The myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece

Jason and the Golden Fleece

When a hero journeys on a quest in Ancient Greece, they often fit a cycle called “ Cycle of the hero.” Joseph Campbell developed the cycle of the hero; to give an idea of the journey the hero took, from the beginning to the end of the quest. The tale Jason And The Golden Fleece fits particularly well with the cycle.

Birth/Home: To begin with, Jason was the son of the genuine king, Iolcus, but Jason’s uncle, who was Pelias, took over the throne, and claimed the kingdom to be his. Therefore his mother hid him up in the wilderness cave of Chiron the Centaur, because Pelias would kill Jason in second if he knew of his existence.

Call to adventure: When Jason becomes older, he travels to Pelias, to seek the throne. Pelias made a deal with Jason. For if he brings Pelias the Golden Fleece, he will be rewarded the kingdom. And so Jason embarks on his journey.

Elixir: In the myths, Jason’s elixir was the Golden Fleece. It was something that people remembered him by. It symbolized Jason. As well, it showed Jason’s great achievement for getting the throne back.

Helpers: Jason’s significant crew was the Argonauts. The Argonauts were a strong group. Among them were the hero Hercules, and the heroine Atalanta. Without the help of this bold crew, Jason would have never been able to complete his quest.

Helper/Amulet: A ‘helper’ or ‘amulet’ that really helped Jason become who he is, is Chiron. When his mother hid him up in the caves, Chiron tutored Jason. When he was old enough he set out like a hero, and went to claim back his rightful throne.

Crossing the threshold: To reach the Golden Fleece, Jason and the Argonauts had to travel through the treacherous ocean and undergo many difficult obstacles. For example, Jason and his crew had to overcome the forceful currents, and the clashing rocks. To my opinion facing the obstacles, proved how strong the crew was as a team.

Tests: On the quest Jason and the Argonauts faced many tests. All of which were to see how worthy Jason really was to be king. Some examples would be the fire breathing bulls, and the dragon that guarded the fleece.

Climax/Final Battle: Jason uses Chirons sword to fight and defeat Meda, and Jason stops the Argonauts from going into the underworld. He retrieves the Golden Fleece, and is ready to head back to the kingdom.

Return/Flight: Jason and the Argonauts return back to the kingdom by sea, with the Golden Fleece, ready to take back the throne from his uncle, Pelias.

There are many interpretations of Jason and the Golden Fleece. Like in the cartoon video, Meda is evil and casts a spell on the Argonauts, to stop them from retrieving the Golden Fleece. But in other stories Meda is nice, and helps Jason get the fleece by giving a sleeping potion to the dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece. Another interpretation of the myth would be the different endings. In one myth that I have read, Jason leaves Meda for another princess, for although he promised to love and honor her, and thank her for all the service she had done for him. But in the cartoon video, Jason fights and defeats Meda, for she casts a spell on the Argonauts, and forces them to walk into the underworld.

Although there are many interpretations of the myth, they all revolve around the same quest of retrieving the Golden Fleece.

People may say that Jason and the Gold Fleece was just a myth, but there are factual elements that could prove that the myth really did occur. I wouldn’t say that everything about the myth is 100% true. Like gods? And spells? But here are some evidence that I’ve collected in humanities from a video.

• · Mount Pelion, where Jason traveled on his quest was real.
• · The cave where all the rituals were held was real.
• · Artifacts were found in the kingdom claiming to be from the bronze age. Stating that it must have been real.
• · It happened in the Trozen war. Which was a true event.
• · Jason and the Argonauts journeyed to Istanbul.
• · The land of the Golden Fleece was in Georgia.
• · The cliff was where the Lemnian women murdered their men.
• · Since the rocks were close together, there were strong waves.
• · The wood needed to make the boat for the Argonauts, grew on the mountains.
• · 1400 B.C, it was when the quest happened as well as the story.

This myth I Believe, is enjoyed by many Greeks. It has an outstanding story line. Telling the tale of a young hero, on a quest. The story line was so great, that Greeks had to add or change a little something to spice it up.

Source: http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Jason_Pelias_Louvre_K127.jpg/225px-Jason_Pelias_Louvre_K127.jpg

Why I picked the picture: To my opinion, the picture shows Jason handing over the Golden Fleece to his uncle, pelias to redeem this throne, and kingdom. And I think the picture shows a kind of ancient look, stating what kind of time period it was set in. And it kind of shows a Greek feeling to it, which might connect it better with the whole theme of my blog paragraph.