BBC - History - Ancient History in depth: Jason and the Golden Fleece Jason and the Golden Fleece By Michael Wood Last updated 2011-02-17 Michael Wood discovers a story of heroism, treachery, love and tragedy that would make Hollywood proud. On this page Print this page Classic tale The Greek tale of Jason and the Golden Fleece has been told for 3,000 years. It's a classic hero's quest tale - a sort of ancient Greek mission impossible - in which the hero embarks on a sea voyage into an unknown land, with a great task to achieve. He is in search of a magical ram's fleece, which he has to find in order to reclaim his father's kingdom of Iolkos from the usurper King Pelias. The Greeks have retold and reinterpreted it many times since, changing it as their knowledge of the physical world increased. The story is a set a generation before the time of the Trojan War, around 1300 BC, but the first known written mention of it comes six centuries later, in the age of Homer (800 BC).

The tale came out of the region of Thessaly, in Greece, where early epic poetry developed. The Greeks have retold and reinterpreted it many times since, changing it as their knowledge of the physical world increased. No one knows for sure where the earliest poets set the adventure, but by 700 BC the poet Eumelos set the tale of the Golden Fleece in the kingdom of Aia, a land that at the time was thought to be at the eastern edge of the world. At this point the Jason story becomes fixed as an expedition to the Black Sea. The most famous version, penned by Apollonius of Rhodes, who was head of the library at Alexandria, was composed in the third century BC, after the invasion of Asia by Alexander the Great. Since the 1870s a series of excavations at Mycenae, Knossos, Troy and elsewhere has brought the Greek Heroic Age - the imaginary time when the great myths were set - to life.

The archaeologists' discoveries of Bronze Age (2300-700 BC) artefacts made it clear that the Greek myths and epic poems preserve the traditions of a Bronze Age society, and may refer to actual events of that time. The story could also perhaps represent an age of Greek colonisation around the shores of the Black Sea. Top Jason's task Village in Svaneti region of north west Georgia. Here people still pan for gold using the fleece of a sheep © According to the legend, Jason was deprived of his expectation of the throne of Iolkos (a real kingdom situated in the locale of present day Volos) by his uncle, King Pelias, who usurped the throne. Jason was taken from his parents, and was brought up on Mount Pelion, in Thessaly, by a centaur named Cheiron. Meantime his uncle lived in dread of an oracle's prophecy, which said he should fear the 'man with one shoe'. His task would take him beyond the known world to acquire the fleece of a magical ram that once belonged to Zeus, the king of the gods.

At the age of 20 Jason set off to return to Iolkos - on his journey losing a sandal in the river while helping Hera, Queen of the Gods, who was in disguise as an old woman. On arriving before King Pelias, Jason revealed who he was and made a claim to the kingdom. The king replied, 'If I am to give you the kingdom, first you must bring me the Fleece of the Golden Ram'. And this was the hero's quest. His task would take him beyond the known world to acquire the fleece of a magical ram that once belonged to Zeus, the king of the gods. Jason's ancestor Phrixus had flown east from Greece to the land of Cochlis (modern day Georgia) on the back of this ram. King Aietes, son of Helios the sun god, had then sacrificed the ram and hung its fleece in a sacred grove guarded by a dragon. An oracle foretold that Aietes would lose his kingdom if he lost the fleece, and it was from Aietes that Jason had to retrieve it. Why a fleece? Fleeces are connected with magic in many folk traditions.

For the ancient Etruscans a gold coloured fleece was a prophecy of future prosperity for the clan. Recent discoveries about the Hittite Empire in Bronze Age Anatolia show celebrations where fleeces were hung to renew royal power. This can offer insight into Jason's search for the fleece and Aietes' reluctance to relinquish it. The fleece represented kinship and prosperity. Top Black Sea colonisation Ships in the old Turkish harbour at Lemnos, Greece. Legend has it that Lemnos was populated entirely with women © Jason's ship, the Argo, began its journey with a crew of 50 (which swelled to 100, including Hercules, in subsequent retellings of the myth) - known as the 'Argonauts'. The Greek claim that the Argo was the first ship ever built can not be true, but Jason's journey was seen by the ancient Greeks as the first long-distance voyage ever undertaken. Indeed, the voyage can be seen as a metaphor for the opening up of the Black Sea coast. Historically, once the Greeks learned to sail into the Black Sea they embarked on a period of colonisation lasting some 3,000 years - but the time they first arrived in the region is still controversial.

Lemnos, an island in the north-eastern Aegean was Jason's first stop. This was a place inhabited by women who had murdered their husbands after being cursed by Aphrodite. Next the Argo sailed to Samothrace, where the Argonauts were initiated into the Kabeiroi, a cult of 'great gods' who were not Greek and who offered protection to seafarers. From Samothrace the adventurers passed the city of Troy by night, and entered the Sea of Marmara the next day. The Jason tale is a founding myth for many towns along this shore. The Jason tale is a founding myth for many towns along this shore. It is, however, most likely that local accounts of events have arisen out of the story itself, rather than being based on historic facts that themselves became the basis of the myth. It is along this stretch of coast that the Argonauts rescue a blind prophet, Phineus, by chasing away the Harpies - the ugly winged females Zeus had sent to torment Phineus. In return Phineus prophesies that Jason will be the first mariner to sail through the 'clashing rocks' that guard the entrance to the Black Sea.

The myth arose when Greek sailors were first able to negotiate their way up the powerful currents of the Bosphorus to enter the Black Sea beyond. In time the sea was transformed in Greek eyes from Axeinos Pontus, the 'hostile sea' to Euxeinos Pontus, the 'welcoming sea'. Top City of Aia A bull fight near Trabzon, Turkey. Bullfighting is still popular in regions of Turkey where the ancient Greeks founded colonies © The story continues with the Argonauts finally reaching the land of Colchis, and the first part of their quest is achieved. The heroes land and hold council, deciding to walk up to the city of Aia. Along the way they see bodies wrapped in hides and hung in trees, a sight that travellers in Georgia recount right up to the 17th century. The ancient Greeks speak of Aia as a real city on the River Phasis (the modern River Rhion). Archaeologists have yet to find it, although in 1876 gold treasure was found in this region at an ancient site near the town of Vani, and it was suggested that this might be the city of the Argonaut legend.

Heinrich Schlieman, the excavator of Troy and Mycenae, proposed to dig here but was not given permission. This suggests that some parts of the myth depict the culture of the historical Iron Age rather than the earlier Bronze Age of Jason. Then in 1947 excavations revealed that between 600 and 400 BC (the time the Jason legend took its final shape) Vani was indeed an important Colchin city. The city was not inhabited during the Heroic Age (when the Jason story is set), but it was the Colchin 'capital' at the time the Greek poets located the myth here. This suggests that some parts of the myth depict the culture of the historical Iron Age rather than the earlier Bronze Age of Jason. Top The story continues Site of Medea's shrine, near Corinth © In the myth, once in Colchis Jason asks King Aietes to return the Golden Fleece. Aietes agrees to do so if Jason can perform a series of superhuman tasks. He has to yoke fire-breathing bulls, plough and sow a field with dragons' teeth, and overcome phantom warriors.

