Meta Description: Join Ad Navseam Ep. 224 as Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle continue their journey through Apollonius of Rhodes’ Argonautica, exploring Heracles, the Six-Armed Giants, and the tragic mistake at Cyzicus!
Welcome back, classical gourmands, to episode 224 of the Ad Navseam podcast! Prepare to get your fill with another delectable discussion of Greco-Roman civilization, stretching from the ancient Minoans and Mycenaeans through the Renaissance and right down to the present.
Broadcasting directly from Parnassus Vomitorium Central (the “bunker”), your devoted hosts return to the microphones. Dr. Jeffrey T. Winkle opens the show reflecting on a summer spent “estivating” in West Michigan, complete with rolling clouds of Canadian wildfire smoke wafting over from Ontario that left the Grand Rapids skyline looking like a scene straight out of Blade Runner. Meanwhile, Dr. David C. Noe recently returned from a Latin colloquium in Texas where he enjoyed speaking Latin, meeting podcast listeners, and indulging in a humorous story about a “melancholy” sheepdog that could only be cheered up by eating cantaloupe!
A Shout-Out to Construction and Classics
Before setting sail with the Argonauts, the hosts share a listener shout-out from Jack Ried, an undergraduate student from Oviedo, Florida, preparing for ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC). Jack writes that he was introduced to the podcast through a professor who shared Episode 112 (featuring Dave’s translation of Samuel Rutherford’s Examen Arminianismi).
Jack admits he was never a fan of reading fiction or ancient literature, but listening to Ad Navseam while working construction over the summer opened his eyes to the world of the scriptores antiqui. The hosts thank Jack for keeping the classical flame burning out on the job site!
The Anti-Heroic Jason and the Shadows of Gotham
Turning to the text, Dave and Jeff return to Apollonius of Rhodes and his four-book Hellenistic epic, the Argonautica (translated by Stanley Lombardo and Cynthia Polsley for Hackett Publishing).
As the hosts observe, Apollonius presents an unusual epic dynamic. Unlike the soaring, central heroism of Achilles in the Iliad or Odysseus in the Odyssey, Jason remains an extraordinarily pale, vacuous hero. He functions as a thin glue holding an ensemble cast together—behaving less like an ancient Greek warrior and more like “Aquaman in the Justice League” or “Robin without Batman”!
Apollonius deliberately keeps Jason in the background to speed the narrative along through various regional set pieces and mythological “shout-outs.”
The Earth-Borne Giants and the Tragic Night at Cyzicus
Picking up the narrative in Book 1 (lines 936ff.), the Argo arrives at Bear Mountain in the Propontis (the Sea of Marmara). The island is inhabited by two very different groups:
- The Earth-Borne Giants: Monstrous, fierce creatures nurtured by Hera, each possessing six stout arms (two at the shoulders and four attached to their ribs).
- The Doliones: A civilized, hospitable populace ruled by King Cyzicus.
King Cyzicus, a noble young man whose beard is still just a soft wisp, greets Jason and the Minyans (Argonauts) with lavish xenia (guest-friendship). Knowing an oracle that warned him never to fight a band of godlike heroes, Cyzicus leaves his new bride, Clytie, in her bridal chamber to feast the strangers with sheep and sweet wine.
While the main crew hikes Mount Dindymon to survey the seaways, the six-armed Earth-Borne Giants attack the ship, attempting to block the harbor mouth with massive crags! Fortunately, Heracles is guarding the vessel. Brandishing his recurve bow, Heracles single-handedly slaughters the monsters like a bronze-age Rambo. When the rest of the Argonauts return, they finish off the giants, leaving their multi-armed corpses stretched along the shore like rows of felled timber.
A Dark Case of Mistaken Identity
After bidding a friendly farewell to King Cyzicus, the Argonauts set sail. However, night falls, winds shift, and a sudden storm drives the Argo right back to the very same island!
In the pitch-black night, neither side recognizes the other:
- The Argonauts do not realize they have landed back on the shores of Bear Mountain.
