All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

The myth of Jason and the Argonauts is one

of the greatest quest stories in all mythology.

It concerns Jason, heir to the throne of Iolcus

in northeastern Greece. When Jason was a

child, his uncle, Pelias, usurped the kingdom

and imprisoned Jason’s father, King Aeson.

Jason’s mother, Alcimede, smuggled him

away and entrusted his care to Cheiron the

Centaur, who raised him. After Jason grew to

manhood, he went to Pelias and demanded

the kingdom that was rightfully his own.

Pelias said that Jason could only be king if he

stole and brought back the precious Golden

Fleece from King Aeëtes of Colchis.

The Argonauts

CLASSICAL EUROPE

The Argo sets off

Jason wisely decided to take with

him some of the strongest heroes

in Greece. The crew set off on their

perilous quest, cheered by the

people of Iolcus.

Harpies

With their hardened beaks

and talons and their poisonous

droppings, the Harpies were

formidable monsters.

CHALLENGES IN COLCHIS

In Colchis, King Aeëtes did not want to lose the

Golden Fleece, so he set Jason a challenge – to

tame a pair of fire-breathing bulls and use them

to pull a plough, dropping the teeth of serpents

into the soil as he went. From the teeth, armed

warriors would spring up to attack Jason. The hero

only succeeded because the daughter of Aeëtes,

the sorceress Medea, had fallen in love with him

and helped him accomplish the task. Her father,

however, still would not let Jason take the

fleece. Then she suggested that Orpheus’s music

would charm the poisonous serpent guarding it and put it to

sleep. With the fleece finally in his hands, Jason sailed for

home, negotiating hazards such as Scylla and Charybdis, the

Sirens, and the giant Talos, who threw huge rocks at the ship

until Medea killed him with a deadly glance. At last Jason

reached Iolcus and claimed his kingship.

THE MYTH

For his journey to Colchis, Jason had a special

ship built, named the Argo. The ship’s timbers

included planks taken from a sacred oak tree

at the oracle of Zeus at Dodona, making the

vessel especially strong. Jason persuaded

many of Greece’s greatest heroes, including

Heracles, Polydeuces, Peleus, and Orpheus,

to join him on the Argo. This group of heroes

became known as the Argonauts.

DANGERS AND OBSTACLES

The heroes faced all kinds of obstacles on their journey,

from encounters with attractive women who delayed their

quest, to confrontations with the deadly perils of the sea.

First, they were seduced by the all-female population of

the island of Lemnos, delaying their progress for several

months. Then one of their number, Hylas, left the quest

when water nymphs pulled him into a well, and his friend,

Heracles, distressed at his loss, left the Argo to save him.

The remaining Argonauts had still more dangerous

challenges ahead. They got involved in a boxing match with

King Amycus, a formidable fighter who usually killed his

opponents. They were saved by the prowess of Polydeuces,

who is said to have invented the sport of boxing. In another

encounter they met a blind prophet called Phineus who was

tortured by the Harpies, bird-like creatures with women’s

heads, also known as the hounds of Zeus. These frightful

beings continually snatched away Phineus’s food and

pecked at his eyes. Two of the Argonauts chased the Harpies

away and in return a grateful Phineus helped them sail

through the Clashing Rocks, one of several other perils

that they had to negotiate before reaching Colchis.

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