Argo Review

Jason would have perished if not for the King’s daughter, the sorceress . Smitten by Jason (thanks to a little divine intervention from Hera), she gave him an ointment to protect him from fire and told him how to defeat the earth-born soldiers. Finally, she used her magic to put the sleepless dragon guarding the Fleece to sleep. Jason seized the shimmering gold, and the Argo fled into the night with Medea aboard. The Long Way Home

The voyage was a gauntlet of mythological terrors. They stopped at the , where only women lived, and nearly forgot their quest in the arms of the locals. They fought the Harpy monsters to save a blind seer named Phineus, who in gratitude gave them the secret to surviving the Symplegades —the Clashing Rocks. These were massive cliffs that smashed together on anything attempting to pass. By releasing a dove first and timing their rowing to the split second, the Argo squeezed through, losing only a piece of its stern ornament. The Witch and the Fleece Jason would have perished if not for the

In Crete, they faced , a giant bronze automaton that hurled boulders at the ship. Medea, again using her dark arts, found the single bronze nail in his ankle that held in his life-fluid (ichor), causing the giant to bleed out and collapse. The Bitter End Jason seized the shimmering gold, and the Argo

Jason returned to Iolcus with the Fleece, but the victory was hollow. The throne was not easily surrendered, and the fallout of Medea’s dark deeds eventually led to Jason’s downfall. They fought the Harpy monsters to save a

, the legendary musician whose song could calm the seas. Castor and Pollux , the twin brawlers and horsemen. Atalanta , the fierce huntress. Zetes and Calais , the winged sons of the North Wind. The Perilous Journey

The tale begins in Iolcus, where a young hero named arrived to claim his rightful throne from his uncle, the usurper Pelias. Pelias, wary of a prophecy about a man wearing one sandal (which Jason was), struck a bargain he thought was a death sentence: "Bring me the Golden Fleece from the distant land of Colchis, and the kingdom is yours."

When they finally reached Colchis, King Aeëtes had no intention of handing over the Fleece. He demanded Jason perform "impossible" tasks: yoke fire-breathing bulls, plow a field with them, and sow dragon’s teeth that sprouted into an army of warriors.