But it still exists, as shown by the way Medea looks away at her brother's death. This moment marks the moment when the new Medea emerges, so much so that when she kills Talos there is no embarrassment in her attitude.

Medea's development can also be seen through her veil, especially by analyzing five scenes. The first time is when she falls in love with Jason, the second is when she prepares to meet him at the Temple of Hecate, the third is when she leaves home to go with Jason, the fourth is when they kill her brother, and the last time is when she kills the bronze giant Talos. Initially, the veil is described as white/shining, to symbolize Medea's purity and beauty. In the Absyrtus scene, she covers her face with the veil out of shame for the murder. In the Talos scene, Medea doesn’t wear a veil, which represents her change as someone who is no longer a chaste and ashamed young woman. The veil is also a link between Apollonius' Medea and Euripides' Medea, as in the play she kills Creusa, Jason's bride, by giving her a poisoned veil as a gift. Thus, the veil demonstrates Medea's change from an innocent and chaste young woman to a cunning witch.

Returning to the theme of anger, unlike Jason, Medea is verbal about being angry. Angry, she confronts Jason and complains about his real motivations, indicating that she distrusts him. This distrust will become correct, because in the myth Jason breaks the only promise that Medea demanded (to maintain a marriage with her). She seems to consider Jason's sweet words as deceitful, which makes her furious, because Medea believes that it’s thanks to her willingness to defy her own home for him that Jason has the Golden Fleece. In her speech, she calls him “son of Aeson”, suggesting estrangement. Her anger makes her want to harm the Argonauts and herself, as it even makes her want to set fire to the ship. When she ran for the Argonauts to take her with them in their escape, Medea practically demanded Jason's vows to Hera as a way of forcing him to prove the sweet words that had made her help him. The idea that Jason could have ruined so much of her rationality that he made her risk her place in her family, home, and society and yet he couldn’t reward her angers Medea. It’s also in the midst of her anger that Medea then plans her brother's death, the first undeniably reprehensible act she commits. She also personifies anger in her defeat of the giant Talos, as she glares at him with hostility, invokes vengeful Chthonian deities such as the Erinyes, and is ultimately filled with destructive rage when she defeats him.

Thus, both characters subvert gender roles within the Greek epic genre. Jason isn’t a traditional hero and, consequently, he isn’t a traditional man either. The absence of characteristics such as pride, anger or even martial skills makes him immensely different from Achilles and Odysseus. Unlike Achilles, Jason clearly doesn’t care about his honor. Contrary to Hector's opinion that vanity and association with eros are negative characteristics of Paris, Jason uses both as his main weapon. Jason's characteristic of being a listener also doesn’t resemble Homeric leaders. Agamemnon only cares about public opinion at critical moments; general opinion isn’t part of his usual leadership strategy. Odysseus not only doesn't ask for opinions but also doesn't try to see the reaction of his companions, he just gives orders and the others execute them. On the other hand, Jason constantly wants to hear opinion and constantly observes the reaction. Where Agamemnon easily takes offense to Achilles and treats his suggestion to hand over Chryseis as disrespectful to him and consequently punishes Achilles for it, Jason doesn’t do anything similar. Even when Idas and Telamon directly insult him, Jason doesn’t punish them. Although he uses more strategy than force, he still does’t resemble Odysseus in this situation, for the one who actually has a similar type of cunning to Odysseus is Medea, as represented by her epithet that parallels Odysseus' epithet.

