Colchian Dragon
The Colchian Dragon was an enormous, ever-wakeful serpent that guarded the Golden Fleece in the sacred grove of Ares in Colchis.
The Myth of Colchian Dragon
The Colchian Dragon was an unsleeping serpent sacred to Ares, set by King Aeëtes to guard the Golden Fleece in a grove in Colchis at the eastern edge of the Black Sea. When Jason and the Argonauts arrived to claim the fleece — a quest given by King Pelias to rid himself of Jason — the dragon's unblinking vigilance made the task impossible. Only Medea, daughter of Aeëtes and priestess of Hecate, could overcome it: she brewed a potion from herbs and enchantments that put the dragon to sleep, allowing Jason to seize the fleece. Without Medea's sorcery, Jason would have failed and the Argonauts would have perished. Athena and Hera had conspired to make Medea fall in love with Jason for precisely this purpose.
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Fun Fact
The English word "dragon" descends from the Greek drakon — which originally meant "sharp-sighted one," reflecting this creature's defining trait of unwavering vigilance.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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