Jason

Nationality/Culture

Greek

Pronunciation

JAY-suhn

Alternate Names

None

Appears In

Ovid's Metamorphoses, Hyginus's Fabulae

Lineage

Son of King Aeson and Queen Alcimede of Iolcus

Character Overview

In Greek mythology , Jason was the leader of a band of adventurers who set out on a long journey to find the Golden Fleece. Although he succeeded in this quest, he never achieved his true goal—to become king of the land of Iolcus (pronounced ee-AHL-kuhs), to which he was the rightful heir. Jason's story is one of violence and tragedy as well as adventure, pardy because of his relationship with the enchantress and witch Medea (pronounced me-DEE-uh).

Early Life Like many Greek heroes , Jason was of royal blood. His father was King Aeson (pronounced EE-son) of Iolcus in northwestern Greece. The king's half brother Pelias (pronounced PEEL-ee-uhs) wanted the throne himself and overthrew Aeson while Jason was still a boy. Jason's mother feared for his safety. She sent him away to be guarded by Chiron (pronounced KYE-ron), a wise centaur—a creature that is half man and half horse—who took charge of the boy's education. Chiron taught Jason hunting, warfare, music, and medicine. Some accounts say that the centaur also gave Jason his name, which means “healer,” in recognition of the boy's skill in the medical arts.

At about the age of twenty, Jason headed back to Iolcus, determined to gain the throne that rightfully belonged to him. On the way, he helped an old woman across a flooded stream and lost one of his sandals. Unknown to him, the old woman was the goddess Hera (pronounced HAIR-uh) in disguise. She vowed to destroy Pelias, who had failed to worship her properly, and to help Jason.

An oracle, or person who could communicate with the gods, had warned Pelias to beware of a man wearing one sandal. When Jason arrived in Iolcus, the king confronted him. Jason identified himself and declared that he had come for his throne. Prevented by the laws of hospitality from attacking Jason openly, Pelias resorted to trickery. He said that if Jason could bring him the fabled Golden Fleece, he would make him his heir. Pelias believed that obtaining the heavily guarded fleece from the distant land of Colchis (pronounced KOL-kis) was a nearly impossible task.

The Quest for the Golden Fleece Jason assembled a band of brave adventurers—including the sons of kings and gods and some other former students of Chiron—to accompany him on his quest. They sailed in a magic ship called the Argo (pronounced AHR-goh) and were known as the Argonauts (pronounced AHR-guh-nawts). Among them were the famous musician Orpheus (pronounced OR-fee-uhs) and the hero Heracles (pronounced HAIR-uh-kleez).

The Argonauts' eventful journey to Colchis, their seizure of the Golden Fleece, and their long voyage home became the subject of many tales and works of art. They might never have succeeded without the help of Medea, the daughter of King Aeetes (ay-EE-teez) of Colchis, who fell in love with Jason. Some versions of the story say that Hera persuaded Aphrodite (pronounced af-ro-DYE-tee), the goddess of love, to inspire Medea's passion. Both a clever woman and a witch with knowledge of magic, Medea would be a useful helpmate to Jason.

When Jason arrived in Colchis, Aeetes set harsh conditions for handing over the Golden Fleece, including the accomplishment of several seemingly impossible tasks. Jason had to hook two fire-breathing bulls to a plow, sow a field with dragons' teeth, and then fight the armed warriors that grew from those teeth. In all these trials, Medea used her magic powers to protect and guide Jason. Then after Jason promised to marry her, she helped him steal the fleece from the serpent that guarded it.

With the fleece on board, the Argo sailed away from Colchis, pursued by Medea's brother Apsyrtus (pronounced ap-SUR-tuhs). Apsyrtus caught up with the ship and spoke with Jason, promising to let him keep the Golden Fleece if he would give up Medea. However, Medea objected to this plan. When she and Jason next met Apsyrtus, Jason killed him.

Return to lolcus After a long journey home with many adventures along the way, Jason and the Argonauts finally arrived back in lolcus. Jason delivered the Golden Fleece to Pelias. Meanwhile, Medea decided to get rid of Pelias (accounts differ on whether Jason knew of her plan). She persuaded the king's daughters that she could make their father young again, but first they would have to cut him up and put him in a pot. This procedure led only to a messy death, and the horrified people of lolcus drove Jason and Medea away. The couple settled in Corinth, where they lived for ten years and had several children.

Their peaceful interlude ended when Creon (pronounced KREE-ahn), the king of Corinth, offered Jason his daughter in marriage. Jason accepted and divorced Medea. Enraged at this poor treatment, Medea sent the new bride a poisoned wedding gown, which killed her when she put it on and killed Creon as he tried to save her. Some versions of this myth say that, to punish Jason still further, Medea went on to kill the children she had borne him, while other accounts say that the angry Corinthians killed them. Either way, the children perished and Medea fled to Athens.

According to some accounts, Medea killed Jason at Corinth as part of her bloodbath. Much more common, though, is the story that Jason lived out his last days at Corinth, alone and broken by tragedy. One day as he sat near the Argo, which was rotting away, a piece of wood broke off from the ship and fell on him, killing the one-time hero of the Golden Fleece.

Jason in Context

The story of Jason centers on the passing of royal power from one generation to the next. These myths pre-date government rule by elected officials and represent an older system of rule still common in many regions during the height of the Greek empire. Historical records suggest that plots and overthrows of rulers were all too common in ancient Greece and Rome. The story of Jason helps to encourage the tradition of passing of power from a king to his son; this is done by showing Jason to be a sympathetic hero, prompting the audience to root for his success. The seeds of Jason's downfall are sown when he accepts help from Medea, a witch with few scruples. In the end, Jason's desire for power leads to the deaths of Medea's brother, Pelias, Creon, Creon's daughter, and his own children. The myth warns that not all paths to power are worth taking.

Key Themes and Symbols

In the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, the Golden Fleece is a symbol of that which is unattainable or cannot be gotten. Pelias only gives Jason the task because he believes it cannot be completed. Even after arriving in Colchis, the fleece seems impossible to take. And once Jason returns to Iolcus with the fleece, he is still unable to attain his rightful place as king. The Golden Fleece can also be seen as a symbol of rightful heirs to royal power, as Jason possessed the fleece and was the rightful heir to his father's throne.

Jason himself represents justice, as the heir who returns in an attempt to claim the throne that, according to tradition, rightfully belonged to him. He may also represent a method of leadership that was growing increasingly unpopular in the face of more democratic forms of government; in the end, Jason does not reclaim his kingdom for himself, and dies in a way not at all befitting a hero or rightful king.

Jason in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life

Many writers have been inspired by the subject of Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece. Among the ancient Greek works concerning the subject are Pindar's Pythian Ode, Apollonius Rhodius's Argonautica, and Euripides' play Medea. In the Middle Ages, English writer Geoffrey Chaucer retold the story in the Legend of Good Women, and in the 1800s, William Morris wrote the long narrative poem Life and Death of Jason which centered on the quest. Robert Graves's novel The Golden Fleece was published in 1944, and John Gardner's Jason and Medeia was published in 1973. The story of the search for the Golden Fleece has also been adapted to film, most notably the 1963 movie Jason and the Argonauts.

Read, Write, Think, Discuss

Voyage with Jason by Ken Catran (2000) is a re-telling of Jason's adventures during his search for the Golden Fleece. The tale focuses on Pylos, a young apprentice shipbuilder who is taken aboard the Argo as the only crew member who is not a hero. The novel, first published in New Zealand, was named Book of the Year at the 2001 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards.

SEE ALSO Argonauts; Golden Fleece; Greek Mythology; Medea