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Jason (Greek
Koine Greek

Koine Greek is the popular form of Greek which emerged in post-Classical antiquity . Other names are Alexandrian, Hellenistic, Common, or New Testament Greek....
: ??s??, Etruscan
Etruscan language

The Etruscan language was spoken and written by the Etruscan civilization in the ancient region of Etruria and in parts of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna , in Italy....
: Easun, Laz
Laz language

The Laz language is spoken by the Laz people on the Southeast shore of the Black Sea. It is estimated that there are between around 30,000 native speakers of Laz in Turkey, in a strip of land extending from Melyat to the Georgian border , and about 2,000 in Georgia ....
: Yason) was a late ancient Greek
Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
 mythological
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
 figure, famous as the leader of the Argonauts
Argonauts

In Greek mythology, the Argonauts were a band of heroes who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece....
 and their quest for the Golden Fleece
Golden Fleece

In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece is the fleece of the winged ram Chrysomallos . It figures in the tale of Jason and his band of Argonauts, who set out on a quest for the fleece in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly....
. He was the son of Aeson
Aeson

In Greek mythology, Aeson or Aison was the son of Tyro and Cretheus, who also had his brothers Pheres and Amythaon. Aeson was the father of Jason and Promachus with Polymede, the daughter of Autolycus....
, the rightful king of Iolcus. He was married to the sorceress Medea
Medea

Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Aeetes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres....
.

Jason is considered to be one of the heroes of Greek mythology, along with such others as Herakles and Odysseus
Odysseus

Odysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greeks king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
.

Jason appeared in various literature in the classical world of Greece and Rome, including the epic poem Argonautica and tragedian play, Medea
Medea (play)

Medea is an Ancient Greece tragedy play written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC. The Plot largely centers on the protagonist in her struggle with the world, and the revenge she brings about against her husband Jason who has betrayed her for another woman, the princess Glauce....
.






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Jason (Greek
Koine Greek

Koine Greek is the popular form of Greek which emerged in post-Classical antiquity . Other names are Alexandrian, Hellenistic, Common, or New Testament Greek....
: ??s??, Etruscan
Etruscan language

The Etruscan language was spoken and written by the Etruscan civilization in the ancient region of Etruria and in parts of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna , in Italy....
: Easun, Laz
Laz language

The Laz language is spoken by the Laz people on the Southeast shore of the Black Sea. It is estimated that there are between around 30,000 native speakers of Laz in Turkey, in a strip of land extending from Melyat to the Georgian border , and about 2,000 in Georgia ....
: Yason) was a late ancient Greek
Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
 mythological
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
 figure, famous as the leader of the Argonauts
Argonauts

In Greek mythology, the Argonauts were a band of heroes who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece....
 and their quest for the Golden Fleece
Golden Fleece

In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece is the fleece of the winged ram Chrysomallos . It figures in the tale of Jason and his band of Argonauts, who set out on a quest for the fleece in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly....
. He was the son of Aeson
Aeson

In Greek mythology, Aeson or Aison was the son of Tyro and Cretheus, who also had his brothers Pheres and Amythaon. Aeson was the father of Jason and Promachus with Polymede, the daughter of Autolycus....
, the rightful king of Iolcus. He was married to the sorceress Medea
Medea

Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Aeetes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres....
.

Jason is considered to be one of the heroes of Greek mythology, along with such others as Herakles and Odysseus
Odysseus

Odysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greeks king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
.

Jason appeared in various literature in the classical world of Greece and Rome, including the epic poem Argonautica and tragedian play, Medea
Medea (play)

Medea is an Ancient Greece tragedy play written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC. The Plot largely centers on the protagonist in her struggle with the world, and the revenge she brings about against her husband Jason who has betrayed her for another woman, the princess Glauce....
. In the modern world, Jason has emerged as a character in various adaptations of his myths, such as the film Jason and the Argonauts
Jason and the Argonauts (film)

Jason and the Argonauts is a Columbia Pictures fantasy film feature film starring Todd Armstrong as the titular Jason in a story about his quest for the Golden Fleece....
.

Jason has connections outside of the classical world, as he is seen as being the mythical founder of the city of Ljubljana
Ljubljana

Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia and its largest town. It is located in the center of the country and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants....
, the capital of Slovenia
Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north....
.

