Argonauts (Greek mythology); Jason -- (Mythological character); Medea, consort of Aegeus, King of Athens (Mythological character)
"Hearken to me. For I deem that I alone can subdue for you that man,
whoever he be, even though his frame be of bronze throughout, unless his
life too is everlasting. But be ready to keep your ship here beyond the
cast of his stones, till he yield the victory to me."
Thus she spake; and they drew the ship out of range, resting on their
oars, waiting to see what plan unlooked for she would bring to pass; and
she, holding the fold of her purple robe over her cheeks on each side,
mounted on the deck; and Aeson's son took her hand in his and guided her
way along the thwarts. And with songs did she propitiate and invoke the
Death-spirits, devourers of life, the swift hounds of Hades, who,
hovering through all the air, swoop down on the living. Kneeling in
supplication, thrice she called on them with songs, and thrice with
prayers; and, shaping her soul to mischief, with her hostile glance she
bewitched the eyes of Talos, the man of bronze; and her teeth gnashed
bitter wrath against him, and she sent forth baneful phantoms in the
frenzy of her rage.
Father Zeus, surely great wonder rises in my mind, seeing that dire
destruction meets us not from disease and wounds alone, but lo! even
from afar, may be, it tortures us! So Talos, for all his frame of
bronze, yielded the victory to the might of Medea the sorceress. And as
he was heaving massy rocks to stay them from reaching the haven, he
grazed his ankle on a pointed crag; and the ichor gushed forth like
melted lead; and not long thereafter did he stand towering on the
jutting cliff. But even as some huge pine, high up on the mountains,
which woodmen have left half hewn through by their sharp axes when they
returned from the forest--at first it shivers in the wind by night, then
at last snaps at the stump and crashes down; so Talos for a while stood
on his tireless feet, swaying to and fro, then at last, all
strengthless, fell with a mighty thud. For that night there in Crete the
heroes lay; then, just as dawn was growing bright, they built a shrine
to Minoan Athena, and drew water and went aboard, so that first of all
they might by rowing pass beyond Salmone's height.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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