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Jason and the Golden Fleece
The Tales of Aries and Argo
Chapter 3: Jason and Medea
Hera watched the Argo dock at Colchis while
Jason readied a few of his crew to meet the king. Jason decided
it was best to go unarmed. "They will need protection," Hera thought
as she wrapped them in a foggy mist so thick that Jason and his
men appeared to have been deposited at the gates of the city by
the fog itself. "Now, what can we do to ensure his success?" Hera
wondered aloud. "Aphrodite, have you any ideas how to help Jason."
Aphrodite quietly looked over the scene and then said to Eros, "How
would you like a shiny ball decorated in gold and blue enamel?"
Eros nodded. "Take your bow and quiver to Colchis on the Earth.
You will find a princess named Medea. Wound her with your arrow
and make her fall in love with Jason. You may have the ball as soon
as you return." Eros sped away.
When the fog lifted, the sentries were surprised to see Jason and
his men standing at their palace gate. "What do you want?" the sentries
asked him.
"We're here to see the king. As you can see, we're unarmed. We come
in peace," Jason responded.
A sentry immediately went to King Aeetes, who invited them in and
had hot baths and dinner prepared for them. Medea heard the noisy
activity and crept into the room where her father was entertaining
the visitors. She glanced at all the men, but as her eyes fell upon
the man who wore a leopard skin and whose dark hair rippled down
his back, she felt a sting deep within her heart. Hidden from view,
she watched as her father rose to address his guests.
"We welcome you to Colchis," King Aeetes said. "As you have accepted
our hospitality, you must now tell us who you are and why you have
come," the king asked the man in the leopard skin.
"We are all of royalty or sons or grandsons of the gods," Jason
said. "Our purpose here is to reclaim the Golden Fleece of the ram
who long ago carried Phrixus to Colchis. If you will give us the
fleece, in exchange we will perform whatever task you desire. We
will conquer your enemies or do anything you wish, but please give
us the Golden Fleece."
The king's face registered his anger. "How dare they abuse my generosity!"
he thought. "If I had not shared food with them I would kill them."
But the king didn't say what he thought. He was far more deliberate.
Gathering his composure, he calmly said, "If you want the fleece
I ask only that you do what I myself have already done. I can't
give it to anyone with less courage than I myself have.
"You must yoke two fire-breathing bulls who have feet of bronze
and with them you must plow Ares' field. In the furrows, instead
of seed corn, you must sow the teeth of a dragon. The seeds will
grow into a crop of armed men and you must mow them down as they
march to attack you." Aeetes smiled as he added, "It is possible,
for I myself have done it."
Jason could feel cold sweat dripping down his back. It was more
than he expected, but he had pride at stake. "I will do it," he
said, then he turned to leave the room and return to his ship and
the rest of the crew followed.
Medea had been watching the exchange between her father and Jason
and she saw the fear on Jason's face. How would he ever survive?
She had a dream that night where a wall of fire raged behind an
army of men dripping with blood and the army surrounded a figure
in a leopard skin. The man whimpered and crouched as the bloody
army and wall of fire closed in around him.
Her dream startled her awake. Though it was the middle of the night,
she quickly rose and went to the corner of her room where she kept
all her herbs and potions. One by one she examined them and put
them back down until she came to an ointment she had made from an
herb collected in the Caucasus mountains. The herbs had grown out
of drops of Prometheus' blood. She placed the small vial in her
bosom and crept into her young nephew's room. "Quickly go to the
strangers' ship and find the man with the long, dark hair who wears
a leopard skin. Tell him to meet me before dawn at the market,"
she said.
As the boy arrived at the ship, although it was the middle of the
night, the crew were all awake. "It is foolish for you to attempt
it," Pollux said to Jason. "The task cannot harm me. Let me do it."
But Jason refused Pollux's help, just as he had refused the intervention
of all the rest of the crew as each had volunteered.
