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Hans Denck

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thehistorianshut
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Hans Denck (c. 1495-1527)

“Oaths and swearing should not be done because no human has power to keep them.”

  • From Concerning True Love (c. 1527), by Hans Denck, translated b D. Liechty (Paulist Press, 1994).

Queen Matilda, The Lofty Wife Of William The Conqueror, Was Actually Quite Small In Stature

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thehistorianshut
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William of Normandy (c. 1027/1028-1087) was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy and Herleve, the daughter of a tanner. Luckily for William, his father, Duke Robert, never fathered any other known sons. Therefore, when Robert decided to leave France in order to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the duke made sure everyone knew that William was the heir to his domain. Duke Robert died in 1035, while returning home from that aforementioned pilgrimage. Upon the death, William was recognized as the new Duke of Normandy. Even so, his illegitimate birth left him vulnerable to rivals who coveted his power.

William’s childhood was perilous, with plots and schemes around every corner. After surviving his dangerous youth, William was knighted in 1042, at the age of fifteen, and began to assert his ducal powers. The many resulting rebellions caused by these attempts to assert authority continued for well over a decade. In fact, the revolts in Normandy were still ongoing when William began considering marriage. He ultimately married Matilda, the daughter of Count Baldwin V of Flanders. The duke and the count were both in vital need of allies and the union would be of mutual benefit. Arrangements between the two rulers began as early as 1049, but the marriage took place in 1053, when William was in his mid-twenties. At the time of their wedding, the rebellions in Normandy still posed a serious threat to William, and he would not regain complete control for another one or two years.

Matilda of Flanders, William’s new wife, was said to have been one of the great beauties of her day. The marriage proved quite fruitful, and she would eventually give birth to four sons and a least five or six daughters. Although her husband’s position may have seemed precarious to Matilda in 1053, William would eventually make himself the strongest warlord in northern France and, after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, he also made himself the king of England. Although the union was a politically arranged marriage, William evidently trusted and respected Matilda, for when he crossed the English Channel to conquer the Anglo-Saxon kingdom; he made his wife (aided by their son, Robert Curthose) the regent ruler of Normandy.

When the abbey of Ste Trinité, located in Caen, underwent excavations in 1961, Queen Matilda’s bones were examined. Based on observations of the bones, scholars made an interesting observation—Queen Matilda was really, really short. They estimated that she could only have been around four feet, two inches tall! Compared to the above-average height of her husband, William (approximately five feet, ten inches), the powerful pair must have been quite the sight.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Picture Attribution: (Painting of Queen Matilda sewing, c. 1868, by Joseph Martin Kronheim (1810–96), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).

Sources:

Confucius

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thehistorianshut
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Confucius (6th-5th century BCE)

“The demands that a gentleman makes are upon himself; those that a small man makes are upon others.”

  • From The Analects of Confucius (Book XV, 20) translated by Arthur Waley (Vintage Books, 1989).

The Unfortunate Fates Of The Two Men Who Simultaneously Claimed To Be Emperors Of Bulgaria in 1040

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thehistorianshut
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The year 1040 was rough for the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire. Not only did the reigning emperor, Michael IV (r. 1034-1041), lose all of his taxes from Dalmatia in a shipwreck—the gold was opportunistically scooped up by the Serbs—but two separate men also rebelled against the authority of Constantinople, claiming themselves to both be emperors of Bulgaria. This Bulgarian rebellion, although it only lasted about one year, would prove to be a remarkably dramatic episode of Byzantine history.

According to the 11th-century historians, Michael Psellus and John Skylitzes, all of the chaos in Bulgaria originated with a curious man by the name of Peter Deleanos. He claimed to have been the grandson of the famous Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria (r. 997-1014) and also professed himself to be the son of a Hungarian princess. Touting his claim to the Bulgarian and Hungarian thrones, Peter Deleanos stirred many communities from the western portion of the Byzantine Empire into open rebellion.

