July 3, 2017

In Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts were an ancient all-star team of heroes on a quest to capture the Golden Fleece from Colchis, a land east of the Black Sea. Jason was the son of Aeson, king of the ancient Greek city of Iolkos. Jason’s comrades in action—the Argonauts—were an extraordinary bunch possessing extraordinary abilities.

This sculpture shows Jason holding the Golden Fleece in triumph after a long quest with the Argonauts. Credit: © Shutterstock

When Jason was a baby, his uncle Pelias seized the throne of Iolkos from Aeson. Jason was taken away and raised by a centaur (half man-half horse) named Chiron. After Jason grew up, he returned to Iolkos to claim his father’s throne. To get rid of Jason, Pelias sent him on a quest to capture the Golden Fleece from distant Colchis. The Golden Fleece was the golden wool of a flying ram. For his expedition, Jason recruited about 50 heroes, who became known as the Argonauts after their ship, the Argo. The goddess Athena helped construct the ship and gave its prow the powers of speech and prophecy. Jason and the Argonauts traveled through southern Europe and the Mediterranean and Black seas. They ultimately succeeded in their quest, but not before weathering many adventures.

On the way to Colchis, the Argonauts stopped and lingered for a time on Lemnos, an island inhabited only by ladies who had killed all their men. However, the women were quite hospitable to the Argonauts, who fathered children with them. In the land of the Bebryces, the Argonauts encountered the boxing King Amycus, who customarily challenged visitors to a match and killed them. But the hero Pollux was a better fighter and killed Amycus with a blow. In Thrace, the Argonauts met the blind king Phineus, who advised them on navigating the Clashing Rocks, moving reefs that collided with one another. The winged brothers Calais and Zetes repaid Phineus by driving away the Harpies, half woman-half bird creatures who continually stole and polluted the king’s food.

The Argonauts finally reached Colchis, where King Aeetes set Jason the tasks of yoking two fire-breathing bulls, sowing dragon’s teeth in a field, and then fighting a new-grown crop of armed warriors. Aeetes’s magician daughter Medea loved Jason and agreed to help him. Jason succeeded at his tasks and captured the Golden Fleece, which was guarded by a dragon that never slept. He then fled Colchis with Medea and the Argonauts. On their return journey, the Argonauts encountered the Sirens, sea nymphs whose sweet singing lured sailors to destruction on their rocky island. But the hero Orpheus’s beautiful singing countered the Sirens’ song and saved his comrades. At Crete, the adventurers escaped a monster called Talos after Medea employed her magic to kill it.

These were just a few of the Argonauts’ adventures. They eventually reached Iolkos, where Jason gave the Golden Fleece to Pelias. Capturing the fleece did not solve all Jason’s problems, however, and further adventures and misadventures followed. Regardless, because of their successful quest, the Argonauts were honored above all other men. In ancient times, it was a mark of great honor to be able to claim that an ancestor had sailed with Jason to find the Golden Fleece.