Jason And The Argonauts – Hate, Sorcery, Love And Jealousy Reign In This Famous Greek Story

A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com - The fascinating ancient Greek legend about Jason and his Argonauts pursuing the Golden Fleece is widely featured in Greek literature.

It is a remarkable ancient story that scientists have now confirmed based on actual events!

Jason and Medea. Painting by John William Waterhouse 1917. Credit: Public Domain

Jason - married to the sorceress Medea  - was a son of Aizon, king of Iolcos (modern Volos), a Thessalian town near the Anaurus (Anavros) River. Their waters flow from Mount Pelion into the Gulf of Pagasae.

Jason was also the heir to the royal throne, the great-grandson of the messenger god Hermes.

Jason's father, Aizon (Aeson), had an evil half-brother, Pelias, a power-hungry man with one goal - to gain dominion over all of Thessaly. To do so, Pelias gathered a bunch of disrespectful men, seized the castle, and deposed the rightful king from the throne.

Continuing this bitter feud, he overthrew Aeson (the rightful king), killing all the descendants of Aeson that he could. According to one version, he spared his half-brother for unknown reasons, but in another, Pelias intended to kill the rightful heir, Jason, who had just been born. The parents spread the word that the child had fallen ill and died. Mother had smuggled it out of the city and gave it to Chiron, known as the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs."

Jason and the Argonauts. Painting by Lorenzo Costa (1460–1535). Credit: Public Domain

It was Chiron who taught Asclepius medicine, who became skilled in surgery and thus,  revered as the founder of medicine. However, he symbolizes the healing aspect of the medical arts.

Jason ran across the stones to the opposite bank, but the hero lost one sandal in the river's currents during this crossing. Jason grew up under his guidance and then decided to return to his hometown. On the way to Jolkos, Jason met a helpless older woman who asked him to move her to the other side. Jason took her on his back, and she thanked him, wished him luck, and disappeared.

The oracle ordered King Pelias to guard a man without one sandal. He was frightened at the sight of a stranger. He viewed Jason as a threat to his power and immediately ordered Jason to search for the Golden Fleece. The builder Argos built a giant ship called Argo under the direction of the goddess Athena.

Jason did not know that the older woman was the goddess Hera in disguise who wanted to test his good heart in this way.

Jason was getting ready for the expedition and assembled a team, which included the most courageous heroes of Greece, known as the Argonauts, after their ship, the Argo. Among others, the heroes were the Boreads (sons of Boreas, the North Wind) who could fly, Heracles, Philoctetes, Peleus, Telamon, Orpheus, Castor, and Pollux, Atalanta, and Euphemus.

The first place on this long adventurous journey was the Isle of Lemnos. The isle was populated only by women. Unknown to Jason and his crew, the women have murdered their husbands. After Lemnos, the Argonauts landed among the Doliones, the people living on the coast of the Propontis (northwestern Asia Minor).

Their king Cyzicus treated them kindly. He told them about the land beyond Bear Mountain but forgot to mention what lived there.

What lived in the land beyond Bear Mountain were the Gegeines ("earth-born"), a race of six-armed giants,  a tribe of Earthborn giants with six arms who wore leather loincloths.

Then, there were many more adventures. Aytes, king of the "Land of Aya," i.e., Colchis,  set strict conditions for surrendering the runes to them. One of the Argonauts had to plow a field with a harness of two bulls with bronze nostrils, from which fire was blowing. The area was supposed to be covered with magic dragon teeth.

Pelias Sending Forth Jason. Image source

These seeds were to grow armed warriors, who had to be defeated. In the end, Jason had to fight with the dragon who guarded the Golden Fleece. He helped fulfill the conditions of Medea, the daughter of Aitesus, with whom he fell in love.

When Jason reached Greece, Aizon was lying in his house, unconscious and dying, but Medea healed Aizon and became famous in the region. Pelias died under Medea's spell. Disguised as an older woman, she convinced Pelias ' daughters that she could return their youth.

All they had to do was dismember my father and throw him in the cauldron. It was easy to kill the father.

After many more adventures, the Argo ship passed Constantinople, heading for the Straits of Bosphorus, a narrow passageway of water between the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea, and the Black Sea. To the ancient Greeks, this was the edge of the known world.

In Corinth, Jason met Creusa (Glauce), a daughter of the King of Corinth. Of course, it worked, and Jason took his rightful throne. He married Medea, and they secretly went to Corinth together. However, there was no long-lasting happiness between them.

Medea took her revenge by showing Creusa a cursed dress as a wedding gift that stuck to her body and burned her to death as soon as she put it on. She also murdered the three sons she had with Jason. Then, she fled to Athens and became the mistress of King Aegeus, the founder of Athens, according to Greek tradition.

Jason dragged the Argo ship to the land of the Corinthian passage and dedicated the ship to the god Poseidon.

However, he had to pay a high price for breaking his vow to love Medea. The gods, especially Hera, considered it a betrayal, so Jason lost his favor with Hera, one of the twelve Olympians and the sister and wife of Zeus. The great hero died lonely and unhappy.

One day, he was asleep under the decaying beam of his ship, Argo, when part of it fell off. It killed the great hero Jason instantly.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

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