Similarly, Medea isn’t a Homeric female character. In Book 3, she even resembles the Homeric characters, as she’s chaste, beautiful and expresses her emotions especially in private environments with her feelings directed towards male figures — in this case Jason and Aeetes. Something similar to Helen from The Iliad and Penelope from The Odyssey. She helps Jason, but this isn’t enough to differentiate her entirely from the Homeric model of a female character, since she’s still not the protagonist of the conquest, but rather Jason, who is described as doing the tasks. For example, Odysseus is assisted by female figures while the main conquest is still his, since he is the protagonist. The Medea of Book 4, however, does not fit the role of the woman in the epic, since she is more like the woman in the tragedy. Similar to characters such as Euripides' Iphigenia and Sophocles' Antigone, Medea defies gender restrictions and abandons the domestic environment for the public environment and begins to assume the leading role. Similar to Phaedra and Euripides' Medea, Medea has an uncontrolled passion that threatens the people around her. Anger as Medea's main emotion is also a characteristic more typical of tragic female characters, rather than female characters in the epic. Furthermore, Medea goes from being a helper to becoming an active participant. For example, she’s the one who kills Talos, something that wouldn’t happen with any mortal female character in Homeric poetry. And as already mentioned, it’s Medea who is indirectly associated with a Homeric hero, in this case Odysseus, through the use of similar epithets. Although she’s associated with Ariadne, who isn’t a Homeric heroine but is still a traditional female character in mythology, Medea herself says that she isn’t like her. Unlike her, Medea isn’t a helper, but an active protagonist, and she also doesn’t live happily ever after in a marriage. Furthermore, the deconstruction of Medea's chastity is also not something that Homer does with female characters.

Now that I've commented on Dimitra Karamitsou's interpretation, I want to comment on something that I found interesting while reading Argonautica: Medea’s willingness to be helpful to Jason is a parallel to Ariadne’s willingness to be helpful to Theseus. Both princesses who, loving a foreign hero, offer the help that will guarantee their success with the only condition of obtaining a marriage. And maybe this makes my opinion strange, since Ariadne is clearly not a character who subverts gender roles, but I think they have differences that make it possible to coexist the idea that Medea isn’t a character who fulfills the typical gender role and the idea that Medea can be a parallel to Ariadne. The difference, of course, is the personality and the type of help. Ariadne isn’t portrayed as someone who has a volatile and dangerous personality and the help she offers is a guide thread for Theseus to follow, and not something like drugs or even murder.

I mean, can you imagine Ariadne doing that?

[350] Now when the maiden had mused upon all this, sharp anguish shook her heart unceasingly; and quickly she called forth Jason alone apart from his comrades, and led him aside until they were far away, and before his face uttered her speech all broken with sobs: "What is this purpose that ye are now devising about me, O son of Aeson? Has thy triumph utterly cast forgetfulness upon thee, and reekest thou nothing of all that thou spakest when held fast by necessity? Whither are fled the oaths by Zeus the suppliants' god, whither are fled thy honied promises? For which in no seemly wise, with shameless will, I have left my country, the glories of my home and even my parents — things that were dearest to me; and far away all alone I am borne over the sea with the plaintive kingfishers because of thy trouble, in order that I might save thy life in fulfilling the contests with the oxen and the earthborn men. Last of all the fleece — when the matter became known, it was by my folly thou didst win it; and a foul reproach have I poured on womankind. Wherefore I say that as thy child, thy bride and thy sister, I follow thee to the land of Hellas. Be ready to stand by me to the end, abandon me not left forlorn of thee when thou dost visit the kings. But only save me; let justice and right, to which we have both agreed, stand firm; or else do thou at once shear through this neck with the sword, that I may gain the guerdon due to my mad passion. Poor wretch! if the king, to whom you both commit your cruel covenant, doom me to belong to my brother. How shall I come to my father's sight? Will it be with a good name? What revenge, what heavy calamity shall I not endure in agony for the terrible deeds I have done? And wilt thou win the return that thy heart desires? Never may Zeus' bride, the queen of all, in whom thou dost glory, bring that to pass. Mayst thou some time remember me when thou art racked with anguish; may the fleece like a dream vanish into the nether darkness on the wings of the wind! And may my avenging Furies forthwith drive thee from thy country, for all that I have suffered through thy cruelty! These curses will not be allowed to fall unaccomplished to the ground. A mighty oath hast thou transgressed, ruthless one; but not long shalt thou and thy comrades sit at ease casting eyes of mockery upon me, for all your covenants." [391] Thus she spake, seething with fierce wrath; and she longed to set fire to the ship and to hew it utterly in pieces, and herself to fall into the raging flame. But Jason, half afraid, thus addressed her with gentle words: "Forbear, lady; me too this pleases not. But we seek some respite from battle, for such a cloud of hostile men, like to a fire, surrounds us, on thy account. For all that inhabit this land are eager to aid Apsyrtus, that they may lead thee back home to thy father, like some captured maid. And all of us would perish in hateful destruction, if we closed with them in fight; and bitterer still will be the pain, if we are slain and leave thee to be their prey. But this covenant will weave a web of guile to lead him to ruin. Nor will the people of the land for thy sake oppose us, to favour the Colchians, when their prince is no longer with them, who is thy champion and thy brother; nor will I shrink from matching myself in fight with the Colchians, if they bar my way homeward." [410] Thus he spake soothing her; and she uttered a deadly speech: "Take heed now. For when sorry deeds are done we must needs devise sorry counsel, since at first I was distraught by my error, and by heaven's will it was I wrought the accomplishment of evil desires. Do thou in the turmoil shield me from the Colchians' spears; and I will beguile Apsyrtus to come into thy hands — do thou greet him with splendid gifts — if only I could persuade the heralds on their departure to bring him alone to hearken to my words. Thereupon if this deed pleases thee, slay him and raise a conflict with the Colchians, I care not.

