Jason was a Greek hero celebrated for retrieving the Golden Fleece with his crew, the Argonauts, along with some divine intervention, and the help of a woman in love.
What was so special about the Golden Fleece, and why did Jason need to retrieve it? Like most epic sagas of heroism from Greek mythology, this tale was spun around a prophecy, family betrayals, and a great deal of adventure.
The Origin of the Golden Fleece
The saga begins with Phrixus and Helle, the children of King Athamas of Boeotia. Their stepmother, Ino, disliked them a great deal and threatened to do away with them. They decided quite wisely to flee, and were bestowed a gift of a charmed ram by Hermes, in order to aid them in their journey. This ram could think, he could speak, he could fly, and was covered in a fleece of pure gold.
On their journey, Helle suffered an unfortunate demise, falling into the sea. Phrixus carried on, and made it to Colchis, where he sacrificed his ram to Zeus. He also offered the Golden Fleece to Aeetes, the king of Colchis. The king positioned a powerful and never-sleeping dragon at the tree from which the Fleece was hung, in order to guard it perpetually.
The Story of Jason
In the land of Iolcus, King Aeson was usurped by his own brother, Pelias. Aeson had a son, Jason, who was promptly hidden away, under the care of a centaur named Chiron. When Jason grew up, he decided that he should retake what was rightfully his, and returned to his homeland. Pelias, conscious of a prophecy told to him that he should beware of a man wearing one sandal, decided that his nephew, who came to him with only one sandal, should only get his way if he was able to perform a seemingly impossible task for a mortal man, retrieve the Golden Fleece. Pelias, it seems, thought he was outsmarting the gods. Not a wise choice.
Next, the adventures of Jason and his famed crew, the Argonauts.
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.