Basil Synadenos, the commander of the fortress at Dyrrachion (modern Durrës, Albania), initiated the first military response against the rebellion. He mobilized his forces and set off to fight Deleanos. During his march, however, an officer named Michael Dermokaites set in motion a plot to take over his boss’ command. Dermokaites sent a message to Emperor Michael IV, claiming that Synadenos was going to become a rebel. The emperor believed the claim and responded by removing Basil Synadenos from his post and replacing him with the informant. Dermokaites, however, was said to have been an incompetent and tyrannical commander, ultimately causing the soldiers from Dyrrachion to mutiny. In the end, instead of crushing the rebellion, the garrison of Dyrrachion united under a man named Teichomeros, whom they proclaimed was the rightful emperor of Bulgaria.

When Peter Deleanos heard that another rebel leader was touting a claim to Bulgaria, he invited this new claimant and his army to a meeting. Unfortunately, the original leader had no intention of working with the new upstart. According to John Skylitzes, Peter Daleanos again charismatically used his claim of Bulgarian and Hungarian royal blood to bring the soldiers from Dyrrachion over to his side. The event allegedly ended with Teichomeros being stoned to death by the united rebel force.

Even though Deleanos had rid himself of a rival, his bid for power would ultimately be toppled by another high-profile member of the rebellion. Before the year 1040 was over, after Deleanos had defeated a Byzantine army near Thebes, a well-connected man named Alousianos joined the rebellion. He had been the commander of Theodosioupolis and owned an enviable estate, yet he rebelled after the emperor’s advisors brought charges against him, threatening to seize his land and wealth. Deleanos accepted the newcomer into the rebellion and even gave him an army. Alousianos used the force in an unsuccessful assault on Thessalonike and then regrouped his depressed force with Deleanos. Nevertheless, neither leader trusted the other. In the end, Alousianos struck first. John Skylitzes claimed that Alousianos held a large banquet in honor of the founder of the rebellion. After letting Peter Deleanos get incredibly drunk, Alousianos seized the man and had him blinded. In Michael Psellus’ account of the incident, Alousianos also removed Deleanos’ nose with a culinary knife.

After mutilating the rebellion’s leader, Alousianos abandoned the rebel army and surrendered himself to Emperor Michael IV. The emperor, for his part, did not punish the former rebel—instead, he promoted Alousianos to the rank of magister for his gruesome deed. The emperor then rallied his forces against the Bulgarians and captured their blinded, noseless, leader. In 1041, Peter Deleanos was paraded through Constantinople and put on display in the Hippodrome. The historians, Skylitzes and Psellus, did not mention the rebel leader’s ultimate fate, but it was likely not a pleasant end.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Picture Attribution: (Illustration from the Skylitzes Chronicle of Byzantine History, c. 11th-12th Century, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and Pinterest)

Sources:

Snorri Sturluson

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thehistorianshut
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Snorri Sturluson (c. 1179-1241)

“Although we have been told various stories and have heard about other deeds, it seems to us better that our account should later be expanded than that it should have to be emended.”

  • From King Harald’s Saga (chapter 36), within the Heimskringla by Snorri Sturlusson, translated by Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Pálsson (Penguin Classics, 1966, 2005).

The Unsuccessful Successes Of King Svein II of Denmark

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thehistorianshut
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King Magnus the Good of Norway gained possession of the kingdom of Denmark in 1042, after having made a deal with the Danish king that whoever lived the longest would inherit the kingdom of the other. King Magnus appointed a noble named Svein Ulfsson, also known as Sweyn Estridsen, as an earl in charge of the region of Denmark. This curious nobleman would go on to regain independence for Denmark and set up a dynasty that would rule for centuries. Spectacularly, Svein accomplished this feat despite losing a wide majority of the battles he fought.

