Boreas's winged sons Calais and Zetes drove the Harpies away from Phineus. Their father-in-law connection through Cleopatra, daughter of Boreas and first wife of Phineus, gave the Boreads personal cause to rescue the seer-king.
The Harpies tormented the blind seer Phineus at Salmydessus, snatching and defiling his food whenever he tried to eat. Zeus had sent them as punishment for Phineus revealing too much of the gods' plans to mortals.
The Argonauts rescued the blind seer Phineus from the Harpies that tormented him. In gratitude, Phineus revealed the route to Colchis and how to navigate the Symplegades.
Phineus's prophetic guidance to the Argonauts was essential to their quest for the Golden Fleece. He told them how to navigate the Symplegades and warned them of dangers ahead on the route to Colchis.
Phineus revealed to the Argonauts the secret of navigating the Symplegades: send a dove through first, and if it survives, row through at full speed before the rocks close again. His advice allowed the Argo to pass safely.
During the Voyage of the Argo, the Argonauts rescued Phineus from the Harpies. In gratitude, Phineus told them how to navigate the Symplegades safely.
Zeus punished Phineus with blindness and sent the Harpies to steal or defile his food at every meal, tormenting him ceaselessly for revealing the gods' plans to mortals.
⚠ Sources disagree on whether Zeus or Apollo blinded Phineus, and whether the offense was prophetic overreach or a specific act against the gods (Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.9.21; Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2.178-184).
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