The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-09-16
THE AReoNAuTIc EXPEDITION.
Story of the Golden Fleece Taken From
the Ancient Mythology.


the Ancient Mythology.
Perhaps there has never been any
other society which has numbered
among its members such high and
mighty ones as the Order Of the Golden
Fleece during the middle ages IN Eu-
rope. Kings, emperors, prelates war
riors were enrolled in it.
Now. what was the Golden Fleece?
1t was to obtain this golden fleece that
the "Argonautic expedition set out
from Greece in the far-off ages of fable
and tradition.
The fleece bel onged to the ram of
Phrixus, and the story runs thus:
Jason, the rightful king of Iolcus, had
to perform some great deed to prove
himeelf worthy to occupy the throne,
which was then held by usurper.
Jason's uncle Athamas and his wife
Nephele had two children, Phrixus and
Helle. Nephele died, and Athamas mar
ried Ino, who hated her step-children.
She persuaded her husband by a false
oracle to offer up his son Phrixus as a
sacrifice. But before the sacrifice the
shade of Nephele appeared, bringing
a ram with golden fleece, on which
Phrixus and Helle were to escape over
the sea. Helle fell off, and was drowned
in the strait which afterward become
the Hellespont, or the Sea of Helle.
PhriXus reached the shore in safety,
proceeded to Colchis. on the northern
shore of the Black Sea, sacrificed the
ram to Zeus and hung up the golden
fleece in the grove of Mars. To bring
back this fleece was the task of Jason.
SO Jason, gathering together num-
Der of Greek chieftains, among whom
were Horacles, Caster and Poliux, Or
pheus, Boreas, Admetus and others, set
out for Colchis in the good ship "Argo,"
and from this the expedition became
known as the Argonautic Expedition,
or the voyage of the ''Argo."
The Adventures passed through mar
vicious scenes on their way, landing
once at Lcmnus, the land of the Anna
zens, or the female warriors, where a
son was born to Jason.
Finally they reached Colchis. But
the King CITES refused to deliver up
the fleece until Jason should plow the
land with the fire. breathing bulls and
sow it with the teeth of the dragon
who guarded the fleece. Armed men
were to spring from these dragon teeth
CITES dau ghter, Medea, who was a
beautiful sorceress, had fallen in love
with Jason and gave her aid to the ad-
venturers. She anointed Jason's BODY
so that the fiery breath of the bulls
would not destroy him, and instructed
him to throw a stone mong the armed
men that sprang up from the teeth of
the dragon. Then the armed men fell
to staying one another. Medea put the
dragon to sleep, Jason slew him and
bore off the golden fleece in triumph.
Then the homeward voyage began,
Medea accompanying Jason and her
father CITES pursuing them. To DELAY
him, Medea dismembered her younger
brother, Absyrtus, and scattered his
limbs about over the sea for his father
to pick up. 1t was a long journey back,
with many wonderful adventures, but
they finally reached Iolcus, CITES giving
up the pursuit and Gree granting abso-
luton for the murder of Absyrtus.
The "Argo" was placed in grove
sacred to Neptune, the god of the ocean.
on the lsthmus of Corinth, Jason, the
myth says, was afterward killed BY
part of the stern falling and killing
him.
This is one of the most famous of the
Greek myths, and, with perhaps the ex-
ception of the Trojan war, is the sub
Ject of more allusion in literature than
any other tradition of the ancient
world. The Voice