Around 1043, Earl Svein rebelled against Magnus the Good while the Norwegian monarch was busy campaigning against the Wends. Hearing the news, King Magnus quickly returned to Denmark in order to put down the rebellion. By 1045, King Magnus had successfully defeated Svein Ulfsson in three major battles, the last of which was the battle of Helganess. Despite this, the Danes continued to resist and when King Magnus the Good died in 1047, Earl Svein took control of Denmark as King Svein II.

Even though King Magnus the Good was dead, Denmark’s Norwegian problem was far from over. The new king of Norway, Harald III (r. 1045-1066), also known as Harald the Hard-ruler or Harald the Ruthless, was determined to bring Denmark back into subjugation, or at least to plunder land for wealth. He kept up constant raids into Denmark and won a major victory against King Svein’s forces at Nissa in 1062. Despite the constant military losses, King Svein must have been a brilliant diplomat—he kept his vassals happy, managed to stay alive and, by 1064, made peace with King Harald, who was planning an ill-fated invasion of Britain.

King Harald III invaded Britain in 1066, almost simultaneously with William the Conqueror of Normandy. Harald was killed on September 25, 1066, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Just a few days later, on October 14, William the Conqueror defeated the Anglo-Saxon king, Harold Godwinson, at the Battle of Hastings and claimed the English throne for himself.

When he heard of the Norwegian king’s death, Svein II decided to make a move against Harald’s successors. The campaign, like most of Svein’s other military maneuvers, did not end in victory. Harald’s sons, Magnus Haraldsson and Olaf the Quiet, fought off the Danish advance and secured some much-needed peace for Norway.

King Svein II, like his deceased Norwegian tormentor, also had ambitions in Britain. He took advantage of Anglo-Saxon rebellions against William the Conqueror to launch an invasion into York in 1069. Nevertheless, his troops were quickly outmatched by the Norman military and the Danes were forced to make peace by 1070. After this, King Svein seemingly settled down to more peaceful ambitions, particularly religion and scholarship. After a paradoxical life of military losses, but political victories, King Svein II of Denmark died in 1074. His descendants would continue to rule Denmark for around three centuries.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Picture Attribution: (Social media format and edited Eighteenth-century engraving of the early English kings Sweyn, Olaus, Edmund II, and Canute National Portrait Gallery(ER14679), National Portrait Gallery, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).

Sources:

Aristotle

By
thehistorianshut
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Aristotle (384-322 BCE)

“Just as at the Olympic Games it is not the best-looking or the strongest men present that are crowned with wreaths, but the competitors (because it is from them that the winners come), so it is those who act that rightly win the honours and rewards in life.”

  • From The Nicomachean Ethics (Bekker number 1099a) by Aristotle, translated by J. A. K. Thomson (Penguin Classics, 2004).

The Omens Reported To Have Occurred Before The Assassination Of Emperor Claudius

By
thehistorianshut
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Nearly all of the ancient sources agreed that Emperor Claudius died on October 13, in the year 54. The exact method of death and the number of accomplices in the conspiracy varied from source to source, but the emperor’s wife, Agrippina the Younger, was usually the prime suspect and poison was almost always proposed as her weapon of choice. According to the Roman historian and statesman, Tacitus (c. 56-117), there may have been several signs that could have alerted Claudius to the impending danger—there was allegedly a significant uptick in bizarre anomalies and omens leading up to the emperor’s assassination.

It is vague if Claudius would have listened to any such omens. On the one hand, he was said to have set up a board of soothsayers in the year 47, or at least put pressure on the Senate to make sure soothsayers were given monetary support. Imperial backing for divination, however, wavered in the year 52, when Lucius Arruntius Furius Scribonianus was exiled after allegedly contracting with astrologers to predict the emperor’s death. In the aftermath of the trial, the Senate imposed a decree that attempted to ban all astrologers from operating in Italy.

