This is a Greek myth about a young man named Jason and the prize that was meant to destroy him. Its most famous telling is an ancient epic called the Argonautica, and other ancient writers told how the story ended. Jason came to a river in flood. An old woman stood on the bank, unable to cross. He carried her over, and the mud sucked his left sandal off his foot. The old woman was the goddess Hera in disguise. Jason walked into the city wearing one sandal, and that was exactly what King Pelias dreaded. An oracle had warned him to beware of a man in a single sandal, and Pelias held a throne that was not his. So he gave Jason a task. Sail to a distant land and bring back the Golden Fleece, the hide of a winged ram. Jason said yes, to prove he was the rightful heir.
Jason and the Golden Fleece
Jason lost one sandal in a flooded river, and it sent him and the talking ship Argo after a golden fleece.
One Sandal
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece come from?
It is a Greek myth, not recorded history. The voyage is told most fully in the epic Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius. Jason's later years in Corinth come from Euripides's tragedy Medea.
Why did King Pelias send Jason to fetch the Golden Fleece?
An oracle had warned Pelias, who held a throne that was not his, to beware of a man wearing one sandal. Jason arrived in Iolcus wearing exactly that. Pelias sent him on the quest to protect his own rule.
How did Medea help Jason, and what happened between them afterward?
Medea gave Jason an ointment against fire and put the sleepless dragon into a trance so he could take the fleece. Later, in Corinth, Jason abandoned her to marry the king's daughter. In revenge she killed the princess, the king, and her own two sons.
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