+ Athamas, a king, got tired of his first wife, Nephele, and marries a second, Ino. Ino wants Nephele’s son, Phrixus, out of the way so her own son can inherit the throne. + Ino, determined to bring about the little boy's death, and she made an elaborate plan how this was to be done.

+ Nephele was afraid for her two children. + The people, threatened with starvation, forced the King to yield and permit the boy's death. + All of a sudden, the boy and girl were bore away by a wondrous ram with a fleece of pure gold.

+ While crossing the strait … + Sea of Helle + Country of Colchis

+ Phrixus killed the ram and gifted the golden fleece to the King. + Phrixus had an uncle who was by rights a king in Greece, but had had his kindom taken away from him by his nephew, a man named Pelias. + Oracle’s prediction…

+ In due time such a man came to the town. + Jason asked Pelias to return his throne to him. + Pelias agreed as long as Jason could get the golden fleece back.

+ The idea of the great adventure was delightful to Jason and he let it be known everywhere.

+ Jason, intrigued by the challenge, assembles a remarkable group of heroes to help him, including Hercules, Theseus, Peleus, and Orpheus. Their ship is named the Argo, so the group is called the Argonauts.

+ Jason finally arrived to claim the fleece as his own. Aeëtes promised to give it to him only if he could perform certain tasks. + First, Jason had to plow a field with fire- breathing oxen that he had to yoke himself. + Then, Jason sowed the teeth of a dragon into a field.

+ The teeth sprouted into an army of warriors. + Jason was quick-thinking, however, and before they attacked him, he threw a rock into the crowd. + Unable to determine whence the rock had come, the soldiers attacked and killed each other.

+ Finally, Aeëtes made Jason fight and kill the sleepless dragon that guarded the fleece. Jason then took the fleece and sailed away with Aeëtes's daughter Medea.

+ Aeetes chased them as they fled. + Medea distracted him by by killing her brother Apsyrtus, and throwing pieces of his body into the sea. + The other version of the slaughter

+ On the way back to Iolcus, Medea prophesied to Euphemus, the Argo's helmsman, that one day he would rule Libia. + Zeus sent a series of storms at the Argo and blew it off course as the punishment for the slaughter. + The Argo then sought purification with Circe, a nymph. After being cleansed, they continued their journey home.

+ A minor goddess of magic. + The daughter of Helios, the god of the sun, and Perse, an Oceanid and the sister of Aeetes. + She was known for her vast knowledge of drugs and herbs. And she purified the Argonauts for the death of Absyrtus, may reflect early tradition.

+ The Sirens lived on three small, rocky islands called Sirenum scopuli. + They sang beautiful songs that enticed sailors to come to them, which resulted in the crashing of their ship into the islands. + With the aid of Orpheus, the Argonauts were able to pass the Sirens.

+ The island of Crete was guarded by the bronze man, Talos. + Talos hurled huge stones at the ship, keeping it at bay. + Weakness: Talos had one blood vessel which went from his neck to his ankle, bound shut by only one bronze nail (as in metal casting by the lost wax method). + Medea removed the bronze nail and Talos bled to death

+ Iolcus was ruled by Jason's uncle Pelias, who had gained the throne by killing Jason's father. + Medea tricked Pelias's daughters into thinking that they could restore their father to youth by cutting him up and boiling him in a pot. + Pelias died a gruesome death, and Pelias' son, Acastus, drove Jason and Medea into exile for the murder.

+ The couple married and settled in Corinth, where they raised several children. + The king of Corinth, offered Jason his daughter in marriage. + Knowing that Jason was going to abandon her, Medea took her revenge by sending the bride a poisoned wedding gown that burned her alive. + By some accounts, before fleeing to Athens, she also killed the children she had borne to Jason.

+ Later Jason and Peleus (father of Achilles), attacked and defeated Acastus, reclaiming the throne of Iolcus for himself once more. Jason's son then became king. + As a result of breaking his vow, Jason lost his favor with Hera and died lonely and unhappy.