Symplegades
placeThe Clashing Rocks at the entrance to the Black Sea that crushed any ship attempting to pass between them.
The Myth
They crushed everything that tried to pass — until the Argo made it through and they froze forever. The Symplegades were two massive rocks at the Bosphorus that slammed together whenever a vessel entered the strait. Phineus told Jason to send a dove through first: if it survived, the Argo could follow. The dove lost only its tail feathers. Jason ordered the Argonauts to row at full speed, and Athena pushed the stern through at the last instant. The rocks clipped the ship's stern ornament but the Argo survived. After that, the Symplegades became fixed — never to clash again. The myth likely encodes real navigational dangers in the Bosphorus strait.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The myth may encode real knowledge of dangerous currents and narrow passages in the Bosphorus.
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