DOCSLIB.ORG

Of Trees and Guarded by a Dragon.Jason Had to Capture the Fleece to Gain Possessionof the Kingdom That Was Rightfully His

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Of Trees and Guarded by a Dragon.Jason Had to Capture the Fleece to Gain Possessionof the Kingdom That Was Rightfully His ::::::::::::::::::::t::;::;::::;::iM::::r .., :;I' THE MYTH OF JASON AND THEARGONAUTS . In the mythology of the western world, the first great explorer to sail the seaswas the Greek hero . Jason. Jason's mythical journey began over 3,000 years ago when he outfitted a ship to go in search of a golden fleece, the woolly hide of a golden ram. The fleece was in a distant land, hidden in a grove of trees and guarded by a dragon.Jason had to capture the fleece to gain possessionof the kingdom that was rightfully his. Jason called his ship the Algo, and his crew the Argonauts because they were sailors (Greek nautes) on the Argo. This band of hardy adventurers included the most famous of the Greek heroes. Hercules, the strongest man alive, was eager to join Jason. So was Peleus, the father of Achilles, and Orpheus, the masterful musician. The Argonauts sailed east across the Aegean Sea, through the Dardanelles and the Bosporus, and into the Black Sea. The Black Sea was known to Greek sailors of that time as the "Unfriendly Sea" because of its fabled dangers. Jason and his crew rescued an old man h-om the Harpies, hideous creatures with the heads of women and bodies of birds who left a foul smell wherever they went. Then they found their way between moving cliffs that trapped other ships and crushed them. At last they arrived in Colchis, the land of the golden fleece. The king of Colchis welcomed his distinguished visitors, but he had no intention of giving up his golden treasure. He set impossible tasks for Jason to do to win the fleece. Fortunately for Jason, however, the king's daughter, Medea, fell in love with him. Medea was a powerful enchantress who used her magic to help Jason single-handedly overcome wild, fire-breathing bulls and an army of 1,000 soldiers. Then she lulled the dragon to sleep, helped Jason capture the fleece, and escaped with him to the ship. When her father sent an army after them she killed her own brother to help the Argonauts escape. On the trip home, Jason and the Argonauts lost their way and wandered to the ends of the Earth. Eventually, though, they did find their way back to Greece. According to the myth, these Argonauts were the first Greek explorers to travel to the Black Sea and return safely to their homeland. After Jason became King of Greece he told the people about the fertile land he had seen along the Black Sea. Although Greece was a beautiful country, its rocky soil made farming difficult, so life was hard for many people. Jason encouraged some of his subjects to leave Greece, colonize the area along the Black Sea, and trade with their homeland. Jason was a hero, then, for two reasons. Not only did he cross uncharted waters where others were afraid to go, but he also brought back knowledge that eventually made a difference in the lives of millions of people. NSTA JASON CORE CURRICULUM 25.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Myth Made Fact Lesson 8: Jason with Dr
    Myth Made Fact Lesson 8: Jason with Dr. Louis Markos Outline: Jason Jason was a foundling, who was a royal child who grew up as a peasant. Jason was son of Eason. Eason was king until Pelias threw him into exile, also sending Jason away. When he came of age he decided to go to fulfill his destiny. On his way to the palace he helped an old man cross a river. When Jason arrived he came with only one sandal, as the other had been ripped off in the river. Pelias had been warned, “Beware the man with one sandal.” Pelias challenges Jason to go and bring back the Golden Fleece. About a generation or so earlier there had been a cruel king who tried to gain favor with the gods by sacrificing a boy and a girl. o Before he could do it, the gods sent a rescue mission. They sent a golden ram with a golden fleece that could fly. The ram flew Phrixos and Helle away. o The ram came to Colchis, in the southeast corner of the Black Sea. Helle slipped and fell and drowned in the Hellespont, which means Helle’s bridge (between Europe and Asia). o Phrixos sacrificed the ram and gave the fleece as a gift to the people of Colchis, to King Aeetes. o The Golden Fleece gives King Aeetes power. Jason builds the Argo. The Argonauts are the sailors of the Argo. Jason and the Argonauts go on the journey to get the Golden Fleece. Many of the Argonauts are the fathers of the soldiers of the Trojan War.
