Skip to main content

“The only coursing ship that ever passed this way was Argo, famed of all, when voyaging from Aeetes: and her the waves would soon have dashed on the great rocks, but Hera brought her through from love of Jason.” – Homer, Odyssey 12.69-72

Who was Jason?

The myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece (also known as Jason and the Argonauts) describes how Jason and his comrades embarked on a sea voyage into an unknown land called Colchis, in search of a magical ram’s fleece.

The story is a set a generation before the time of the Trojan War, around 1300 BC, but the first known written mention of it comes in the age of Homer (around 800 BC). This myth came out of the region of Thessaly, in central Greece, where early epic poetry developed. The Greeks have retold and reinterpreted the myth of Jason and the Argonauts many times since changing it as their knowledge of the physical world increased.

According to this myth, Jason was deprived of his expectation of the throne of Iolkos (a real kingdom situated in the locale of present-day Volos, central Greece) by his uncle, King Pelias, who stole the throne from him. Jason was taken from his parents and was brought up on Mount Pelion, in Thessaly, by a centaur named Cheiron. During this time his uncle King Pelias lived in dread of an oracle’s prophecy, which said he should fear the “man with one shoe”.

Jason set off to return to Iolkos when he turned 20 years old. During his journey, he lost a sandal in a river while helping Hera, who was disguised as an old woman. When Jason arrived before King Pelias he revealed who he was and made a claim to the kingdom. The king then asked him to bring him the Fleece of the Golden Ram before he gives the kingdom back to Jason – assuming that this would be an impossible task for Jason.

King Pelias’ task would take Jason beyond the known world to acquire the fleece of a magical ram that once belonged to Zeus. Jason’s ancestor Phrixus had flown east from Greece to the land of Cochlis (modern-day Georgia) on the back of this ram. The King of Colchis Aietes, had sacrificed the ram and hung its fleece in a sacred grove guarded by a dragon. An oracle had foretold that Aietes would lose his kingdom if he lost the fleece, and it was from Aietes that Jason had to retrieve it.

Heracles

Jason and the Argonauts

Agamemnon

Achilles

Odysseus

Why a fleece?

In many folk traditions throughout the world, fleeces are connected with magic  As an example, the ancient Etruscans believed that a gold coloured fleece was a prophecy of future prosperity for their clan. Also, recent archeological discoveries in Anatolia show celebrations in the Hittite empire during the Bronze Age where fleeces were hung to renew and confirm royal power. This can offer some insight into the Jason and the Argonauts myth or legend. The fleece represented kinship and prosperity and that’s why Jason wanted to bring it home, while King Aites didn’t want to let it go.

According to the myth Jason’s ship, the Argo, began its journey with a crew of 50 heroes which eventually swelled to 100, including Heracles, in subsequent retellings of the myth. These heroes, Argo’s crew, were known as the “Argonauts”. The myth’s claim that the Argo was the first ship ever built cannot possibly be true, however Jason’s journey was seen by the ancient Greeks as the first long-distance voyage ever undertaken. Argo’s voyage can be seen as a metaphor for the opening up of the Black Sea coast to the Greek seafarers and traders. Historically, based ancient records on archeological evidence, once the Greeks learned to sail into the Black Sea they embarked on a period of colonization lasting some 3,000 years – but the time they first arrived in the region is still controversial.

In the myth, once in Colchis Jason asks King Aietes to return the Golden Fleece. Aietes agrees to do so if Jason can perform a series of extraordinairy and superhuman tasks. He has to yoke fire-breathing bulls, plough and sow a field with dragons’ teeth, and overcome phantom warriors. In the meantime, Aphrodite makes Medea fall in love with Jason (Media is the daughter of King Aietes). Medea offers to help Jason with his tasks if he marries her in return and takes her with him back in Greece. He agrees and is enabled to complete the tasks.

King Aietes organizes a banquet to celebrate Jason’s succes, but confides to Medea that he will kill Jason and the Argonauts rather than surrender the Golden Fleece. Medea confides this to Jason and helps him retrieve the Fleece. From here the Argonauts flee home, encountering further epic adventures. The ancient storytellers give several versions of the route Jason took back to Greece, reflecting changes in Greek ideas about the geography of the world.

On his return to Iolkos Jason discovers that King Pelias has killed his father, and his mother has died of grief. Medea tricks Pelias by offering to rejuvenate him, and then kills him. Jason and Medea go into exile in Corinth, where Jason betrays Medea by marrying the king’s daughter. Medea takes revenge by killing her own children by Jason. In the end, Jason becomes a wanderer once more, and eventually returns to beached hull of the Argo. Here the beam of the ship (which was said to speak and was named Dodona) falls on him and kills him. His story has come full circle – as in all Greek myths, the hero’s destiny is in the hands of the gods.

Stay in touch.
Join our community!

Hellenism Forum
Ads Blocker Image Powered by Code Help Pro

Ads Blocker Detected!!!

We have detected that you are using extensions to block ads. Please support us by disabling these ads blocker.

Powered By
100% Free SEO Tools - Tool Kits PRO