Ovid: iron bulls tamed.

When Jason wanted to obtain the Golden Fleece, he had to perform various deeds, including taming two iron bulls, made by Vulcan. Medea provided him with magical herbs for protection and taming the bulls. At this time she was still deeply in love with Jason.    

Ovidius, Metamorphoses VII, 104-119

ecce adamanteis Vulcanum naribus efflant

aeripedes tauri, tactaeque vaporibus herbae               105

ardent, utque solent pleni resonare camini,

aut ubi terrena silices fornace soluti

concipiunt ignem liquidarum adspergine aquarum,

pectora sic intus clausas volventia flammas

gutturaque usta sonant; tamen illis Aesone natus               110

obvius it. vertere truces venientis ad ora

terribiles vultus praefixaque cornua ferro

pulvereumque solum pede pulsavere bisulco

fumificisque locum mugitibus inpleverunt.

deriguere metu Minyae; subit ille nec ignes               115

sentit anhelatos (tantum medicamina possunt!)

pendulaque audaci mulcet palearia dextra

suppositosque iugo pondus grave cogit aratri

ducere et insuetum ferro proscindere campum:

adamanteus: made of iron

Volcanum = ignem

naris –is (f.): nostril

aeripes –edis: with feet of bronze

vaporibus: by the steam (coming from the noses)

caminus: furnace

ubi terrena silices fornace soluti concipiunt ignem liquidarum adspergine aquarum = aut (ut) silices (resonare solent)), ubi (in) terrena fornace soluti  liquidarum adspergine ignem concipiunt: or lime in an earthen furnace slaked by sprinkling of water catch heat. (What is described here is the making of slaked lime in a stone furnace. It is made by heating lime and cooling it with water. Of course the lime doesn’t catch fire, but is produces an enormous amount of steam.)

intus clausas volventia flammas: inside turning around the enclosed flames

guttur –is (n.): throat

uro ussi ustum: to burn

Aesone natus: Jason

obvius eo (+ dat.): to go towards

vertere = verterunt

trux trucis: grim, fierce (i.e. the bulls)

venientis ad ora: towards the face of the approaching man

praefixus: set up in front

ferro: descriptive ablative `made of iron’

pulvereus: filled with dust

pulso: to strike upon (pulsavere = pulsaverunt)

bisulcus: forked, cloven

fumificus: smoking, steaming

mugitus –us (m.): bellowing

derigesco derigui: to become stiff

Minyae: the Argonauts

subeo: to go up to

anhelo: to breathe

medicamen –minis (n.): magical herb

pendula palearia: down-hanging dewlaps

mulceo mulsi mulsum: to touch gently

audaci dextra (manu)

suppono –pusui –positum (+ dat.); to put under

iugum: yoke

aratrum: plough

insuetum ferro campum: the field unused to the plough (ferro = aratro)

proscindo (-ere): to plough

Translation by Brookes More (1922)

Huge brazen-footed bulls were breathing forth

from adamantine nostrils living flames,

blasting the verdant herbage in their path!

As forges glowing with hot flames resound,

or as much quick-lime, burnt in earthen kilns,

crackles and hisses as if mad with rage,

sprinkled with water, liberating heat;

so their hot throats and triple-heated sides,

resounding told of pent-up fires within.

The son of Aeson went to meet them. As

he came to meet them the fierce animals

turned on him faces terrible, and sharp

horns tipped with iron, and they pawed

the dusty earth with cloven feet, and filled

the place with fiery bellowings. The Minyans

were stark with fear; he went up to the bulls

not feeling their hot breath at all, so great

the power of his charmed drugs; and while he

was stroking their down-hanging dewlaps with

a fearless hand, he placed the yoke down on

their necks and made them draw the heavy plow,

and cut through fields that never felt the steel

before.