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Real Name |
Jason |
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First Appearance |
Greek Myth |
Origin[]
Jason was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He was also the great-grandson of the messenger god Hermes, through his mother's side.
During their journey to secure the Golden Fleece, the Argonauts sired a new race called the Minyae on the isle of Lemnos, defeated the six armed giants called the Gegeines on Cyzicus, saved Phineus of Salmydessus from Harpies, and sailed through the Symplegades (Clashing Rocks) to reach their destination of Colchis.
On Colchis, King Aeetes promised to give the fleece to Jason only if he could perform three certain tasks. However, Hera had persuaded Aphrodite to convince her son Eros to make Aeetes' daughter, Medea, fall in love with Jason. As a result, Medea aided Jason in his tasks.
First, Jason had to plow a field with fire-breathing oxen, the Khalkotauroi, that he had to yoke himself.Then, Jason sowed the teeth of a dragon into a field which sprouted into an army of warriors (spartoi) that he had to defeat. His last task was to overcome the sleepless dragon which guarded the Golden Fleece. Jason sprayed the dragon with a potion, given by Medea, distilled from herbs. The dragon fell asleep, and Jason was able to seize the Golden Fleece.He then sailed away with Medea. Medea distracted her father, who chased them as they fled, by killing her brother Apsyrtus and throwing pieces of his body into the sea; Aeetes stopped to gather them.
Zeus, as punishment for the slaughter of Medea's own brother, sent a series of storms at the Argo and blew it off course. The Argo then spoke and said that they should seek purification with Circe, a nymph living on the island of Aeaea. After being cleansed, they continued their journey home.
After leaving from the island of Aeaea, They encounter the same Sirens as Odysseus but with the help of Orpheus' music they were able to pass. The Argo then came to the island of Crete, guarded by the bronze man, Talos, but he had one ichor vessel which went from his neck to his ankle, bound shut by only one bronze nail (as in metal casting by the lost wax method). Medea cast a spell on Talos to calm him; she removed the bronze nail and Talos bled to death. The Argo was then able to sail on.
In Corinth, Jason became engaged to marry Creusa (sometimes referred to as Glauce), a daughter of the King of Corinth, to strengthen his political ties. When Medea confronted Jason about the engagement and cited all the help she had given him, he retorted that it was not she that he should thank, but Aphrodite who made Medea fall in love with him. Infuriated with Jason for breaking his vow that he would be hers forever, Medea took her revenge by presenting to Creusa a cursed dress, as a wedding gift, that stuck to her body and burned her to death as soon as she put it on.
Creusa's father, Creon, burned to death with his daughter as he tried to save her. Then Medea killed the two boys that she bore to Jason, fearing that they would be murdered or enslaved as a result of their mother's actions. When Jason learned of this, Medea was already gone. She fled to Athens in a chariot of dragons sent by her grandfather, the sun-god Helios.
As a result of breaking his vow to love Medea forever, Jason lost his favor with Hera and died lonely and unhappy. He was asleep under the stem of the rotting Argo when it fell on him, killing him instantly.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
All published appearances of Jason released before January 1, 1929 are in the public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
- Argonautica
- Medea
- The Life and Death of Jason (1867)
- The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles (1921)