Argonautica, Book 4. Translation by R.C. Searton.

[Chased by the Colchians, Medea becomes enraged and needs to be calmed by Jason. She then tells him of her plan to kill her brother, Apsyrtus, who is chasing the Argo.]

And when I say that this parallel exists, it isn’t me merely linking the myths, it’s something Apollonius himself does.

In Book 1, the Ariadne element was already present in some ways because of the Isle of Lemnos, as Queen Hypsipyle is the daughter of Thoas, a son of Dionysus and Ariadne (he was the only male from Lemnos to survive, as his daughter secretly helped him escape). After the erotic involvement between Hypsipyle and Jason and the necessity of the Argonauts' departure (remembered by Heracles), they say goodbye. Hypsipyle assures Jason that if he returns to Lemnos he can be king, although she herself feels that he won’t return. She then wants Jason to promise to remember her and asks what she should do if she finds out she's pregnant. Jason fears that he may not return home, so he asks her that if she has a son, she should send him to Iolcus to be raised there as a comfort to Jason's parents. Thoas' ancestrality, however, isn’t immediately stated in Book 1.

In Book 3, Jason is described as wearing “dark robe, which Hypsipyle of Lemnos had given him aforetime, a memorial of many a loving embrace”, a gift that wasn’t mentioned in Book 1. Remember that detail!

Anyway, let's continue with Book 3! After Jason met and talked with Medea, the myth of Ariadne and Theseus is introduced into the dialogue between the two by Jason. He tries to comfort her since she seems sad and insecure, and in the process he assures Medea that she will be known for being great, in the same way that Ariadne was known for having been important in the victory of the hero Theseus over the Minotaur. Basically, it's as if Medea is Jason's Ariadne. More specifically, he says: “[...] In days past the maiden Ariadne, daughter of Minos, with kindly intent rescued Theseus from grim contests — the maiden whom Pasiphae daughter of Helios bare. But she, when Minos had lulled his wrath to rest, went aboard the ship with him and left her fatherland; and her even the immortal gods loved, and, as a sign in mid-sky, a crown of stars, which men call Ariadne's crown, rolls along all night among the heavenly constellations. So to thee too shall be thanks from the gods, if thou wilt save so mighty an array of chieftains. For surely from thy lovely form thou art like to excel in gentle courtest."

This comparison returns in their conversation because, at a certain point, Medea asks Jason to talk more about Ariadne. After all, wasn't he the one who compared Medea to her? He, however, changes the subject and doesn't finish the story.

[1063] Thus she spake, and cast her eyes to her feet in silence, and her cheek, divinely fair, was wet with warm tears as she sorrowed for that he was about to wander far from her side over the wide sea: and once again she addressed him face to face with mournful words, and took his right hand; for now shame had left her eyes: "Remember, if haply thou returnest to thy home, Medea's name; and so will I remember thine, though thou be far away. And of thy kindness tell me this, where is thy home, whither wilt thou sail hence in thy ship over the sea; wilt thou come near wealthy Orchomenus, or near the Aeaean isle? And tell me of the maiden, whosoever she be that thou hast named, the far-renowned daughter of Pasiphae, who is kinswoman to my father." [1077] Thus she spake; and over him too, at the tears of the maiden, stole Love the destroyer, and he thus answered her: "All too surely do I deem that never by night and never by day will I forget thee if I escape death and indeed make my way in safety to the Achaean land, and Aeetes set not before us some other contest worse than this. And if it pleases thee to know about my fatherland, I will tell it out; for indeed my own heart bids me do that. There is a land encircled by lofty mountains, rich in sheep and in pasture, where Prometheus, son of Iapetus, begat goodly Deucalion, who first founded cities and reared temples to the immortal gods, and first ruled over men. This land the neighbours who dwell around call Haemonia. And in it stands Iolcus, my city, and in it many others, where they have not so much as heard the name of the Aeaean isle; yet there is a story that Minyas starting thence, Minyas son of Aeolus, built long ago the city of Orchomenus that borders on the Cadmeians. But why do I tell thee all this vain talk, of our home and of Minos' daughter, far-famed Ariadne, by which glorious name they called that lovely maiden of whom thou askest me? Would that, as Minos then was well inclined to Theseus for her sake, so may thy father be joined to us in friendship!" [1102] Thus he spake, soothing her with gentle converse. But pangs most bitter stirred her heart and in grief did she address him with vehement words: "In Hellas, I ween, this is fair to pay heed to covenants; but Aeetes is not such a man among men as thou sayest was Pasiphae's husband, Minos; nor can I liken myself to Ariadne; wherefore speak not of guest-love. But only do thou, when thou hast reached Iolcus, remember me, and thee even in my parents' despite, will I remember. And from far off may a rumour come to me or some messenger-bird, when thou forgettest me; or me, even me, may swift blasts catch up and bear over the sea hence to Iolcus, that so I may cast reproaches in thy face and remind thee that it was by my good will thou didst escape. May I then be seated in thy halls, an unexpected guest!"

Argonautica, Book 3. Translation by R.C. Searton.

In Book 4, Hypsipyle's cloak returns. It is one of the false gifts offered to Apsyrtus in Medea's plan to deceive her brother. We learn that the Graces (best known for being Aphrodite's companions) wove it for Dionysus, and that Dionysus and Ariadne conceived Thoas on it. The divine cloak was then given to Thoas, who gave it to Hypsipyle, who gave it to Jason.

[421] So they two agreed and prepared a great web of guile for Apsyrtus, and provided many gifts such as are due to guests, and among them gave a sacred robe of Hypsipyle, of crimson hue. The Graces with their own hands had wrought it for Dionysus in sea-girt Dia, and he gave it to his son Thoas thereafter, and Thoas left it to Hypsipyle, and she gave that fair-wrought guest-gift with many another marvel to Aeson's son to wear. Never couldst thou satisfy thy sweet desire by touching it or gazing on it. And from it a divine fragrance breathed from the time when the king of Nysa himself lay to rest thereon, flushed with wine and nectar as he clasped the beauteous breast of the maiden-daughter of Minos, whom once Theseus forsook in the island of Dia, when she had followed him from Cnossus. And when she had worked upon the heralds to induce her brother to come, as soon as she reached the temple of the goddess, according to the agreement, and the darkness of night surrounded them, that so she might devise with him a cunning plan for her to take the mighty fleece of gold and return to the home of Aeetes, for, she said, the sons of Phrixus had given her by force to the strangers to carry off; with such beguiling words she scattered to the air and the breezes her witching charms, which even from afar would have drawn down the savage beast from the steep mountain-height.

Argonautica, Book 4. Translation by R.C. Searton.

Hoping to comfort and convince Medea, Jason compares her to Ariadne, to whom Medea is related by blood, though Jason probably did not know this when he made the comparison (her mother is Pasiphae, whom Apollonius claims is the daughter of Helios and therefore the sister of Aeetes, Medea's father. This makes Medea and Ariadne cousins). What he wants is for her not to feel bad about betraying her father and helping the Argonauts, assuring her like Ariadne she will become famous for providing aid to a foreign hero. However, when Medea asks Jason to tell her more about Ariadne, he changes the subject. He purposely doesn’t tell Medea that Theseus, the hero she helped, abandoned her on the island of Naxos. After all, how would that be any comfort to Medea? For all Jason knows, this could very well make her not help him. The association of Medea with Ariadne is already an sign: no matter how helpful Medea is now or even how Jason begins to reciprocate her feelings, this couple's ending will not be happy just as Theseus and Ariadne didn’t live happily ever after. Apollonius certainly seems to recognize the ending of Ariadne's story in Argonautica, after all, he tells us the story of the cloak Hypsipyle gave Jason: an item used by both Dionysus and Ariadne, now married and parents of Thoas, father of Hypsipyle.

Another way to know that this couple is doomed is through a line from Hera. In Book 4, Hera tries to persuade Thetis to have the Nereids help the Argonauts. Using Peleus, one of the Argonauts, as an argument is useless, since Thetis actually clearly has a negative opinion about their forced marriage (something that Hera seems not to really take into account and that, in fact, she was partly responsible for since she was the one who chose Peleus as Thetis' husband). Knowing this, Hera uses a person she knows will convince Thetis: Achilles, her son. She informs Thetis that Medea will be Achilles' wife in Elysium and, therefore, Thetis' daughter-in-law and for this reason she must help the Argonauts, since Medea is among them. This convinces Thetis, who gets the Nereids to help them. But if, after all, the poem introduces us to a love story between Medea and Jason starting in Book 3, why would Medea have to marry another man in Elysium? So, ironically, when Jason compares Medea to Ariadne, he’s trying to achieve success but is premeditating the tragic ending he will have.

They won't be together, something foreshadowed in Jason's comparison and reinforced in Hera's argument. The same love that guaranteed Jason future glory — by returning with the Golden Fleece thanks to Medea's help — will not persist for long. So, even if through seduction Jason has achieved conquests (peace with Hypsipyle and support with Medea, ironically both linked to Ariadne, who here is the exemplary representative of the trope of the young woman who helps a foreign hero), this will have greater consequences than he thinks. Even Apollonius recognizes the destructive power of Medea's love when he relates how, out of love for Jason, Medea planned her own brother's death and was an accomplice in a sacrilege (remembering that the murder took place in front of the temple of Artemis).

[445] Ruthless Love, great bane, great curse to mankind, from thee come deadly strifes and lamentations and groans, and countless pains as well have their stormy birth from thee. Arise, thou god, and arm thyself against the sons of our foes in such guise as when thou didst fill Medea's heart with accursed madness. How then by evil doom did she slay Apsyrtus when he came to meet her? For that must our song tell next.

Argonautica, Book 4. Translation by R.C. Searton.

Ironically, the cloak given to Jason is used in this scheme, as the excerpt I mentioned above in the post says. The cloak that represents Ariadne's happy ending, since it’s important for her relationship with Dionysus. The cloak that represents the love of a father for a daughter, since Thoas passed it on to Hypsipyle (a love reinforced by the fact that, while the women of Lemnons killed all the men, Hypsipyle saved her father). The cover that represents the love of a woman who knows she will never see her beloved again, as Hypsipyle gave something so important to Jason as a memory of her. This same cloak is the one used in the plan to murder Apsyrtus as one of the fake gifts, a plan devised by Medea who, in her destructive love, went so far as to wish her brother dead. Personally, I like to interpret this as a sign of how Medea's love is different. It is not the happily ever after love that Dionysus and Ariadne share, it is not a lasting love like Thoas and Hypsipyle, it is not the love of Hypsipyle's longing for Jason. It is an excessive love, it is a love that resembles madness. Medea told Jason that she can't compare to Ariadne and really, they are not the same. And Jason won't be her Theseus, after all he will really make her his wife, but he won't be her Dionysus either, because they won't be happy. The thing — seduction, love, eroticism — that made Jason capable of accomplishing the mission is the same thing that will ruin him.

And I think it is possible to reconcile Argonautica Jason with the Jason of other sources. I have already mentioned what I think about Chiron's involvement in Jason's education (I prefer when there is none) and I have already used other sources to reaffirm the idea of eroticism surrounding Jason and the voyage of the Argonauts — in addition to, of course, having to use other sources to provide context for Jason's family. The thing is, let's analyze what Jason does after the voyage with the Argonauts in the other sources according to the popular version, which is: death of Pelias, Jason and Medea in Corinth, wrath of Medea and death of Jason.