    [Show full text]
  • Greek Mythology: Heroes
    Greek Mythology: Heroes Baldwin’s Mythology Heroes ● Odysseus ● Heracles (Hercules) ● Jason ● Theseus ● Achilles ● Perseus Odysseus ● Legendary Hero in Greek Mythology ● King of the island of Ithaca and the protagonist in Homer’s epic The Odyssey ● It all started over a woman... Odysseus (continued) ● Odysseus was one of the suitors that wanted to marry Helen, step-daughter of king Tyndareus of Sparta. However, there suitors, so they drew straws. As a result, Menelaus drew the lucky straw, while Odysseus married Penelope. ● Helen was abducted by Prince Paris of Troy, so all suitors were summoned to help Menelaus in his quest to bring her back. ● After the Greeks reached Troy and the war started, Odysseus played a particularly influential role as an advisor. He maintained the morale of the Greeks in a high level and managed to keep everyone sane. Odysseus (continued) ● Odysseus was most famous in the war for his contribution to create the Trojan Horse, a huge wooden horse that was supposed to be a gift to the Trojans by the retreating Greeks. The Trojans accepted the gift joyfully and started celebrating around it. When the night fell and everyone was drunk, the Greek warriors, who had hidden in the hollow body of the horse, revealed themselves and slew the Trojans, winning the war. Hercules ● Heracles (or Hercules) is best known as the strongest of all mortals, and even stronger than many gods. ● He was the last mortal son of Zeus, and the only man born of a mortal woman to become a god upon his death. ● Terrible things happened to him because of Hera's hatred, a hatred that he was not responsible for.
    [Show full text]
  • Jason and the Golden Fleece by Max I
    Jason and the Golden Fleece By Max I. A long time ago, a child named Jason was born in the small kingdom of Iolcus, which was in Northern Greece. He was born before actual Greek history, in a time where Gods and heroes still existed. He was the son of King Aeson, who ruled Iolcus fairly and justly. His mother was descended from Poseidon, the god of the sea. Therefore, Jason had royal blood and divine blood as well. Jason grew up to be a good looking and good-natured boy. He was polite to everybody and everybody liked him. And everybody knew that Jason would inherit the throne of Iolcus. He was a good friend of Max, who was a foreigner from Colchis. In fact, he was one of the most valuable people on the journey because he was from where the Golden Fleece was hidden. 10 years before Jason was born, a king and queen called Athamas and Nephele ruled in Northern Greece. However, king Athamas grew tired of his kind, virtuous queen, and sent her away so he could marry a cruel woman named Ino. However, Ino was so cruel she resolved to murder the king’s children, as she was mad after a argument with Athamas. Queen Nephele rushed back to save her children and enlisted the help of the God Hermes. Hermes created a massive golden ram to carry the two children to safety. Their names were Phrixus and Helle. The Ram carried them all the way to Colchis, where they could seek shelter. However, as they were flying over a great river that separates Europe from Asia, Helle fell off the Ram to her death.
    [Show full text]
  • Structural Analysis of Jason and Medeia: an Interlocking Pair—Sisyphus Embodied Samuel Glaser-Nolan
    Vassar College Digital Window @ Vassar Senior Capstone Projects 2015 A (Post) Structural Analysis of Jason and Medeia: An Interlocking Pair—Sisyphus Embodied Samuel Glaser-Nolan Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalwindow.vassar.edu/senior_capstone Recommended Citation Glaser-Nolan, Samuel, "A (Post) Structural Analysis of Jason and Medeia: An Interlocking Pair—Sisyphus Embodied" (2015). Senior Capstone Projects. Paper 412. This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Window @ Vassar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of Digital Window @ Vassar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A (Post) Structural Analysis of Jason and Medeia: An Interlocking Pair—Sisyphus Embodied Senior Thesis in Greek and Roman Studies Vassar College, Spring 2015 By Samuel Glaser-Nolan 1 “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” -Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus Introduction This project is concerned with the study of the myth of Jason and Medeia. Its specific aim is to analyze the myths of both protagonists in unison, as an interlocking pair, each component essential to understanding the other. Reading Jason and Medeia together reveals that they are characters perpetually struggling with the balance between the obligations of family and those of being a hero. They are structurally engaged with the tension between these two notions and can best be understood by allusion to other myths that provide precedents and parallels for their actions. The goal is to not only study both characters together but to do so across many accounts of the myth and view the myth in its totality, further unifying the separate analyses of the two characters.