"I have a message for the man in the leopard skin," a boy's voice
interrupted their discussion, and they all watched him climb aboard
the ship. "My aunt Medea asked me to come to you. She wishes you
to meet her before dawn at the market. She didn't tell me what this
is about, but Medea is a great sorceress. I overheard you talk about
the dangers you must face. Meet with Medea. I know that she can
make you win for her magic can accomplish anything." Jason, deciding
that he had nothing to lose, immediately went to meet Medea.
In the corner of the market, the first rays of sunlight lit a white
robe and as the sun broke fully over the horizon, Jason could see
the dark-haired young woman who wore it. She had a fluid catlike
walk that belied the innocence of her face. She stood silently watching
him.
"You are Medea?" he asked. She nodded. "I am Jason." She nodded
again. "A boy came to visit me last night and told me that you know
powerful magic. Please help me. I have a dangerous task that I must
do." He started to tell Medea about his challenge but she placed
her fingers across his lips.
Reaching into the bosom of her robe, she pulled out a small vial.
"This will make you invincible for a day," she said as she handed
it to him. "If you sprinkle it on your body and your weapons, nothing
can harm you. When you fight the dragon tooth men, if too many attack
you at once you must throw a stone into the middle of them. They
will turn against each other and fight until they all are killed.
I must return home now before I am discovered." She started away,
then turned back toward him. "When you are safe and victorious at
home in Greece, remember Medea. She will always remember you."
Jason stepped toward her and took her hand and kissed it. "My thoughts
and dreams will always be of you," he said. With his hand still
holding hers, he placed them over his heart. "I give you my oath,
if you will come with me to Greece, you shall be worshipped for
what you have done for us. Come with me and nothing but death shall
come between us." Pulling her hand away, she returned to the palace
where, in the solitude of her room, she wept for her treachery to
her father and her shame at her feelings for a stranger.
Returning to his ship, Jason was sure of himself and confident of
victory. "Fetch the dragon's teeth," he said to two of his crew.
Then, choosing his weapons and covering them and himself with Medea's
ointment, he prepared his mind for the day ahead.
The men of the Argo followed Jason to the hills overlooking Ares'
field. There, waiting for them, were King Aeetes and his Colchian
guards. When the Argonauts brought the dragon's teeth they gave
their precious goods to Jason and, with all eyes watching him, he
descended to the field below.
The wind was silent as Jason stood in the middle of Ares' field.
The sun beat harshly down on him from its highest point and cast
no shadows as Jason warily surveyed the grounds. The calm was unnerving
for he had no idea what to expect. Then he thought of Medea's ointment.
Knowing a sorceress had made him invincible, he felt confidence
as strength surged through his muscles. Suddenly from a cave to
his right, two bulls rushed out at him as flames spewed from their
nostrils. Jason shook but, thinking of the protective shield of
the magic ointment, he steadied himself, grabbing the first bull
by the horns and fastening a halter to it. When the next bull reached
him, he tied that one also. He forced the bulls to their knees and
placed the yoke upon their backs.
Connecting the plow to the yoked bulls, he cracked a whip across
their spines and drove his team through the field. He pressed hard
upon the plow and it made deep furrows in the soil. After the field
lay scored with deep ridges, he sowed the dragon's teeth in the
moist earth and tamped it down. The hot sun made the teeth sprout
while, before his eyes, they broke the soil and grew into a mature
crop of armed warriors. As they grew they raised their weapons to
him and attacked.
Jason quickly glanced around and, spying a large rock lying near
his feet, picked it up and flung it into the center of the attacking
army. Immediately the dragon tooth men eyed each other suspiciously,
then turned upon each other and fought. It was only a few minutes
before the men were dead and the furrows were irrigated with their
blood.
Aeetes watched and grew angry. "They shall never take the Golden
Fleece," he said, but Hera had other ideas.
"Go to Greece with Jason and his men," Hera whispered to Medea,
who was annoyed as the thought came to her. Why was she preoccupied
with the stranger and why would she wish to leave her home? But
try as she might to busy herself with something else, the thought
just burrowed deeper until, that night, she found herself sneaking
out of the palace and onto the Argo.
