Editing Phineus (section)

==Mythology==
[[Apollo]] was said to have given the gift of prophecy to Phineus,<ref>[[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], ''Fabulae'' [https://topostext.org/work/206#19 19]</ref> but the latter's own blinding was variously attributed to the outrage against his sons,<ref>Sophocles, fr. 704 Radt</ref> his giving [[Phrixus]] directions on his journey,<ref>''[[Megalai Ehoiai]]'' fr. 254 ({{harvnb|Merkelbach|West|1967}}).</ref> or because he preferred long life to sight,<ref>Hesiod, ''Ehoiai'' fr. 157 ({{harvnb|Merkelbach|West|1967}})</ref> or, as reported in the ''[[Argonautica]]'' (thus the best-known version), for revealing the future to mankind.<ref>Apollonius of Rhodes, 2.178–86</ref> For this reason he was also tormented by the [[Harpy|Harpies]], who stole or defiled whatever food he had at hand or, according to the ''Catalogue of Women'', drove Phineus himself to the corners of the world.<ref>Phineus' food: Apollonius of Rhodes, 2.187–201; his wandering torment: Hesiod, ''Ehoiai'' fr. 157 ({{harvnb|Merkelbach|West|1967}})</ref> According to [[scholia]] on the ''Odyssey'', when asked by Zeus if he preferred to die or lose sight as punishment for having his sons killed by their stepmother, Phineus chose the latter saying he would rather never see the sun, and consequently it was the scorned [[Helios]] who sent the Harpies against him.<ref name="Schol. Od. 12. 69" /> In yet another version, he blinded Phineus at the request of his son [[Aeëtes]], who asked him to do so because Phineus offered his assistance to Aeëtes' enemies.<ref name=":fowl">Fowler, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=scd8AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA222 222], vol. II</ref><ref>Gantz, pp [https://archive.org/details/early-greek-myth-a-guide-timothy-gantz/page/352/mode/2up?view=theater 352–353]</ref> Alternatively the agent of punishment was [[Poseidon]].<ref name=":fowl"/> However the Harpies plagued him, deliverance from this curse motivated Phineus's involvement in the voyage of the ''[[Argo]]''.<ref name="Dräger 2007">{{harvtxt|Dräger|2007}}.</ref> Those accounts in which Phineus is stated to have blinded his sons, add that they had their sight restored to them by the sons of [[Boreas (god)|Boreas]],<ref>[[Argonautica Orphica|''Orphic Argonautica'']] 674</ref> or by [[Asclepius]].<ref>Scholia ad [[Pindar]], ''Pythian Odes'' 13.96</ref>

When the ship landed by his Thracian home, Phineus described his torment to the crew and told them that his brothers-in-law, the wing-footed [[Boreads]], both Argonauts, were fated to deliver him from the Harpies.<ref>Apollonius of Rhodes, 2.234–9</ref> Zetes demurred, fearing the wrath of the gods should they deliver Phineus from divine punishment, but the old seer assured him that he and his brother Calais would face no retribution.<ref>Apollonius of Rhodes, 2.244–61</ref> A trap was set: Phineus sat down to a meal with the Boreads standing guard, and as soon as he touched his food the Harpies swept down, devoured the food and flew off.<ref>Apollonius of Rhodes, 2.263–72</ref> The Boreads gave chase, pursuing the Harpies as far as the "Floating Islands" before [[Iris (mythology)|Iris]] stopped them lest they kill the Harpies against the will of the gods.<ref>Apollonius of Rhodes, 2.282–7</ref> She swore an oath by the [[Styx]] that the Harpies would no longer harass Phineus, and the Boreads then turned back to return to the Argonauts. It is for this reason, according to Apollonius, that the "Floating Islands" are now called the [[Strophades]], the "Turning Islands".<ref>Apollonius of Rhodes, 2.288–97</ref> Phineus then revealed to the Argonauts the path their journey would take and informed them how to pass the [[Symplegades]] safely, thus partially filling the same role for [[Jason]] that [[Circe]] did for [[Odysseus]] in the ''[[Odyssey]]''.<ref name="Dräger 2007"/>

A now-lost play about Phineus, ''[[The Persians#Production|Phineus]]'', was written by [[Aeschylus]] and was the first play in the trilogy that included ''[[The Persians]]'', produced in 472 B.C.<ref>{{cite book|title=Aeschylus and Athens|author=Thomson, G.|author-link=George Derwent Thomson|page=279|year=1973|publisher=Lawrence & Wishart|edition=4}}</ref> Eventually, Helios transformed Phineus into a [[Mole (animal)|mole]], a blind creature, over some unspecific insult.<ref>[[Pseudo-Oppian]], ''Cynegetica'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Oppian/Cynegetica/2*.html#612 2.615]</ref>

The story of Phineus and Cleopatra is briefly mentioned in Sophocles' ''[[Antigone (Sophocles play)|Antigone]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Sophocles|title=The Three Theban Plays|publisher=Penguin Classics|year=1984|location=New York City|pages=109|translator-last=Fagles|translator-first=Robert}}</ref>