Greek Legends (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1916 edition. Excerpt: ...harpies which made his life a misery. They had been set upon him by the sun god as a punishment for the wrongs Phineus had done to his first wife, the daughter of Boreas, and her two children, whom he had cast into prison. Now, however, her brothers, Calais and Zetes, felt that Phineus had been punished long enough. Seeing how priceless was the help he could give the Argonauts, they spread their mighty wings and drove the evil birds away for ever. Then they freed their sister and set her sons upon their father's throne. The grateful Phineus then warned Jason of the dangers that lay before the ship, and how they might pass through them unscathed. First, he told them of the Symplegades, the two clashing rocks that stood at the entrance to the Black Sea, and which would crush Argo to pieces, as they had crushed so many vessels before her, drawing nearer and nearer together as she drew between them, and finally destroying her utterly. Jason listened to the counsel of Phineus, and when Argo was in sight of the great blue rocks, bidding his men rest upon their 'oars in readiness to start at a moment's notice, he let fly a dove. The rocks closed upon it, and then slowly drew away again, to return to their ordinary position. The moment they began to retreat, Jason called to his men to strain every nerve, and rowing at the top speed of which they were capable, to get through the rocks before they could begin to close again. With a mighty effort they did it; they saw the fearsome cliffs draw nearer, nearer on either hand, but when they clashed together only the outmost portion of the stern was caught. At the first halt the helmsman died of disease, and Idmon the seer perished likewise, as he had foreseen. In the land of the Amazons they made no stay....