::::::::::::::::::::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.