    [Show full text]
  • Mythological and Cultural Elements That Bring Euripides’ Medea’S Tragic End
    Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi Mustafa Kemal University Journal of Social Sciences Institute Yıl/Year: 2018 ♦ Cilt/Volume: 15 ♦ Sayı/Issue: 41 s. 240-252 MYTHOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL ELEMENTS THAT BRING EURIPIDES’ MEDEA’S TRAGIC END Meltem UZUNOĞLU ERTEN Pamukkale Üniversitesi, Yabancı Diller Yüksek Okulu Orcid ID: 0000-0002-9022-7983 Makale Geliş Tarihi: 12.10.2017 Makale Kabul Tarihi: 10.04.2018 Abstract Euripides’ Medea is one of the tragedies of the ancient Greece that has survived. Based on a mythological background, the play focuses on the final part of Medea and Jason’s marriage, which is catastrophical not only for the couple alone but also for their families. As well as being an ancient classic, one significant point about Euripides’ Medea is that this psychological tragedy refers to the mythological factors that foreshadow and prepare the bloody final approaching. Another outstanding point is how Euripides deals with the Greek attitude towards foreigners and women, what gives Euripides’ Medea an authenticity. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyze how the mythological histories of both Medea and Jason, and the cultural realities of the ancient Greek world make Medea’s happieness impossible and bring her tragic end. Keywords: Medea, mythology, Ancient Greece, foreigner, woman EURIPIDES’İN MEDEA’SININ TRAJİK SONUNU GETİREN MİTOLOJİK VE KÜLTÜREL UNSURLAR Öz Euripides’in Medea’sı Antik Yunan’dan günümüze ulaşan trajedilerden biridir. Mitolojik bir arka plana sahip olan oyun, yalnızca çiftin kendisi için değil aynı zamanda aileleri için de yıkıcı etkilere sahip olan evliliklerinin son bölümüne odaklanır. Antik döneme ait bir klasik olmasının yanı sıra Euripides’in Medea adlı eseriyle ilgili önemli noktalardan biri de, bu psikolojik trajedinin yaklaşmakta olan kanlı sonu öngören ve hazırlayan mitolojik unsurlara yaptığı göndermelerdir.
    [Show full text]
  • Emasculating Jason: Narratology and Gender in Apollonius’ Argonautica 3-4
    Emasculating Jason: Narratology and Gender in Apollonius’ Argonautica 3-4 That Apollonius constantly reworks details, scenes, vocabulary, and more from the Homeric poems has long been established. The specific Homeric echoes of the confrontation between Jason and Medea in Book 3 of Apollonius’ Argonautica have not gone unnoticed, either. In particular, Richard Hunter’s notes reworkings of the confrontation between Hector and Achilles of Iliad 22 in Argonautica 3 (Hunter, 1989). The focus on Apollonian connections to the Homeric tradition, however, has largely been based on linguistic similarities, whereas other points of connection, especially thematic relationships, between Apollonius and the Homeric epics have gone unremarked (Lennox, 1980). A detailed analysis of Apollonius’ reworking of Homeric type-scenes in general, and of how Apollonius does this in the confrontation between Jason and Medea, has yet to be accomplished. Campbell’s commentary, while noting the similarities between this section and the meeting of Odysseus and Nausicaa in Odyssey 6—certainly an important connection—does not note the connections to Homeric aristeiai (Campbell 1983). Beye has noted that “Jason’s meeting with Medea has the climactic tension of an aristeia,” but delves no deeper and moves on to discussing Jason’s contest as the aristeia “truer to the epic tradition,” (Beye 1982). Apollonius tends to portray Homeric elements in quite unusual ways, and so he does here: Jason begins an aristeia, entering not a battle of swords and spears, but a contest of wits and words with Medea. The scene contains the tropes commonly found in such type-scenes in the Homeric epics, and certain elements draw specific comparisons to aristeiai in the Iliad.