In the meantime Aphrodite (the goddess of love) makes Medea, daughter of King Aietes, fall in love with Jason. Medea offers to help Jason with his tasks if he marries her in return. He agrees, and is enabled to complete the tasks. Thus the classic triangle of hero, dark power and female helper is formed, to be repeated in stories all the way down to Hollywood. Thus the classic triangle of hero, dark power and female helper is formed, to be repeated in stories all the way down to Hollywood. And it seems possible that this theme was based on an even earlier myth. An excavation of the 1920s and 30s, at Boghaz Koy, in central Turkey, uncovered Indo-European tablets from a Hittite civilisation dating to the 14th century BC. One of these has an account on it of a story similar to that of Jason and Medea, and may reveal the prehistory of the myth. It is not known at what date the Greeks borrowed it, but it very possibly happened in the ninth or eighth century BC. This was the time when many themes were taken from the east and incorporated into Greek poetry. To continue the story.

King Aietes organises a banquet, but confides to Medea that he will kill Jason and the Argonauts rather than surrender the Golden Fleece. Medea tells Jason, and helps him retrieve the Fleece. From here the Argonauts flee home, encountering further epic adventures. The ancient storytellers give several versions of the route Jason took back to Greece, reflecting changes in Greek ideas about the geography of the world. On the final leg of their journey, the Argonauts are caught in a storm, and after they pray to Apollo an island appears to them. The inhabitants of modern-day Anafi, 'the one which was revealed', and which is said to be the island in question, continue to celebrate their part in the story to this day. They regularly hold a festival inside an ancient temple to Apollo, built on the spot where legend says Jason gave thanks to the god for his rescue. Top Dénouement Map showing the ancient Greek view of how Jason might have returned home © On his return to Iolkos Jason discovers that King Pelias has killed his father, and his mother has died of grief. Medea tricks Pelias by offering to rejuvenate him, and then kills him.

Jason and Medea go into exile in Corinth, where Jason betrays Medea by marrying the king's daughter. Medea takes revenge by killing her own children by Jason. Pausanias, in his first-century guidebook to Greece, describes a shrine to the murdered children next to a temple to Hera, queen of gods, at Corinth. Pausanias, in his first-century guidebook to Greece, describes a shrine to the murdered children next to a temple to Hera, queen of gods, at Corinth. Centuries later, in the 1930s, a British excavation at Perachora uncovered an eighth-century BC temple to Hera, supposedly dedicated by Medea, near an oracle site with pilgrimage offerings left by women devotees over many centuries - perhaps there's a historic basis to the myth? In the end, Jason becomes a wanderer once more, and eventually returns to beached hull of the Argo. Here the beam of the ship (which was said to speak and was named Dodona) falls on him and kills him. His story has come full circle - as in all Greek myths, the hero's destiny is in the hands of the gods. We know the story of Jason, but not exactly when it was first told.

By classical times the myth had spread across the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and it continues to fascinate us in our own day, informing archaeological investigations and bearing continued retellings - a testimony to the perennial appeal of the tale of the hero's quest. Jason and the Golden Fleece (The Argonautica) by Richard Hunter (Oxford World's Classics, 1998) The Voyage of the Argo by David Slavitt (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999) Pindar's Mythmaking: The Fourth Pythian Ode by Charles Segal (Princetown University Press, 1986) Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources, vol.

1 by T Gantz (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993) Medea edited by JJ Clauss and S Johnson (Princeton University Press, 1997) Ritual Myth and Drama in the Ancient Near East by T Gaster Thespis (Gordian Press, 1961) Structure and History in Greek Mythology by W Burkert (University of California Press, 1983) The Greeks in the Black Sea by Mariama Koromila (Aristide D Caratzas Publishing, 1991) The Greek Myths by Robert Graves (Penguin, 1992) Greek Gods and Heroes by Robert Graves (Random House, 1965) The Jason Voyageby Tim Severin (Simon and Schuster, 1986) Top About the author Michael Wood is the writer and presenter of many critically acclaimed television series, including In the Footsteps of...series. Born and educated in Manchester, Michael did postgraduate research on Anglo-Saxon history at Oxford. Since then he has made over 60 documentary films and written several best selling books. His films have centred on history, but have also included travel, politics and cultural history.

Jason and the Legendary Golden Fleece | Ancient Origins 5 February, 2014 - 06:25 johnblack Jason and the Legendary Golden Fleece (Read the article on one page) One of the most fascinating stories of ancient Greek mythology is the story of the Argonauts and the Quest for the Golden Fleece. The story takes place in the era before the Trojan War, when Hercules and Theseus were alive and active in ancient Greece. Jason was the son of Aeson , descendant of god Aeolus , and rightful heir of the throne of Iolcus . His wife would later on be the famous sorceress Medea, daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis – where the Golden Fleece resided. The story begins like this: Pelias , half-brother of Aeson (Jason’s father), son of Poseidon, took the throne of Iolcus, bypassing his brother Aeson and locking him in the dungeons of Iolcus. Because of his wrongful actions, he received a warning from an Oracle that a descendant of Aeson would seek revenge. Aeson, while still in the dungeon, got married and had children, Jason was one of them.

Pelias believed that Jason was the one the Oracle spoke about who would seek revenge against him, so he commanded Jason to undertake an impossible mission on which he believed and hoped that Jason would be slain. The mission was to bring back the Golden Fleece from the land of Colchis. The Golden Fleece, was the skin of a winged ram, a holy ram of the God Zeus, on which the children of King Athamas, Phrixus and Helle , were saved thanks to Zeus’ intervention. According to the story, the two children were to be sacrificed after their step-mother convinced their father it was necessary. But seeing this injustice, Zeus intervened and before the sacrifice took place his holy ram flew down and took the children away, travelling a long distance through the air. However, unfortunately Helle fell from the ram during the flight and was killed. The ocean where she was said to have dropped still bears her name today – Hellespontus. Phrixus continued his journey and arrived in Colchis, an area in the southern Caucasus on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, and the boy was welcomed by the King Aeetes of Colchis.

The ram was sacrificed to Zeus and the Golden Fleece was kept at the temple of the God of War Ares (Mars) and a dragon was put to guard it at all times. The dragon was so large that it could surround a ship with its body. So Jason, following the commands of King Pelias, began his voyage, known as Argonautica . For the voyage to be successful, Jason had to recruit the best warriors of the time, and so he did. Fifty of the most important heroes of Greece, including Hercules and Orpheus, accompanied Jason on the Argonautica. A special boat was made called Argos, which was named after the creator, Argus, son of Phrixus. The boat had 50 oars and on the bow of the ship Goddess Athena had placed a branch from her holy ‘speaking’ oak tree from the city of Dodoni, where another famous Oracle resided. Jason had the support of Goddess Hera who wanted revenge for King Pelias not worshipping her. After an adventurous journey they arrived at Colchis where Jason asked King Aeetes to give him the Golden Fleece, explaining how this was also the wish of the Goddess Hera.

Aeetes on the surface agreed but he set a trial that he was sure Jason would fail. He asked Jason to plough the land by using two bulls with metallic legs which threw flames from their nostrils, and then sow the teeth of the dragon that the king gave to him. Aeetes did not tell Jason that by sowing the teeth a large army of warriors would come out of the soil to attack him. Fortunately Medea, daughter of Aeetes, gave Jason an ointment that would make him invincible to fire and iron for one day and she also told him about her father’s plan. Medea instructed Jason to throw a stone at the warriors, telling him that by doing so, the warriors would turn on each other, launch into battle, and eventually kill each other. With the help of Medea, Jason succeeded in the task, so King Aeetes told Jason he could retrieve the Golden Fleece, believing that the dragon would kill him. At the same time, he ordered his army to burn his ship, Argos, and kill the Argonauts.

However, Medea again helped Jason and, as a sorceress, she put a spell on the dragon so that Jason could get the Golden Fleece from the tree were it was hanging. Jason retrieved the Golden Fleece and both Jason and Medea left together with Argos and the Argonauts. Knowing her father and that he would follow them, Medea captured her brother and killed him, spreading his pieces across the ocean so that her father would have to search for all the pieces of his son, providing them with the necessary time to escape. Ancient Greece - Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek Gods. JASON Jason and the Golden Fleece Jason's story is an ancient Greek myth, folk tale that is passed from generations to generations. About a hero who traveled on a voyage in search of the Golden Fleece, so that he could help his father get his kingdom back from King Pelias. Jason's father was Aeson, the King of Lolcus and mother Alcimede. Aeson stepbrother Pelias was eager for the throne of Lolcus, so in a battle, he removed Aeson from power and made himself the King. Aeson and Pelias shared a common mother, Tyro.

She was the daughter of Salmoneus and sea god Poseidon. Pelias, to make sure that no one from Aeson's family could challenge him, killed his family. But Alcimede saved their baby, Jason. To save him Alcimede gave away her baby son to Chiron, who became his guardian. But Pelias was obsessed with his throne and he consulted an oracle that told him that a man wearing one sandal would be the reason for his end. Later on as years went by, Jason grew up. Pelias had started games events as a tribute to his so-called father Poseidon. When Jason arrived in Lolcus, he lost his one sandal while crossing a river and trying to help Goddess Hera, who was in disguise of an old woman. Someone told Pelias that there was a man in Lolcus who was wearing one sandal. Jason came to Pelias and claimed his kingdom, which was rightfully his. But Pelias put a condition in front of him that would return back his kingdom, if he brought him the Golden Fleece. Pelias thought that the task was impossible and Jason would never come back.

The Search for Golden Fleece Jason was in early twenties when he started his search for the Golden Fleece. Jason gathered a team of 50 people and started his voyage on a ship called 'Agro'. Together they were known as the 'Argonauts'. Later on as the voyage moved further the team increased to about 100 people. One of the famous heroes on this ship was Hercules. It is said the Jason's journey was one of the first longest voyages of its times. Jason's journey through the Black sea was one of its first introductions. As the Greeks traveled here they colonized the coast and ruled it for almost 3000 years. Jason's first stop was the island of Lemnos (today rests in Modern Turkey), which was based in the Aegean Sea. Women, who cursed by Goddess Aphrodite, because they had ignored her worship, inhabited the island. So she cursed them and made their body smell so disgusting that their husbands ran away. Angry with Aphrodite, they killed their husbands. Next they moved with the Doliones, where their King Kyzicos greeted them.

After the left the Doliones, the 'Argonauts', lost their way and landed at the same island. This time Kyzicos thought them to be enemies and fought with them. The 'Argonauts' killed many Doliones along with the King. But later on they realized their mistake. When the 'Argonauts' reached Thrace they met Phineus of Salmydessus. Phineus was blind by choice because he wanted to live a long life (according to a prophecy by Apollo) and if he wanted to predict the sayings of Gods. Jason saved Phineus from Harpies who was sent by Helios (Sun God) to kill him. In return of his favor, Phineus told him the site of Colchis. To reach Colchis, one had to travel through the cliffs of Symplegades. But the cliffs trampled anyone and anything that traveled between them. So Phineus suggested that Jason release a dove between the cliffs. If the dove is able to reach pass the cliffs so will he. As told Jason did so and the dove passed the cliffs. Jason also traveled through the cliffs of Symplegades safely. Finally Jason and his 'Argonauts' reached Colchis.

Jason meets up with the King Aietes and asks him to return the Golden Fleece. But Aietes says yes only on the condition that he presents some extraordinary tasks. Medea the daughter of Aietes helps Jason in completing the tasks, on the condition that he marries her. But Aietes has other plans. He decides to kill Jason and the 'Argonauts' and not return the Golden Fleece. But he makes the mistake of confiding his plans with his daughter Medea. Medea helps Jason recover the Golden Fleece and they along with the 'Argonauts' flee Colchis. The Return Journey Zeus as a punishment for Medea for killing her own brother sent storms in the sea and drove it off course. But after purification by Circle nymph, they could continue their journey. The Agro could surpass the Sirens with the help of Orpheus who played his lyre and made more beautiful music than the Sirens. The Sirens used to lure the sailors by creating enchanting and soulful music. As they came to the island of Crete they encountered Talos. Talos started flinging stones at Agro.

But Medea knew that Talos had only one blood vessel, closed shut by a bronzenail. Medea cast a spell on Talos, which agave her the chance to removed the nail, which left to Talos to bleed to death. Jason's Return to Lolcus When Jason and Medea returned to Lolcus, they found that Pelias had killed Jason's father and his mother had died due to mourning. Medea used her witchcraft and murdered Pelias by influencing him. She promised him that he would become younger with her help but instead kills him. When Jason became disloyal to Medea and married another woman she killed their offspring's in anger. Jason death occurred due to a sad incident whereupon he was sleeping under the hull of the ship of Agro, when it fell and killed him. This thought because he broke his promise to Medea and was the method of punishment from the gods. Medea's revenge on Jason is told in the shocking drama of the Ancient Greek Playwright (Hyperlink to page with Euripides) Euripides tragedy 'Medea'. References: Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology: Jason Also see The Illustrated Jason .

Heroic leader of the Argonauts, a team of heroes who journeyed from Greece to distant Colchis in quest of the Golden Fleece. Jason was the son of the lawful king of Iolcus, but his uncle Pelias had usurped the throne. Pelias lived in constant fear of losing what he had taken so unjustly. He kept Jason's father a prisoner and would certainly have murdered Jason at birth. But Jason's mother deceived Pelias by mourning as if Jason had died. Meanwhile the infant was bundled off to the wilderness cave of Chiron the Centaur. Chiron tutored Jason in the lore of plants, the hunt and the civilized arts. When Jason came of age he set out like a proper hero to claim his rightful throne. Unbeknownst, he was to play his part in a plan hatched on lofty Mount Olympus, where Hera, wife of mighty Zeus himself, nursed a rage against King Pelias. For Jason's uncle, the usurper king, had honored all the gods but Hera. Rashly had he begrudged the Queen of Heaven her due. Hera's plan was fraught with danger; it would require a true hero.

To test Jason's mettle, she contrived it that he came to a raging torrent on his way to Iolcus. And on the bank was a withered old woman. Would Jason go about his business impatiently, or would he give way to her request to be ferried across the stream? Jason did not think twice. Taking the crone on his back, he set off into the current. And halfway across he began to stagger under her unexpected weight. For the old woman was none other than Hera in disguise. Some say that she revealed herself to Jason on the far shore and promised her aid in his quest. Others claim that Jason never learned of the divine service he had performed. Jason lost a sandal in the swift-moving stream. This would prove significant in Hera's revenge. For an oracle had warned King Pelias, "Beware a stranger who wears but a single sandal." When Jason arrived in Iolcus, he asserted his claim to the throne. His uncle Pelias had no intention of giving it up, particularly to a one-shoed stranger. Under the mask of hospitality, he invited Jason to a banquet. And during the course of the meal, he engaged him in conversation.

"You say you've got what it takes to rule a kingdom," said Pelias. "May I take it that you're fit to deal with the thorny problems that arise? For example, how would you go about getting rid of someone who was giving you difficulties?" Jason considered for a moment, eager to show a kingly knack for problem solving. "Send him after the Golden Fleece?" he suggested. "Not a bad idea," responded Pelias. "It's just the sort of quest that any hero worth his salt would leap at. Why, if he succeeded he'd be remembered down through the ages. Tell you what, why don't you go?" And so it came to pass that word went out the length and breadth of Greece that Jason was looking for shipmates to embark upon a perilous but highly glamorous adventure. And despite that Pelias had been attracted to the idea precisely because of the miniscule chances of anyone surviving to lay eyes upon the Fleece let alone get past the guarding dragon and return with the prize, large numbers of heroes were ready to run the risk. Among them were Heracles and the heroine Atalanta.

So Jason arranged to have a ship constructed by the worthy shipwright Argus, who in a fit of vanity named the vessel more or less after himself, calling her the "Argo". Argus had divine sponsorship in his task. The goddess Hera, who had it in for Pelias, enlisted the aid of her fellow goddess Athena. This patroness of crafts secured a prow for the vessel from timber hewn at the sacred grove of almighty Zeus. This prow had the magical property of speaking - and prophesying - in a human voice. And so one bright autumn morning the Argo set out to sea, her benches crewed by lusty ranks of heroic rowers. And true to Pelias's fondest aspirations, it wasn't long before big troubles assailed the company. After stopping for better than a fortnight on an island populated exclusively by women, they put in at Salmydessus. The king welcomed them but was in no mood for festive entertainment. Because he'd offended the gods, he'd been set upon by woman-headed, bird-bodied, razor-clawed scourges known as Harpies. These Harpies were possessed of reprehensible table manners.

Every evening at dinnertime, they dropped by to defecate upon the king's repast and hung around making such a racket that he wouldn't have been able to eat had he the stomach for it. As a result, King Phineus grew thinner by the hour. Fortunately two of Jason's crew were direct descendants of the North Wind, which gave them the power to fly. And they kindly chased the Harpies so far away that the king was never bothered again. In thankfulness, he informed the Argonauts of a danger just ahead on the route to the Golden Fleece - namely two rocks called the Symplegades, which had the disconcerting habit of crashing together upon any ship that passed between them. Phineus suggested that it might be best not to experience the effect of these Clashing Rocks firsthand. And he even suggested a mechanism by which this might be avoided. If someone or something could be induced to pass between the crags first, causing them to clash together, the Argo could follow quickly behind, passing through safely before the Symplegades were ready to snap shut again. By means of this device, Jason caused the rocks to spring together prematurely.

The Argo was able to pass between them relatively unscathed. Only her very stern was nipped and splintered. Once arrived in Colchis, Jason had to face a daunting series of challenges before he could even get to the grove where the Golden Fleece was hanging. And it was another irascible king who handed out the assignments. King Aeetes of Colchis was ruler of this barbarian kingdom on the far edge of the heroic world. He and his people were not kindly disposed toward strangers. On an earlier occasion, however, he had extended a gracious hand to a visitor from Jason's home town. This may have been due to the newcomer's unorthodox mode of transportation. For he arrived on the back of a golden-fleeced flying ram. The stranger's name was Phrixus, and he and his sister had been on the point of being sacrificed when the ram carried them off. The sister, whose name was Helle, had fallen from the ram's back into the narrow passage of water that came to be called the Hellespont in her memory. But Phrixus arrived safely in Colchis, where he sacrificed the ram to the gods and hung its fleece in a grove.

Aeetes gave him the hand of one of his daughters in marriage. King Aeetes had taken a disliking to Jason on sight. He had no particular fondness for handsome young strangers who came traipsing into his kingdom on glorious quests featuring the trampling of his sacred grove and the carrying off of his personal property. For King Aeetes considered the Golden Fleece to be his own, and he was in the midst of telling Jason just what he could do with his precious quest when he was suddenly reminded of the obligations of hospitality by another of his daughters named Medea. Medea was motivated by more than good manners. For the goddess Hera had been looking out for Jason's interests, and she had succeeded in persuading her fellow goddess Aphrodite to intervene on Jason's behalf. It was no problem at all for the Goddess of Love to arrange that Medea be stricken with passion for Jason the moment she first saw him. And it was a good thing for Jason that this was so. For not only was he spared a kingly tongue-lashing and a quick trip to the frontier, but Medea quietly offered to help him in his latest predicament.

For once her father had calmed down, he had waxed suspiciously reasonable. Of course Jason could have the Fleece and anything else he required in furtherance of his quest - Aeetes couldn't imagine what had possessed him to be so uncooperative. All he required of Jason as a simple token of good faith was the merest of farmyard chores. There were two bulls standing in the adjacent pasture. If Jason would be so kind as to harness them, plow the field, sow it and reap the harvest in a single day, King Aeëtes would be much obliged - and only too happy to turn over the Golden Fleece. Oh, and there was one trifling detail of which Jason should be aware. These bulls were a bit unusual in that their feet were made of brass sharp enough to rip open a man from gullet to gizzard. And then of course there was the matter of their bad breath. In point of fact, they breathed flames. Along about this juncture Jason thought he heard his mommy, Queen Polymede, calling. But then, as noted, Medea took him gently aside and suggested that she might be of aid.

Quite conveniently for Jason, Medea was a famous sorceress, magic potions being her stock in trade. She slipped Jason a salve which, when smeared on his body, made him proof against fire and brazen hooves. And so it was that Jason boldly approached the bulls and brooked no bullish insolence. Disregarding the flames that played merrily about his shoulders and steering clear of the hooves, he forced the creatures into harness and set about plowing the field. Nor was the subsequent sowing any great chore for the now-heartened hero. Gaily strewing seed about like a nymph flinging flowers in springtime, he did not stop to note the unusual nature of the seed. Aeetes, it turns out, had got his hands on some dragon's teeth with unique agricultural properties. As soon as these were lodged in the soil they began to sprout, which was all to the good from the point of view of Jason accomplishing his task by nightfall, but bad from that of the harvest. For each seed germinated into a fully-armed warrior, who popped up from the ground and joined the throng now menacing poor Jason. Here indeed was a prickly harvest.

Aeetes, meanwhile, was standing off to the side of the field chuckling quietly to himself at Jason's discomfiture and pending dismemberment in sorely mismatched combat. It irked the king somewhat to see his daughter slink across the furrows to Jason's side. But then Aeetes didn't think too much of it at the time. Having proven herself polite to a fault, maybe Medea was just saying a brief and proper farewell. In actuality, she was once more engaged in saving the young hero's posterior. This time there was no traffic in magic embrocations. Medea merely gave Jason a tip in basic psychology. Jason, who it was quite clear by now lacked the heroic wherewithal to make the grade on his own, at least had the sense to recognize good advice. Employing the simple device suggested by Medea, he brought the harvest in on deadline with a minimum of personal effort. He simply threw something at one of the men. The man, in turn, thought his neighbor had done it. And in short order all the seed men had turned on one another with their swords until not one was left standing.

Aeetes had no choice but to make as though he'd give the Fleece to Jason, but he still had no intention of doing so. He now committed the tactical error of divulging this fact to his daughter. And Medea, still entranced by the Goddess of Love, confided in turn in Jason. Furthermore, she offered to lead him under cover of darkness to the temple grove where the Fleece was displayed, nailed to a tree and guarded by a dragon. And so at midnight they crept into the sacred precinct of Ares, god of war. Jason, ever the hothead, whipped out his sword, but Medea wisely restrained his impetuosity. Instead, she used more subtle means to subvert the monster's vigilance. Together they made off with the Fleece and escaped to the Argo. Setting sail at once, they eluded pursuit. Thus Jason succeeded in his heroic challenge. And once returned to Greece, he abandoned Medea for another princess. For though Jason had sworn to love and honor Medea for the service she had done him, he proved as fickle in this regard as he'd been unfit for single-handed questing.

The young Jason, en route to Iolcus to claim his kingdom, was kind enough to carry an old woman across a river. ( zoom ) Jason - Heroes Wiki Jason Jason faces off against the Sleepless Dragon. First reference: Jason is a hero in ancient Greek mythology. Contents The repository at yamagatofellowship.org contains an entry about Jason. The entry says: Introduction A hero of Greek mythology, Jason led the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece, the mythological fleece of a winged ram whose discoverer would be granted the kingship of Thessaly. To find the fleece, Jason embarked on a long and dangerous quest that, like Ulysses, took him to the most dangerous realms of ancient Greek lore. Jason was educated by the centaur named Chiron, who taught him bravery and wisdom. He was sent by the fearful ruler Pelias to retrieve the Golden Fleece, a task thought impossible for someone as young as Jason. Jason accepted the challenge and assembled an army known as the Argonauts. When Jason aided the Thracean king Phineus against his battle with the evil Harpies, the king revealed the location of Colchis to Jason.

This was where he would find the Golden Fleece. Once in Colchis, King Aeetes promised to give Jason the Golden Fleece if he could perform three specific tasks. Aeetes' daughter Medea helped Jason in his tasks, which included plowing a field with a fire-breathing oxen, sowing the teeth of a dragon into the field, and defeating the army of warriors created by the dragon's teeth. His last task was to get past the sleepless Dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece. Jason doused the dragon with a sleeping potion from Medea and obtained the Golden Fleece. He then left Colchis with Medea and returned a hero. Why He Is a Hero Wisdom and bravery are the defining characteristics that make Jason a hero. In a very real way, these are the twin pillars that define all heroes, making Jason, perhaps, the world's first "action hero" and a role model for all heroes--both real and imaginary--to come. Notes In a blog post at A Hero's Quest , Hiro says that he has been sitting in his office at Yamagato , reading up on his favorite sci-fi movie from 1963 .

The movie Jason and the Argonauts was created in 1963. See Also Jason, the Argonauts and the Quest for the Golden Fleece How it all started Phrixus taken away by the ram with the golden fleece The tale of the Golden Fleece begins when Athamas, king of Orchomenus, had left his wife Nephele, to marry Ino, who was a daughter of Cadmus, the legendary king of Thebes. In order to secure that her own son would inherit the kingdom, Ino plotted the destruction of Athamas'son, Phrixus and his daughter Helle. To that end, she damaged all all of the seed grain in the kingdom. When the crops failed, messengers were sent to the Delphic oracle for guidance. Ino then bribed the returning messengers to change the oracle: Phrixus must be sacrificed! Athamas reluctantly agreed to heed the false oracle. But just as he raised the knife over his son on the altar, a wondrous, golden winged ram appeared, taking both Phrixus and Helle on his back to carry them away.

While they were crossing the strait which separates Europe from Asia, the girl slipped and fell into the water. She was drowned; and the strait was named after her Hellespont (Sea of Helle). The boy came safely to land to the country of Colchis on the Black Sea. Although the Colchians were fierce people, they were kind to Phrixus and their king, Aetes, let him marry one of his daughters. In gratitude to god Zeus for having being saved, Phrixus sacrificed the ram and gave his golden fleece as a present, to king Aetes. Assembling the crew An assembly of the argonauts After consulting the oracle at Delphi, Jason invited the most daring noblemen from all over Greece, to join him. The roster of those accepting his invitation,was truly impressive: It included the top of the cream of all the brave heroes that lived at the time.

Some of these, were the following: Hercules , the mightiest of all heroes Polydeuces, the son of Zeus by Leda and an expert boxer Castor, the twin of Polydeuces who was an expert in taming, training and riding horses Euphemus, son of Poseidon , who was so fast, that he could allegedly race across water without getting his feet wet Periclymenus, son of Poseidon as well, who could change his form at will during battle Nauplius, son of Poseidon, an expert seaman Orpheus, son of Apollo , the most gifted of all musicians. In addition to those who claimed divine birth, the ambitious recruits included also Tiphys, who was assigned to be the pilot of the ship, as well as the brothers Telemon and Peleus. The latter would later marry the sea goddess Thetis and beget Achilles , the greatest hero of the Trojan War . More adventures on the way Hylas is abducted by a nymph After Lemnos, the argonauts made a stop at the island of Samothrace, where they were initiated in the Samothracian Mysteries, religious rites that they hoped would help them in their journey.

Their next adventure was in an island at which they made a stop after they passed the Hellespont and entered the Sea of Marmara. There, while they were being greeted on land by the natives who welcomed them, their ship was attacked by fierce giants. Fortunately, Hercules, who was left on board the ship as one of the guards, managed to beat them single handedly. Once the crew set sail again, they were forced to stop in Mysia, (northwestern Asia Minor), when Hercules broke his oar. However, when they were on land, Hercules lost his young companion Hylas, who was abducted by a river nymph, while he was gazing inside the river waters. While Hercules and a fellow member were in vain searching for the lost youth, the Argonauts set sail and left without them, prompted by the sea god Glaucus to leave the hero behind, as Zeus intended him to complete his labors.

Encounter with the clashing rocks The winged sons of Boreas help the blind Phineus At the southern end of the Bosporus, they stopped in Salmydessus, a land ruled by Phineus, whose wife was a sister of Zetes and Calais, the twin winged sons of Boreas. They found the king starving, filthy, blind and so weak he could hardly move. Zeus had sent the Harpies, horrible creatures, to punish him, because, being a prophet, he had disclosed sensitive information about the future to the humans. The Harpies, would steal his food and pollute whatever they left behind, with a terrible stench. The argonauts prepared some food for Phineus to set a trap for the Harpies. When they appeared, stole the food and set off, the winged brothers pursued and caught them. Just then, Iris, Zeus' messenger, descended from Olympus. If the twins spared the Harpies, Zeus promised they would leave Phineus alone. Zetes and Calais reluctantly released the Harpies, and returned to Salmydessus. Phineus was so grateful, that he foretold some of what the future held for the argonauts.

Most importantly, he offered valuable advice on how to navigate the treacherous Clashing Rocks ("Sympligades" in greek) at the eastern end of the Bosporus; the entrance to the Black Sea. These two enormous floating islands, driven by the wind, crushed everything in their path as they smashed against each other without warning. As the Argo neared the end of the Bosporus, following Phineus' advice, the argonauts released a dove that flew directly between the Clashing Rocks. Phineus had told them that if the dove could make it through the strait, so would Argo. The rocks clashed together, but the dove only lost a couple of feathers. So, when the rocks separated again, the 50 argonauts rowed with all their might: Like the dove, the ship made it almost all the way, losing only an ornament from the stern. The Clashing Rocks parted once more and with spell broken, they remained forever apart. The escape from Colchis Jason manages to steal the golden fleece Despite Jason's triumph, Aetes did not intend to keep his promise and he started plotting against the argonauts instead.

Medea, who knew of her father's vicious plans to get rid of the Greeks, she quickly went to meet Jason and tell him that she was ready to help him steal the fleece and then sail away with him, away from her father. Hearing her words, Jason followed Medea to the place where the fleece was kept under the watchful eye of a terrible dragon who never slept.When the beautiful sorceress used her magic to cause the sleepless beast to nap, Jason managed to snatch away the fleece from the tree branch that was hanging. Running back to Argos, they sailed fast, away from Colchis. Learning of the theft, Aetes quickly set his son Apsyrtus and a flee tof worships against them. Half the fleet headed for Bosporus; the other half for the mouth of the Danube. Though the Argo had made for the Danube as well, Apsyrtus arrived there before them. The argonauts soon found themselves trapped: A Colchian ship guarded the entrance to the Danube river. They took refuge on an island sacred to Artemis where they knew that Colchians would never dare launch an attack that might offend the goddess.

More adventures on dangerous waters The death of the giant Talus Rather than finding an outlet to the sea and sailing all the way around the southern coasts of Greece and Italy, the Argo chose a circuitous route of inland rivers to cross northern Greece and Italy. After making its way to the western Mediterranean, the ship finally sailed on to Aeaea, the island of Circe. Without asking any questions, Circe purified Jason and Medea with the blood of a pig and made sacrifices to both Zeus and the Erinyes (Furies) . But, when Circe found out who they were and how Medea had betrayed her father and her fellow country men, she angrily chased them off the island. To their good fortune, however, Hera was again there to help them. The goddess ordered favorable winds from Aeolus, the keeper of winds, and asked the sea goddess Thetis for help, too. As they approached Anthemoessa, home of the Sirens , whose seductive singing had caused so many sailors to abandon their voyages and slowly waste away from hunger, Orpheus began to sing and play with his lyre as loudly as he could.

By drowning out the alluring singing of the sirens, Orpheus saved the argonauts. To reach the Ionian Sea, west of Greece, the Argo still had to navigate the narrow strait between the cliff of Scylla , a six-headed beast that preyed on sailors from a sea cave, and the whirlpool of the monster Charybdis . But, Thetis secretly took the helm and steered them safely through. The Nereids then safely skiimed the Argo over the surface of the water around Sicily. This prevented the violent currents from carrying them into the Wandering Rocks - moving rocks that destroyed ships attempting to pass among them. After crossing the Ionian Sea, the argonauts reached the greek island of Drepane (probably the same as Corfu today). Here, to theit great surprise, they met with othe other half of Aetes' fleet, who had been after them all along. The Colchians demanded the immediate return of Medea and the golden fleece. The argonauts then sought help from the local king and queen, Alcinous and Arete.

They agreed to protect them from the wrath of the Colchians on one condition - Jason and Medea had to get married. So, the crew performed the marriage rites that very night in the sacred cave of Macris. From then on, the cave was known as the Medea's cave. The next morning, the king of Drepane informed the Colchians that he would not allow them to take Medea from her new husband. The argonauts then were free to go. Just as the Argo reached the southern coast of Greece, a strong wind blew them all the way across the Mediterranean Sea to the Libyan coast. An enormous wave then deposited the ship far inland, leaving it stranded on the desert sands. With the help of three nymphs who appeared before them, the argonauts managed to put Argo on rollers and carry her across the desert for nine days. Whey they arrived at the salt water lake Tritonis, the argonauts went out to search for fresh water. On their expedition, they found the Garden of Hesperides, where the nymphs informed that, after stealing their apples , Hercules had created a fresh water spring.

After returning to Argo, the crew searched for days but could not find an outlet from Tritonis to the sea. After making a plea to god Triton, he finally responded, pushing the ship all the way to the Mediterranean. After the long journey across the sea, the argonauts arrived at Crete. But the giant Talus prevented them from landing, by hurling giant rocks at them. The last of the giants of the bronze age, Talus was invulnerable - except for one vein near his ankle. Medea used her sorcery to hypnotize the giant, who stumbled, banging his ankle against a sharp rock. The vein burst and the giant fell dead in the sea. The return home Medea performing rejuvenation ritual on Pelias While Jason was far away on his mission, rumors began spreading in Iolcus that ship and her crew had all been lost. Pelias, encouraged by this news, forced Jason's father Aeson to commit suicide by drinking bull's blood, which was a fatal toxin. Then, Pelias killed Jason's younger brother Promachus. Jason's mother, in her desperation, killed herself with a sword.

Finding out about the horrible deeds that his uncle had committed against his family, Jason docked Argo outside the city, while Medea came up with a horrible scheme to seize the throne from Pelias. She disguised herself as a crone and entered the city. After claiming that Artemis had sent her to restore Pelias's youth, she finally convinced Pelias to submit himself to her promised "treatment". The spell, Medea said, required the cooperation of Pelias's daughters. Reluctant at first, they finally consented to Medea's dreadful recipe: They cut up their father into pieces and put his body parts into a cauldron to stew. With Pelias out of the way, the argonauts quickly seized control of the city. However, Jason's shipmate and son of Pelias, Acastus, who succeeded his father to the throne, expelled Jason and Medea from Iolcus, disgusted by the way that his father was killed. The couple then sought refuge in Corinth after an invitation extended to them by the local people. Medea flees from Jason on a serpent-driven chariot Jason and Medea settled in Corinth, where they had two children.

As the years passed by, Jason increasingly found Medea, whom the Corinthians hated and were afraid of, an embarrassment to him. So, when king Creon of Corinth offered him the hand of his daughter Glauce, Jason eagerly accepted. Divorcing Medea and marrying the king's daughter, would add to his own power and prestige, as well as ensure the citizenship rights of his children. But, he was unaware, what Medea would do in retaliation to his betrayal. Betrayed, divorced and then exiled by Creon, Medea took advantage of her final day in Corinth to send Clauce a robe and a crown for her wedding, as a gift. When the naive Glauce tried on the robe, which Medea had drenched in poison, it burst into flames. The fire consumed not only the poor girl, but also the entire family of Creon and the palace. To hurt Jason even further, Medea killed her own children. Leaving Iolcus, she even took their bodies with them,so that Jason would not be able to bury them. The evil sorceress escaped Corinth on a chariot pulled by dragons, a gift from her grandfather Helius.

Aegeus and Medea, who had a son named Medus, lived in Athens for many years. However, when she tried to kill Theseus to clear a path for her own son , Medea and her son were exiled by Aegeus. With nowhere else to go, Medea returned at last to her homeland of Colchis. There, Medus, prompted by his mother, killed king Perses who in the meantime had dethroned his brother Aetes. Medus thus captured the throne for himself. From them on, no one knows what became of Medea. As for Jason, he did not have a very glorious ending: When he became old, he tried to visit the wreckage of Argos, in the hope of rekindling his memory of the past glory days that he and his fellow argonauts had once lived. While he was there, a beam from the rotten ship fell upon his head, striking him dead.

The Argonauts, The Golden Fleece - Timeline Index Timeline Index The Argonauts, The Golden Fleece The Argonauts were a band of heroes in Greek mythology who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis (modern day west of Georgia) in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, the Argo, which was named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts", therefore, literally means "Argo sailors". They were sometimes called Minyans, after a prehistoric tribe of the area. Jason was accompanied by some of the principal heroes of ancient Greece. The number of Argonauts varies, but usually totals between 40 and 55; traditional versions of the story place their number at 50. Some have hypothesized that the legend of the Golden Fleece was based on a practice of the Black Sea tribes; they would place a lamb's fleece at the bottom of a stream to entrap gold dust being washed down from upstream. This practice is still in use, particularly in the Svaneti region of Georgia. See Golden Fleece for other, more speculative interpretations.

More on this Website Greek Mythology: The Quest for the Golden Fleece Thursday, 5 February 2015 The Quest for the Golden Fleece According to Greek legend, Aeson was the rightful king of Iolcos, but his half-brother Pelias usurped the throne. It was Pelias who sent Aeson's son Jason to look for the Golden Fleece. The Argonauts Jason for quest for the Golden Fleece, assembled for his crew, a number of heroes, known as the Argonauts after their ship, the Argo, and set sail from Iolcos. Their mission was to reach Colchis in Aea at the eastern seaboard of the Black Sea and reclaim and bring back the Golden Fleece. The island of Lemnos The Argonauts first arrived to the island of Lemnos , situated off the Western coast of Asia Minor. The island was inhabited by a race of women who had killed their husbands. The women had neglected their worship of goddess Aphrodite , and as a punishment the goddess made the women so foul in stench that their husbands could not bear to be near them.

The men then took concubines from the Thracian mainland opposite, and the spurned women, angry at Aphrodite, killed all the male inhabitants while they slept. The women of Lemnos lived for a while without men, with Hypsipyle as their queen. The Argonauts and the women of Lemnos When the Argonauts set their foot on the island, the women saw them as their potential lovers and lured them into their bed chambers.The Argonauts remained on Lemnos for several months and, during that time, had extensive relations with the women of Lemnos. Jason himself mated with their queen, Hypsipyle and swore eternal fidelity to her. The Argonauts were finally convinced to leave the island and continue their journey, only when Hercules , who remained on board Argo, sent a message questioning them whether this was the way they wanted to gain glory for themselves. Jason sailed away and quickly forgot his vows made to Hypsipyle. For his bad actions Jason was placed in the 8th circle of Dante's Inferno. Cyzicus After Lemnos the Argonauts landed southern shore of the Propontis, where the Doliones tribe inhabited, and ruled over by king Cyzicus.

King Cyzicus treated Argonauts graciously, told them about the land beyond Bear Mountain, but forgot to mention what lived there. What lived in the land beyond Bear Mountain were the Gegeines which are a tribe of Earthborn giants with six arms and wore leather loincloths. While most of the crew went into the forest to search for supplies, the Gegeines saw that few Argonauts were guarding the ship and raided it. Heracles was among those guarding the ship at the time and managed to kill most them before Jason and the others returned. Once some of the other Gegeines were killed, Jason and the Argonauts set sail. Sometime after their fight with the Gegeines, Argonauts sent some men to find food and water. Among these men was Hercules ' servant Hylas who was gathering water while Heracles was out finding some wood to carve a new oar to replace the one that broke. Hylas and nymphs The nymphs of the stream where Hylas was collecting were attracted to his good looks, and pulled him into the stream. Heracles returned to his Labors ( Twelve labors of Hercules ), but Hylas was lost forever.

