Mopsos (1)Mopsus

The son of Ampykos (or Ampyx) and the nymph, Khloris (Chloris); one of the Argonauts.

Mopsos was taught the augury of birds by Apollon; after the Argonauts had successfully obtained the Golden Fleece, they were stranded in the deserts of Libya; while walking on the hot sands Mopsos stepped on the tail of a serpent and was bitten on the leg and died almost instantly.

The serpent was no ordinary snake but was a nameless, supernatural beast born from the drops of blood that dripped from Medusa’s severed head onto the desert sands when Perseus was flying across Libya trying to escape Medusa’s sisters.

The serpent was one of the many offspring from Medusa’s blood that fell on the Libyan desert and not even the magical ministrations of Medea could save Mopsos from the effects of the venom; the Argonauts buried Mopsos under a mound and marched around his grave three times in full armor.

• Argonautika, book 1, lines 65-68 and 1502-1536