Heroes by Stephen Fry

Author:Stephen Fry
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781405940382
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2018-09-26T16:00:00+00:00

THE JOURNEY HOME

By the time the last pieces of Absyrtus had been dropped into the water at careful intervals, Aeëtes’ ship was far behind, out of sight below the horizon. Night had fallen when Jason and Ancaeus felt confident in altering course back to their original destination.

A week later the Argo slipped safely and unobserved through the marshes that fringed the mouth of the Istros and entered into Thrace.

Their route swung, as Nestor had explained when he told the other Argonauts of his plan, in a wide arc west and north through the strange kingdom of the Hyperboreans – through what we would call Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Sloveniafn64 – until they struck south around Italy and the Peloponnese.

The talking figurehead, though, began telling Jason that they had no chance of reaching Iolcos.

‘What are you saying?’ said Jason. ‘The Colchians lost us weeks ago, there’s fair weather ahead and our route is clear. What can stop us?’

‘The gods can stop you,’ said the figurehead. ‘The weather may be fair, but your behaviour has been foul.’

Jason looked over his shoulder to be sure that Medea was not within earshot. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You know very well,’ tutted the figurehead. ‘A blood crime of the most abominable kind has been committed. Did you think such a thing could go unpunished? If you fail to cleanse yourselves, Zeus and Poseidon will send storms and sea serpents until there is nothing left of this ship and its crew. Nothing left but me, of course …’

‘How can we cleanse ourselves?’

‘Put in at Aeaea and seek the help of the sorceress Circe.’

‘What a good idea,’ said Medea, who had heard everything. She had very sharp hearing. ‘She is my aunt and knows even more than me about potions, enchantments and cleansing rites.’

Circe welcomed them on her home island of Aeaea with warmth and genuine happiness. Wolves and lions came out with her to meet them, but they proved to be as tame as domestic dogs and cats, licking them and nuzzling around their ankles. She lived a lonely life, taking most of her pleasure in turning sailors unfortunate enough to land on Aeaea into domestic animals.fn65

Circe took great delight in performing the rituals, chanting the appropriate incantations and piacular prayers, for the purification of her niece and the proper propitiation of the gods.

Overnight, however, the truth of what Medea had done was revealed to Circe in a dream and the following morning she cursed them off her island with shrieks of disgust.

‘In the name of all that is holy, he was your younger brother, my nephew! It is only because I fear committing a blood crime like yours that I let you leave unharmed!’ she yelled after them. ‘Go and never return!’

‘I thought that went rather well,’ said Medea sweetly as they sailed south, hugging Italy’s western coast.

They were upon Sirenum Scopuli, the Siren Rock, before they knew it. The strains of sweet music were wafted into the ears of everyone on board as they approached.

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