Jason and the Argonauts and the
Quest for the Golden Fleece
Origin of the Fleece
Athamas and Nephele
• Athamas was the king
of Orchomenus
• His first wife was
Nephele
• They had two children
together – a boy,
Phrixus, and a girl,
Helle
Athamas decides to divorce Nephele
and marry Ino, daughter of Cadmus.
• Ino wants to get rid of
Phrixus and Helle.
• She comes up with an
intricate plan involving
the parching of grain,
the fear of famine, and
bribery of servants who
claim to have visited an
oracle.
• The result: Phrixus and
Helle are to be
sacrificed.
Nephele is a cloud goddess with
special powers.
• She saves Phrixus
and Helle by sending
a golden Ram to save
them.
• Oh. Also, the ram
can fly.
• Helle falls off the
Golden Ram and into
the sea which is now
called the Hellespont.
Phrixus survives.
• He ends up in Aea in
the land of Colchis.
• Colchis is ruled by
King Aeetes.
Thank You, Golden Ram!!!
No, thank
YOU,
Phrixus!!!
• Phrixus sacrifices the
ram to the Gods upon
arrival in Colchis in
order to thank them
for his rescue.
• He skins the ram and
gives the fleece to
King Aeetes as a
gesture of good will.
King Aeetes comes from an
‘interesting’ family.
• Brother of
– Circe
– Pasiphae
• Father of
– Medea
– Chalciope
– Apsyrtus
Chalciope hears wedding bells.
That
Phrixus is
so
dreamy!!!
• Aeetes marries
Phrixus to his
daughter, Calciope.
• Phrixus and Calciope
have four sons.
• Then, worried by a
prophecy about a
Thracian stealing the
fleece, Aeetes kills
Phrixus.
Jason’s Background (from the front)
Jason’s father, Aeson
• King of Iolcus
• Alcimede (or Polymede) was his
wife
• They had several children,
including a baby, Jason
• He is overthrown by his brother,
Pelias, as Jason is born
Pelias
• Son of Poseidon and
Tyro (wife of
Cretheus). Has a
brother named
Neleus
• Adopted by Cretheus,
assumed the throne
upon Cretheus’ death.
That Creepy Pelias
• Pelias, the half
brother of Aeson,
kills off Aeson’s
family but either
lets Aeson live as
a private citizen, or
puts him in prison.
Chiron
• Jason was smuggled
out of Iolcus and sent
to be raised by
Chiron, a centaur that
also trained:
Asclepius, Ajax,
Aeneas, Actaeon,
Theseus, Achilles,
Peleus, Telamon,
Heracles, Oileus, and
Phoenix
Chiron teaches Jason the ways of
heroes
Jason grows up and decides to return
to Iolcus to claim the throne which is
rightfully his.
Hera
• Queen of the Gods
• Angry at Pelias for not
honoring her
• Jason carries her,
disguised as an old
woman, across a
river. He loses a
sandal in the
crossing, but gains
Hera’s support.
When Jason arrived, Pelias was
sacrificing to his father, Neptune.
Beware of a man wearing only one sandal.
Pelias tells Jason he will give him
the throne if he brings back the
Golden Fleece. Jason accepts.
Jason seeks out Argos, the
greatest ship builder in Greece, to
build a ship for his adventure.
The
Argonauts
(notice the
branch from Zeus’
oak tree in
Dodona, which
could talk and
gave the
Argonauts
advice!)
Argos
• Jason assembles
all the greatest
heroes in Greece
to accompany him
on his quest.
Argos is the first
to volunteer.
Orpheus
• Orpheus could charm all of nature with his
music. The Argonauts rowed to his
playing.
Zetes and Calais, the sons of
Boreas, the North Wind.
Peleus, father of Achilles.
Peleus shown carrying off Thetis
Telamon, father of Ajax
Castor and Polydeuces (Pollux),
brothers of Helen of Troy.
• Castor was a famous horseman, Polydeuces a boxer.
• Lynceus (superhuman eyesight) and his brother
Idas
• Tiphys (the helmsman)
• Euphemus (son of Poseidon who could run
across water without even wetting his feet)
• Mopsus (prophetic powers)
• Idmon (prophetic powers – saw that he would
die on the journey but went anyway)
• Periclymenus – could change into various
animals
Acastus, son of Pelias, joins the
quest at the last minute.
Heracles
Heracles is offered command of the
expedition, but defers to Jason.
Atalanta
• Atalanta would have gone, but Jason didn’t let her.
