The constellation perseus is located next to andromeda, the constellation that represents his wife. The constellation is one of the original constellations that was devised by the ancient grecoegyptian astronomer ptolemy who lived between 90 a. Because the gorgons could turn anybody to stone by looking in their eyes, perseus cleverly looked in the shield, so that medusa couldnt look directly into his eyes. Medea, consort of aegeus, king of athens mythological character category. I bought the platonis opera omnia, and the homeri opera and the quality of oxford is very good. Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, being named after the greek mythological hero perseus. This was a rather complex task, as anyone who saw her hideous face would be turned immediately to stonethe gorgons, according to bulfinch, were monstrous females with huge teeth like those of swine, brazen claws, and snaky hair bulfinchs. The story of how jason and a group of famous heroes of greece took to sea in the argos has been told many times, before and after apollonius of rhodes, wrote his argonautica, in the 3rd century b. The wanderings the story of perseus, like the story of the exodus includes an episode of extensive wandering over african desert sands. Apollonius rhodius, argonautica, book 1, line 1 perseus. Kids sat around going, oooh mom, tell us the story of jason again. Jason and the golden fleece the argonautica abebooks.
He received a mirrorlike shield to take on his journey. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. C it is not only the oldest full version of the tale to arrive to our days, but also the only extant example of hellenistic epic. For when over libya flew godlike perseus eurymedon for by that name his. Jason and the golden fleece the argonautica by apollonius. The final stage in this grand metaphor comes in book 3 which mirrors the literary environment in apollonius own day and age, a time invested in realism where epic had been deemed obsolete. The project gutenberg ebook of the argonautica, by apollonius rhodius this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the united states and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. C it is not only the oldest full version of the tale to arrive to our days, but. In his 2006 book perseus, daniel odgen notes the striking affinity between the. Apollonius rhodius, argonautica english xml header genre. Right at the last moment, jason sprays the serpent in the face with a sleeping potion, courtesy of medea. For thou sharest the power of cypris, and by thy lovecares dost charm unwedded maidens. Such parallels had been noted in the past, usually in passing, and frequently under the mistaken nineteenth century impression that both jason and perseus represented the sun battling the his way through the constellations.
But the quality of the sheets and the print of this book is terrible. Perseus is the 24th largest in terms of size in the night sky. Perseus is a constellation in the northern hemisphere. And moms were like, by zeus, im sick of telling that story. Valerius flaccus, argonautica book 2 theoi classical. The late late show with james corden recommended for you. Greek mythologyheroesperseus wikibooks, open books for an. Perseus was a greek hero most famous for his slaying of medusa. The constellation depicting perseus lies in a prominent part of the milky way, which is perhaps why aratus termed him duststained. Apollonius rhodius, argonautica, book 3, line 1 perseus. The argonautica the worlds classics by apollonius of rhodes and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Perseus, in greek mythology, the slayer of the gorgon medusa and the rescuer of andromeda from a sea monster.
Apollonius rhodius, argonautica, book 3, line 1 tufts university. Perseus constellation facts, mythology and how to find. On his way home, perseus came across the monster, cetus, getting ready to eat andromeda. But perseus, with the snakehaired monsters head, that famous spoil, in triumph made his way on rustling pinions through the balmy air and, as he hovered over libyas sands, the blooddrops from the gorgons head dripped down.
The characters in his story are represented by six constellations that occupy a substantial part of the sky. Jason was one of the great heroes of ancient greece, ranking right up there with perseus, theseus, and heracles. Apollonius was royal librarian under ptolemy ii philadelphus during the central years of his reign perhaps c. In greek mythology, perseus was the son of zeus and danae, daughter of acrisius, the king of argos. My science constellation project myth portion 111517. It was first charted by the greek astronomer ptolemy in the 2nd century. That is to say, as usual, ovid pointedly swerves around the epic material as he did with jason and theseus, or distorts it into something grotesque rather than grand. The argonautica, by apollonius rhodius project gutenberg. The argonautica has been divided into the following sections. It is an epic poem in the style of homer, and tells the story of jason and the argonauts and their quest for the golden fleece. Argonautica by apollonius rhodius free at loyal books. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Perseus he was the son of jupiter and danae, and is best known for his killing of the gorgon medusa. Perseus, constellation in the northern sky at about 4 hours right ascension and 40 north in declination.
The very stillness of nature, the silent constellations in the heavens, the. On the part of apollonius there is a passage in the third book of the argonautica 11. Thus, the argonautica is an epic about epic and its evolving classification of what it entails to be a hero. The most characteristic features of the metre of the argonautica are the rarity of elision, the constant occurrence of hiatus, the prevalence of the bucolic diaeresis, the variation in pause and caesura, and the frequent introduction of a spondee in the fifth foot often in two lines consecutively. The constellation was named after the mythical hero perseus. If anyone looked at medusas face they would turn to stone. On the part of apollonius there is a passage in the third book of the argonautica ll. In between lies the introduction to the topic of the poem, the constellations that. Argonautica alexandrian poet apollius of rhodes travel from iolcus to.
