Did you ever wish that you had the help of Athena while doing your math test? How about having Zeus helping you make that shot in your basketball game? Many Heroes including Jason got this kind of assistance from the gods. The myth of Jason and The Quest for the Golden Fleece is the story of a Hero named Jason. This man was kept from his rightful throne in Iolcus, and, in order to gain it back, he must retrieve the Golden Fleece. After going on a long and hard journey on the sea, he finally returned to take what was his. The myth of Jason and The Quest for the Golden Fleece is similar to other myths in many ways. They are similar in that in these myths, people try to escape Oracles’ prophecies and can’t, monsters play prominent roles in both stories, and the Gods help our heroes on the way to victory.
The myth of the Quest for the Golden Fleece is similar to other myths in that people try to escape the events foretold in prophecies, but cannot. When Jason was young, the evil ruler of Jason’s rightful throne, King Pelias, received a prophecy that someone in his court would kill him. In reaction to this, he killed everyone in his palace. Luckily, Jason was smuggled away and lived (Malam 6-7). At the end of the story, Jason ends up taking back his rightful throne from Pelias, who is killed by his own daughters (Malam 10 - 29). The same theme is followed in the myth of Persesus. In this myth, baby Perseus is also sent away to die due to a prophecy that he would kill his own grandfather. Perseus lives, but unfortunately, later in life, accidentally hits his grandfather with a discuss blown amiss by the wind and kills him (Skidmore “Perseus”). Thus we see that no mater how hard one tries, he cannot escape an Oracles’ Prophecy. The myths of Jason and Perseus are also alike in that both heroes had to deal with ferocious monsters.
Another way the myth of the Quest for the Golden Fleece is similar to other myths is the common theme of heroes, dripping in testosterone, taming or killing huge, ferocious monsters. In his quest for the Golden Fleece, Jason and his crew had to tame not only fire breathing bulls, but harpies, dragons, and an army of warriors sprouted out of the ground (Limke 28-29). Of course, every evil beast Jason and his men battle is sorely defeated. Heracles kills the one thousand headed hydra (Skidmore “Hercules”), Thesus defeats the half man-half bull Minotaur (Skidmore “Thesus”), and Odysseus stabs the one-eyed Cyclops in the eye with a fiery spear. One can always count on his ancient Greek heroes to come out on top. But without the help of some Gods or goddesses, these heroes could not have done what they did.
The last way the myth of the Quest for the Golden Fleece is similar to other myths is the theme of heroes getting help from certain gods or goddesses. When Jason kindly helps an old woman cross a fast flowing river, he then finds out that the woman is actually the goddess Hera in disguise (Skidmore “Jason”). Luckily for Jason, Hera helps him throughout his quest. She even partners up with Aphrodite to make Medea, a beautiful enchantress, fall in love with Jason (Skidmore “Jason”). This proves to be very useful, as Medea helps Jason get the Golden Fleece from a huge dragon. This theme is also illustrated in the myth of the Odyssey, when Odysseus gets help from Athena throughout his voyages. Athena also helped Perseus by giving him her shield. Perseus used this shield to look at the reflection of Medusa, instead of looking directly at her (Skidmore “Perseus”). If he would’ve looked directly at Medusa, he would have been turned to stone. And, as all myths have an end, so must this essay. This brings us to the conclusion.
Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece bears many similarities to other myths. Some of these similarities include, when characters try to stop prophecies from happening and fail, the theme of the taming of monstrous beasts, and stories of divine intervention in the lives of heroes. The epic story of Jason’s voyage will live on in the hearts of many a man. The question is, will that man remember how this myth fits into the massive web of mythology? We live in hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment