· Jason
o Birth/childhood/training by Chiron
§ Ok, we don’t start w/ Jason, we start with the Golden Fleece
· King Cadmus has two kids—Phrixus and Helle
o Remarries and, lo, it’s a wicked step-mother
· She convinces Cadmus to sacrifice his son and daughter to end a famine
o Cadmus prays to Zeus
· Day of the sacrifice, Zeus sends a flying golden ram to snatch the kids up
o Fly off but Helle falls off and drowns
· Land in Colchis (modern Georgia) on the far side of the Black Sea
o Phrixus sacrifices the ram (it’s the constellation Aries) and hangs up the fleece on a tree… Oh, and there’s a dragon
§ Back to Jason
· Jason’s father send the infant Jason to Chiron because he fears that his brother would eliminate them
o Fakes the child’s death
o Raised by Chiron—Dresses in wild animal skins (usually leopard)
· When grown, Jason sets out to return to Thessaly
· Hera sees him—Old lady and the river
o Loses his sandal in the river
· Pelias, the brother, says that he will yield the throne IF Jason brings back the Fleece
§ Jason sets about building the Argo
· Athena puts a magical wood in the prow to speak to Jason in times of danger
· All kinds of people show up
o Hercules
o Orpheus
o Twin sons of the North Wind (w/ wings)
· Voyage out
o Put to sea—Take turns rowing… Except Jason and Hercules who decide to find out who is stronger
§ Row and row and row until Jason falls over exhausted and Hercules’ oar breaks
o Land to cut a new oar and Hercules goes crazy, they leave him
o Come to a king, Phineus, who knows the way to Cholis but cannot speak
§ Every day his meal is stolen by harpies
· Chased off by the sons of the North Wind
o The clashing rocks
§ Sends doves through, times it and then sends the ship through
o Arrival in Cholis
§ King demands three impossible tasks… But… Hera has commanded Aphrodite to make Medea, the king’s daughter fall in love with Jason
· Obtaining the Fleece/Medea
o The king, Aeetes, sets Jason three tasks
1. Plow a field using a pair of bronze fire-breathing bulls
2. Sow the field with dragon’s teeth and deal with the result
3. Overcome the sleepless dragon guarding the Fleece
o Medea gives Jason a magic potion to protect him from the fire of the bulls so he plows the field
§ When he sows the dragon’s teeth, warriors pop up
· Jason hides and throws a rock at one of them, they blame each other and start to fight—Kill each other
o Medea puts the dragon to sleep with some herbs and Jason takes the Fleece
§ Board the Argo and set sail with Medea’s brother
o Aeetes decided he will not let Jason leave with the Fleece and gives chase
§ In order to stop her father, Medea kills her brother, dismembers him and throws the pieces into the water forcing the king to stop and collect them… (picture)
· Voyage home/Jason the jerk
o Circe
o Sirens—Out-sung by Orpheus
o Talos
§ Giant bronze man who guards Crete and throws rocks
§ Medea casts a spell on him, makes him sleep and pulls out the nail that keeps his blood in
o When the Argo returns, Medea goes to the king’s daughters
§ Convinces them they could make their father young again by chopping him up and throwing him into a pot
· Demonstrates with sheep and it works!
§ Daughters kill the king and throw him in
· But Medea left out the herbs…
o So Jason is king and he has two sons with Medea but he does not marry her like he promised
§ Instead, he makes a political engagement with another kingdom!
§ Medea confronts Jason, he sends her away telling her that she didn’t really love him, just was made to by a goddess
§ Medea sends a cursed robe to the princess
· As soon as she puts it on, she is burned to death
§ Medea kills her two sons by Jason and flees to Athens
o For betraying Medea, Hera abandons Jason and he is killed by the magical wood from the Argo rotting away and falling on his head
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