The Early Years

Pelias
Pelias

Pelias was king of Iolcus in Greek mythology, the son of Tyro, daughter of Aleus, and of either Poseidon or Cretheus. His wife is recorded as either Anaxibia, daughter of Bias , or Phylomache, daughter of Amphion....
 (Aeson's half-brother) was very power-hungry, and he wished to gain dominion over all of Thessaly
Thessaly

Thessaly is one of the 13 Peripheries of Greece of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 Prefectures of Greece. The capital of the periphery and traditional Regions of Greece is Larissa....
. Pelias was the product of a union between their shared mother, Tyro
Tyro

In Greek mythology, Tyro was the daughter of Salmoneus and mother of Pelias and Neleus. Her father, Salmoneus, was the brother of Athamus and Sisyphus....
 ("high born Tyro") the daughter of Salmoneus
Salmoneus

In Greek mythology, Salmoneus was the son of Aeolus and Enarete, the brother of Athamas, Sisyphus and the father of Tyro. Salmoneus became King of Elis and founded the city of Salmaneo....
, and the sea god Poseidon
Poseidon

In Greek mythology, Poseidon was the god of the sea and, as "Earth-Shaker," of earthquakes. The name of the god Nethuns in Etruscan mythology was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon....
. In a bitter feud, he overthrew Aeson (the rightful king), killing all the descendants of Aeson that he could. He spared his half-brother for unknown reasons. Alcimede I
Alcimede

In Greek mythology, Alcimede was one of the matrilineal Minyans daughters, the daughter of Clymene, Minyas ' daughter. She was the mother of Jason by Aeson, whom she met in the caves below Iolcus in Thessaly, a chthonic lair where the rightful king Aeson had been imprisoned by his evil half-brother Pelias....
 (wife of Aeson) already had an infant son named Jason whom she saved from being killed by Pelias, by having women cluster around the newborn and cry as if he were still-born. Alcimede sent her son to the centaur
Centaur

In Greek mythology, the centaurs are a race of creatures composed of part human and part horse. In early Attica Pottery of ancient Greece, they are depicted with the torso of a human joined at the waist to the horse's withers, where the horse's neck would be....
 Chiron
Chiron

In Greek mythology, Chiron or Cheiron was held as the superlative centaur among his brethren. Like the satyrs, centaurs were notorious for being overly indulgent drinkers and carousers, given to violence when intoxicated, and generally uncultured delinquents....
 for education, for fear that Pelias would kill him - she claimed that she had been having an affair with him all along. Pelias, still fearful that he would one day be overthrown, consulted an oracle
Oracle

An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophecy opinion; an infallible authority, usually Spirituality in nature....
 which warned him to beware of a man with one sandal.

Many years later, Pelias was holding games
Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sports. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia, Greece, Greece....
 in honor of the sea god and his alleged father, Poseidon, when Jason arrived in Iolcus and lost one of his sandals in the river Anauros ("wintry Anauros"), while helping an old woman (the Goddess Hera
Hera

In the Twelve Olympians of classical Greek Mythology, Hera or Here was the wife and older sister of Zeus. Her chief function was as goddess of women and marriage....
 in disguise), to cross. She blessed him for she knew, as goddesses do, what Pelias had up his sleeve. When Jason entered Iolcus (modern-day city of Volos
Volos

Volos is a coastal port city situated at the center of the Greece mainland, about 326 km north from Athens and 215 km south from Thessaloniki. It is the capital of the Magnesia Prefectures of Greece....
), he was announced as a man wearing one sandal. Jason, knowing that he was the rightful king, told Pelias that and Pelias said, "To take my throne, which you shall, you must go on a quest to find the Golden Fleece." Jason happily accepted the quest.

The Quest for the Golden Fleece


Jason Pelias Louvre K127
Jason assembled a great group of heroes, known as the Argonauts
Argonauts

In Greek mythology, the Argonauts were a band of heroes who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece....
 after their ship, the Argo
Argo

In Greek mythology, the Argo was the ship on which Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcus to retrieve the Golden Fleece....
. The group of heroes included the Boreads
Boreads

The Boreads, in Greek mythology, were Calais and Zetes . They were the sons of Boreas and Oreithyia, daughter of King Erechtheus of Athens....
 (sons of Boreas, the North Wind) who could fly, Heracles
Heracles

In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles meaning "glory of Hera", or "Glorious through Hera" Alcides or Alcaeus " was a hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus....
, Philoctetes
Philoctetes

In Greek mythology, Philoctetes was the son of King Poeas of Meliboea in Thessaly. He was a Greek hero, famed as an archer, and was a participant in the Trojan War....
, Peleus
Peleus

In Greek mythology, Pele?s was a Greek hero cult who was already known to Homer. Peleus was the son of Aeacus, king of the island of Aegina, and Ende?s, the oread of Mount Pelion in Thessaly; he became the father of Achilles....
, Telamon
Telamon

In Greek mythology, Telamon , son of the king Aeacus, of Aegina, and Endeis and brother of Peleus, accompanied Jason as one his Argonauts, and was present at the hunt for the Calydonian Boar....
, Orpheus
Orpheus

Orpheus was a legendary figure, probably from Thracian origin, venerated by the Greeks and Thracians of the Classical age as a chief among poets and musicians, and the perfector of the lyre invented by Hermes....
, Castor and Pollux
Castor and Pollux

In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux were the twin sons of Leda and Zeus/Tyndareus , the brothers of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra and the half-brothers of Timandra , Phoebe, Heracles, Philonoe....
, Atalanta
Atalanta

Atalanta is a character from ancient Greek mythology.After being told by an oracle she would be ruined if she were to marry, Atalanta set up a contest to win her hand in marriage....
, and Euphemus
Euphemus

There are two figures in Greek mythology known as Euphemus "reputable".One was the son of Poseidon, granted by his father the power to walk on water....
.

