Gods,Heroes,Myths Greek Mythology Homer's epics,Expeditions

Jason was the son of Aeson, king of Iolcus, and Polymede. He was also the leader of the Argonautic expedition. In the past, he had distinguished himself by killing the Calydonian boar. He belonged to the family of the Aeolids in Iolcus. To protect him from his brother Pelias, who wanted to seize the throne, his father pretended that Jason had died and secretly took him to the Centaur Chiron, who lived on Mount Pelion. There, Jason was trained, like many other heroes of mythology.

When he reached the age of twenty, Jason began his journey back to Iolcus. On his way, he met Hera (Juno), who appeared as a sick old woman and asked him to help her cross the Anaurus River. Jason, willingly, carried the old woman across the river but lost one of his sandals in the river's depths. A few days later, he appeared before Pelias as the one-sandaled Jason and demanded the throne that rightfully belonged to him. The people, impressed by his appearance and his god-like stature, were preparing to make sacrifices to Poseidon.

This event frightened Pelias, as he feared that the prophecy which foretold that his life and throne would be threatened by a one-sandaled relative would come true. Thus, he agreed to give up the throne only if Jason went to Colchis and brought back the Golden Fleece, upon which Phrixus and Helle had traveled. Jason succeeded in fulfilling his mission. In Colchis, he managed to steal the Fleece with the help of Medea, the daughter of the king of Colchis, who was also a powerful sorceress and had fallen in love with Jason. Thus, he returned to Iolcus victorious, with Medea as his wife.

After Jason's return, Pelias refused to hand over the throne to him. However, Medea, seeing that Pelias would not change his mind, convinced his daughters to dismember him with the promise of resurrecting him and making him immortal. The people of Iolcus, reacting to the heinous crime, gave the throne to Pelias' son, Acastus. Thus, Jason and Medea were forced to settle in Corinth, where they lived together for ten years. However, after this period, Jason fell in love with Glauce (or Creusa), the daughter of King Creon of Corinth, and took her as his wife. Medea, enraged and hurt by the rejection, decided to take revenge and killed not only her rival but also her children, Mermerus and Pheres.

Then, to avoid Jason's wrath, Medea escaped in the chariot given to her by the god Helios, which was drawn by winged dragons, and upon reaching Athens, she sought asylum from King Aegeus. Thus, Jason remained alone in Corinth until the end of his life. He dedicated his ship, the Argo, to the god Poseidon (Neptune), and visited it daily, remembering the expedition to Colchis and forgetting his sorrow. One day, while he was sleeping in the shade of the Argo, a rotten beam fell on him and killed him, putting an end to the life of this brave hero. Jason was a beloved hero and was honored in sanctuaries all over Greece.