Zetes
Family: Argonauts · Role: hero · First appears: Book I 2
In Book I, Zetes is identified with Calais as “Zetes and Calais, sons of Boreas.” Their mother is Oreithyia, daughter of Erechtheus, who bore them to Boreas.
In Book II, Phineus foretells that the sons of Boreas will restrain the Harpies, and Zetes offers to help only if Phineus swears they will retain heaven’s favour. Zeus then grants Zetes and Calais tireless strength for the pursuit. When Iris declares that the Harpies will never again approach Phineus and swears this by Styx, Zetes and Calais turn back; Zetes had driven the Harpies away and prevented them from killing Phineus.
Relationship record
Life events
- Phineus foretells that the sons of Boreas will restrain the Harpies.(Book II 2)
- Zetes offers to help Phineus against the Harpies if Phineus swears they will retain heaven's favour.(Book II 2)
- With: Phineus
- “And we will never check the Harpies when they come, for all our desire, until thou hast sworn that for this we shall not lose the favour of heaven.”
- Zeus grants Zetes and Calais tireless strength to pursue the Harpies.(Book II 3)
- Iris swears the Harpies will never again approach Phineus, ending the pursuit.(Book II 3 · 📍 Floating Islands)
- With: Iris Calais Phineus
- “With these words she took an oath by the waters of Styx, which to all the gods is most dread and most awful, that the Harpies would never thereafter again approach the home of Phineus, son of Agenor, for so it was fated. And the heroes yielding to the oath, turned back their flight to the ship.”
- Zetes drives away the Harpies and prevents them from killing Phineus.(Book II 4)
- “telling them how far they had driven the Harpies and how his prevented their slaying them”
Book I 2
- parent: Boreas “Zetes and Calais, sons of Boreas”
- parent: Oreithyia “Oreithyia, daughter of Erechtheus, bare to Boreas”
- siblings with Calais “Zetes and Calais, sons of Boreas”
- elder kin: Erechtheus “Oreithyia, daughter of Erechtheus, bare to Boreas”
Book II 2
- protégé: Phineus “Yet our spirit is dismayed within us for all our desire to aid thee, if indeed the god has granted this privilege to us two.”
- parent: Boreas “These pests, the oracle declares, the sons of Boreas shall restrain.”
- siblings with Cleopatra (Zetes is identified immediately beforehand as one of the sons of Boreas.) “These pests, the oracle declares, the sons of Boreas shall restrain. And no strangers are they that shall ward them off if indeed I am Phineus who was once renowned among men for wealth and the gift of prophecy, and if I am the son of my father Agenor; and, when I ruled among the Thracians, by my bridal gifts I brought home their sister Cleopatra to be my wife.”
- with Phineus (Zetes offers to aid Phineus against the Harpies.) “Yet our spirit is dismayed within us for all our desire to aid thee, if indeed the god has granted this privilege to us two.”
Book II 3
- siblings with Calais “the two sons of Boreas”
- parent: Boreas “the two sons of Boreas”
- patron: Zeus “For Zeus imparted to them tireless strength”
- mentor: Iris “It is not lawful, O sons of Boreas, to strike with your swords the Harpies, the hounds of mighty Zeus”
- with Phineus (Zetes helps defend Phineus from the Harpies.) “Then were those two eager to help him because of the oath.”
- mentor: Phineus “Wherefore now obey my counsel, if indeed with prudent mind and reverencing the blessed gods ye pursue your way;”
Book II 4
- parent: Boreas “the twin sons of Thracian Boreas came darting from the sky”
- protégé: Phineus “Assuredly there was then, Phineus, some god who cared for thy bitter woe, and brought us hither from afar, that the sons of Boreas might aid thee”
⭐ Constellation map → · 📖 Read the original → · 🗂 Character index → · 🕰 Chronicle → · 📍 Places →
Extracted from the original text of The Argonautica. Made with Rho MD.