The Isle of Lemnos


The isle of Lemnos
Lemnos

Lemnos is an island in the northern part of the Aegean Sea. It is part of the prefecture of Greece of Lesbos Prefecture and has a considerable area, about 477 km?....
 is situated off the Western coast of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
). The island was inhabited by a race of women who had killed their husbands. The women had neglected their worship of Aphrodite
Aphrodite

Aphrodite is the classical Greek mythology goddess of love, sex, and beauty. According to Greek oral poet Hesiod, she was born when Uranus was castrated by his son Cronus....
, and as a punishment the goddess made the women so foul in stench that their husbands couldn't bear to be near them. The men then took concubines from the Thracian mainland opposite, and the spurned women, angry at Aphrodite, killed every male inhabitant while they slept. The king, Thoas
Thoas

Thoas , son of Andraimon, was one of the heroes who fought for the Greeks in the Trojan War. He was a former suitor of Helen of Troy and led a group of forty ships for the Aetolians, one of the larger contingents....
, was saved by Hypsipyle
Hypsipyle

In Greek mythology, Hypsipyle was the Queen of Lemnos.During her reign, Aphrodite cursed the women of the island for having neglected her shrines....
, his daughter, who put him out to sea sealed in a chest from which he was later rescued. The women of Lemnos lived for a while without men, with Hypsipyle
Hypsipyle

In Greek mythology, Hypsipyle was the Queen of Lemnos.During her reign, Aphrodite cursed the women of the island for having neglected her shrines....
 as their queen.

During the visit of the Argonauts the women mingled with the men creating a new "race" called Minyae. Jason fathered twins with the queen. Heracles pressured them to leave as he was disgusted by the antics of the Argonauts. He hadn't taken part, which is truly unusual considering the numerous affairs he had with other women. [Note: In "Hercules, My Shipmate" Robert Graves
Robert Graves

Robert Ranke Graves was an England poet, translator and novelist. During his long life, he produced more than 140 works. He was the son of the Anglo-Irish writer Alfred Perceval Graves and Amalie von Ranke, a niece of the famous German historian Leopold von Ranke....
 claims that Heracles fathered more children than anyone else of the crew.]

Kyzicos

After Lemnos the Argonauts landed among the Doliones, whose king Kyzicos treated them graciously. The Argonauts departed, losing their bearings and landing again at the same spot that night. In the darkness, the Doliones took them for enemies and they started fighting each other. The Argonauts killed many of the Doliones, among them the king Kyzicos. Kyzicos' wife killed herself. The Argonauts realized their horrible mistake when dawn came.

Mysia

When the Argonauts reached Mysia
Mysia

Mysia was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor or Anatolia . It was located on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was bounded by Bithynia on the east, Phrygia on the southeast, Lydia on the south, Aeolis on the southwest, Troad on the west and by the Propontis on the north....
, they sent some men to find food and water. Among these men was Heracles' servant, Hylas
Hylas

In Greek mythology, Hylas was the son of King Theiodamas of the Dryopians. Other sources such as Ovid state that Hylas' father was Heracles and his mother was the nymph Melite, or that his mother was the wife of Theiodamus, whose adulterous affair with Heracles caused the war between him and her husband....
. The nymphs of the stream where Hylas was collecting were attracted to his good looks, and pulled him into the stream. Heracles
Heracles

In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles meaning "glory of Hera", or "Glorious through Hera" Alcides or Alcaeus " was a hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus....
 returned to his Labors, but Hylas was lost forever. Others say that Heracles went to Colchis
Colchis

In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgia , state monarchy and region in the Western Georgia , which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgians and its subgroups....
 with the Argonauts and he got the Golden Girdle of the Amazons and slew the Stymphalian Birds
Stymphalian birds

In Greek mythology, the Stymphalian birds were man-eating birds with wings of brass and sharp metallic feathers they could launch at their victims, and were pets of Ares, the god of war....
 at that time.

Phineus and the Harpies

Soon Jason reached the court of Phineus
Phineus

Phineus may refer to:* Phineus, killed by Perseus. See Boast of Cassiopeia* Blind King Phineus or Phineas of Thrace, visited by Jason and the Argonauts...
 of Salmydessus in Thrace. Phineus had been given the gift of prophecy by Apollo
Apollo

In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Twelve Olympians. The ideal of the kouros , Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; archery; medicine and healing; music, poetry, and the arts; and more....
, but was later given the choice of being blind and having a long life, or having sight and having a short life, for revealing to humans the deliberations of the gods. He chose to be blind. Helios
Helios