"Why are you crying?" Jason asked when he spied Medea. "I was victorious
today because of you."
"I don't belong here in Colchis anymore," Medea said sobbing. "I
don't know where I do belong."
Jason put his arms around her. "Return with me to Greece," he said.
"We will all be safe there and when we return you will be my wife."
Her trusting eyes still brimmed with tears. "You must get the fleece
at once, then hurry away or you will all be killed," she said. "My
father has been planning your death."
"He won't succeed for Hera is our protector," Jason responded. "Where
is the Golden Fleece?"
"It hangs in the sacred grove south along the shore from here,"
she said. "You will not be able to easily take it for a huge serpent
guards it. But I will help you so you needn't worry, the serpent
will not harm you." The Argo immediately sailed and Medea provided
the directions.
They sailed to a lagoon protected by huge rocks and shallow sand
bars. Going to the spot by ship would normally prove impossible,
but that night a full moon illuminated the lagoon. Carefully guided
by the talking prow, the ship wound its way through the obstacles.
"Two degrees to the right there is a boulder on the shallow bottom,"
the talking oak warned. The helmsman swiftly re-adjusted the course.
Finally they landed and Jason and Medea disembarked alone.
Medea deftly led as they picked their way through the swamp. "There
is quicksand on either side," Medea said, pointing to the deceptive
patches that looked like solid ground. As the wetlands ended, thickets
began. "Briars rim the grove," she said. Medea was very familiar
with the trail and they passed safely. The air changed now for it
was warm and smelled sweetly of apple blossoms. Jason's eyes followed
her hand as Medea pointed and he saw a bright patch of gleaming
gold reflecting its light on the surrounding boughs. The color turned
to a pale but iridescent green which made the trees look otherworldly.
Jason started to run toward the fleece, but Medea grabbed his arm
and held him back. "Stop, Jason," she said. "Do you remember I warned
you of the snake? Please, don't let your desire for the prize make
you careless."
Straining his eyes, Jason saw a diamond shape glisten in the reflected
moonlight. Carefully changing his position, he watched as a stream
of diamonds slid around the tree that held the fleece. The snake
was gigantic. Wound completely around the tree, its tail was on
the ground yet its head rested on the fleece in the highest branches
as if the fleece were its pillow. Jason and Medea approached silently.
With the moonlight and the glow of the Golden Fleece, they could
see as if it were day. The snake was not fooled, as it raised its
head and fixed its eyes upon them. The mouth opened wide, exposing
two enormous fangs as its hiss sent chills along Jason's spine.
Jason was frozen in fear but Medea riveted her eyes upon those of
the snake and hummed a lullaby as she moved smoothly toward him.
The eyes of the snake never left her gaze as she hummed more loudly
and swayed her body, motioning for Jason to approach the snake.
The snake followed Medea's every move and, as he swung his head
back and forth, he never saw Jason come from behind and slide the
fleece off the bough.
Medea continued to sing and sway until Jason, with the fleece in
hand, retreated to the safety of the edge of the grove. Medea sang
more loudly still and, as she backed away, the head of the snake,
heavy with sleep, collapsed upon the now empty bough. In triumph
they returned to the ship and, to the rosy glow of dawn, they sailed
out of the lagoon.
Medea directed them to a small harbor for the provisions they did
not have time to stock in Colchis. As she wandered through the market,
she overheard the news that King Aeetes knew that Jason had taken
Medea and together they were stealing the Golden Fleece. She also
heard that he was sending her brother, Prince Apsyrtus, with an
army to bring them back. Losing no time, she found a young man who
owned a horse and gave him money and a message to deliver to the
prince. The message said, "Jason kidnapped me. Tell father not to
worry for I have the Golden Fleece, but I need your help to escape.
Meet me at the temple as soon as you are able. I am anxious to come
home." When Apsyrtus received the message, he immediately set out
alone to retrieve his beloved sister.
Meanwhile, Medea made another arrangement as well. Telling Jason
of her plan, they had the crew sail the ship out of the harbor to
make it look as though the Argo had sailed. Then she and Jason took
refuge in the temple.
It was only a day until Apsyrtus arrived. As he let himself into
the temple and approached the alter fire, he spied Medea sitting
beside it. She wore a silver robe and the Golden Fleece was spread
across her lap. Apsyrtus burst into a broad smile as he saw his
sister, but while he was greeting her, Jason came up behind him
and stabbed him in the back. Medea cast her eyes down into her lap
as her brother screamed. She tried to close out what was happening
but she couldn't escape the mark of murder for her brother's blood
spattered upon her silver robe.
The Argo returned for Jason, Medea and the fleece, and they sailed
away to safety. Although the troops of King Aeetes were scattered
in disorder with their leader dead, Medea was pursued nonetheless.
Every night her brother came into her dreams. It was always the
same dream. Lonely, she embraced her brother and, at her touch,
he turned into a skeleton, and every night she awoke screaming.
After many nights of this, Medea announced that they must visit
the sorceress Circe. She would purge them of Apsyrtus' murder, and
would perform their marriage.
"There are hazards along the route to Circe's island," Medea told
Jason. "There is a sheer rock known as Scylla and a whirlpool called
Charybdis. I have no magic to smooth the way," she warned.
"For that I have the magic," responded Jason. When they neared Scylla
and Charybdis, Hera sent sea nymphs whose song quieted the sea,
stopping the whirlpool and leading the Argo away from the high rock.
The route to Circe's island of Aeaea took them past Crete and, despite
Medea's warnings, the Argo docked on the island. The bronze race
had lived there and the last of their kind was a bronze giant named
Talus, who still guarded the island. He was made completely of bronze
except for his ankle, which was his only fleshy and vulnerable spot.
The Argo's crew ignored Medea's warning and while they were debating
how they would kill the bronze giant, their boat was overpowered
by high waves washing over the ship when a barrage of rocks hit
the surrounding water. Then they heard a deep voice from above saying,
"I'll crush you and your ship. Do not come closer or you will die."
A giant figure, looking as if he were clad in armor, walked toward
them. Each step covered a distance as long as their ship and the
clang that he made jarred the Argo's crew as they listened far below.
The men scrambled across the deck to look for a place to hide from
his bronze eyes and they stumbled over a figure, kneeling on the
deck and praying. "Hounds of Hades," Medea said in her prayer, "I
beg you to destroy Talus, the last of the ancient race, and carry
him to the underworld to join his kind."
The powers of Hades heard her prayer and, as Talus lifted a rocky
portion of the cliff to hurl at the Argo, he grazed his ankle and
blood gushed from the wound. The harbor turned a murky red and Talus
weakened and collapsed. As his body crashed into the sea it sent
up a giant wave that nearly capsized the Argo, but when the wave
moved out to sea and the harbor calmed, they saw a new island created
by Talus' body. They hurriedly stocked their supplies were stocked
and set sail for the island of Aeaea.
As a sorceress, the powerful Circe was without equal. A woman as
powerful as she is always loved by some, hated by many, but rarely
viewed with neutrality and because of this, Circe had come to the
island and learned to protect herself. It was night when they landed
and the air was filled with the sounds of monstrous wild beasts.
Medea knew that these animals were the manifestation of fears so
she controlled her thoughts and, for her, the animals disappeared
and Circe approached.
"Do
you think that you can change your destiny so easily to have me
purge your nightmares and consecrate your dreams?" Circe asked her,
but Medea did not respond. "You're young," Circe said. "You will
learn that only you can do that for yourself, but for now you probably
don't even know what I mean. So be it. We will perform the rituals
that will give you comfort," and Jason and Medea were married.
Tales of
the Immortal Night ©2003, J.J. Kuhl
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