Page:The Mythology of the Aryan Nations.djvu/417

Rh 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

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.
 * It is scarcely necessary to notice the assumed the form of an old woman, that