Iolcus
The Thessalian city ruled by the usurper Pelias, from which Jason and the Argonauts set sail for Colchis.
The Story of Iolcus
Iolcus was the rightful kingdom of Jason's father Aeson, stolen by his half-brother Pelias. An oracle warned Pelias to beware "the man with one sandal," so when Jason arrived at court having lost a sandal while helping an old woman cross a river — the woman being Hera in disguise — Pelias immediately recognised him as a threat. He sent Jason on the seemingly impossible quest for the Golden Fleece to get rid of him. Jason assembled the greatest heroes of the age, built the ship Argo under Athena's guidance, and sailed from the harbour of Iolcus into mythology.
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