Despite the recent decree against astrology, Romans apparently continued to take note of the omens that they saw. Tacitus, like other Roman and Greek historians before and after him, decided to record these omens in his account of Claudius’ reign in the text, The Annals of Imperial Rome. Without further ado, here are the bizarre omens allegedly witnessed by ancient historians that foreshadowed the death of Emperor Claudius:

  • A mysterious fire set several military tents and standards ablaze. The inferno, however, was no ordinary fire. The flames were said to have fallen from the sky.
  • A swarm of bees set up their hive in the Capitoline temple.
  • Among the livestock of Rome, a pig was born with the claws of a hawk.
  • Human births were also recorded as omens—some newborns reportedly had bodies that appeared to be half beast.
  • Finally, Tacitus claimed that virtually every government office in Rome suffered a death in the space of a few months. These suspicious deaths supposedly affected the offices of quaestor, aedile, tribune, praetor and consul. After not heeding the omens, the emperor, too, followed these other officials to the realm of the dead.

 

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Picture Attribution: (Modified image based on a 1st century portrait/bust of Roman Emperor Claudius (r. 41-54), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).

Sources:

  • The Annals of Imperial Rome by Tacitus, translated by Michael Grant. New York: Penguin Classics, 1996.

Geoffrey Chaucer

By
thehistorianshut
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Geoffrey Chaucer (1342-1400)

“Wherever there is drunkenness about
No secret can be hidden, make no doubt.”

  • From The Canterbury Tales (The Man of Law’s Tale) by Geoffrey Chaucer, translated to modern English by Nevill Coghill (Penguin Classics, 2003).

10 Legendary Figures From Ancient Greek Folklore And Mythology

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thehistorianshut
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(Guest Article)

Numerous heroes, due to their super-human strength, cunning and courage, were worshipped as gods or demigods. Their diligence in doing their duty for the good of all mankind, as well as their guts to slay monsters, have made their stories truly immortal.

10. Achilles

Achilles was said to have been a demigod born by Thetis, a goddess of the sea, who led the fifty Nereids, and King Peleus, who commanded the Myrmidons of Thessaly. Achilles’ mother, Thetis, dipped her son into the river Styx, making his whole body impervious to attack, except for the heel from which she held him. Achilles was most famous for being a hero in the Trojan War. Although Thetis warned him that he would die if he fought, Achilles wanted fame and glory. So, he marched alongside Agamemnon, Menelaus, Odysseus and other kings against the Trojans, leading fifty ships of Myrmidons. He also brought his cousin and trustworthy companion, Patroclus, whom he really loved and took care of.

After a battle at the shore of Troy, Achilles quarreled with Agamemnon about the loot. Agamemnon took away Achilles’ captured mistress, named Briseis. Her loss made Achilles abandon the war, but Patroclus continued to lead the Myrmidons into the battle, so as to help the retreating Greeks. With Achilles absent, Patroclus was killed by Hector, prince of Troy. Consequently, Achilles was filled with rage, thus he killed Hector in a duel, tied him on his chariot and dragged his dead body along the shores of Troy. Eventually, when Greeks got into the city of Troy, Achilles was killed by Paris, lover of Helen and prince of Troy. According to Homer, Paris shot a fatal arrow, guided by Apollo, to Achilles’ only vulnerable part, the heel.

9. Diomedes

In Greek, the name Diomedes means the one who has divine thoughts, or one whom Zeus consults. His parents were Tydeus and Deipyle. He became the king of Argos and, although unknown to many people, he is famous for his determinant participation in the Trojan war. Homer considered him to be the second-best warrior in the war, bested only by Achilles. He was Hercules’ nephew and Odysseus’ best partner. He came to the shores of Troy having eighty ships, ranking him the third highest of the contributors to the war effort, while Agamemnon had a hundred and Nestor ninety. He was also one of the few warriors supposedly wearing armor crafted and blessed by the gods. His round shield depicted a boar, and he also carried a spear and his father’s sword.