According to one version, Hercules went to Colchis with the Argonauts, got the Golden Girdle of the Amazons and slew the Stymphalian Birds at that time. The Argonauts departed, a storm drove them back to the same spot that night. In the darkness, the Doliones took them for enemies and they started fighting each other. The Argonauts killed many of the Doliones, among them the king Cyzicus. Cyzicus' wife, Cleite, killed herself. The Argonauts realized their horrible mistake when dawn came and held a funeral for him. Salmydessus The Argonauts landed at Salmydessus in Thrace, ruled by blind king Phineus. Phineus blinded by the gods for foretelling men the future or by Poseidon, for having revealed to the children of Phrixus, how they could sail from Colchis to Hellas. The Argonauts and Harpies Zeus had sent the Harpies, winged female creatures, to steal the food put out for Phineas each day. Phineas was left withered and weak from the lack of food.

Phineas and the Argonauts-Calais and Zetes The Argonauts, Calais and Zetes succeeded in driving the Harpies away but did not kill them, at a request from the goddess of the rainbow, Iris , who promised that Phineas would not be bothered by the harpies again. As thanks, Phineas told the Argonauts how to pass the Symplegades or The Clashing Rocks, and then they parted. The Symplegades The only way to reach Colchis was to sail through the Symplegades (Clashing Rocks), huge rock cliffs that came together and crushed anything that traveled between them. Phineas told Jason to release a dove when they approached these islands, and if the dove made it through, to row with all their might. If the dove was crushed, he was doomed to fail. Jason released the dove as advised, which made it through, losing only a few tail feathers. The Argonauts sailing through Symplegades Seeing this, they rowed strongly and made it through with minor damage at the extreme stern of the ship. From that time on, the clashing rocks were forever joined leaving free passage for others to pass.

The arrival in Colchis The Argonauts arrived in Colchis and Jason claimed the Gloden fleece as his own. It was owned by King Aeetes of Colchis. The fleece was given to him by Phrixus. Aeetes promised to give it to Jason only if he could perform three certain tasks. Presented with the tasks, Jason became discouraged and fell into depression. However, goddess Hera had persuaded goddess of love, Aphrodite to convince Eros to make Aeetes's daughter, the sorceress Medea , fall in love with Jason. Medea fell in love with Jason and promised to help him, but only on the condition that if he succeeded, he would take her with him and marry her, Jason agreed. Jason and the fire-breathing oxen First, Jason had to plough a field with fire-breathing oxen that he had to yoke himself. Medea provided an ointment that protected him from the oxen's flames. Then, Jason had to sow the teeth of a dragon in the ploughed field. The teeth sprouted into an army of warriors. Medea had previously warned Jason of this and told him how to defeat this foe.

Before they attacked him, he threw a rock into the crowd. Unable to discover where the rock had come from, the soldiers attacked and defeated one another. Jason kill the sleepless dragon with help of Medea Finally, Aeetes made Jason fight and kill the sleepless dragon that guarded the fleece. Medea put the beast to sleep with her narcotic herbs. Jason then took the fleece and sailed away with Medea, as he had promised. The return journey back to Iolcus Medea distracted her father, who chased them as they fled, by killing her brother Apsyrtus and throwing pieces of his body into the sea. Medea with the Argonauts....killing Apsyrtus Aeetes stopped to gather them. In another version, Medea lured Apsyrtus into a trap. Jason killed him, chopped off his fingers and toes, and buried the corpse. In any case, Jason and Medea escaped. During the fight, Atalanta , the only female member of the Argonauts, helping Jason in his quest for the fleece, was seriously wounded, but Medea healed her.

The Circe's island Zeus, as punishment for the slaughter of Medea's own brother, sent a series of storms at the Argo and blew it off course. Greek Mythology: Argonauts Greek Mythology Tuesday, 27 May 2014 Argonauts In Greek mythology, Argonauts were a band of heroes, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, the Argo, named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts" literally means "Argo sailors". They were sometimes called Minyans, after a prehistoric tribe in the area. Jason was accompanied by some of the principal heroes of ancient Greece. The number of Argonauts varies, but usually totals between 40 and 55. There is no definite list of the Argonauts. The following list is collated from several lists given in ancient sources.

1 Acastus 2 Actor (son of Hippas) 3 Admetus 4 Aethalides 5 Amphiaraus 6 Amphidamas 7 Amphion (son of Hyperasius) 8 Ancaeus 9 Areius 10 Argus (builder of Argo) 11 Argus (son of Phrixus) 12 Ascalaphus 13 Asclepius 14 Asterion (son of Cometes) 15 Asterius (brother of Amphion) 16 Atalanta 17 Augeas 18 Autolycus, son of Deimachus 19 Bellerophon 20 Butes 21 Calaïs (son of Boreas) 22 Caeneus (son of Coronus) 23 Canthus 24 Castor (son of Tyndareus; twin and half-brother of Pollux) 25 Cepheus, King of Tegea 26 Clytius (son of Eurytus) 27 Coronus (son of Caeneus) 28 Cytissorus 29 De

ucalion of Crete 30 Echion 31 Eribotes 32 Erginus (son of Poseidon) 33 Erytus (brother of Echion) 34 Euphemus 35 Euryalus 36 Eurydamas 37 Eurymedon (son of Dionysus ) 38 Eurytion 39 Eurytus (son of Hermes ) 40 Hercules (son of Zeus ) 41 Hippalcimus 42 Hylas 43 Idas 44 Idmon 45 Iolaus (nephew of Hercules ) 46 Iphitos 47 Jason 48 Laërtes (Father of Odysseus) 49 Laokoön (half-brother of Oeneus and tutor of Meleager) 50 Leitus 51 Leodocus 52 Lynceus 53 Medea (joined when the Fleece was recovered) 54 Melas 55 Meleager 56 Menoetius 57 Mopsus 58 Nauplius 59 Neleus (son of

 Poseidon ) 60 Nestor 61 Oileus 62 Orpheus 63 Palaemon 64 Palaimonius (son of Hephaestus ) 65 Peleus 66 Peneleos 67 Perseus (son of Zeus , slayer of Medusa) 68 Periclymenus (grandson of Poseidon) 69 Phalerus 70 Phanus (brother of Staphylus and Eurymedon) 71 Philoctetes 72 Phlias (son of Dionysus ) 73 Phocus 74 Phrontis 75 Poeas 76 Prias (brother of Phocus) 77 Pollux (son of Zeus) 78 Polyphemus 79 Staphylus 80 Talaus 81 Telamon 82 Thersanon (son of Helios and Leucothoe ) 83 Theseus (son of Poseidon and slayer of the Minotaur) 84 Tiphys 85 Zetes (son of Boreas) Post related to Argonauts

Question: According to Greek mythology, who accompanied Jason on his journey to find the Golden Fleece?
Answer: Argonauts