Helios is the god of sun.In Greek mythology the sun was personified as Helios . Homer often calls him simply Titan or Hyperion , while Hesiod and the Homeric Hymn separate him as a son of the Titans Hyperion and Theia or Euryphaessa and brother of the goddesses Selene, the moon, and Eos, the dawn....
 the sun god sent the Harpies, creatures with the body of a bird and the head of a woman, to prevent Phineus from eating any more than what was necessary to live, because he was enraged that Phineus had chosen to live in a continual state of darkness than live in the sun he provided. Jason took pity on the emaciated king and killed the Harpies when they returned (In other versions Calais and Zetes
Boreads

The Boreads, in Greek mythology, were Calais and Zetes . They were the sons of Boreas and Oreithyia, daughter of King Erechtheus of Athens....
 chase the Harpies away). In return for this favor, Phineus revealed to Jason the location of Colchis and how to cross the Symplegades
Symplegades

In Greek mythology, the Symplegades , also known as the Cyanean Rocks or Clashing Rocks, were a pair of rocks at the Bosporus that clashed together randomly....
, or The Clashing Rocks, and then they parted.

The Symplegades

The only way to reach Colchis was to sail through the Symplegades
Symplegades

In Greek mythology, the Symplegades , also known as the Cyanean Rocks or Clashing Rocks, were a pair of rocks at the Bosporus that clashed together randomly....
 (Clashing Rocks), huge rock cliffs that came together and crushed anything that traveled between them. Phineus told Jason to release a dove when they approached these islands, and if the dove made it through, to row with all their might. If the dove was crushed, he was doomed to fail. Jason released the dove as advised, which made it through, losing only a few tail feathers. Seeing this, they rowed strongly and made it through with minor damage at the extreme stern of the ship. From that time on, the clashing rocks were forever joined leaving free passage for others to pass.

The Arrival in Colchis

Douris Cup Jason Vatican 16545
Jason arrived in Colchis
Colchis

In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgia , state monarchy and region in the Western Georgia , which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgians and its subgroups....
 (modern Black Sea
Black Sea

The Black Sea is an inland sea sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolia and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Seas and various straits....
 coast of Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
) to claim the fleece as his own. King Aeetes
Aeëtes

In Greek mythology, Ae?tes was a son of the king-god Helios and the nymph Perseis , brother of Circe and Pasiphae, and father of Medea, Chalciope and Apsyrtus....
 of Colchis promised to give it to him only if he could perform three certain tasks. Presented with the tasks, Jason became discouraged and fell into depression. However, Hera
Hera

In the Twelve Olympians of classical Greek Mythology, Hera or Here was the wife and older sister of Zeus. Her chief function was as goddess of women and marriage....
 had persuaded Aphrodite
Aphrodite

Aphrodite is the classical Greek mythology goddess of love, sex, and beauty. According to Greek oral poet Hesiod, she was born when Uranus was castrated by his son Cronus....
 to convince her son Eros to make Aeetes's daughter, Medea
Medea

Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Aeetes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres....
, fall in love with Jason. As a result, Medea aided Jason in his tasks. First, Jason had to plow a field with fire-breathing oxen, the Khalkotauroi
Khalkotauroi

The Khalkotauroi are legendary creatures that appear in the Greek mythology of Jason and the Golden Fleece. They are two immense Bull through which they breath fire....
, that he had to yoke himself. Medea provided an ointment that protected him from the oxen's flames. Then, Jason sowed the teeth of a dragon
Dragon's teeth (mythology)

In Greek mythology, dragon's teeth feature prominently in the legends of the Phoenician prince Cadmus and Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece. In each case, the dragon's teeth, once planted, would grow into fully armed warriors....
 into a field. The teeth sprouted into an army of warriors. Medea had previously warned Jason of this and told him how to defeat this foe. Before they attacked him, he threw a rock into the crowd. Unable to discover where the rock had come from, the soldiers attacked and defeated one another. His last task was to overcome the Sleepless Dragon which guarded the Golden Fleece
Golden Fleece

In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece is the fleece of the winged ram Chrysomallos . It figures in the tale of Jason and his band of Argonauts, who set out on a quest for the fleece in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly....
. Jason sprayed the dragon with a potion, given by Medea, diluted from herbs. The dragon fell asleep, and Jason was able to seize the Golden Fleece. He then sailed away with Medea. Medea had to distract her father, who chased them, as they fled by killing her brother Apsyrtus and throwing pieces of his body into the sea, which Aeetes had to stop for and gather. In another version, Medea lured Apsyrtus into a trap. Jason kills him, chops off his fingers and toes, and buries the corpse. In any case, Jason and Medea escaped.

