1. JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS

2. WHAT IS AN ARGONAUT? Nauta is the Greek (and Latin) word for sailor.
The Argo was the name of Jason’s ship.
Therefore, Argonauts are the sailors of the Argo.

3. WHO IS OUR PRIMARY SOURCE?
There were apparently two ancient authors who wrote this epic, but the first was Apollonius of Rhodes. Apollonius lived much later than Homer (3rd century BCE), but the characters are older than Homer’s epics. Many are parents of trojan war heroes.

5. Jason’s Name
Jason is the name we call him in English, but remember, J did not exist in Greek (and Latin). His name in Greek is Iason.
He is the son of Aison and the grandson of Aiolos, the god of winds.

6. Jason as a Hero?
Jason is one of the more interesting heroes for a couple of reasons.
He fits the hero cycle very well, including all the steps clearly.
He isn’t very cool or particularly good at the tasks of his journeys. Typically he accomplishes them by the grace of others.
Also, many of the elements of Jason’s story appear to be taken from other heroes’ stories.

7. Jason’s Birth and Childhood
Aison was the king of a place called Iolkos, but his brother Pelias overthrew him.
This happened about the time Jason was born, and so his parents sent him to be raised by the centaur Chiron.
Pelias is told that he will be overthrown by a man wearing only one sandal.

8. The Coming of Age
Pelias had been told he would be overthrown, but why? There must be something wrong, right?
There was. Pelias wasn’t making sacrifices to Hera. Ignoring or disrespecting any of the gods was dangerous!

9. The Coming of Age
When Jason had finally come of age he returned to Iolkos.
On his way he met an old woman who needed help crossing a river. He helped her. She was really Hera in disguise, testing him to see if he would stop to help a stranger.
For his kindness he would be rewarded with her divine aid in overthrowing his usurper uncle Pelias.

10. The Coming of Age
While helping Hera cross the stream Jason lost a sandal.
When he arrived in Iolkos, Pelias recognized him right away as a threat.
What do you do with someone you know to be a threat.

11. Call to Adventure Pelias orders Jason to go get the Golden Fleece.
The Golden Fleece is in a place called Colchis, which is at the edge of the Black Sea.
Also, it is possessed by Aietes, the king of Aia. He is known for his poor treatment of guests.

12. Call to Adventure
Jason is ready and willing to gain some wealth and notoriety. He begins preparing for his journey by collecting heroes including but certainly not limited to:
Herakles
Orpheus
Atalanta
Laertes
Peleus

13. The Argo
It sets sail from Corinth; the Argonauts make many stops before they reach Colchis.
Lemnos – Hypsipyle and the smelly women
Cyzicus – Cyzicus, gegeines
Thrace – Phineas, harpies
Symplegeades – crushing rocks
Colchis!
Aeaea – Circe!
Sirens – Orpheus’ singing
Crete – Talos!

14. Kolchis
Aietes says he will give Jason the Golden Fleece if he can yoke a fire breathing bull and use it to plow a field and plant dragon’s teeth in the furrows.
He does it; mission accomplished, but only because of someone else.

16. MEDEA
Hera had chosen Jason to overthrow Pelias, but not because she believed he could do it.
Her ultimate goal was to have Jason bring back Medea who would do the deed.
Hera convinced Aphrodite to make Medea fall in love with Jason. Once in love with Jason, she would do whatever she needed to help Jason succeed.

17. MEDEA
Medea was the daughter of Aietes, the niece of Circe, the granddaughter of Helios, and a priestess of Hekate. Jason himself performs rituals in honor of Hekate.
Medea was also a witch like her aunt.
She helped Jason sow the dragon’s teeth by making him a drug or a potion which protected him. After he sowed the teeth, armed men sprang up whom he had to kill.

18. After the entrance of Medea, Jason’s actions become less and less heroic while Medea’s become more and more heroic.
When Jason returns having fulfilled his end of the deal, Aietes flat out refuses to give him the Golden Fleece.
Medea helps Jason steal it by making a magic potion which will put the dragon who guards the Fleece to sleep.

19. JASON AND MEDEA After gaining the Fleece they have to flee.
Aietes pursues the Argo, but is unable to catch it because Medea has murdered her own brother Apsyrtos and throws his limbs into the ocean one at a time.
Aietes stops to collect the pieces of his son, allowing the Argo to escape.

20. JASON AND MEDEA
Upon returning to Iolkos, they find that Pelias has murdered Aison, and Jason’s mother subsequently killed herself.
Medea uses her reputation to get rid of Pelias.
She takes Pelias’ daughters and tells them that she can make their father (who is getting old) young again.
She demonstrates her power by butchering an old ram, putting it into a soup, and a young ram leaps out.

21. JASON AND MEDEA
Pelias’ daughters then slaughter their father and bring the pieces to Medea so she can make him young again.
The potion “accidentally fails.”
Jason is now the king of Iolkos, but his murder of Pelias upsets the people of the city who force them to leave.
They move to Corinth where Creon is king.

22. JASON AND MEDEA
While there, Jason decides that he would be better off married to a proper Greek woman and a Greek princess, a daughter of Creon.
In the meantime he has had two sons with Medea, and she cannot handle this betrayal from her husband.
She kills Creon and his daughter with a poisoned cloak sent as a gift, and she slaughters her own sons as revenge against Jason whom she leaves alive.

23. JASON AND MEDEA
She leaves the world in a chariot drawn by dragons.

24. JASON AND MEDEA
Jason dies old, alone and sad. While asleep under the rotting Argo, the mast breaks and falls on him.
He does not go through apotheosis, but Medea does completing her place as a hero without her former husband.
Jason had lost Hera’s favor for his infidelity.