Jason and thre Argonauts

Tyro was the daughter of Salmoneus and the wife of Cretheus, king of Iolcus, she had three sons by her husband, Aeson, Amythaon and Pheres. She had, however given birth to two other sons, fathered by Poseidon: Pelias and Neleus. Pelias usurped the throne of Iolcus from his half-brother Aeson. Aeson, scared for his son Jason sent him sent him to the centaur Chiron at Pilion for sake keeping and to be educated. When Jason came of age, he returned to Iolcus to claim his father's throne from Pelias. Frightened, Pelias promised Jason that he would restore the throne to him if he would first bring the Golden Fleece to Iolcus. The Golden Fleece was the fleece of a ram which had carried Jason's cousin to Colchis and had been kept at king Aeetes palace ever since. Jason accepted Pelias' proposal and thus the Argonauts expedition was organized.

Jason stood out among his peers for his physical strength and nobility of soul. He wanted to follow the example of his ancestors who had won eternal glory though their exploits. His task was a difficult one since in those days the Black Sea was full of barbarian tribes which slaughtered any foreigner who set foot on their land.

Jason called upon all the young nobles of Greece to join him in this hazardous mission. Fifty four young men responded to his invitation. Among themwere the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, Heracles, Telamon, Orpheus, Peleus, Theseus and many more.

In addition to a good crew, Jason also needed a safe and fast ship. Argus, son of Phrixus, built the ship which was called Argo, either from her builder's name, or because she was white and fast. Tirphys was the helmsman, while Jason was in charge of the expedition.

As soon as the ship was ready and all preparations had been completed, the Argonauts sailed from Iolcus. They first called at Lemnos, Samothraki and Thrace. In order to reach Colchis they had to go through the Symplegades, two rocks which clashed together under the force of the wind and closed the narrow sea passage, thus preventing the ships from going through. They then sailed to Sinope, the land of the Amazons, the Mosynes and the island of Ares. As they were going through the land of the Mariandynes they lost the sayer Idmon and the ship's helmsman, Tiphys, died. His place was taken by Angaeos.

As soon as they reached Colchis, Jason went to see king Aeetes, accompanied by Telamon, Angaeos and the two sons of Phrixus. Aeetes promised Jason that he would surrender the fleece if he would perform certain tasks. Jason accepted. Thanks to Aphrodite's intervention, Medea fell madly in love with Jason and helped him to successfully accomplish these terrible tasks which included killing a dragon, competing against king Aeetees in a plough race, sowing a field with the dragon's teeth and killing the savage warriors that would arise from these. Having passed all these tests Jason recovered the Golden Fleece with the help of Medea's magic.

As soon as the Golden Fleece had been recovered, the Argo started on her return voyage. The Argonauts had now been joined by Medea who followed them on her own free will. When they arrived in Iolcus, however, Pelias did not keep his promise to surrender the throne to Jason. Medea then took vengeance on Pelias, tricking his daughters and persuading them to kill their father with the promise that he would become young again. This forced Jason to abandon the throne of Iolcus to Acastus, Pelias' son and take refuge in Corinth. Jason and Medea stayed together for about ten years and had two children whom Medea killed when Jason decided to send her away in order to marry Glauke, the daughter of the king of Corinth.

When Acastus died some years later, without leaving any children, the people of Iolcus asked Jason to take the throne and he accepted, deeply moved. He lived for many years and when one day he sensed that death was close, he decided to go back to Corinth to see his beloved Argo once more. He was a white-haired old man about to die and Argo was no longer sailing, she would never go out to sea again and feel the caress of the waves.

Suddenly the ship's rotten mast broke in two and fell on Jason's head, killing him instantly. He could not have hoped for a better death. He died by the side of his beloved Argo, filled with the memories and images of the unforgettable, magic and fabulous expedition of the Argonauts.

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