Some of his finest passages have been appropriated and improved upon by virgil by the divine right of superior genius. May 10, 2012 the famed 12 labors of heracles occur between parts 2 and 3, and are summarily listed by the hero in his death agony in 4. Hunter, apollonius of rhodes argonautica book iii cambridge 1989. Jan 19, 2015 the argonautica apollonius rhodius 3rd cent. Apollonius rhodius, argonautica, book 1, line 260 perseus. The project gutenberg ebook of the argonautica, by apollonius rhodius this. Perseus was the son of zeus and danae, the daughter of acrisius of argos. The story of jason and the quest for the golden fleece by apollonios rhodios and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The work differs in many respects from the likethemed argonautica of apollonius rhodius, composed four centuries earlier in greek. The finest classic account comes from apollonius of rhodes. The internet classics archive the argonautica by apollonius. It is one of the 48 ancient constellations listed by the 2ndcentury astronomer ptolemy, and among the 88 modern constellations defined by the international astronomical union iau.
The texts of the argonautica and platos dialogues were taken from the perseus project. Su persei, the brightest of the three, has an apparent. But the thing that really sets the argonautica apart from its predecessors is that the argonautica is a love. The legend of his epic and dramatic life was massively popular. Surely my soul within me wavers with speechless amazement as i ponder. Learn more about the traditional story of perseus in this article.
The best of the argonauts uc press ebooks collection. The argonautica was translated by varro atacinus, copied by ovid and virgil, and minutely studied by valerius flaccus in his poem of the same name. The constellation perseus occupies an area of 615 square degrees and contains three stars with known planets. Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, being named after the greek mythological hero. The famed 12 labors of heracles occur between parts 2 and 3, and are summarily listed by the hero in his death agony in 4. With the help of hermes wings and athenas shield, perseus killed medusa without looking at her. The only surviving greek epic to bridge the gap between homer and late antiquity, this epic poem is the crowning literary achievement of the ptolemaic court at alexandria, written by appolonius of rhodes in the third century bc. The late late show with james corden recommended for. Seatons translation of the text online for free here, or you can read any other edition you prefer. Apollonius rhodius, argonautica, book 3, line 801 tufts university.
Argonautica 5 points4 points3 points 3 months ago im gonna have to check around, but if its true, its horrifying. Myth about andromeda and perseus windows to the universe. Valerius flaccus, argonautica book 1 theoi classical texts. In all likelihood, apollonius was influenced by the story of danae and perseus. Danae and zeus, the parents of perseus prophecy about acrisius, king of argos. Apollonius rhodes argonautica bk 3 cambridge greek and latin classics by r. Perseus, the nephew of the king of the city of argos noticed her as he was sailing by and immediately fell in love with her. The argonautica by apollonius rhodius full text free book. Nov 14, 2017 my science constellation project myth portion 111517. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Essay medea in apollonius rhodius and euripides david. This tale describes a voyage by heroes and demigods in the generation preceding those of the trojan war. The argonautica is the dramatic story of jasons quest for the golden fleece and his relations with the dangerous princess medea. Valerius flaccus, argonautica perseus digital library.
The only surviving hellenistic epic, the argonautica tells the myth of the voyage of jason and the argonauts to. Apollonius of rhodes jason and the golder fleece argonautica. Introduction the argonautica is the only surviving hellenistic epic and extant work of apollonius rhodius. Originally written in ancient greek sometime in the 3rd century b. In his 2006 book perseus, daniel odgen notes the striking affinity between the stories of jason and perseus, which both represent archetypical quest narratives. As jason enters the grove of the golden fleece, the dragon roars and almost swallows jason whole. He has published extensively in the fields of greek and latin literature. Had he but perseus winged sandals now or the car and the fabled teams of. Polydectes asked perseus to slay and behead the gorgon medusa and bring back her head as his gift. Valerius flaccus was a roman poet who flourished in the late c1st a.
The argonautica is the best known work by the 3rd century bce hellenistic poet and scholar, apollonius of rhodes. It is located near several other constellations named after ancient greek legends surrounding perseus. The only surviving hellenistic epic, the argonautica tells the myth of the voyage of jason and the argonauts to retrieve the golden fleece from remote colchis. Andromeda insisted that their wedding be celebrated.
But it is greek epic poetry updated for the tastes of a more discerning and rational hellenistic audience. Perseus compared to moses and the danites of jaffa by john. Richard hunter is regius professor of greek at the university of cambridge and a fellow of trinity college. The argonautica is a greek epic poem written by apollonius rhodius in the 3rd century bc. His only surviving work is an unfinished epic poem entitled the argonautica, describing the voyage of the argonauts in their quest for the golden fleece. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. As the monster starts to snooze, jason grabs the golden fleece, and with medea and the argonauts in tow, he makes a break for the argo. He promised to rescue andromeda if her parents would allow him to marry her. How to study poetry edited with donald russell, cambridge, 2011, plato and the. The argonautica apollonius of rhodes ancient greece.