After returning to Iolcus, Jason wanted Pelias punished. In one version, he wants to punish Pelias for sending him on such a dangerous mission (Fabulae 24), and in another he wants to punish Pelias for killing his father and younger brother Promachus and somehow causing his mother to commit suicide (Library of History 4.50.1-4, Library 1.9.27). Although the details vary, Medea, knowing that her husband wants Pelias dead, offers to do it herself, and Jason agrees to let her do it for him (note: in Library, it’s Jason who urges her to do this rather than her offering). And Medea actually does what she promised, tricking Pelias' daughters into killing their father while they think they are rejuvenating him. Then there are two versions: despite gaining power over the palace (albeit violently), Jason doesn’t keep the kingdom and gives it to Acastus, Pelias' son, or else he is expelled by Acastus. Either way, he and Medea go to Corinth after this. In a version in which Aeson isn’t dead he is rejuvenated by Medea, although the context of the original Greek is lost (Nostoi frag 2). If Ovid was faithful to the original context of the myth in his Metamorphoses, then Jason asked her to take part of his life to extend Aeson's life and Medea didn’t want to do this to Jason. Instead, she rejuvenated Aeson without having to take any of Jason's life. She later used the fact that this feat had become famous in Iolcus to convince Pelias' daughters that she could rejuvenate their father.

In Corinth, Medea and Jason lived for years as a married couple and had children, whose number and names vary depending on the source. However, Jason eventually wanted to abandon Medea for another woman. Through a possible marriage to Creusa, daughter of the Corinthian king Creon, he could try to start a new life. A new beautiful wife, a father-in-law who clearly views him favorably, and the elevation of status through marriage. The best-known version of the myth is from Euripides' play Medea, in which Jason not only acts completely asshole to Medea but also belittles her when she reminds him of how much she helped him. Not only was he going to betray Medea, he also agreed to have her banished from Colchis, since her presence there was uncomfortable because she was feared by Creon. When confronted about this, he tells Medea that he could not refuse the opportunity to marry a princess from Colchis and reminds Medea that, after all, she is still a barbarian woman and therefore does not represent the same status as Creusa. He offers to give Medea money to cover the costs of the children (yes, Jason didn’t mind his children being exiled either. He only keeps the children after Medea herself suggests it, although she did it as part of her revenge plan) and says that in the future she can still be his lover. This makes Medea furious, which causes her to execute a plan that results in the death of Jason's new wife and new father-in-law and she also kills both of their children and doesn’t allow Jason to give them a funeral as she says that she will do this herself while leaving in the sun chariot that was a gift from her grandfather Helios. This probably wasn't the oldest version of the myth, since there are indications that perhaps the oldest version was the one in which Medea leaves her children in the temple of Hera before fleeing and the Corinthians kill them (Pausanias mentions this version, if I'm not mistaken. In any case, possibly the first myth of Medea didn't include a mother who killed her children), but I consider this one because I like it better despite being more cruel.

In Euripides' version, Jason is destined to die crushed by the planks of the Argo, the ship used by the Argonauts on their mission and built with Athena's advice, for having dishonored his marriage vows to Medea (from what I understand, this displeased Hera. She was the one who planned the wedding and, besides, Jason made the vows dedicated to Hera). Apparently, Euripides' scholia also mentions a version in which Jason dies after being struck by lightning and also mentions that he died while sleeping on the Argo. According to Diodorus Siculus (who, by the way, presents a considerably different version of the myth of Jason and Medea), Jason killed himself. According to Hyginus, Jason was killed by Medea along with Creusa and Creon. Regardless of the version, his death is either quite tragic or quite pathetic.

