JASON FINDS THE GOLDEN FLEECE
When the Argonauts had drawn their ship up on the beach, Jason
presented himself before the king and said: "Oh, king, we have come to
ask thee for the Golden Fleece, which belongs to the Greeks at Iolkos.
The ram which it covered was given to Phrixos and he dedicated it to
Zeus; but the Fleece he hung up in the garden sacred to Ares.
Moreover, the King of Iolkos has sent me to bring it back to Hellas."
The king answered: "Oh, stranger, thou art welcome to the Fleece. Take
it back to Hellas, I pray thee. But first thou must yoke two wild
bulls, which no one has ever yet been able to manage, to a plough, and
turn up furrows in a field and sow it with dragons' teeth. The bulls
snort fire with every breath and have brass hoofs. Beware lest they
turn upon thee and burn thee to death with the fire of their nostrils,
and trample thee into the earth."
Jason did not know how to tame the terrible bulls, and began to
ponder. But Medea, the daughter of the king, saw Jason and pitied
him. Medea was very much of a witch and could make all sorts of charms
and mixtures of enchantment. She gave a magic ointment to Jason and
said: "Stranger, I would gladly help thee to tame the wild bulls. Take
this box of magic ointment and anoint thyself, also the end of thy
spear and thy shield. It will make thee proof against fire and steel
for one day, so that they cannot harm thee.
"And thou shouldst know that out of the dragons' teeth which thou art
to sow, men will spring up all clad in armor. Hide thyself where these
men cannot see thee, and when they stand close together throw stones
among them." Jason took the drug and did as he was told. He anointed
himself and his spear and shield, and went in search of the fiery
bulls.
As soon as he found them he went boldly up and hitched them to a
plough. They breathed fire at him and tried to strike him with their
brazen hoofs. But he ploughed the field, turning back furrow after
furrow. Then he went back to sow the field with dragons' teeth and hid
himself nearby. Soon armed giants arose out of the ground. Jason threw
a large stone into the midst of them, which made them think that some
one of their own company was attacking the others. They began fighting
among themselves, and became so furious with one another that they
did not see Jason approach. He took his sword and slew them all. Then
he returned to the king to receive the Golden Fleece.
But the king was surprised, for he had no intention of keeping his
promise. He expected that Jason would be slain and never come back.
And he was contriving a plot to burn the ship Argo, and kill Jason's
companions.
Jason had done all that the king had required of him and would not
give up the idea of taking the Fleece, and the king refused to let him
have it. Then Jason went back to Medea for advice. Her admiration for
the hero was greater than ever, since she had seen how fearlessly he
went about his tasks.
She led him to the grove where hung the Golden Fleece, and with her
magic drugs put the watchful dragon that guarded it to sleep. Jason
snatched the Fleece and made for the ship, taking Medea, who had
promised to be his wife, with him. When the old king missed his
daughter he was very angry, and gave pursuit. But Jason and his
companions pushed the boat out into the sea, and unfurling the sails,
they swiftly took their way over the waters toward their own land.
After many wanderings and perils, the Argonauts came to the Greek
coast, and the Argo entered again the sea of their own beloved
country. They reached Iolkos, bringing the world-famous Golden Fleece
with them, and the people received them in triumph. But Pelias still
refused to give up the throne to Jason, although he gladly took the
Golden Fleece which the young hero had brought him. So Jason slew him
and made himself King of Iolkos; and as Medea's father had once
reigned in Corinth, he added that country to his kingdom.
Jason lived in peace ten happy years in Kolchis, and his kingdom
prospered; but a great trouble came upon his household. Medea, with
her black arts of witchery and enchantment and her evil heart, could
not always please him or hold his affections. He went to Corinth,
where he met the gentle-hearted Kreusa, and her peaceful, kindly
disposition won his heart. Now in those days a man was not despised
and looked upon as a law-breaker if he married more than one wife, for
the people had a different standard of right and wrong from that of
the present day. And Jason in an unlucky hour took Kreusa for his
wife.
Medea was maddened with jealousy when she heard of this, and she
consulted the evil spirits of her witchcraft to find out how she could
do away with Kreusa. She took a beautiful dress and a crown, and
having sprinkled them with an enchanted juice, sent them to Kreusa.
Her rival accepted the gifts and put them on, but she could never get
them off again. They clung to her and burned into her flesh, so that
she died. Then Medea took further revenge by burning Kreusa's home;
and when she found that Jason was angry with her she slew her children
and fled from Iolkos in a fiery chariot drawn by winged serpents. Poor
Jason, beside himself with grief, went to his good ship Argo, which
was now kept as a sacred place for the worship of the gods, and there
he died.