The Return Journey


On the way back to Iolcus, Medea prophesised to Euphemus
Euphemus

There are two figures in Greek mythology known as Euphemus "reputable".One was the son of Poseidon, granted by his father the power to walk on water....
, the Argo's helmsman, that one day he would rule Libya
Libya

Libya , officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , is a country located in North Africa. Bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya lies between Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. This came true through Battus
Battus

Battus can refer to:*In Greek mythology, Battus is a shepherd from Pylos, Battus witnessed Hermes stealing Apollo 's cattle. Though he promised his silence, he told many others....
, a descendant of Euphemus. Zeus
Zeus

Zeus in Greek mythology is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky father and List of thunder gods. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull , and oak....
, as punishment for the slaughter of Medea's own brother, sent a series of storms at the Argo and blew it off course. The Argo then spoke and said that they should seek purification with Circe
Circe

In Greek mythology, Circe , is a Queen goddess living on the island of Aeaea.Circe's father was Helios , the god of the sun and the owner of the land where Odysseus' men ate cattle, and her mother was Hecate the goddess of magic and the moon ; she was sister of two kings of Colchis, Aeetes and Perses, and of Pasipha?, mother of the Mino...
, a nymph
Nymph

In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human form. They were typically associated with a particular location or landform....
 living on the island called Aeaea. After being cleansed, they continued their journey home.

Sirens


Chiron had told Jason that without the aid of Orpheus
Orpheus

Orpheus was a legendary figure, probably from Thracian origin, venerated by the Greeks and Thracians of the Classical age as a chief among poets and musicians, and the perfector of the lyre invented by Hermes....
, the Argonauts would never be able to pass the Siren
Siren

In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous bird-women, portrayed as seductresses, who lived on an island called Sirenum scopuli. In some later, rationalized traditions the literal geography of the "flowery" island of Anthemoessa, or Anthemusa, is fixed: sometimes on Cape Pelorum and at others in the Sirenusian islands near Paestum...
s — the same Sirens encountered by Odysseus
Odysseus

Odysseus or Ulysses , in Greek mythology , was a legendary Greeks king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
 in Homer
Homer

Homer is traditionally held to be the author of the ancient Greek language epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as of the Homeric Hymns....
's epic poem the Odyssey
Odyssey

The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Hellenic civilization epic poetrys attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work traditionally ascribed to Homer....
. The Sirens lived on three small, rocky islands called Sirenum scopuli
Sirenum scopuli

In Greek mythology, the Sirenum scopuli were three small rocky islands where the Siren lived and lured sailors to their deaths.Diverse locations were assigned to the isles of the sirens by various authorities....
 and sang beautiful songs that enticed sailors to come to them, which resulted in the crashing of their ship into the islands. When Orpheus heard their voices, he drew his lyre
Lyre

The lyre is a string instrument well known for its use in classical antiquity and later. The recitations of the Ancient Greece were accompanied by lyre playing....
 and played music that was more beautiful and louder, drowning out the Sirens' bewitching songs.

Talos


The Argo then came to the island of Crete
Crete

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the List of islands in the Mediterranean largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km? ....
, guarded by the bronze man, Talos
Talos

In the Cretan tales incorporated into Greek mythology, T?los or T?lon was a giant man of bronze who protected Europa in Crete, circling the island's shores three times daily while guarding it....
. As the ship approached, Talos hurled huge stones at the ship, keeping it at bay. Talos had one blood vessel which went from his neck to his ankle, bound shut by only one bronze nail (as in metal casting by the lost wax method). Medea
Medea

Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Aeetes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres....
 cast a spell on Talos to calm him; she removed the bronze nail and Talos bled to death. The Argo was then able to sail on.

Jason returns


Medea, using her sorcery, claimed to Pelias' daughters that she could make their father younger by chopping him up into pieces and boiling the pieces in a cauldron of water and magical herbs. She demonstrated this remarkable feat with a sheep, which leapt out of the cauldron as a lamb. The girls, rather naively, sliced and diced their father and put him in the cauldron. Medea did not add the magical herbs, and Pelias was dead.

[It should be noted that Thomas Bulfinch
Thomas Bulfinch

Thomas Bulfinch was an United States writer, born in Newton, Massachusetts. Bulfinch belonged to a well educated Bostonian merchant family of modest means....
 has an antecedent to the interaction of Medea and the daughters of Pelias. Jason, celebrating his return with the Golden Fleece, noted that his father was too aged and infirm to participate in the celebrations. He had seen and been served by Medea's magical powers. He asked Medea to take some years from his life and add them to the life of his father. She did so, but at no such cost to Jason's life. Pelias' daughters saw this and wanted the same service for their father.] Pelias' son, Acastus
Acastus

Acastus is a character in Greek mythology. He sailed with Jason and the Argonauts, and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar....
, drove Jason and Medea into exile for the murder, and the couple settled in Corinth.