- The Doliones mistake the Argonauts for invading Macrian pirates.
A horrific battle erupts in the dark. In the confusion, Jason leaps forward and thrusts his spear straight through the chest of his host, King Cyzicus—shattering his sternum and killing him on the spot!
When dawn breaks, the terrible truth is revealed. Overcome with grief, the Argonauts and Doliones spend three days in joint mourning, marching around Cyzicus’s tomb in bronze armor and celebrating funeral games. Devastated by her husband’s death, the young queen Clytie hangs herself, her grief so profound that the local nymphs weep tears that transform into a sacred spring.
The Loss of Heracles: The Broken Oar and Hylas
Resuming their voyage, the Argonauts enter a rowing competition across calm seas. Heracles rows with such immense, violent force that he snaps his wooden oar in two!
When the ship puts in at the Mysian coast near Mount Arganthonion, Heracles ventures deep into the forest to uproot a pine tree to whittle himself a new oar. Meanwhile, his young squire and armor-bearer, Hylas (“water-jug”), goes off with a bronze pitcher to fetch water from a local spring named Pegae.
At the spring, a water nymph catches sight of Hylas in the moonlight. Entanced by his beauty, she reaches her arm around his neck and drags him down into the swirling depths!
Hearing the boy’s faint cry, the hero Polyphemus (not the Cyclops!) searches the woods and alerts Heracles. Consumed by grief and rage, Heracles throws down his pine tree and stampedes through the forest like a bull stung by a gadfly, shouting Hylas’s name in vain.
Abandoning the Star Quarterback
At dawn, the wind picks up, and the helmsman Tiphys urges the crew to set sail. In their rush, the Argonauts accidentally leave Heracles, Hylas, and Polyphemus behind! When the crew realizes they have abandoned their greatest warrior, violent arguments erupt. Telamon (father of Ajax) angrily confronts Jason, accusing him of intentionally stranding Heracles so the hero would not outshine Jason’s glory. Jason sits brooding and silent, unable to offer a defense.
Only the intervention of the winged sons of Boreas (Zetes and Calais) prevents Telamon from turning the ship back. Telamon eventually apologizes, and Jason diffuses the tension with calm, diplomatic words. The Argo sails onward, leaving Heracles behind to complete his legendary twelve labors.
Sponsors and Support
Before wrapping up this episode, the hosts extend a warm thank you to the sponsors keeping Ad Navseam running:
- Hackett Publishing: Expand your library of ancient and modern authors at hackettpublishing.com. Use code AN2026 for 20% off your entire order plus free shipping! Be sure to check out their Lombardo and Polsley translation of the Argonautica, as well as their Hackett Signature Editions Collection featuring premium hardcovers of Aristotle, Augustine, and Nietzsche.
- Ratio Coffee: Upgrade your morning coffee game with a Ratio 4, Ratio 6, or flagship Ratio 8 machine! Designed with automated bloom cycles to deliver a perfect pour-over without squirty plastic components. Visit ratiocoffee.com/adnavseam and enter code ANRATIO2026 for $20 off your entire order.
If you are eager to master lingua Latina (Latin language) or learn ancient Greek, head over to latinperdiem.com! Check out Dr. Noe’s online courses, including MossMethod for Greek (use code 10PLUS for 10% off) and the Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata Latin series. Don’t forget to download the Calvin’s Latin Bible app or the $1.99 Moss Method for Greek Reader app!
Credits & Gustatory Parting Shot
A special thanks goes out to audio engineer Mishka for her expert editing, and to guitarist Jeff Scheetz (jeffscheetz.com) for providing the rock-infused intro (Thrillseeker) and bumper music (Rush Hour).
If you want to get in touch with the hosts, write to Dave at dave@adnavseam.com or Jeff at jeff@adnavseam.com (remember the ‘V’ in Navseam!).
We leave you today with our Gustatory Parting Shot, pulled from Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel, Dune:
“Who controls the spice controls the universe.”
Thanks for listening, and we will catch you next week for Part Four of the Argonautica!
