Hero
Jason
Leader of the Argonauts, hero who sought the Golden Fleece.
Jason is the leader of the Argonauts, a band of heroes who sailed to Colchis on the Black Sea to obtain the Golden Fleece. Son of King Aeson of Iolcos, he was raised by the centaur Chiron after his uncle Pelias usurped the throne. Sent on the quest for the Fleece by Pelias, Jason assembled a crew of heroes in the ship Argo and overcame many trials, aided crucially by the sorceress Medea of Colchis. Their story is narrated by Apollodorus (Bibliotheca 1.9.16–28) and in the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius (3rd century BCE).
Quick facts
- Pantheon
- Greek
- Figure type
- Hero
- Period
- Mythological hero; traditionally set in the generation before the Trojan War
- Primary sources
- Apollodorus Bibliotheca 1.9.16–28; Pindar Pythian Odes 4; Apollonius Rhodius Argonautica (3rd c. BCE)
- Related figures
- heracles, medea, orpheus, theseus
- Constellation link
- argo-navis
Quest for the Golden Fleece
Apollodorus (Bibliotheca 1.9.16–28) narrates that Jason's uncle Pelias, warned by an oracle to beware a man wearing one sandal, encountered Jason and sent him on the impossible quest for the Golden Fleece as a way to rid himself of the rival. The Fleece hung in the sacred grove of Ares in Colchis (modern Georgia), guarded by a sleepless dragon. Jason assembled a crew called the Argonauts — fifty heroes including Heracles, Orpheus, Castor, and Pollux — and set sail in the ship Argo built by Argus. After many adventures, including the Clashing Rocks (Symplegades), Jason reached Colchis. King Aeëtes set seemingly impossible tasks which Jason completed with the help of Aeëtes's daughter Medea, a powerful sorceress.
Medea and the return
Medea fell in love with Jason (aided, in Apollonius's account, by Eros acting on behalf of Hera) and gave him a magic ointment to protect him from fire, and instructions for defeating the dragon-sown warriors and the sleepless dragon. Having obtained the Fleece, Jason and Medea fled Colchis with the pursuing Colchian fleet behind them. They returned to Iolcos, where Medea used her magic to rejuvenate Jason's father Aeson and trick Pelias's daughters into inadvertently killing their father. Jason and Medea eventually settled in Corinth; the end of their relationship and Medea's revenge are the subject of Euripides's Medea (431 BCE), which draws on earlier traditional material.
Sources & further reading (2)
- primary-source — accessed 2026-05-06
- encyclopedia — accessed 2026-05-06
Frequently asked questions
What is the Golden Fleece?
The Golden Fleece is the fleece of the golden ram Chrysomallus, sent by the gods to rescue the children of King Athamas of Boeotia. The ram carried the children Phrixus and Helle to Colchis; Helle fell into the sea (naming the Hellespont) and Phrixus arrived safely. He sacrificed the ram to Zeus and gave the Fleece to King Aeëtes of Colchis, who placed it in a sacred grove. It became the object of Jason's quest. The myth may preserve ancient memory of trade routes to the Black Sea and Colchis's gold deposits.
Who were the Argonauts?
The Argonauts were the crew of the ship Argo that sailed with Jason to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The name means 'sailors of the Argo'. Apollodorus (Bibliotheca 1.9.16) lists them as including Heracles, Orpheus, Castor and Pollux, Calais and Zetes (winged sons of Boreas), Atalanta, Meleager, and others — a who's-who of Greek heroic tradition. The full list varies across ancient sources. Apollonius Rhodius's Argonautica (3rd century BCE) is the most complete narrative account.
