Jason and the Golen Fleece

...recreation of a well known Greek myth by Leonard Fisher, Holiday House Book, NY, 1990.

Jason attempts to rescue the throne from his evil cousin, Pelia, and return it to his father, Aeson. The King promises its return if Jason brings him the golden fleece that hangs from a tree in a sacred grove guarded by a dragon that never sleeps. The King knows the task is impossible but Jason is determined. He has a sturdy ship, the Argus, built and chooses fifty sons and grandsons of gods and goddesses to man the ship. The Argus sails for Colchis. They soon come upon the island of Lemnos were only women live since they had killed off all the men except one old man who is drifting at sea. After receiving fresh supplies they continue their journey but leave behind Hercules who dives to the bottom of the sea to rescue his servant who had been pulled by a nymph to her watery home. At another island they meet Phineus who has been banished there by Zeus and spends his days fighting foul-smelling, ugly looking Harpies. He warns Jason of the crashing rocks, the Symplegades, ahead guarding the entrance to the Black Sea. He tells them that if a dove can fly between the rocks they will have safe passage through. As they near the Symplegades, they send out a dove who barely gets through. They follow losing only a few planks from the ship. On the other side of the Symplegades, they pass the island of the Amazon women who stand shouting from the beach. Finally they arrive in Colchis and Jason goes to see the King. The King tells Jason that he can have the golden fleece if he completes four tasks: yoke two fire-breathing bulls, plow a field; sow the furrows with dragon teeth from which an army will sprout and single-handedly defeat it. The king's daughter, a sorceress, upon seeing Jason falls in love with him and helps him by giving him a magic lotion for protection. For her help, he must agree to marry her. Jason covers himself with the magic lotion and confronts the snorting bulls. After quite a struggle he yokes them, plows the field, sows the dragon teeth and begins to fight the army that sprouts from the teeth. He remembers the magic stone given to him by Medea. He throws it at the soldiers and they begin to fight each other until all are killed. Medea takes Jason to the sacred grove. She casts a spell over the dragon. Jason steals the golden fleece, and the two of them race to board the Argus. The King is furious and sends Medea's brother, Apsyrtus, after the ship but they flounder. The Argus sails through the crashing rocks, past a bronze giant who attacked them and into their home port arriving triumphantly. The King must now give up the throne. But while away the King had made life unbearable for Aeson and he had killed himself. Jason's mother had died of grief. Grief stricken Jason turned to Medea. Medea tricked Pelias into drinking a magic potion that put him to sleep so he could be killed by his daughters. The daughters had been tricked by Medea and went after Jason and Medea. They fled to Corinth where they married and had two sons. After a time Jason fell in love with Glauce. He banished Medea from Corinth. Furious at Jason's betrayal she prepared a cloak for Jason's bride. Upon putting on the cloak her flesh began to burn and she died. Medea then murdered her own children. Jason pursued Medea but she fled in a chariot drawn by winged dragons. Jason was then all alone and homeless. He spent the rest of his life wandering all over Greece.

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