    [Show full text]
  • Constellation Legends
    Constellation Legends by Norm McCarter Naturalist and Astronomy Intern SCICON Andromeda – The Chained Lady Cassiopeia, Andromeda’s mother, boasted that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, even more beautiful than the gods. Poseidon, the brother of Zeus and the god of the seas, took great offense at this statement, for he had created the most beautiful beings ever in the form of his sea nymphs. In his anger, he created a great sea monster, Cetus (pictured as a whale) to ravage the seas and sea coast. Since Cassiopeia would not recant her claim of beauty, it was decreed that she must sacrifice her only daughter, the beautiful Andromeda, to this sea monster. So Andromeda was chained to a large rock projecting out into the sea and was left there to await the arrival of the great sea monster Cetus. As Cetus approached Andromeda, Perseus arrived (some say on the winged sandals given to him by Hermes). He had just killed the gorgon Medusa and was carrying her severed head in a special bag. When Perseus saw the beautiful maiden in distress, like a true champion he went to her aid. Facing the terrible sea monster, he drew the head of Medusa from the bag and held it so that the sea monster would see it. Immediately, the sea monster turned to stone. Perseus then freed the beautiful Andromeda and, claiming her as his bride, took her home with him as his queen to rule. Aquarius – The Water Bearer The name most often associated with the constellation Aquarius is that of Ganymede, son of Tros, King of Troy.
    [Show full text]
  • Puppets Tell the Tale
    Jason Exam Material Puppets Tell the Tale This exercise reinforces information from pages 162-175 of “The Golden Fleece” in d’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths. Create a cooperative class puppet show to tell the story of “Jason and the Argonauts.” 1. Divide up the class into groups so that the number of characters in each act equals the number of students in the group. Exception: Some students will need to make two puppets since many of the parts are small. Suggestions for two-puppet assignments are listed at the beginning of each act. 2. Students can create the puppets by drawing their character on a piece of tag board 6 inches by 3 inches. Using tape, attach these puppets to one end of a ruler so that the characters can pop up from behind a tabletop while the children sit on the floor. 3. Each group should determine the props needed for its act, e.g. the golden fleece, a tree, tail feathers, a cloud, clashing rocks. Students who finish their puppets quickly may then create props. 4. Students will need to prepare dialogue based on the synopsis of each act. This component of the puppet project will require much effort on the part of the students since there is no “narrator” to provide background or to describe the action. Every detail must be conveyed through the dialogue. Students will probably want to write out a script. 5. Each group should plan to rehearse its act a number of times so that the props are introduced at the right moment and the action flows smoothly.
    [Show full text]
  • Apollonius Rhodius Argonautica 4 and the Epic Gaze: There and Back Again
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Nottingham ePrints Helen Lovatt Apollonius Rhodius Argonautica 4 and the epic gaze: There and back again The visuality of Apollonius Argonautica is complex and fascinating, and impor- tant for understanding that of later Greek and Roman epic.1 The Argonautica features in The Epic Gaze as the epic that wouldn’t, a refusenik of the epic genre, a counterexample.2 This chapter explores the particular visuality of Apollonius in more depth, by focusing on book 4 and its continuities and diver- gences from the previous books.3 William Thalmann, using the poetics of space, produces a reading of the Argonauts as a force for order, a representa- tion of Greekness, closely interlinked with Greek colonisation.4 Although he is careful to bring out the negatives, the difficulties and the confusions, this is an unusually positive reading of the Argonautica, rather in the same vein as Tim Stover’s reading of Valerius Flaccus.5 Space and visuality are closely relat- ed, and Thalmann illuminates processes of gazing in Apollonius, partly draw- ing on, or parallelling, the work of Alex Purves.6 In contrast Sistakou’s evoca- tion of the Argonautica as “dark epic” calls up a different visuality, one centred on darkness, fantasy and horror.7 In this chapter I re-examine gaze and vision in Apollonius by thinking about the difference between the explorers’ gaze and 1 See also Kampakoglou, this volume. On the importance of Apollonius for Virgil, see Nelis 2001. Apollonius in Lucan: Murray 2011; in Valerius (two recent interventions): Finkmann 2014, Seal 2014; in Claudian: Schindler 2005.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER FOUR HERACLES and JASON Traveling on a Small Ocean
