Quest for the Golden Fleece

The Quest for the Golden Fleece is one of the great adventure narratives of Greek mythology, predating even the Trojan War in the mythological timeline.‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‌​‌​‍​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌ Jason, rightful heir to the throne of Iolcos, was sent by the usurper Pelias on what was intended to be an impossible and fatal mission: to sail to Colchis at the eastern edge of the known world and retrieve the Golden Fleece that hung in a sacred grove guarded by an unsleeping dragon. Jason assembled the greatest heroes of the age — including Heracles, Orpheus, Castor and Pollux, Atalanta, and the seer Mopsus — and commissioned the master shipwright Argus to build the Argo, the finest vessel ever constructed. The voyage took the Argonauts through the clashing rocks of the Symplegades, past the island of the Sirens, and into encounters with giants, harpies, and hostile kings. Upon reaching Colchis, King Aeëtes set Jason seemingly impossible tasks: yoking fire-breathing bronze bulls, ploughing a field and sowing it with dragon's teeth that sprouted into armed warriors, and seizing the fleece from its guardian serpent. Jason would have failed at every stage without the help of Medea, Aeëtes's own daughter, a powerful sorceress who fell in love with him through Aphrodite's intervention. With Medea's magic and cunning, Jason accomplished the tasks, drugged the dragon, and seized the fleece. The return voyage was equally perilous, and Medea's assistance came at a terrible price — she murdered her own brother to delay their pursuers. The quest succeeded, but its aftermath brought only tragedy: Jason betrayed Medea, and she exacted a horrifying revenge.