Jason
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Jason was a prince of Iolcus, in Thessaly. He was the oldest son of Aeson, and rightful heir to the throne. However, his uncle Pelias took the throne from Aeson, and did not wish to relinquish it to Jason. The Oracle at Delphi told Pelias that a man with only one sandal would take his kingdom from him, but Pelias did not fear the young Jason, who was being raised on the mountain Pelion as a farmer.
When Jason reached adulthood, he decided to return to Iolcus to regain the throne. Along the way, he helped a beggar woman across a stream. While crossing the stream, Jason lost a sandal. The old woman was the goddess Hera in disguise; she wished to destroy Pelias because he was treacherous and never paid homage to her. Upon seeing Jason's return to Iolcus, wearing only one sandal, Pelias decided to get rid of him. He said he would be willing to relinquish his throne to Jason, but first Jason had to prove his worthiness by returning the Golden Fleece to its rightful home in Iolcus. Jason, ever young and hot blooded, agreed, and assembled a team of able men to help him sail to Colchis, where the Fleece was held. Among these men, the Argonauts, was a young Hercules. Jason built a grand ship, the Argo, and set sail. However, as Jason had become a pawn in Hera's plan against Pelias, so did Medea, a sorceress and daughter of Æetes, the king of Colchis.
When Jason arrived in Colchis, Hera wrapped him and the Argonauts in a mist, so that they could not be seen (or killed). When they arrived at the palace of Æetes, he welcomed and made for them a feast. Since it was very discourteous to ask what a guest wanted before he had finished eating, Jason and the Argonauts ate, bathed, and drank before Æetes could question them. Æetes became very upset when he found out Jason's quest, and would have killed him on the spot if he had the chance. When Jason offered to do any task to earn the fleece, Æetes came up with a plan that no human could do - he would have to plow a field with two bulls belonging to Mars, with bronze feet and flaming breath. He then had to sow dragon's teeth, which would grow into soldiers. Jason would then have to cut down these soldiers. Jason found this to be rather daunting, but he agreed to do it. His men tried to convince him not to do it alone, but Jason insisted. A messenger came to Jason and told him that Medea, Æetes's daughter and a sorceress, had been struck by an arrow from Cupid, and would help Jason perform his task. Medea gave Jason an ointment that would make him invincible for one day. Using the ointment, Jason made the bulls yield, he planted the teeth of the dragon, and killed the soldiers that grew from the soil. The King Æetes had no intention of giving up the Fleece, and to make certain, it was guarded by a great serpent. Medea decided to help Jason, and betray her father. She gave the serpent a sleeping potion, and allowed Jason to take it. With the fleece in hand, Jason escaped Colchis. However, Pelias thought that Jason was dead. With this in mind, he poisoned Jason's father by making him drink bull's blood, and Jason's mother committed suicide after cursing Pelias. However, Jason still lived, and he returned to Iolcus, with Medea and the Argonauts. There, Medea hatched a plan to get Pelias off the throne. She convinced the two daughters of Pelias that their father could be eternally young and remain king, if they killed him, cut him into pieces, and threw him in a cauldron. Medea proved this with an old ram that hopped out of the cauldron as a lamb. Pelias' daughters killed him, cut his body into pieces, and threw them into a pot, but Medea was nowhere to be found to say the magic words. Thus Pelias died.
Even though Jason was the rightful heir to the throne, he decided to hastily leave Iolcus, as Pelias had been murdered using treachery. He and Medea fled to Corinth, where they remained for ten years and raised two sons. However, Jason fell in love with Glauce, the daughter of the King Creon. Medea, hurt and vengeful, poisoned Glauce with a poisoned robe that set her on fire. Medea also murdered the two sons she had borne with Jason. She then escaped on a chariot pulled by dragons.
It must be said that unlike Hercules, who had tremendous strength, or Theseus, who had tremendous skills, Jason managed to accomplish things by being handsome, lucky, and knowing smart people. The gods, especially Hera, also intervened on several occasions to facilitate his tasks.
ACTIVITIES:
Jason activity
KEY TEST WORDS: (Know the material behind these items.)
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FOOTNOTES:
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SOURCES:
James Isaacs
Edith Hamilton's Mythology
"Manual of Mythology" by Alexander S. Murray.