Greek Mythology Jason & The Golden Fleece

Theme The stories in Greek Mythology often center on heroes. The heroes go on difficult quests that test their bravery, intelligence and physical strength. The myth of Jason and the Argonauts is the origin of all hero quests. It’s the oldest heroic epic and sets the pattern for all hero stories that follow. The Quest of the Golden Fleece has become the prototype of heroic adventures in western literature.

Chiron The Centaur

Characters- Aeson Aeson, son of Cretheus and Tyro, father of Jason. He was locked in the dungeons of the city of Iolcus by his power-hungry half-brother, Pelias.

Characters- Pelias Pelias, the king of Iolcus imposed on his half-nephew Jason the task of bearing off the Golden Fleece.

Characters- Chiron Chiron was a Centaur, half-man and half-horse. Unlike other Centaurs which are irritable and violent, Chiron is known for his wisdom and his ability to train youths in all aspects of life.

Characters- Jason Jason was famous as the leader of the Argonauts and his quest for the Golden Fleece (fleece of the golden- haired, winged ram). He was the son of Aeson and married to the sorceress Medea.

Characters- Hera Hera was the Olympian queen of the gods and the goddess of women and marriage. She aided the hero Jason in his quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece.

Plot Jason was the son of the lawful king of Iolcus, but his ambitious uncle Pelias had usurped the throne. In order to protect the rightful heir, Jason’s father, Aeson, secretly sent Jason away to the Centaur Chiron for training. Chiron tutored Jason in the lore of plants, the hunt and the civilized arts. When he had come of age, Jason set out like a proper hero to claim his rightful throne.

Plot On the way to claim the rightful throne, Jason met an old woman who asked Jason to help her cross the river. When Jason helped the old woman cross the river, the weight of the old woman felt heavier and heavier. Jason accidentally lost one of his sandals. The old woman was the goddess Hera in disguise. When Jason arrived in Iolcus, he asserted his claim to the throne. Pelias was shocked to see Jason, for he had been warned by an oracle that a man wearing one sandal was dangerous to him. To get rid of Jason, Pelias asked him to retrieve the Golden Fleece for his people.

On The Way

The Golden Fleece The Golden Fleece is the fleece of the golden-haired winged ram, which hung in a sacred grove of trees in the distant land of Colchis. The fleece is said to bring wealth, fame and good fortune to whoever owns it.

The Argonauts & the Argo The Argonauts were a band of heroes who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in the quest of finding the Golden Fleece. Their name came From their ship, the Argo which was named after its builder, Argus.The name Argus means “vigilant, a guardian, always watchful.”

Characters- Phineus Phineus was a King of Thrace, who had the gift of prophecy. Zeus, angry that Phineas revealed too much of the plans of the gods, punished him by setting him on an island with a buffet of food. However, he could eat none of it, because the harpies, a cruel band of winged spirits, stole the food out of his hands right before he could eat it.

Characters- the sons of Boreas Zethes and Calais the sons of Boreas, god of the north wind, helped Phineus to get rid of the Harpies.

The Harpies The Harpies are winged monsters with the face of an ugly old woman and crooked, sharp claws. They were hungry, filthy creatures who snatched food, objects and even people.

Plot After Jason agreed to Pelias’ quest, he started his preparations. Jason first looked for shipmates to embark upon his perilous but glamorous adventure. Many heroes, the Argonauts, came to join Jason. The Argonauts first arrived in a small kingdom, where the king Phineus was plagued by the Harpies after he offended Zeus.

Plot Fortunately two of Jason's crew were direct descendants of the North Wind, which gave them the power to fly. They chased the Harpies so far away that the king was never bothered again. In thanks, Phineus informed the Argonauts of a danger just ahead on the route to the Golden Fleece – the clashing rocks, which crashed together upon any ship passing between them. By means of a dove, Jason caused the rocks to spring together prematurely, nipping only the tail feathers of the dove. The Argo was able to pass between them relatively unscathed.

The Clashing Rocks The Symplegades were a pair of rocks that clashed together randomly. They were defeated by Jason and the Argonauts, who would have been lost and killed by the rocks except for Phineas' advice.

The Golden Fleece

Characters- Aeetes Aeetes king of Colchis, was the father of Medea and the taskmaster of Jason. In Colchis, hung the golden fleece of the magical flying ram, object of the quest of Jason and the Argonauts.

Characters- Medea Medea, the daughter of Aeëtes, king of Colchis was an enchantress and witch who used her magic powers to help Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece.

Plot Once in Colchis, Aeëtes had no intention of handing over the Golden Fleece, but pretended that he would do so if Jason successfully performed a series of tasks. Jason was asked to yoke fire-breathing bulls to a plow, sow a field with dragons' teeth, and then fight the armed warriors who grew from the teeth. According to some accounts, Hera, queen of the gods, persuaded Aphrodite, the goddess of love, to make Medea, the daughter of Aeëtes fall in love with the young hero.

Plot In return for his promise to marry her, Medea gave Jason a magic ointment to protect him from the bulls' fiery breath and told him how to confuse the warriors so that they would fight among themselves. Following Medea's instructions, Jason completed the tasks he had been given. Medea knew that Aeëtes would not keep his word. She led Jason into the sacred grove where the fleece was kept, guarded by a vicious serpent. Medea made the serpent sleep, enabling Jason to escape with the fleece.

Plot Jason then joined Medea and the Argonauts as they set sail in the Argo, pursued by her father. However, Medea already had a plan to push his brother into the sea so that his father would give up chasing Jason instead of saving his son. Eventually the Argonauts arrived back at Iolcus and Jason finally claimed his throne.

The End