Jason, the Argonauts, and Medea
Getting by with a little help from his friends
Jason and the Argonauts
Jason was fortunate to have the gods on his side, and both Hera and Athena aided him in building a massive ship equipped with 50 oars, which he named the Argo. His crew was a who’s who of Greek epic heroes, including the Dioscouri, Heracles, Orpheus, Theseus, and Amphion. They set sail in search of the Golden Fleece, and fulfillment of Jason’s destiny.
Dealing with a series of challenges on the voyage, the Argonauts struggled to reach the destination. Eventually, their cunning and strength helped them get to Colchis, the kingdom of Aeetes, who was guarding the Golden Fleece fiercely. Upon hearing Jason’s demand, Aeetes assigned him several tasks that, yet again, no mere mortal man could possible undertake, in exchange for the Golden Fleece.
One task was for Jason to attach to wild bulls with bronze hooves and fiery breath to a plough. He was then made to plough a field and sow it with dragon’s teeth.
Medea
The daughter of Aeetes, a powerful sorceress named Medea, took an immediate liking to Jason. She fell in love with the hero, and used her powers to help him in the fields. And after her father went back on his promise to release the Golden Fleece, she got rid of the dragon that was keeping guard over it, allowing Jason to retrieve it. This, of course, angered Aeetes, and the two lovers fled with the Argonauts to Iolcus.
When Jason arrived home, he found that Pelias had murdered his father Aeson. To get vengeance, Jason murdered his uncle. And for greater effect, Medea convinced Pelias’ daughters that in order to bring him back to life, they must chop him up and cook him in a soup. This of course did nothing to revive the slaughtered king, and Jason and Medea then fled to Corinth.
After years of contentment, Jason’s eye wandered, and he fell for the daughter of the king of Corinth, named Creusa, leaving Medea to marry her. This enraged Medea, who sent the new bride a robe that set her ablaze when she put it on. She then murdered her and Jason’s children, and ran off to Athens, where she married Aegeus.
So what became of Jason? Depending on which version of the myth you prefer, he either committed suicide, or was crushed by the falling stern of the Argo as he slept on its deck.
While Jason did retrieve the Golden Fleece, overcoming seeminlgy insurmountable odds, he was never quite able to regain control of the homeland that was taken from his father by Pelias. Pelias, however, was not able to escape the oracle handed down from the Greek gods, no matter how hard he tried. And Medea is proof that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!
Sources consulted:
Graves, R. The Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1994.
Bonnefoy, Y. Greek and Egyptian Mythologies. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1991.
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