Poseidon and Theophane, the lord of the air and the waters, and the CHAP,
bright gleaming sky, reaches its journey's end. The treasures of the
day, brought to the east, are now in the words of Mimnermos repre-
sented by " a large fleece in the town of Aietes, where the rays of
Helios rest in a golden chamber." These treasures must be sought
out so soon as the man destined to achieve the task is forthcoming.
He is found by the same tokens which foretold the future greatness
of Oidipous, Perseus, Telephos, Romulus, or Cyrus. Pelias, the
chief of lolkos, who had driven away his brother Neleus, had been
told that one of the children of Aiolos would be his destroyer, and
decreed therefore that all should be slain, lason only (a name which
must be classed with the many others, lasion, lamos, lolaos, laso,
belonging to the same root) is preserved, and brought up like Achil-
leus by the wise Kentaur Cheiron, the son or descendant of Ixion
and Nephele, the sun and the cloud. The child grows up : Pelias
receives another warning to be on his guard against the one-sandalled
man ; and he discerns his enemy when lason appears with one foot
only shod, having dropped the other slipper into the stream Anauros.
There is nothing, however, that he can do beyond putting him to
the performance of impossible tasks ; and thus as Eurystheus sent
Herakles on hopeless errands, so Pelias thinks to be rid of lason by
bidding him bring the golden fleece back to lolkos.^ The journey
is too long and across seas too stormy, and the toil is too great for
any one man, be he ever so mighty ; and as all the kinsfolk of Helle
are equally sufferers by the robbery, so all must unite to avenge her
•wrongs and regain her wealth, From all parts they come together,
fifty in number, like the children of Danaos and Aigyptos, of Thestios
and Asterodia, to the building of the great ship Argo, which Athene
endows with the gift of speech and the power, possessed also by the
Phaiakian barks, of understanding the thoughts of men. But before
they could leave their own land there was need of yet further help to
enable them to tame the fury of savage beasts, birds, and creeping
things ; and thus lason betakes himself to the harper Orpheus, whose
sweet tones no living thing can withstand. He alone can find his
way to the utmost bounds of darkness and return in safety ; and the
tidings that Orpheus would accompany them scattered the gloom
which was gathering thickly on the hearts of the Argonautai. His
- It is scarcely necessary to notice the assumed the form of an old woman, that
many versions of this myth. In some so she may be borne in his arms. we have the Enipeus or the Evenos in- Others make Pelias declare himself stead of the Anauros ; in others lason ready to yield up his place and power loses his sandal while carrying across to lason, only he must first bring back the stream Here, who loves him and has the lost treasure.