After killing two of the Amazons, Diomedes won a race, which was held by Achilles in the memory of Nestor’s son. When Achilles died, games were also held. These included a foot race, which Diomedes won again and a wrestling match between him and Ajax, which resulted in a tie. Like his Trojan enemy, Aeneas, Diomedes migrated to Italy after the end of the Trojan War, where he founded many cities. A lot of stories claim that he died, but according to Homer, Diomedes was given immortality by Athena, which she had not given to his father.

8. Odysseus

Odysseus was the protagonist in Homer’s Odyssey and was also a very important figure in The Iliad. He was the king of Ithaca, the son of Antiklea and Laertes and was famous for his intelligence, inventiveness and cunning. According to Homer’s poetry, Odysseus invented the Trojan horse, with which Greeks captured the city of Troy. After the ten-year war was over, Odysseus and his crew unfortunately became stranded at sea for another ten years in consequence of the insults against the Gods that he committed in Troy. Luckily for Odysseus, Athena was watching out for him. The ten-year odyssey began with the island of the Cyclops. Odysseus blinded the cyclops, Polyphemus, but only did it after identifying himself as “Nobody.” Blind, Polyphemus cried out that Nobody had blinded him. This confused the other cyclopes, allowing the Greeks to escape. Even so, the wrathful Poseidon took revenge by making Odysseus’ voyage more difficult. Next, the fleet reached the island where Aeolus, the god of the winds, lived. He helped Odysseus by putting all the forceful winds, apart from the west wind, in a bag and gave it to him.

Just before they reached Ithaca, his companions opened the bag, thinking it contained gold, and the ships were blown away in an unknown direction. Following this new course, they encountered the Laestrygonians, the sorceress Circe, and the Sirens. They also ran into the sea monsters, Scylla and Charybdis, as well as the witch Calypso. Finally, they reached the island of the Phaeacians and lastly came home to Ithaca, where Odysseus killed all the suitors who were attempting to claim Penelope’s hand. Eventually, Odysseus was killed by Telegonus, his son with Circe, after the two did not recognize each other in a battle.

7. Theseus

Theseus, a king of ancient Athens, was the son of Aegeus and Aethra. According to myth, he was actually believed to be the son of Poseidon and was considered to be of demigod status. Theseus’ most famous feat was the killing of the Minotaur. According to the myth, when king Minos defeated the Athenians, he obliged them to send seven boys and seven girls every nine years, so as to be eaten by the Minotaur. Theseus, unable to tolerate this sacrifice, decided to be one of these young men. His father told him to change his black sails to white ones on his return from Crete, in order to alert his father that he was still alive. When Theseus came to Crete, he fell in love with Minos’ daughter, Ariadne, who gave him a skein of thread, helping him find his way out from the Minotaur’s labyrinth. Theseus, indeed, killed the Minotaur and returned to Athens. However, he forgot his promise to change the sails. His father, who saw the black sails, thought that his son was dead. In grief, the king committed suicide by plunging from a cliff into the sea. They say that King Aegeus’ memorable death is responsible for giving the Aegean Sea its name.

Theseus was worshipped in Athens with a festival. It was held in his sanctuary near the agora of Theseion on the eighth of October (Pyanopsion) and lasted four days. On the first day, there were sacrifices, and food was distributed to the poor. On the second day, military exercises and torch races took place. The third day was dedicated to the young people. They competed naked in nine different sports, including wrestling, boxing, pankration, javelin and four different types of running and fencing. On the fourth and last day, horse races were held.