The Adventures on the Quest
1. The Argonauts depart from
Iolcus.
2. Arrival in Lemnos
Lemnos
• Island nation
• Women were not thankful
to Aphrodite
• She made them smell so
bad their husbands
cheated on them
• The women then killed all
the men
• Jason and Argonauts
repopulate Lemnos
• Only Heracles does not
participate in the
repopulation efforts
Hypsipyle
• Queen of Lemnos
• Has an affair with and
sons by Jason
• Jason vows to marry her
• Leaves Lemnos for
Colchis and forgets her
• She gives birth to twins,
Euneus and Thoas
• She is later driven from
Lemnos for having
spared her father
3. The Argonauts land at Arctonessus (Bear
Island) near the home of King Cyzicus, who
warmly welcomes them.
The six armed giants of Bear
Mountain
• Also called the
Gegenees, they are
sons of Gaia and live
on Bear Mountain,
Mysia.
Heracles slays the giants with his bow and
club.
Cyzicus and the Doliones
• King Cyzicus sends
them off with gifts.
• They sail away, but
are blown back at
night by a storm
• The Doliones,
thinking they are
being invaded by
pirates, attack the
Argonauts and
Cyzicus is killed
4. The Loss of Hylas at Cios
• The Argonauts
land in Bithynia so
Heracles can make
a new oar
• Heracles’ young
friend Hylas goes
to fetch some
water
• He is abducted by
water nymphs
• Heracles leaves
the quest to search
for Hylas and does
not rejoin it
5. King Amycus and the Bebryces
King Amycus
• Son of Poseidon and
Melia.
• Married Theona and
had a son named
Mimas
• Refused the
Argonauts any food or
water unless one of
them fought with him.
• King Amycus was a
skilled boxer. He
would stop all visitors
and force them to box
with them. They
usually died.
• Polydeuces kills
Amycus
• Argonauts are driven
from Bebryces
6. Phineus in Salmydessus
The Argonauts arrive in
Salmydessus
Here they find that
the blind prophet
Phineus is plagued
by Harpies – part
bird and part
woman. The
harpies were
punishment from
Helios.
Phineus had angered Helios by
choosing a long life, though without
sight (thus never being able to see
Helios’ sun), over a short life with
sight.
Phineus
promises to
help the
Argonauts if
they will rid him
of the curse of
the Harpies.
The Harpies
• Sisters of Iris and
daughters of
Thaumas and Electra.
• Aello "storm swift",
Celaeno "the dark",
and Ocypete “swift
wing”
• Lived in the
Strophades, a cave
in Crete.
Zetes and
Calais, the
sons of the
North wind,
Boreas, drive
away the
Harpies.
The Symplegades
In exchange for their help, Phineus
tells the Argonauts how to pass the
Symplegades
• Two rocks that crush
ships
• Phineus tells Jason
to send a dove in
first, and if the dove
makes it through, so
can the Argo
• Euphemus,
Poseidon’s son who
could walk on water,
releases the dove
The dove passes through with only
its tail feathers being clipped.
• Some say that
Poseidon or Athena
helped the Argo pass,
with only the stern
(rear) getting clipped.
• The Symplegades
remained fixed
thereafter.
8. The Island of Ares, etc.
• The Argonauts visit a couple little places not
worth mentioning, but a few things happen:
• Tiphys the helmsman and Idmon the seer die.
Idmon had seen that he would die on the
voyage.
• They avoid the Amazons at Themiscyra
• On the Island of Ares, they meet Phrixus’ sons,
who tell them about Colchis and drive off a flock
of birds who could shoot their feathers like
arrows
Birds with arrow-like Feathers
• Also called the
“Ornithes Areos,”
these birds guarded
the Amazonian shrine
of Ares
• One feather hits
Oileus and the crew
decided to split duties
– half rowing and the
other half holding up
shields.
The Argonauts arrive in Colchis
Kings
Aeetes
introduces
Medea to
Jason.
• Medea is a priestess
of Hecate, Goddess
of witchcraft. She
knows how to
perform magic and
whatnot.
Jason reveals to Aeetes his quest.
• Aeetes tell Jason he
may claim the Fleece if
he passes several
challenges:
– He must yoke firebreathing oxen and plow
a field
– He must plant dragon
teeth in the ground
– He must defeat the
soldiers which spring
from the ground
– Oh yeah, then defeat the
serpent that guards it
Medea falls in love with Jason and
resolves to help him.
