1. Jason and the Argonauts
a Greek myth

2. Long ago, in ancient Greece, a young man named Jason set out on an incredible nautical expedition in the company of a heroic band of explorers.

3. But his story begins in the Kingdom of Iolcus …

4. Not long before Jason was born, a greedy uncle named Pelias seized the throne from Jason's father, throwing the good king in jail.

5. When the king's wife gave birth to Jason – the rightful heir to the throne – she worried that Pelias might kill him and decided to hide the baby.

6. Pretending that Jason had died, she sent him far from Iolcus to live with a loyal centaur named Chiron. Chiron cared for and tutored Jason. Jason grew strong and smart.

7. And when Jason was full grown, he went back to Iolcus to confront his uncle.

8. To Jason's surprise, Uncle Pelias agreed to give up the kingdom if Jason would do just one little thing: capture a golden fleece – the skin of a magical ram – from the Kingdom of Colchis, a land at the very farthest reaches of the known world.

9. Impossible? Maybe. But buoyed by youthful confidence and the spirit of adventure, Jason accepted the challenge.

10. Pelias was sure that Jason would never return to Iolcus alive
Pelias was sure that Jason would never return to Iolcus alive. But Jason knew that with perseverance, a team of talented helpers, the best tools and equipment, and a bit of good fortune (or help from some friendly Greek gods), the impossible might just be possible.

11. So Jason sent out a call to anyone game for adventure, and the bravest and most talented men and women in all of Greece – including the strong man Hercules – answered his call.

12. Together they sailed off in a mighty ship called the Argo, the biggest and best boat the Greeks had ever sailed.

13. The crew members were called Argonauts, in honor of the boat.

14. They sailed to the ends of the known world to reach the Kingdom of Colchis.

15. On their long journey, Jason and the Argonauts made many discoveries and faced many dangers.

16. Jason and the Argonauts had to do battle with the dreaded Hydra in their quest for the magical Golden Fleece..

17. They arrived at the kingdom where the golden fleece was
. They arrived at the kingdom where the golden fleece was. The king did not want to give up the fleece. And so he thought of an impossible task for the Argonauts to perform. They had to fight an army of skeletons.

18. After many adventures and all-but-impossible feats, they did capture the golden fleece.

19. Jason returned to Iolcus to save his father – and to tell tales of a world beyond Greece that few had dared to explore.

20. The End

21. Pictures downloaded from the following web sites: Greek Mythology Link MIT Wikipedia bama.edu A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry and Symplegades: The Other World: and Howard David Johnson’s Myths and Legends of the Ancient World:

22. Story adapted from the JASON Foundation web site: http://www. jason