Jason’s first task was to plow a field from end to end using the Khalkotauroi, two fire-breathing bronze-hooved bulls; urged by her sister

and Jason’s promise to marry her once the expedition was over, Medea gave Jason an ointment that protected him from the fire and made him practically invulnerable.

With the help of the balm, Jason successfully yoked the bulls and managed to plow the field in no time.

Jason’s second task was to sow dragon’s teeth in the plowed field; though a seemingly easy task, its completion resulted in an army of stone warriors springing out from the earth.

Prepared by Medea and following her advice, Jason flung a rock in the midst of the mighty warriors. Not knowing who had thrown it,

the warriors turned on each other and, by sunset, Jason was the only one who remained alive on the field.

Even so, Aeetes didn’t want to hand over the Golden Fleece just yet. On the contrary, he plotted with the leading men of Colchis to kill Jason and the Argonauts during the night.

Fearing something in this vein, Medea fled from her father and joined the Argonauts, leading Jason to a sacred oak tree where the Golden Fleece hung, guarded by a sleepless dragon.

Using her drugs and spells, Medea caused the dragon to fall asleep, just long enough for Jason to snatch the Golden Fleece and carry it back to the Argo.

The Trojan Horse

The epic struggle between the kingdom of Troy and the Greek alliance involves many fascinating stories, but the most famous is the tale of the Trojan Horse.

After 10 years of war, the Greek army grew tired of the conflict and came up with an idea to finally breach the walls of Troy.

The cunning Odysseus suggested that the Greek army use subterfuge to breach the walls. In the span of three days,

hey constructed a giant wooden horse, burned their tents, and sailed just out of sight, leaving Sinon behind to tell the Trojans that they had indeed sailed home.

Secretly, however, Odysseus and some others remained behind hidden inside the hollow horse.

The Greeks had engraved an inscription on the horse, saying it was an offering to Athena, and Sinon was able to convince

the Trojans that the offering was in good faith. Despite reservations from some of the Trojans that the horse was a trap, they took it into the city and begin celebrating.

In the middle of the night, Odysseus and the other Greeks who hid in the horse went out into the city,

lighting the beacons at the tops of the walls to signal the Greek fleet to return.

Thanks to this trick, the Greek army was able to finally breach the walls of Troy and win the war.

Jason Returning to Iolcus

Now a grown man, Jason returned to Iolcus to attend some games held by Pelias in honor of the god Poseidon; during his travel, he lost one of his sandals in the river

Anaurus while helping a disguised Hera to cross. Hera – who hated Pelias for neglecting to honor her – secretly blessed Jason at that point, instantaneously turning him into an instrument by which she planned to bring Pelias’ demise in the future.

Jason appeared in front of Pelias and introduced himself as the rightful heir of Aeson.

Recognizing the danger, Pelias asked Jason what he would have done if he had just met the man destined to bring about his death; perhaps inspired by Hera

– who, just like Zeus with Heracles, wanted to heighten Jason’s glory – Jason replied that he would send that man to fetch the Golden Fleece.

And, so, Pelias did just that: he gave Jason the quest to bring the Golden Fleece to Iolcus, promising him that, once Jason does that, he would step down from the throne.

Jason and Argonauts

Gladly accepting the mission to bring the Golden Fleece from Colchis to Iolcus,

Jason had a boat built and assembled a party of heroes, collectively called the Argonauts, after the name of the ship,

Argo. In the course of their journey, Jason and the Argonauts met with many adventures and perils (see Argonauts for a more extended account) – and overcome them all.
The Isle of Lemnos

After the Argonauts set sail, they first reached the island of Lemnos. Ruled by Hypsipyle, at the time of the Argonauts’ arrival,

the island was inhabited only by women, since some time before they had killed all of their husbands for spurning them on account of their stench (a curse by Aphrodite) and taking in Thracian concubines

. The Argonauts stayed for a while on Lemnos, sleeping with the women of the island and creating a new race, called Minyans.

Jason himself begot at least one child with none other than Hypsipyle, Euneus.

The Gegeines

After Lemnos, the Argonauts went to the land of the Doliones, where they were warmly greeted by their king Cyzicus.

While most of the Argonauts were on the hunt for supplies beyond the nearby Bear Mountain, their ship was attacked by the Gegeines,

“the Earthborn,” a race of six-armed giants who happened to inhabit the same island.

Heracles, a member of the Argonauts’ crew himself, managed to kill many of them before the rest of the Argonauts came and pushed the giants back.

At night, the Argo set sail once again, but, unfortunately, it was blown back to the island, where the Doliones, thinking they had been attacked by pirates, stormed the ship; in the battle which ensued, many Doliones were killed,

including Cyzicus himself who was murdered by Jason. The following day, as the morning light revealed the tragic error, the remorseful

Argonauts held a funeral for the slain king; his wife, Cleite, however, couldn’t bear the scene and hanged herself from grief

Jason and Medea

Fully committed to Jason, Medea not only helped him extinguish Talos, the giant bronze man, but also personally killed her very own brother.

Even so, Jason betrayed her and married another woman. Medea’s revenge was both tragic and gruesome.

The Murder of Aeetes

After retrieving the Golden Fleece, Jason, Medea and the Argonauts left Colchis. Aeetes tried to follow them, but Medea killed her brother Apsyrtus and threw his pieces into the sea,

causing Aeetes to stop and retrieve them. Zeus, angry at Medea’s act of gruesomely killing her brother, caused a number of storms

on the Argonauts’ way back home. To redeem themselves, Jason and Medea had to stop at the island of Aeaea,

where the nymph Circe, Aeetes’ sister, purified them from the sin, not knowing its gravity or type. And so, the Argonauts sailed on.The Sirens and Talos

On their voyage back to Iolcus, the Argonauts faced and braved through many dangers, two of which especially stand out.

First, they encountered the Sirens famous for causing ships to crash onto the reefs in consequence of their captivating voices which tended to mesmerize sailors and crews.

The Argo was different, however, since it had Orpheus on board. The mythical poet played the lyre so beautifully and loudly that it completely drowned out the Sirens’ voices and helped the Argonauts pass by these strangely beguiling monsters.

Near Crete, the Argonauts hit upon an even greater danger: Talos, a giant bronze man, who guarded the island and threw stones at anyone approaching.

Medea cast a spell on him and managed to remove the plug that kept Talos’ ichor (the divine blood) in his single vein. Thus, he promptly bled to death.