Why was the Golden Fleece not popular?
One of the reasons for this was because of the legend’s unlikeable heroine. Because of Medea’s myths, many Greeks had little interest in retelling the story of the Golden Fleece.
Who guarded the grove where the Golden Fleece was kept?
Finally, Jason had to get past the watchful dragon that guarded the grove where the Golden Fleece was kept. The great serpent never slept.
What is the story of Jason and the Argonauts?
The story of Jason and the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece is one of the greatest epics of Greek mythology , so why is it less often retold than some other Greek stories?
Why did Medea use her magic?
He first had to yoke a set of fire-breathing oxen and used them to plow a field. Medea used her magic to protect him from the flames. Then, Jason had to sew the field with the teeth of a dragon.
What did Jason learn when he reached Colchis?
When Jason finally reached Colchis, he was disheartened to learn that Aeetes would require him to complete three further tasks to claim his prize. Hera, however, was on his side and convinced Aphrodite and Eros to help him.
Why did the Argonauts kill Cyzicus?
When they landed on the island in the dark, they mistook the friendly men there for the enemies they had just fled from. Cyzicus was killed in the confusion and the Argonauts hosted his funeral games in remorse.
When was the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece written?
The legend of Jason and the Golden Fleece was well-known then, but a written version of the story is not known until the 2nd century BC.
What is the golden fleece?
The Golden Fleece was the fleece of the golden ram that was held in Colchis, and the object of desire for Jason, who organised an expedition with the Argonauts in order to retrieve it.
Where did Aeetes put the golden fleece?
Aeetes placed the golden fleece in a garden which was guarded by a never sleeping dragon. Jason later arrived in Colchis, and after successfully completing the three tasks that Aeetes had given to him, he retrieved the golden fleece. See Also: Jason, Argonauts, Athamas, Nephele, Phrixus, helle, Ino, Aeetes.
Who did Nephele take as his second wife?
Later, he took Ino as his second wife, who hated her stepchildren and plotted to kill them. She would have succeeded, but at the last second, Nephele sent a flying golden ram to save her children from their stepmother. She then told her children not to look down while the ram was flying.
Where was the Golden Fleece?
The ship of the Argonauts was named, Argo.Argo would have to carry Jason and the entire group of Argonauts to Colchis, which was at the eastern end of the Black Sea, south of the Caucasus, in the western part of modern Georgia (the independent state in Transcaucasia, Russia, not the state in the United States of America).
Why did Jason need to find the golden fleece?
The reason why Jason needed to find the Golden Fleece in the first place is because of the order given by Pelias. Pelias came up with the idea from Jason, who conversed with his uncle on what he would do to keep someone away. Jason did not realize at the time that Pelias wanted to rid himself of Jason forever.
What did Medea do to Jason?
During the first task, Medea created an ointment for Jason to wear that made him invincible to the fire that the Khalkotauroi breathed at him. The salve worked since Medea was a trained sorceress and high priestess of Hecate.
Where did the Argonauts stop?
They stopped at The Isle of Lemnos, The Gegeines, Salmydessus in Thrace, and The Symplegades. They faced many adventures at the places they stopped, and Jason started a new race of people on the Isle of Lemnos, called the Minyans.
What are the stories of Greek mythology?
Stories in Greek mythology are what make the Greek Gods, Goddesses, and demigods more memorable. Their adventures become the subject of many artists’ work, and some even influenced traditions and terminology in the modern world. There is proof of some Greek mythological characters who existed in real life, but other stories ...
Who sent Jason to fetch the golden fleece?
Pelias sent him on an impossible mission, to fetch the Golden Fleece from the King Aeetes of Colchis. Jason did not refuse the order forwarded by Pelias, but instead assembled a fleet of heroes and warriors to help him on his journey. This group was the Argonauts.
Did the king give Jason the fleece?
The stone warriors killed themselves off, and Jason completed the second task. The king still did not give Jason the fleece, and he planned to kill them before having a chance to find it. However, in her love, Medea leads Jason and the Argonauts to the Golden Fleece, which was hanging in a sacred oak tree.
Who flew and whipped them till they died?
calais flew and whipped them till they died
What did Hercules need for his new oar?
hercules needed wood for a new oar, and hylas wanted to fill a jar with water
Why does Pelias want to kick out Pelias?
she wants to kick out pelias because he forgot to invite her to a sacrifice of the gods
Why did Zeus send a ram to save Phrixus?
it was once a flying ram sent by zeus to save prince Phrixus, as he was about to be sacrificed to save the city from famine, the ram came and took him away. The ram was sacrificed instead and Phrixus married the king's daughter
Overview
In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece (Greek: Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, Chrysómallon déras, Georgian “ოქროს საწმისი”) is the fleece of the golden-woolled, winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where Phrixus then sacrificed it to Zeus. Phrixus gave the fleece to King Aeëtes who kept it in a sacred grove, whence Jason and the Argonauts stole it wi…
Plot
Athamas the founder of Thessaly, but also king of the city of Orchomenus in Boeotia (a region of southeastern Greece), took the goddess Nephele as his first wife. They had two children, the boy Phrixus (whose name means "curly," as in the texture of the ram's fleece) and the girl Helle. Later Athamas became enamored of and married Ino, the daughter of Cadmus. When Nephele left in anger, drought came upon the land.
Evolution of plot
Pindar employed the quest for the Golden Fleece in his Fourth Pythian Ode (written in 462 BC), though the fleece is not in the foreground. When Aeetes challenges Jason to yoke the fire-breathing bulls, the fleece is the prize: "Let the King do this, the captain of the ship! Let him do this, I say, and have for his own the immortal coverlet, the fleece, glowing with matted skeins of gold".
In later versions of the story, the ram is said to have been the offspring of the sea god Poseidon a…
Interpretations
The very early origin of the myth in preliterate times means that during the more than a millennium when it was to some degree part of the fabric of culture, its perceived significance likely passed through numerous developments.
Several euhemeristic attempts to interpret the Golden Fleece "realistically" as reflecting some physical cultural object or alleged historical practice have bee…
See also
• List of mythological objects
• Absyrtus
• Gold mining
• Order of the Golden Fleece
Notes
1. ^ Greek: Χρυσόμαλλος, Khrusómallos.
2. ^ That the ram was sent by Zeus was the version heard by Pausanias in the second century of the Christian era (Pausanias, ix.34.5).
3. ^ Theophane may equally be construed as "appearing as a goddess" or as "causing a god to appear".
External links
• Media related to Golden Fleece at Wikimedia Commons
• The Project Gutenberg text of The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles