TiffanyM

Jason Mythology Hero

Physical Description ó Jason was the leader of the Argonauts, the 50 heroes who sailed in search of the Golden Fleece. Jason's uncle, Pelias, had stolen the kingdom that should belong to Jason. He promised to return it only if Jason would bring home the Golden Fleece—the wool from the magical winged ram that became the constellation Aries. On their journey Jason and the Argonauts faced down such dangers as the deadly singing Sirens.They ultimately captured the fleece with the help of the sorceress Medea, who became Jason's wife. ó Jason and the Argonauts were known to be the bravest and most adventurous group of men in all of ancient Greece. ó Jason was the son of the rightful king of Iolcus, Aeson. However, his uncle Pelias (Aeson’s half brother) had taken the throne unlawfully when Jason was a newborn. Determined to keep their new baby safe, Jason’s mother and father sent him away to Mt. Pelion. There, he lived with Chiron the Centaur, who taught him about plants, hunting, and art. But Jason was determined to one day return to his home and did so after his 20th birthday. ó Jason arrived in Iolcus looking like a brave warrior, dressed in a tiger skin and holding a spear in each hand, but he wore no sandal on his left foot. When his uncle Pelias saw him, he remembered that he had been warned by an oracle not to trust a man with one sandal. Jason bravely told Pelias that he was Aeson’s son and that he had returned to reclaim the throne from him. ó Jason bravely demanded the throne from his uncle, and here, the myth has two different versions. As with much of ancient mythology, the stories change slightly from source to source, but the meaning, general idea and moral remain the same. One version says that Pelias pretended he would give up the throne if Jason went to Colchis and brought back the Golden Fleece. The other version says that the goddess Hera appeared to Jason and told him that he must set out on a great quest to find the Golden Fleece and return it to the kingdom of Hellenica. If he did, the people and the armies of Greece would see him as a true hero of the gods, and follow him to take back his throne.