Treachery of Jason

In Corinth, Jason became engaged to marry Creusa
Creusa

In Greek mythology, four people had the name Creusa ; the name means simply "princess"....
 (sometimes referred to as Glauce
Glauce

In Greek mythology, Glauce refers to seven different people:#Glauce, daughter of Creon. She married Jason. She was killed, along with Jason's children, by his wife, Medea....
), a daughter of the King of Corinth, to strengthen his political ties. When Medea confronted Jason about the engagement and cited all the help she had given him, he retorted that it was not she that he should thank, but Aphrodite who made Medea fall in love with him. Infuriated with Jason for breaking his vow that he would be hers forever, Medea took her revenge by presenting to 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. Creusa's father, Creon
Creon

Creon is a figure in Greek mythology best known as the ruler of Thebes,_Greece in the legend of Oedipus. He was the father of Menoeceus and Megara by his wife, Eurydice of Thebes....
, burned to death with his daughter as he tried to save her. Then Medea killed the two boys that she bore to Jason, fearing that they would be murdered or enslaved as a result of their mother's actions. When Jason came to know of this, Medea was already gone; she fled to Athens in a chariot sent by her grandfather, the sun-god Helios.

Later Jason and Peleus
Peleus

In Greek mythology, Pele?s was a Greek hero cult who was already known to Homer. Peleus was the son of Aeacus, king of the island of Aegina, and Ende?s, the oread of Mount Pelion in Thessaly; he became the father of Achilles....
, father of the hero Achilles
Achilles

In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greeks hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad, which takes for its theme ; the Wrath of Achilles....
, would attack and defeat Acastus, reclaiming the throne of Iolcus for himself once more. Jason's son, Thessalus
Thessalus

In Greek mythology, the name Thessalus is attributed to three individuals.*Thessalus was the son of Jason and Medea and the twin of Alcimenes....
, then became king.

Because he broke his vow to love Medea forever, Jason lost his favor with Hera
Hera

In the Twelve Olympians of classical Greek Mythology, Hera or Here was the wife and older sister of Zeus. Her chief function was as goddess of women and marriage....
 and died lonely and unhappy. He was asleep under the stern of the rotting Argo
Argo

In Greek mythology, the Argo was the ship on which Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcus to retrieve the Golden Fleece....
 when it fell on him, killing him instantly. The manner of his death was due to the deities cursing him for breaking his promise to Medea.

Argonauts in Classical Literature


Epic Poetry Though some of the episodes of Jason's story draw on ancient material, the definitive telling, on which this account relies, is that of Apollonius of Rhodes
Apollonius of Rhodes

Apollonius of Rhodes, also known as Apollonius Rhodius , early 3rd century BCE - after 246 BCE, was a librarian at the Library of Alexandria....
 in his epic poem
Epic poetry

An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation....
 Argonautica, written in Alexandria
Alexandria

Alexandria , with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports....
 in the late 3rd century BC.

Another Argonautica was written by Gaius Valerius Flaccus
Gaius Valerius Flaccus

Gaius Valerius Flaccus was a Roman Empire poet who flourished in the "Silver Age of Latin literature" under the emperors Vespasian and Titus and wrote a Latin Argonautica that owes a great deal to Apollonius of Rhodes' more famous epic....
 in the late 1st century AD, comprising of eight books in length. The poem ends abruptly with the request of Medea
Medea

Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Aeetes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres....
 to accompany Jason on his homeward voyage. It is unclear if part of the epic poem has been lost, or if it had ever been finished. A third version is the Argonautica Orphica, which emphasizes the role of Orpheus
Orpheus

Orpheus was a legendary figure, probably from Thracian origin, venerated by the Greeks and Thracians of the Classical age as a chief among poets and musicians, and the perfector of the lyre invented by Hermes....
 in the story.

Jason is breafly mentioned in Dante's
Dante Alighieri

Durante degli Alighieri , commonly known as Dante Alighieri, was a Florence poet of the Middle Ages. His Magnum opus, the Divine Comedy , is often considered the greatest literary work composed in the Italian language and a masterpiece of world literature....
 Divine Comedy. He appears in the Canto XVIII. In it, he is seen by Dante and his guide Virgil
Virgil

Publius Vergilius Maro was a classical Roman poet, best known for three major works?the Bucolics , the Georgics and the Aeneid?although several Appendix Vergiliana are also attributed to him....
 being punished in Hell's Eighth Circle (Bolgia 1) by being driven to march through the circle for all eternity while being whipped by devils. He is included among the seducers (possibly for his seduction and subsequent uncare of Medea).

Play The story of Medea
Medea

Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Aeetes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres....
's revenge on Jason is told with devastating effect by Euripides
Euripides

Euripides was the last of the three great tragedy of classical Athens . Ancient scholars thought that Euripides had written ninety-five plays, although four of those were probably written by Critias....
 in his tragedy Medea
Medea (play)

Medea is an Ancient Greece tragedy play written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC. The Plot largely centers on the protagonist in her struggle with the world, and the revenge she brings about against her husband Jason who has betrayed her for another woman, the princess Glauce....
.

Non-fiction The mythical geography of the voyage of the Argonauts has been speculatively explicated by the historian of science and the cartography of Antiquity, Livio Catullo Stecchini
Livio Catullo Stecchini

Livio Catullo Stecchini was a historian of science, a scholar of ancient weights and measures, , and of the history of cartography in antiquity....
, in a suggestive essay, , that draws upon fragments of the mythic sources Apollonius employed in constructing his poem.