But what then? Jason keeps turning to Medea for help, whether to kill Pelias or to rejuvenate Aeson. And even while dismissing her as a “barbarian” while Creusa is a Greek princess, Jason suggests that they eventually remain lovers, which shows that he still wanted to keep her (given how unaffectionate Jason is in this play, I’m more inclined to believe that it was for Medea’s usefulness or as a stupid attempt to calm her down, knowing her temper). By dishonoring his marriage vows to Medea, Jason receives a disgraceful end. In the end, Jason continues to have his most memorable moments linked to Medea’s usefulness (Pelias’ daughters) and in the end he continues to use relationships to his advantage (in this case, marriage to Creusa). And the act of discarding her as a wife still screws him over. She was the one who made him rise to glory, as the mission was only a success because of her, but she was also the one who made him have a miserable end. Jason still only achieves repeated success while he’s in a relationship with Medea. The other more typically heroic myths of Jason also tend to portray him in a group/team setting like in the Argonautica, as is the case with the Hunt of the Calydonian Boar myth.

So I think it’s possible to connect Argonautica to other sources. In Book 4, Jason has already done a really horrible thing, he committed sacrilege by killing Medea’s brother in front of the temple of Artemis. After all, he still has the potential to do evil things. And given the way love is portrayed as a destructive force in Argonautica, the mere act of being with Medea, who we know to be destructive, certainly makes him capable of causing misfortune himself. Also, Apollonius makes Jason out to be like an ordinary, human person, but isn't that what Jason was? He really was an ordinary person. But what about after returning from such a dangerous mission successfully? It wouldn't be strange if fame made him arrogant and, knowing that he can count on Medea's help, it wouldn't be strange if he increasingly used violence as a practical tool. And, thinking that he can keep Medea's help while using other women to gain status in the same way he gained status with Medea (not through marriage, but because she influenced the outcome of the mission), he’s still a Jason who uses his romantic/sexual/marital relationships to get what he needs. And since his fame was indirectly built through marriage, the destruction of said marriage is the destruction of Jason himself.

One way in which the transition is reflected is by repeated allusions to Jason and Medea’s doomed marriage. Throughout Books 3 and 4, in the lead up to their actual marriage at Argon. 4.1127–69, scenes in which Medea appears contain moments that can be read symbolically as representative of her relationship with Jason. For example, her veiled (or unveiled) face is repeatedly mentioned (3.444–7, 3.828–35, 4.41–6, 4.465–7), which both highlights her status as an unmarried girl and draws the reader repeatedly to Medea’s use of vision as an erotic signifier. 3 Moreover, the narrator twice draws on comparisons to grieving wives to elucidate Medea’s emotional turmoil (3.656–64, 4.1062–7); these two unhappy similes hint at a similarly unpleasant end to Medea’s relationship with Jason. Furthermore, Medea enacts a series of symbolic marital rituals as she flees her home (4.26–49), transferring into Jason’s protection during the night and leaving symbols of her virginity behind for her mother. These are some of the key ways in which wedding imagery pervades Medea’s representation throughout Books 3 and 4. In addition, the actual wedding between Jason and Medea contains aspects of wedding ritual; all of them are, however, undermined by the unsuitability of location, time and context. Queen Arete gauges from her husband King Alcinous that he intends to decree that Medea should only belong with the Argonauts if she is already married to Jason. This provokes a midnight marriage, performed in secret, with an armed guard and an unenthusiastic couple (οὐ μὲν ἐν Ἀλκινόοιο γάμον μενέαινε τελέσσαι | ἥρως Αἰσονίδης, μεγάροις δ᾽ ἐνὶ πατρὸς ἑοῖο, | νοστήσας ἐς Ἰωλκὸν ὑπότροπος· ὧς δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ | Μήδεια φρονέεσκε· τότ᾽ αὖ χρεὼ ἦγε μιγῆναι ‘The hero Jason wished to hold the wedding not in Alcinous’ land but rather in the halls of his father, having returned home to Iolcus. So too did Medea wish this: but necessity forced them to join there’, 4.1161–4). 6 The marriage scene itself, performed out of necessity rather than will, provides an inauspicious beginning for their marriage and allows for the pos- sibility that the eventual failure of their marriage can be traced to as far back as its origins.

Wedding Imagery in the Talos episode: Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4-1653-88, by Sarah Cassidy, pg 442-443.

#Ask #familiarvampire #Jason #Medea #JasonxMedea #birdiethings #birdie.txt

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