You argonauts they were the sailors who, in Greek mythology, accompanied the hero Jason on his journey to Colchis (where Georgia is today) to rescue the Golden Fleece. The story is part of the Greek myth Jason and the argonauts, and they were so called because the ship they embarked on for this adventure was built by Argos, one of the heroes of history. The myth arrived in its most complete form in the work Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes, written in the 3rd century BC
1) The return of those who never were
Son of Aeson, king of Iolcos, Jason did not have a happy childhood. Even as a small boy, Pelias, his father’s half-brother, dethroned the king and exiled Jason to an island, where the boy was raised by the centaur Chiron. At 20, wearing only a sandal and a panther skin, Jason returned to Iolcos and claimed the throne. The uncle agreed to yield, as long as the young man brought the Golden Fleece.
2) turbulent journey
Jason ordered a ship from Argos and summoned the bravest heroes of Greece, such as Hercules and Theseus, to cross the Black Sea in search of the Fleece. On a long journey, they experienced various adventures, from storms to an island full of widows who killed their husbands, from boxing matches to a harpy hunt. After facing many dangers and crossing the Bosphorus strait, the heroes arrived in Colchis.
– (Gustavo Pelissari/)
3) Mission Impossible
King Aeetes of Colchis agreed to hand over the talisman, provided Jason performed some absurd tasks. Among them, plowing a field with fire-breathing bulls, sowing a dragon’s teeth in them, fighting an army that would be born from these teeth, and, finally, killing the dragon that guarded the Fleece. Jason had the help of Medea, the king’s daughter and admirer.
4) Catch me if you can
Shocked by the completion of the tasks, Aeetes broke his promise and trapped the hero inside the city. Medea helped Jason again, on condition that he married her and took her away. To distract the king’s attention, Medea kidnapped her own brother, tore him to pieces and scattered the pieces across the city. While the king collected the remains, she fled Colchis with Jason.
5) Vengeance of the gods
The trip back was even more exciting than the trip out. Disgusted with Medea’s crimes, the gods turned the journey into a storm. Amid fights with giants and rough seas, the ship went through several dangers, faced storms and missed its destination many times until finally reaching Iolcos, where the sailors consecrated the ship to Poseidon, god of the seas.
6) A new reign
The end of the myth has many versions, but the best known tells that King Pelias broke his promise and refused to cede the throne to Jason. Medea then poisoned him to death. Acastus, son of the late king, assumed power, while Jason and Medea fled to Corinth with their two children. There, King Creon offered the hero the throne, provided he married his daughter, Glauce. Decided to be king, Jason accepted.
– (Gustavo Pelissari/)
7) Unhappy ending
Only, wounded by betrayal, Medea wove a veil as a gift for the bride, who spontaneously combusted when she put it on her head. Glauce and his father were also burned to death. Medea even killed her own children, annihilating Jason’s lineage. He, in turn, had an undignified death when he took a nap under the ship Argo and was hit by a beam that came off the ship.
– (Gustavo Pelissari/)
GOLD IN SHEEP SKIN
What is the Golden Fleece and how it came to be, the purpose of the journey
Capable of bringing power and prosperity to whoever possessed it, the Fleece was the skin of a golden and flying ram, given by Zeus (or Poseidon, in other versions) to Phrixus and Hele, sons of the goddess Nefele, so that they could escape their bad stepmother. After the flight, Phrixus reached Colchis, where he sacrificed the animal. So the king of the city, Aeetes, hung the golden skin on a tree protected by several magical creatures.
SOURCES Books Greek mythologyby Junito de Souza Brandão, and Dictionary of Greek and Roman Mythology, by George Hacquard; thesis Demystifying Medeas: A Critical Look at Female Representation in Dramaturgical Worksby Luiz Gustavo Marques Ribeiro