In The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy , written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321, is widely considered the central epic poem of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature....
, Dante
DANTE

DANTE is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various National Research and Education Networks in Europe and surrounding regions....
 sees Jason in the eighth circle of Hell among the seducers.

As city founder


According to legend and certain historical sources (e.g. Herodotus
Herodotus

Herodotus of Halicarnassus was a Greeks historian who lived in the 5th century BC and is regarded as the "Father of History" in Western culture....
), Jason is the legendary founder of the city of Aemona, today Ljubljana
Ljubljana

Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia and its largest town. It is located in the center of the country and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants....
, the capital of Slovenia
Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north....
. (They took a wrong turn, up the Danube River, and eventually arrived in the Baltic sea, via what is now Slovenia.) The dragon
Dragon

File:Ukiyo-e dragon 2.jpgThe dragon is a legendary creature with serpentine shape or otherwise reptilian traits that features in the mythology of many cultures....
 in the city's coat of arms
Coat of arms

A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways....
 allegedly derives from the same legend.

A Port Call in Sweden?


According to Olof Rudbeck, Jason and his argonauts visited Sweden (which, according to Rudbeck, was Atlantis
Atlantis

Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias .In Plato's account, Atlantis was a naval power lying "in front of the Pillars of Hercules" that conquered many parts of Western Europe and Africa 9,000 years before the time of Solon, or approximately 9600 BC....
 back in those days) prior to returning to the Mediterranean.

In popular culture


Fiction


The novel Jason (1961) by Henry Treece
Henry Treece

Henry Treece was a British poet and writer, who worked also as a teacher, and editor. He is perhaps best remembered now as a historical novelist, particularly as a children's historical novelist, although he also wrote some adult historical novels....
 is narrated by Jason himself. The supernatural elements are largely removed, but a major theme of the book is the clash between the older religion of the mother goddess, favoured by women (who are portrayed as dangerous and hostile to men in many ways) and the newer religion of Zeus and Poseidon favoured by men.

Film


  • Two movies titled Jason and the Argonauts have been produced: Jason and the Argonauts
    Jason and the Argonauts (film)

    Jason and the Argonauts is a Columbia Pictures fantasy film feature film starring Todd Armstrong as the titular Jason in a story about his quest for the Golden Fleece....
     (1963), directed by Don Chaffey, and Jason and the Argonauts
    Jason and the Argonauts (2000 film)

    Jason and the Argonauts, aka Jason and the Golden Fleece is a 2-part TV movie, directed by Nick Willing and produced by Hallmark Entertainment....
     (2000), a Hallmark presentation TV movie.
  • A 1958 spaghetti production of Hercules
    Hercules

    Hercules is the Ancient Rome name for the mythical Ancient Greece hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Early Roman sources suggest that the imported Greek hero supplanted a mythic Italian shepherd called "Recaranus" or "Garanus", famous for his strength....
     starring Steve Reeves
    Steve Reeves

    Stephen L. Reeves was an American bodybuilding, actor, and author....
    , featured Jason and the Argonauts, as well as Ulysses.
  • In the children's show, Class of the Titans
    Class of the Titans

    Class of the Titans is a Canada animation television series created by Studio B Productions and Nelvana. It premiered on December 31, 2005 at 5PM ET/PT on Teletoon with a special 90-minute presentation of the first three episodes....
    , one of the main characters, Jay, is a descendant of Jason, and the characters have run-ins with Medea and Talos.
  • Jason was also portrayed by Jeffrey Thomas
    Jeffrey Thomas

    Jeffrey or Jeff Thomas is the name of:* Jeffrey Thomas , British Labour Member of Parliament* Jeffrey C. Thomas , seven-time candidate for U.S....
     (with Chris Conrad
    Chris Conrad

    Chris Conrad is an American actor....
     as young Jason) in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
    Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

    Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is an United States Television program, filmed in New Zealand. It was produced from 1995 to 1999, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek mythology culture hero Heracles....
    .
  • Lars Von Trier
    Lars von Trier

    Lars von Trier is an Academy Award-nominated Denmark film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches....
    's made for TV movie entitled Medea
    Medea

    Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Aeetes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres....
     (1988) depicts Udo Kier
    Udo Kier

    Udo Kier is a German people–England actor....
     as Jason after he has retrieved the Golden fleece.
  • The Michael Eisner-produced web show The All-for-nots
    All-for-nots

    A Michael Eisner-produced web TV documentary-comedy, The All-For-Nots follows the ups and downs of an indie rock band touring on the road. It's being billed as "the band that will conquer the world wide web...unless they run out of gas"....
     is loosely based on the Argonautika, as an indie rock band whose name vaguely rhymes with `The Argonauts' tours America on their way to the golden fleece of rock stardom.
  • A documentary named "In Search of Myths and Heroes" by Michael Wood
    Michael Wood

    Michael David Wood is an England historian and broadcaster. He has presented numerous television documentary film series.Wood was educated at Manchester Grammar School and at Oriel College, Oxford....
    , third episode talks about Jason the Myth.
  • The 2008 TV series AGE OF THE GODS: JOURNEYS EDITION, did their 2nd episode, JASON, based on the myth of Jason, telling the parts about King Pelias, the Argonauts, the Isles of Lemnos, Phineus and the Harpies, the Symplegades, Medea, the Iron Bulls and Sown Men, the Golden Fleece, the Betrayal of Medea, and the Death of Jason.


