Phineus

As the Argonauts came to Salmydessos in Thrace, they found King Phineus sitting at a table covered with food crumbs. He was pale, thin, and blind. He welcomed the heroes and offered them a meal. As soon as the food was set before them, two winged creatures swooped down with loud cries. They had the faces and hair of maidens, but the wings and claws of hawks. They snatched the food from the table and flew away. The little they left behind gave off such a foul smell that nobody could touch it.

Phineus had the gift of prophecy and could see the future without ever being wrong. His impiety and misuse of this gift had brought punishment from the gods. They sent the Harpies against him, and the creatures tormented him whenever food was placed before him. Phineus told the Argonauts that their names were the Whirlwind and the Swift. He also said that they were daughters of Wonder and the Amber-nymph. He promised to advise the heroes about their route if they freed him from the Harpies.

The Argonauts laid out another table. The Harpies immediately descended, shrieking, and seized the food. Zetes and Calais, the winged sons of Boreas, drew their swords and pursued them through the air. The Harpies flew towards the south, while the sons of Boreas followed. Fate decreed that the Harpies would die at the hands of Zetes and Calais, and that the brothers would die if they failed to catch the creatures.

Phineus then faced Zetes and Calais, who accused him of treachery. They asked where their sister Cleopatra was, since he had imprisoned her, and where her two children were, since he had blinded them in anger at the urging of an evil woman. They demanded an oath that he would restore Cleopatra and drive the woman away. Phineus swore the oath and expelled her. Jason took the children and restored their sight with magic herbs. Zetes and Calais then rose sadly and spoke further, but the surviving passage ends before their words and the Harpies' final fate are given.

Zetes and Calais drew their swords and chased the Harpies through the air. The winged creatures had tormented Phineus by snatching food from his table and leaving behind what nobody could eat. The Argonauts had agreed to free him before asking about their route. As sons of Boreas, Zetes and Calais had wings, and they drove the Harpies away across the sky. Phineus was then able to eat the first food he had tasted in years.

In gratitude, Phineus prepared a great meal for the Argonauts and told them about the danger ahead. The Symplegades, or Clashing Rocks, stood in the sea before them. Each rock was enormous, and the winds forced them together. They closed the passage, while mist swirled around them and the crashing stones sent up a tremendous noise. The rocks rolled apart and then collided again. Anything caught between them would be destroyed.

Phineus advised the Argonauts to release a bird between the rocks. If it passed safely, they should follow its course. If it was destroyed, they should not attempt the passage. When the Argo came close to the rocks, Jason released a dove from the prow. The crew watched as it flew between the stones. The rocks struck together, but only the tip of the dove's tail was cut off.

The Argonauts waited until the rocks had drawn apart. Then they rowed with all their strength and received some assistance from Hera as they passed through. The Clashing Rocks closed behind them, and the Argo continued its voyage.

After marrying Idaea, Phineus believed her accusations against his former wife Cleopatra’s sons, Plexippus and Pandion. Idaea was described as an evil woman, and she turned Phineus against the two young men. In his rage, he blinded them and cast them out upon the rocks. Some accounts instead say that he imprisoned them.

The winged brothers Zetes and Calais, sons of the North Wind and brothers of Cleopatra, came before Phineus. The Harpies had been tormenting him because he had betrayed their sister. Zetes and Calais demanded to know where Cleopatra was, and where her two sons had gone. They ordered Phineus to swear that he would restore their sister and drive Idaea away. Otherwise, they threatened to put out his eyes as he had put out the eyes of his own sons.

Phineus swore the oath. He drove Idaea out and agreed to right the wrong against Cleopatra and her children. Zetes and Calais then freed him from the Harpies and drove the winged creatures south. Jason took Plexippus and Pandion and treated their eyes with magic herbs, restoring their sight. In this account, Phineus had been blinded by his own actions against his sons, while the sons were healed after Idaea’s expulsion.