6. Pirithous

According to myth, Pirithous was Theseus’ best friend and companion. Together, they hunted the Calydonian Boar. At Pirithous’ marriage with Hippodamia, the centaurs got drunk and tried to abduct the women of the Lapithae, causing a war in which the Lapithae slaughtered the centaurs. Years later, Theseus and Pirithous decided to marry two of Zeus’ daughters. Theseus chose Helen, whom he kidnapped at the age of thirteen and decided to keep until she was able to marry. Pirithous chose Persephone, so he traveled together with Hercules to Hades, the kingdom where Pluto and Persephone reigned as king and queen. Pluto pretended to be their friend, but when they sat in their seats, snakes wrapped around their legs, capturing them. Hercules managed to free Theseus, but the earth began to tremble when he tried to rescue Pirithous. Pirithous made a huge mistake when he tried to kidnap a god’s wife and he ultimately stayed in Hades, captured forever. Along with Theseus, he was worshipped as a hero in Athens.

5. Perseus

Perseus was another Greek hero, famous for killing Medusa and saving Andromeda. Perseus’ grandfather, Acrisius, the king of Argos, wanted an heir to his throne. Frustrated over his lack of sons, King Acrisius visited Pythia, a priestess at Delphi, to learn whether he would have a boy or not. Pythia said that the heir he sought would be his grandson, born by the king’s daughter, Danae. Yet, the priestess also claimed that this grandson would eventually kill Acrisius. Frightened and disappointed by this, Acrisius returned to Argos and locked Danae in a dark tower, so as to not be able to have a child.

Zeus, nevertheless, visited Danae in the guise of a golden rain and impregnated her, causing the birth of Perseus. When Acrisius found out about the child, he locked them in a large chest and threw it in the sea, leaving the gods to decide their destiny. However, they survived and they were found by a fisherman named Diktys. Diktys’ brother, Polydektis, wanted to marry Danae, but he had to deal with Perseus, who was unwilling to give his mother to the man. In response, Perseus was commanded to bring back the head of Medusa, one of the three gorgons. Medusa was a monster that had snakes instead of hair, and she had the ability to literally petrify every man who looked into her eyes. To help with the quest, the gods sent the hero valuable gifts: Perseus obtained winged sandals from Hermes, a helm from Hades, and a magical sword and a shiny shield from Athena. Divinely equipped, he forced the other gorgons to divulge the location of their sister and successfully beheaded Medusa.

On the way back home, Perseus saw a gorgeous woman tied to a rock. She was Andromeda, the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia. Andromeda was so beautiful that she was punished by Poseidon after she claimed that she was more beautiful than the Nereids. She was guarded by a sea dragon, which Perseus killed in order to free her so that she could return with him back to Argos. There, Perseus competed in a discus competition and accidentally killed his grandfather, the king, with his mighty throw. Later, Perseus allegedly founded the city of Mycenae, known for its enormous walls. He had seven children and when he died, gods didn’t send him to Hades, but to the stars. So, the constellations of Andromeda, Cepheus, Perseus and Cassiopeia were created.

4. Bellerophon

Bellerophon was a mythical hero, whose name in Greek means arrow slayer. He was believed to be the son of Poseidon and Eurynome, but was raised by Glaucus, the king of Corinth. After being exiled for the murder of a family member, he was forced to complete three tasks. Athena helped him by giving him a bridle, with which Bellerophon mounted the winged horse, Pegasus. The most famous task was the killing of the Chimaera, a terrible monster that exhaled fire, had the body of a goat, the head of a lion and the tail of a snake. Also, he slew the Amazons and the Solimus tribe, who had been terrorizing the kingdom of Lycia. Eventually, he married the daughter of the king of Lycia, Amfiklea, and they had two sons, Ippolochus and Isandros.

Blinded by the successes and his strength, Bellerophon decided to fly up in the sky and discover the residence of the gods. Then, Zeus, enraged at his arrogance, hit Bellerophon with a thunderbolt, leaving him blind and lame.