    CHAPTER FOUR HERACLES AND JASON Traveling on a small ocean, the heroes of the Argonautica are ordinary men. Heracles, who towers over them all, gives the reader a sense of relative size. The Argo, which accommodates the other heroes, is too small for him. It bobs down under his feet when he steps aboard ( 1.531- 33 ). 1 Because his statues ranged from colossal to miniature, the viewer's perspective on Heracles was constantly changing. Huge statues por­ trayed him as he appeared to mortals; tiny statues showed how he looked to the gods in heaven. 2 Experienced in placing Heracles in proportion to their own world, the readers of the Argonautica could imagine him relative to their own size and the size of the Argonauts, ordinary people with minor flaws. A survivor from a primitive era, Heracles was always identified by a lion's skin and club. In art and in drama, in an exalted pose or a comic one, he was defined by his costume. In Euripides, the hero boasted that he had slipped inconspicuously into town (Heracles 598), when he was 1 For studies of Jason and Heracles, see Beye, "Jason as Love-hero," 31-55, and his Epic and Romance, 77-99; Cars~cken, "Ai;iollonius Rhodius," 99-125; Collins, "Stud­ ies," passim; Gilbert Lawall, Apollonius Argonautica," 121--69; Donald N. Levin, "Apollonius' Heracles," CJ, 67 (1971), 22-28, and his At,ollonius' Argonautica Re­ Examined, passim; Herter, "Apollonios der Epiker," 35-38. £ichgri.in puts his finger on the problem when he says that Jason's achievement gives one no sense of accomplish­ ment ("Kallimachos und Apollonios Rhodios," 92-93).
    [Show full text]
  • The Making and Unmaking of Medea in Ancient Greek Image and Text
    Bard College Bard Digital Commons Senior Projects Spring 2018 Bard Undergraduate Senior Projects 2018 The urM dering Mother: The akM ing and Unmaking of Medea in Ancient Greek Image and Text Madison Skye Lauber Bard College Recommended Citation Lauber, Madison Skye, "The urM dering Mother: The akM ing and Unmaking of Medea in Ancient Greek Image and Text" (2018). Senior Projects Spring 2018. 185. https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2018/185 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Bard Undergraduate Senior Projects at Bard Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Projects Spring 2018 by an authorized administrator of Bard Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Murdering Mother: The Making and Unmaking of Medea in Ancient Greek Image and Text Senior Project Submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College by Madison Skye Lauber Annandale-on-Hudson, New York May 2018 This project is dedicated to my grandmother, Annette Prince, who has been there since the beginning, telling me “go Homer!” Acknowledgements There are many people without whom I could not have produced a senior project quite like this. First and foremost, my advisor, Rob Cioffi, whose patience and guidance were instrumental during this process. Thank you for helping me bring my ideas to the page and your continuous support these last four years. Thank you to Daniel Mendelsohn and Diana DePardo Minsky, for taking the time to read my project, sit on my board, and provide invaluable support. It has been an honor to have worked with both of you during my Bard career.
    [Show full text]
  • Jason & the Golden Fleece
    TEACHER’S GUIDE TEACHER’S GUIDE TEACHER’S GUIDE Discussion Questions Suggested Internet Resources • Why does King Aeson choose Chiron as his child’s mentor? Periodically, Internet Resources are updated on our Web site at • List the magical help that Jason receives before and during his quest. www.LibraryVideo.com Why is he favored by the Olympian gods? • www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/smc/journey • How does Jason obtain a crew for the Argo? Why do you think so many This site allows you to create your own heroic adventure and explore people were willing to join him on an impossible quest? classic mythological story structure. • Would Jason have been able to accomplish his quest without the help • www.bulfinch.org/fables/bull17.html from Medea? Discuss your answers. Read the classic tales of Greek mythology, descriptions of individual heroes and monsters, and even the crew list of heroes aboard the Argonaut. • What purpose would stories about a hero’s quest like this one serve the ancient Greeks? • www.pantheon.org “Encyclopedia Mythica” supplies definitions, images, and pronunciation Follow-up Activities guides for gods and heroes. • Have students read a different version of Jason’s adventures. Use Suggested Print Resources www.mythweb.com for an animated retelling. Chart similarities and JASON & THE GOLDEN FLEECE • D’Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire. Ingri and Edgar Parin differences between the versions. D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths. Doubleday, Garden City, NY; 1962. One • Jason is characteristically portrayed as a mortal hero fighting and of the best-loved classical collections of Greek mythology.
    [Show full text]