Music

  • The They Might Be Giants
    They Might Be Giants

    They Might Be Giants is a Grammy Award-winning Music of the United States alternative rock band which began as a duo of John Flansburgh and John Linnell, and currently also includes Marty Beller, Dan Miller , and Danny Weinkauf....
     song Birdhouse in Your Soul
    Birdhouse in Your Soul

    "Birdhouse in Your Soul" is a song by United States alternative rock band They Might Be Giants. It was released in March of 1990 as a single from the album Flood ....
     the band mentions that a night light would be a poor substitute for a lighthouse, resulting in the death of Jason and the Argonauts.


Radio

  • In 2001, a radio drama adaptation of Apollonius' Argonautica, was produced by the Radio Tales
    Radio Tales

    Radio Tales is an United States drama anthology radio series produced by Generations Productions LLC. This award-winning anthology series adapted classic works of American and world literature, and was a recipient of funding from the National Endowment for the Arts....
     series for National Public Radio
    National Public Radio

    National Public Radio is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national Radio syndication to 797 public radio List of NPR stations in the United States....
    .


Sport

  • Jason is the team mascot
    Mascot

    The term mascot ? defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck ? colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or Brand....
     of the Toronto Argonauts
    Toronto Argonauts

    The Toronto Argonauts are a Canadian Football League team based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1873, they are one of the oldest extant professional sports teams in North America....
     in the Canadian Football League
    Canadian Football League

    The Canadian Football League is a professional sports league located entirely in Canada.Its eight teams, which are located in eight cities, are divided into two division of four teams each ....
    .


Stage

  • Mary Zimmerman
    Mary Zimmerman

    Mary Zimmerman is an American award winning theatre director and playwright....
     wrote and directed Argonautika, which premiered in 2006 with the Chicago Lookingglass Theatre Company. It tells the story of Jason and the Argonauts from Pelias' initial charge through Jason's betrayal of Medea.
  • Euripides
    Euripides

    Euripides was the last of the three great tragedy of classical Athens . Ancient scholars thought that Euripides had written ninety-five plays, although four of those were probably written by Critias....
     wrote the play Medea
    Medea

    Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Aeetes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres....
    , which is focused around the period which leads to Medea killing Jason's bride and their two children. This play has nine characters as well as a chorus role.


Video games

  • Jason is shown being devoured by Cerberus
    Cerberus

    Cerberus is the name given to the entity which, in Greek mythology and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed dog which guards the gates of Hades, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping....
     in the hit Playstation 2
    PlayStation 2

    The PlayStation 2 is a History of video game consoles video game console manufactured by Sony. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation of video game consoles....
     video game God of War 2, before the player attempts to retrieve the Golden Fleece.
  • In Age of Mythology
    Age of Mythology

    Age of Mythology , is a mythology-based, real-time strategy Personal computer game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios....
    , Jason is a Greek hero character that can be purchased from the town center for use in combat.
  • Rise of the Argonauts
    Rise of the Argonauts

    Rise of the Argonauts is a 2008 third-person action adventure video-game developed by Liquid Entertainment and published by Codemasters for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360....
     is a role-playing game
    Role-playing game

    A role-playing game is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a role-playing game system of rules and guidelines....
     which follows Jason and the Argonauts on their quest to find the Golden Fleece
    Golden Fleece

    In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece is the fleece of the winged ram Chrysomallos . It figures in the tale of Jason and his band of Argonauts, who set out on a quest for the fleece in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly....
    .
  • Jason appears in the 1997 console video game Herc's Adventures
    Herc's Adventures

    Herc's Adventures is the title of a video game released for the Sega Saturn and the PlayStation by LucasArts Entertainment in 1997.The overhead, action adventure format was similar to Zombies Ate My Neighbors....
     as one of the three playable characters.


See also

  • Mermeros and Pheres
    Mermeros and Pheres

    In Greek mythology, Mermeros and Pheres were the sons of Jason and Medea. They were killed either by the Corinthians or by Medea, for reasons that vary depending on the rendition ....
  • Cape Jason
    Cape Jason

    Cape Jason is a Headlands and bays located at ?aytepe / ?aka villages, Persembe district, Ordu Province, Turkey. Its name is derived from the mythological leader Jason of the Argonauts....


External links

  • , Volos, Greece
  • , a summary of Jason and his Quest for the Golden Fleece
  • is a stage comedy version of Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece written in 2006 by Scott Lynch-Giddings. Site includes photos from the premiere production.