Jason and the Argonauts

Jason was the son of Aeson the true king to the city of Iolcus Aeson was
usurped by this brother Pelias he was scared that Aeson may come and
take back his throne, so he locked Aeson in prison and would’ve killed
Jason if his mother hadn’t pretended he was dead and send him to the great
teacher Chiron. He grew up under Chiron’s care and taught him in the way
of plants, how to hunt and civilized arts. When he had matured he was told
by Chiron to go out and retake his lawful kingdom. Hera had taken a liking
to Jason and was outraged that Pelias had forgotten to worship and donate
generous sacrifices to her.
Hera decided that she needed a hero. So first of all she sent a flood to a
river and turned herself into an old woman and asked Jason if she could
have a piggyback to cross the river as he was a nice person he said yes but
whilst going across he lost a sandal but he kept going as he went along Hera
kept on getting heavier and finally when they got to the other side she
revealed her true form to Jason and told him that she would watch over
him. Meanwhile Pelias had asked the Oracle of Delphi if anyone would take
over his kingdom. “A young man with one sandal,” rasped the priestess.
When Jason arrived in Iolcus, Pelias arranged to meet Jason and feast
together he said,” My dear nephew how glad I am to see you, now if you
want the throne you need to bring the Golden Fleece from far of Colchis.”
Jason agreed but little did he know that it was guarded by a drakon (Greek
dragon) that never slept and a cunning and villainous king.
Jason knew he could not do this on his own, so he gathered all the heroes
and heroines in Greece (including Heracles, the Boreades and Atalanta) it
was constructed by a famous shipbuilder Argus Jason thought Argus had
done such an excellent job he named the ship the Argo and him and his
crew the Argonauts. Athena gave Jason a magic helm made from the wood
from a tree in the Grove of Dodona, it had the power to be Hera’s medium.
Before they left they made sacrifices to all the gods and goddesses. Jason
sailed east through the Mediterranean Sea one of the first places he
stopped off at was a strange country where all the people looked smiling
and nourished and an old king called Phineus who looked starved and
miserable, Jason asked him, “Why are you starving you’re a king?”
Phineus replied, “I am cursed by Zeus mightiest of gods to starve forever
and never die,”
“How?”
“Every time I try to eat terrible beasts called harpies come and eat my food
and the bits they don’t eat they foul on and throw in the sea.” Jason wanted
to help this king, so he told Zetes and Calais (The Boreades) when the
harpies next came back to attack them with spears and swords. So, the
king’s subjects cooked up a magnificent feast and right on cue the harpies
flew down, then Zetes and Cala𝑖̈s stepped in and fought with the harpies
eventually the harpies were felled, and Phineus started to feast “Join in,” he
said. So, the Argonauts ate with Phineus and Zeus did not interfere as Hera
had persuaded him not to throw a lightning bolt besides he had dropped
his grudge on him.
As to repay the Argonauts he told them about the deadly Clashing Rocks
that were ahead it separates the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea he also said
that you should send a dove ahead of you as the rocks change how quickly
it clashes if it can make it so can you. When they arrived at the Clashing
Rocks they sent a dove and it made it. So, Orpheus played a tune to make
them row faster and Hera used her divine strength to push them through.
They had made it but soon they needed to stop off at an island Jason and
most of the men went to hunt and Heracles and his friend went off to find a
spring they found one and loaded their amphora with it, but the nymphs
fell in love with Heracles’s friend they dragged him underwater not
knowing he couldn’t breathe and drowned him. Then Heracles realised this
was a symbol from Hera telling him to go back to his tasks and soon he was
away. When Jason arrived at the ship he asked Hera where Heracles and his
friend where she told Jason that Heracles had continued his tasks and his
friend was dead.
The next island was an island full of women, Aphrodite had cursed them for
not worshipping her the curse made them kill all the men on the island
when they saw the Argonauts they asked if they would help repopulate the
island they agreed. The new race was called the Minyans. Finally, they
arrived in Colchis. Jason took his most trusted Argonauts to the palace,
where Jason asked if he could take the Golden Fleece. King Aeëtes, King of
Colchis said he could have it if he could plough his fields.
After Jason was gone he said to his daughter Medea who was sorceress and
priestess of Hecate, goddess of magic, “How dare that man try to take our
property, I’m sure those fire breathing bulls and skeleton army will kill
him.” Medea pretended to agree and went off. She was looking for Jason,
Jason was sharpening his sword on a rock when Medea gave him a special
ointment and told him to throw a rock at the skeletons.
The next day Jason put on his ointment and headed to the field where he
was ploughing. The king attached his bulls to the plough and though he did
feel a bit hot when he was ploughing he wasn’t burning. Next, he had to sow
dragon’s teeth as seeds. As soon as the seeds were sowed skeletons popped
out of the ground and were ready to fight, then Jason threw a stone at them
and they started attacking each other.
Jason had passed the test. But the king still refused to give it to him. That
night Medea came to Jason and said, “I will help you steal the Golden Fleece
if you help me get off this island.” Jason agreed to the plan and they snuck
into the grove. The beast looked more ferocious than ever snarling at trees
very so often. Medea ran out and threw some narcotic herbs and the
drakon swallowed. Jason grabbed the fleece and ran to the ship Medea
following him.
They instantly set sail but Aeëtes’s son saw them with the fleece and set his
ship and soldiers after them. Medea decided she had to stop him so invited
him on the boat and said that Jason had kidnapped. But whilst her brother
tried to confront Jason, Medea stabbed her brother cut him into pieces and
threw them in the sea. She knew her father would want to pick them up
and give her brother a proper burial. So, they left whilst they picked his
body parts. They sailed to Iolcus and claimed the throne of Pelias.
But Hera was still angry at Pelias and wanted Medea to kill him. So, she
influenced her mind to show the daughters of Pelias how to make
something old younger. She chopped up a ram and put it in a pot of water
with magic herbs, out of it came a young lamb. They wanted to do this with
their father, so they did the process and it didn’t work. After killing Pelias,
they fled to Corinth. There in Corinth, Jason dumped Medea for the king’s
daughter Glauce. As revenge Medea gave Glauce a dress laced with poison.
The king Creon tried to save her daughter but ended up dying too. Then
Medea returned to Colchis and found out her uncle had deposed her father.
She promptly killed him and returned her father to the throne.