Jason — Leader of the Argonauts

I. Who Was Jason?

Jason was the leader of the Argonauts — the greatest crew of heroes ever assembled — who sailed aboard the ship Argo to the distant kingdom of Colchis to retrieve the legendary Golden Fleece. His quest is one of the earliest and most elaborate adventure stories in Greek mythology, predating even the Trojan War, and it brought together nearly every major hero of the age on a single epic voyage.

Jason was the rightful heir to the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly, but his uncle Pelias had seized power. To reclaim his throne, Jason had to complete an impossible task: journey to the edge of the known world and bring back the Golden Fleece of a magical ram, which hung in a sacred grove in Colchis (modern-day Georgia), guarded by a sleepless dragon.

The Voyage of the Argo

Jason assembled a crew of fifty heroes aboard the Argo — a ship built with a timber from the sacred oak of Dodona, which could speak prophecy. The Argonauts included Heracles, Orpheus, Castor and Pollux, Atalanta, and many others. Their voyage took them through the Clashing Rocks (Symplegades), past the island of the Sirens (where Orpheus's music saved them), and through countless other dangers.

Medea and the Fleece

In Colchis, King Aeëtes set Jason seemingly impossible tasks: yoke fire-breathing bronze bulls, sow a field with dragon's teeth, and defeat the armed warriors that sprang from the soil. Jason would have failed, but the king's daughter Medea — a powerful sorceress — fell in love with him (aided by Aphrodite and Hera). Medea's magic helped Jason complete the tasks, drug the guardian dragon, and escape with the Fleece. Their flight home was harrowing, and the aftermath — Jason's betrayal of Medea for a younger bride and Medea's terrible revenge — became one of the darkest tragedies in Greek literature.