Jason, with the
protection of an
ointment
provided by
Medea, yokes
the fire-breathing
bulls and plows
the field.
The Dragon-teeth Men (Spartoi)
• The teeth originated
from the Colchian
Dragon. They would
turn into men called
“Spartoi” once sown
in the ground
• Jason threw a stone
in their midst. They
fought amongst
themselves, and he
kills the rest.
Jason battles the Colchian
Dragon
The Colchian Dragon
• A child of Typhon and
Echidna, the giant
serpent that guarded
the Golden Fleece
was said to have
never slept or rested.
• The monster was said
to have a crest and 3
tongues, according to
the Metamorphoses
Defeating the Dragon
• Jason defeated the
Colchian Dragon with
the help of Medea and
Orpheus.
• Medea put the
dragon to sleep
with potions.
• Orpheus lulled it to
sleep with his new
hit track, “Draco
Dormiens”
Medea and Orpheus Charm the
Serpent
Jason and the Golden Fleece
Medea chops up her brother, Apsyrtus.
The Colchians must stop to gather the
pieces, and the Argo escapes.
10. Aeaea, the Island of Circe
Here Circe, Medea’s aunt, purifies
Medea and Jason for the slaughter
of Apsyrtus
11. The Argonauts pass the sirens –
Orpheus plays music and drowns out
their song.
The Sirens
• Daughters of the river
god Achelous and
Terpsichore.
• Peisinoe, Aglaope,
Thelxiepeia.
• Caused shipwreck by
seducing sailors with
irresistible songs.
12. The Argonauts pass Scylla and
Charybdis unscathed with the help
of Thetis
Scylla
• Daughter of Phorcys
and Ceto, a nymph.
• Glaucus fell in love
with her and he asked
Circe for a love
potion.
• Instead, Circe fell in
love with him and
gave Scylla a poison
which turned her into
a monster.
Charybdis
• Adjacent to Scylla
• Daughter of Poseidon
and Gaia
• Once a beautiful
naiad but turned into
a whirlpool/monster
by Zeus for flooding
lands so her father
could have more
territory.
13. Scheria, land of the Phaeacians
• Jason, Medea and the Argonauts find a
fleet of Colchians waiting for them in
Phaeacia
• Arete, the queen, persuades her husband,
King Alcinous, not to hand over Medea to
the Colchians
• The Colchians settle in Corcyra rather
than return to the wrath of Aeetes in
Colchis
14. Libya and Lake Tritonis
A huge wave flings the Argo into
the middle of Libya near lake
Tritonis. The sea god Triton
returns them to sea via a river.
The seer Mopsus dies here, bitten
by a snake which was an
offspring of Medusa.
15. Talos on the island of Crete
Talos, the
last of the
bronze
giants
Talos
• Encircled the Island of Crete to protect
Europa
• A gift from Zeus to Europa
• Some stories say he was forged by
Hephaestus and others by Daedalus.
Medea tells Jason that the only
way to defeat Talos was to remove
the plug in his heel.
Jason returns to Iolcus and
shows Pelias the treasure.
When it is clear Pelias will not
return the kingdom to Jason,
Medea hatches a plan.
Pelias and his daughters watch as Medea
chops up an old ram, puts it in her magic
pot, and brings it forth young again.
Medea convinces Pelias’ daughters
to make him young.
• In the middle of
the night the
daughters,
accompanied by
Medea, chop up
Pelias. When
they turn to put
the pieces in the
pot, they find that
Medea has
vanished.
Jason and Medea are driven from
Iolcus. They go to Corinth.
• They have two children, but Jason later
receives an offer to marry Glauce,
daughter of King Creon.
• He tells Medea to get lost.
• Medea, despondent and vengeful, plots a
dreadful act.
Medea’s Revenge
• Medea sends Glauce
a golden dress and
coronet, which she
poisons.
• Both King Creon and
Glauce die as a
result.
Revenge (cont’d)
• Medea also kills two
sons she had with
Jason, Mermeros and
Pheres (or else three
sons – Thessalus,
Alcimenes, and
Tisander).
Medea then flees to Athens and
marries Aegeus. Medea and Aegeus
have a son, Medus.
In Corinth Jason dies alone, without family
or friends, when a piece of the rotting Argo
falls on him.
The Argonautica
• The Argonautica was
a Greek epic poem
written by Apollonius
Rhodius. It is the
main source for
Jason’s adventures
and the Argonauts.
• Another Argonautica
was also written by
Valerius Flaccus, but
is lesser known