Page:History of Greece Vol I.djvu/264

 232 HISTORY OF 'GREECE any means of determining what the original story was ; for the narrative, as we have it, borrowed from later sources, is enlarged by local tales from the subsequent Greek colonies Ky zikus, Herakleia, Sinope, and others. Jason, commanded by Pelias to depart in quest of the golden fleece belonging to the speaking ram which had carried away Phryxus and Helle, was encouraged by the oracle to invite the noblest youth of Greece to his aid, and fifty of the most distin guished amongst them obeyed the call. Herakles, Theseus, Telamon and Peleus, Kastor and Pollux, Idas and Lynkeus Zetes and Kalais, the winged sons of Boreas Meleager, Am- phiaraus, Kepheus, Laertes, Autolykus, Menoatius, Aktor, Ergi- nus, Euphemus, Ankoeus, Poeas, Periklymenus, Augeas, Eurytus, Admetus, Akastus, Kseneus, Euryalus, Peneleos and Leitus, Askalaphus and lalmenus, were among them. Argus the son of Phryxus, directed by the promptings of Athene, built the ship, inserting in the prow a piece of timber from the celebrated oak of Dodona, which was endued with the faculty of speech :* Ti- phys was the steersman, Idmon the son of Apollo and Mopsus Kincethdn in tho Herakleia touched upon the death of Hylas near Kius in Mysia (Schol. Apollon. Rhod. i. 1357). The epic poem Naupactia, Frag. 1 to 6, Diintz. p. 61. Eumtlus, Frag. 2, 3, 5, p. 65, Diintz. Epimenides, the Kretan prophet and poet, composed a poem in 6500 lines, 'ApyoCf vavirjjyiav re, nal 'laaovof elf KoA^ovf inron^ovv (Diogen. Lae'r. i. 10, 5), which is noticed more than once in the Scholia on Apollonius, on subjects connected with the poem (ii. 1125 ; iii. 42). See Mimnerm. Frag. 10, Schneidewin, p. 15. Antimachus, in his poem Lyd, touched upon the Argonautic expedition, and has been partially copied by Apollonius Rhod. (Schol. Ap. Rh. i. 1290; 11. 296: iii. 410; iv. 1153). The logographers Pherekydes and Ilekataeus seem to have related the ex- pedition at considerable length. The Bibliothek der alten Literatur und Knnst (Gottingen, 1786, 2Us Stuck, p. 61) contains an instructive Dissertation by Groddeck, Ueber die Argonautika, a summary of the various authorities respecting this expedi- tion. 1 Apollon. Rhod. i. 525 ; iv. 580. Apollodor. i. 9, 16. Valerius Flaccus (i. 300) softens down the speech of the ship Argo into a dream of Jason. Alexander Polyhistor explained what wood was used (Plin. II. N. xiii