1. Jason and the Argonauts and the Quest for the Golden Fleece

2. Origin of the Fleece

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Helle falls off the Golden Ram and into the sea which is now called the Hellespont.

7. Phrixus survives. He ends up in Aea in the land of Colchis.
Colchis is ruled by King Aeetes.

8. 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.

9. King Aeetes comes from an ‘interesting’ family.
Brother of
Circe
Pasiphae
Father of
Medea
Chalciope
Apsyrtus

10. 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.

11. Jason’s Background (from the front)

12. 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

13. Pelias
Son of Poseidon and Tyro (wife of Cretheus). Has a brother named Neleus
Adopted by Cretheus, assumed the throne upon Cretheus’ death.

14. 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.

15. 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

16. Chiron teaches Jason the ways of heroes

17. Jason grows up and decides to return to Iolcus to claim the throne which is rightfully his.

18. 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.

19. When Jason arrived, Pelias was sacrificing to his father, Neptune.

20. Beware of a man wearing only one sandal.

21. Pelias tells Jason he will give him the throne if he brings back the Golden Fleece. Jason accepts.

22. Jason seeks out Argos, the greatest ship builder in Greece, to build a ship for his adventure.

23. The Argonauts (notice the branch from Zeus’ oak tree in Dodona, which could talk and gave the Argonauts advice!)

24. Argos
Jason assembles all the greatest heroes in Greece to accompany him on his quest. Argos is the first to volunteer.

25. Orpheus
Orpheus could charm all of nature with his music. The Argonauts rowed to his playing.

26. Zetes and Calais, the sons of Boreas, the North Wind.

27. Peleus, father of Achilles.
Peleus shown carrying off Thetis

28. Telamon, father of Ajax

29. Castor and Polydeuces (Pollux), brothers of Helen of Troy.
Castor was a famous horseman, Polydeuces a boxer.

30. 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

31. Acastus, son of Pelias, joins the quest at the last minute.

32. Heracles
Heracles is offered command of the expedition, but defers to Jason.

33. Atalanta
Atalanta would have gone, but Jason didn’t let her.

34. The Adventures on the Quest

35. 1. The Argonauts depart from Iolcus.

36. 2. Arrival in Lemnos

37. 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

38. 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

39. 3. The Argonauts land at Arctonessus (Bear Island) near the home of King Cyzicus, who warmly welcomes them.

40. The six armed giants of Bear Mountain
Also called the Gegenees, they are sons of Gaia and live on Bear Mountain, Mysia.

41. Heracles slays the giants with his bow and club.

42. 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

43. 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

44. 5. King Amycus and the Bebryces

45. 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.

46. King Amycus was a skilled boxer
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

47. 6. Phineus in Salmydessus

48. 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.

49. 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.

50. Phineus promises to help the Argonauts if they will rid him of the curse of the Harpies.

51. 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.

52. Zetes and Calais, the sons of the North wind, Boreas, drive away the Harpies.

53. The Symplegades

54. 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

55. 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.

56. 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

57. 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.

58. The Argonauts arrive in Colchis

59. Kings Aeetes introduces Medea to Jason.

60. Medea is a priestess of Hecate, Goddess of witchcraft
Medea is a priestess of Hecate, Goddess of witchcraft. She knows how to perform magic and whatnot.

61. Jason reveals to Aeetes his quest.
Aeetes tell Jason he may claim the Fleece if he passes several challenges:
He must yoke fire-breathing 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

62. Medea falls in love with Jason and resolves to help him.

64. Jason, with the protection of an ointment provided by Medea, yokes the fire-breathing bulls and plows the field.

65. 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.

66. Jason battles the Colchian Dragon

67. 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

68. Defeating the Dragon Medea put the dragon to sleep with potions.
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”

69. Medea and Orpheus Charm the Serpent

70. Jason and the Golden Fleece

71. Medea chops up her brother, Apsyrtus
Medea chops up her brother, Apsyrtus. The Colchians must stop to gather the pieces, and the Argo escapes.

72. 10. Aeaea, the Island of Circe

73. Here Circe, Medea’s aunt, purifies Medea and Jason for the slaughter of Apsyrtus

74. 11. The Argonauts pass the sirens – Orpheus plays music and drowns out their song.

75. The Sirens Daughters of the river god Achelous and Terpsichore.
Peisinoe, Aglaope, Thelxiepeia.
Caused shipwreck by seducing sailors with irresistible songs.

76. 12. The Argonauts pass Scylla and Charybdis unscathed with the help of Thetis

77. 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.

78. 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.

79. 13. Scheria, land of the Phaeacians

80. 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

81. 14. Libya and Lake Tritonis

82. 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.

83. 15. Talos on the island of Crete

84. Talos, the last of the bronze giants

85. 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.

86. Medea tells Jason that the only way to defeat Talos was to remove the plug in his heel.

87. Jason returns to Iolcus and shows Pelias the treasure.

88. When it is clear Pelias will not return the kingdom to Jason, Medea hatches a plan.

89. Pelias and his daughters watch as Medea chops up an old ram, puts it in her magic pot, and brings it forth young again.

90. 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.

91. 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.

93. Medea’s Revenge
Medea sends Glauce a golden dress and coronet, which she poisons.
Both King Creon and Glauce die as a result.

94. Revenge (cont’d)
Medea also kills two sons she had with Jason, Mermeros and Pheres (or else three sons – Thessalus, Alcimenes, and Tisander).

95. Medea then flees to Athens and marries Aegeus
Medea then flees to Athens and marries Aegeus. Medea and Aegeus have a son, Medus.

96. In Corinth Jason dies alone, without family or friends, when a piece of the rotting Argo falls on him.

97. 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