Tales of the Greek Heroes

After Medea’s crime, the Argonauts cross the Black Sea. Because the ship contains timber from Dodona, the location of an oracle, it speaks to them about Zeus’s anger and their need for purification. The voice guides them to the island of Aeaea, home of Circe the enchantress. On the way, the Argonauts encounter wild bears and the violent Laestrygonians before reaching the Garden of the Hesperides, where they rest.

Next, they sail to Circe, who is also Medea’s aunt. Circe purifies them, and they continue their journey. Along the way, however, they encounter the sirens, creatures who entice travelers with their song and then tear them apart with their claws. Orpheus plays music and manages to drown out the sirens, many of whom die because mortal men resist their song.

The Argonauts continue their journey, passing by the monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis, along with other wonders. Jason and Medea marry while in the land of the Phaeacians. When they arrive in Crete, a giant named Talos, created by Hephaestus for King Minos, is causing havoc by sinking every ship that approaches. Medea tricks him, promising to make him king if he allows her to land on the island with one companion.