Poseidon Project (Jason & the Argonauts)

I came across this project page while reviewing a Wikipedia article.

Poseidon Project

The premise of the site is that the myth of Jason & the Argonaughts was based on a true event that took place sometime in the BC era of Greece. They claim some interesting discoveries, and after reviewing the information on the site, I really can't find anything that stands out as blatently wrong.

However, their site has not been updated in almost a decade. I find this frustrating, because I want to know more about the subject.

So, my questions...

What is your opinion of the information on the site?
Has anyone heard anything more recent about this proejct?

Thanks.

I don't think the trip ever happened the way that story tells it.

the crew has an assortment of mythical characters now known to be based on heroes from other older characters.

the greeks were famous for stealing anything from any other culture that they liked the look of, maybe stealing is a strong word. When Antiochus 1st heard about Oannes from a book he ordered the Babylonian priest Berossus to write he adopted him as a god and Oannes ended up being worshipped back in Greece as a brother of Poseidon. The greeks didn't know of course that Oannes had been invented by Berossus and was based on the Babylonian fisherman Uan. So the greeks got a fishman and Berossus got a good laugh.

When you consider things like that which are known its not hard to see that these stories which by the greek standard were brand new were simply retellings of older stories from older cultures just adapted for a new audience. the claim that the Argonauts went to Colchis at the end of the world does date from their era as its hows that their knowledge of the world went as far as Georgia (ussr). your link seems to be claiming that Colchis was in S America
as such I am not surprised that it didnt get any further as it is on the whole pseudohistoric.
en.wikipedia.org...

Now mostly the western part of Georgia, it was in Greek mythology the home of Aeëtes and Medea and the destination of the Argonauts, as well as being the possible homeland of the Amazons. The ancient area is represented roughly by the present day Georgian provinces of Mingrelia, Imereti, Guria, Ajaria, Svaneti, Racha, Abkhazia and the modern Turkey’s Rize Province and parts of Trabzon and Artvin provinces.[7] One of the most important elements in the modern Georgian nation, the Colchians were probably established in the Caucasus by the Middle Bronze Age.[8]

So does that make Georgia the homeland of the Gorgons?


en.wikipedia.org...


Jason aquired the golden fleece in one of his adventures. Here we see Athena and a great serpent guarding over the golden fleece. Athena is wearing the Gorgon on her front. What is strange about this picture is that Athena is not associated with the legend of the golden fleece.



en.wikipedia.org...

in later times in Greece protective symbols tend to run together and that cup is from around 500bce
the shield that Athena is wearing on her chest is the Aegis, a protective device that originated with Zeus. Thats why it has the Gorgon on it because her powerful gaze is in this case being used to protect her. The Golden fleece of course is another protective symbol.

but you did make me think

Three gorgons
Three Stygian witches named after the land of the dead styx
the greeks believed that Colchis was part of the underworld

I wonder which myth became the other ?



[edit on 21-11-2007 by kerkinana walsky]

It’s highly possible the Greeks took the legend of Athena from the Libyans and or the Georgians. Athena is identified with wisdom and warfare. Athena is usually closely associated with serpents which are also tied to wisdom. Athena could have been a Georgian who knew about legends from the western world, also known as the underworld. The world was thought to be flat and anything on the other side would have to have been the underworld.
en.wikipedia.org...


Colchis, Nyx (Night) and Erebus (Darkness) are known to be associated with the three Hesperides.
en.wikipedia.org...


The Hespereides were the Western Maidens, the daughters of Evening. The Sunset Goddesses.
en.wikipedia.org...

If you look back at the photo of Athena and the great serpent, you’ll notice that the tree holding the golden fleece has golden apples on it. The Hespereides were said to guard over the golden apples. Some of daughters took it for themselves and so Hera posted a Dragon (the great serpent) around the tree to be sure. Maybe Athena is supposed to be one of the Hesperides in this art work. The Wikipedia article on the Hespereides says that there is a legend about Athena returning the golden apples back to the tree. This could be the case in the photo.

The tale of the golden apples is very interesting. The fruit that looks gold is the Orange. The orange groves of Gades, modern day Cadiz Spain, could have been the source of the legend . Or even farther, the orange groves of Florida, the land of Atlas could have been the source. Atlas was also known to be the father of the Hespereides.

The land of Atlas:

There are numerous ancient sites in Mexico with word form of TLA.

Here’s just a few:

Cuicatlan
Ixcaquiztla
Cacaxtla
Tepetzintla
Tlatayan
Acatlan
Tilantongo
Tzilacayoapan
Tollan

The name reaches as far as the state of Oregon with the Native American name Tualatin.

thats very interesting
except for the fact that Atlas is the latinised version of Greek Atalos you might have been onto something


unless of course the Atlanteans spoke latin ?

There's a theory as well that the story is based on a much older Celtic myth from well before Greeks, some even think that the journey and battle may have been in the Americas, and over metals and plunder instead of one woman.

the Celts don't predate the Greeks

and some people will think anything
I'm sure theres some that thing the myth originated on an alien planet, but that doesn't "make it so"

reply to post by kerkinana walsky


But Celts are the direct descendants of the People who existed prior to Greek and Roman times are they not? Romans might have even created the figure Jesus Christ after Lugh of the Long Arm, a Celtic deity whose birth was the result of god sleeping with mortal women.

Originally posted by PontiacWarrior
But Celts are the direct descendants of the People who existed prior to Greek and Roman times are they not?

Romans and Greeks are also the same people as the Celts genetically. Myths spread in many directions and change due to cultural influence in the retelling

Originally posted by PontiacWarrior
Romans might have even created the figure Jesus Christ after Lugh of the Long Arm, a Celtic deity whose birth was the result of god sleeping with mortal women.

Lugh starts off as a character in Irish (Gallic) mythology and is later adopted by the Celts
much much later
and Lugh was not a deity he was drowned in the end.

there are hundreds of stories of Heroes being created by Gods sleeping with Human women

only one though that has the claim to be the first which tells of a son of one of these gods and a mortal woman who ends up being crucified
and that of course is Dionysus




[edit on 3-12-2007 by kerkinana walsky]

Originally posted by kerkinana walsky
...there are hundreds of stories of Heroes being created by Gods sleeping with Human women

only one though that has the claim to be the first which tells of a son of one of these gods and a mortal woman who ends up being crucified
and that of course is Dionysus

Glory be unto him. And his spirit(s).

Harte