3. Hercules

Hercules was not only the strongest man, but he was also considered to be the protector of all mankind. His grandfather was Perseus and his parents were Zeus and Alcmene. Zeus promised that the next son who would be born in the Perseid house would become the ruler of Greece. However, Hera, in order to spite Zeus, was responsible for the birth of another child, Eurystheus, who became king before Hercules. When Hercules was born, Hera sent a couple of snakes into his cradle, intending to kill him, but Hercules strangled them easily. In his later life, Hercules was obliged to serve Eurystheus. He married Megara, princess of Thebes, and had three children. Hera tricked Hercules again, leading him to kill his family in an act of madness. Then, Eurystheus imposed upon him the famous twelve labors:

  • The killing of the Nemean Lion.
  • Killing the nine-headed Hydra of Lerna.
  • The capture of the intangible stag of Cyrene.
  • Facing the wild boar on the mountain of Erymanthus.
  • Cleaning king Augeas’ cattle stables.
  • Slaying the man-eating Stymphalean birds.
  • Capture of the rampaging bull of Crete.
  • Stealing king Diomedes’ man-eating horses.
  • Taking Hippolyte’s girdle.
  • Returning Geryon’s bulls back to Eurystheus.
  • Taking the golden apples of Hesperides.
  • Fetching Cerberus from Hades.

After he completed these labors, Hercules undertook further missions. The most important was his victorious fight against the god, Achelous, for the hand of Deianeira. On the way back home, the centaur, Nessus, tried to take Deianeira away, but Hercules shot him with a poisonous arrow. As the centaur died, he mischievously told Deianeira to keep his blood and claimed that if Hercules wore a garment rubbed with it he would love her forever. Many years later, Hercules fell in love with another woman, named Iole. Jealous, Deianeira sent Hercules a garment covered in the centaur’s blood as a gift. Unfortunately, the gift proved to be poisonous and Hercules, screaming out in pain, committed suicide by burning himself to death on mount Oiti. Even today the top of this mountain is called Pyra (pyre). After his death, Hercules was sent to Olympus where he married Hebe, goddess of youth. In art, he was depicted as robust, youthful and gigantic, usually dressed with a lion skin and holding a club in his hand.

2. Jason

Jason was famous for being the heroic leader of the Argonauts, whose task was to retrieve the Golden Fleece. He was the son of King Aeson and Polyamide, aunt of Odysseus, and was raised by the centaur, Chiron. The quest began when his uncle Pelias, fearing a prophecy that a one-sandaled man could take his throne (aka Jason), commanded Jason to fetch the Golden Fleece. The fleece was owned by King Aeëtes and guarded by a vicious fire-breathing bull, earthen men and even a dragon (or a giant serpent).

So, the Argonauts sailed on their famous ship, Argo, from Greece to Colchis in search of their goal. After many adventures, Jason managed to return back to Iolkos with the Golden Fleece and even eloped with the sorceress Medea, the daughter of King Aeëtes. Once back, Jason wanted to avenge his father’s murder. Medea helped him accomplish this by tricking Pelias’ daughters into murdering their own father. Jason and Medea left Iolkos and lived peacefully for about ten years in Corinth, until Jason fell in love with Glauce. Enraged, Medea killed her own children, as well as Glauce, and abandoned Jason for a new life in Athens. Years later, Jason became the king of Iolkos and died in his sleep inside his ship, Argo.

1. Atalante

Atalante’s origin is not certain. She was believed to be from Arcadia or Thebes. She was a mythical heroine, protected by the goddess, Artemis, and was the only woman who took part in the Argonaut expedition. According to Hesiod, she was a virgin huntress, unwilling to marry. When two centaurs tried to rape her, she killed them both with her bow. Atalante offered to marry anyone who could defeat her in a foot race, but promised that she would kill anyone who failed. Many men tried and many died. Eventually, a man called Hippomenes (or Milanion) managed to outrun her, albeit with the help of Aphrodite, and Atalante married him. They had one son, Parthenopaeus. The asteroid 36 Atalante, discovered in 1855, was named in her honor.

Written by Stefanos Karampalis. (Read his Author Profile, HERE)

Picture Attribution: (censored and cropped version of The Apotheosis of Hercules, by Noël Coypel (1628–1707), [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).

Sources:

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