Jason and the Argonauts

by Apollonius of Rhodes Book 9 in the Penguin Classics: Ancient World series.

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Jason and the Argonauts recounts the voyage of Jason and the heroes who sail aboard the Argo to Colchis in search of the Golden Fleece. Jason undertakes the quest after Pelias, who has taken the throne of Iolcus from Jason’s family, offers to surrender power if the apparently impossible task can be completed.

The expedition carries the Argonauts through a sequence of dangerous encounters before they reach the court of King Aeëtes. Jason succeeds only with the help of Medea, the king’s daughter, whose knowledge allows him to survive the trials imposed by her father and seize the Fleece. Their escape from Colchis gives the heroic adventure a darker conclusion, since Jason’s victory depends on Medea abandoning both her family and homeland.