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Writer's pictureAndy McIlvain

The Epic Tale of Jason & The Argonauts Explained

Updated: Mar 5


Video from The Life Guide


The Epic Tale of Jason & The Argonauts Explained

"Jason & The Argonaut's quest for the Golden Fleece is one of the most renowned stories in Greek Mythology. The son of Aeson and rightful heir to the kingdom of Iolcos, Jason would have to retrieve the Golden Fleece to reclaim his homeland, with the famous witch Medea, the great hero Hercules, and the renowned poet Orpheus all joining him on the adventure." from video introduction.


Who was Jason in Greek Mythology?

JASON, the son of Aeson and Alcimede, was a Greek hero and voyager, born in Iolcus, a town in Thessalian Magnesia. However, difficulties arose when Aeson, ruler of, was dethroned by his half-brother Pelias. Either because Alcimede distrusted Pelias’ intentions towards Jason or simply because it would be better for the boy if he were educated elsewhere.

She placed Jason in the care of the wise Centaur Chiron, who lived in the Thessalian woodlands. Chiron was skilled in many things, including medicine, and may have given the boy the name Jason (meaning “healer”).

Who were the Argonauts in Greek Mythology?

THE ARGONAUTS were very early explorers, most likely the first Greek Voyagers to the Black Sea. The Argonauts consisted of 50 members or heroes in Greek mythology who sailed from Thessaly, where their leader, Jason, was the rightful king of Iolcus. Years before the Trojan War, the Argonauts accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece.


When people ask me where it all began, and where my interest in mythology came from, the answer is always the same Jason and the Argonauts. More specifically, the 1963 movie. However, we will be looking at the complete myth or story of Jason and the Argonauts as they embark on their epic quest to find the Golden Fleece..." from the article: Jason and The Argonauts — The Epic Quest for the Golden Fleece (Complete Myth)


Why Ancient History Matters

"The College Board, the non-profit organization that owns the Advanced Placement program, recently announced that it will be entirely cutting ancient and medieval history from its A.P. World History course, the most widely taken world history class in the country. The new course will begin at the year 1450 and will only cover modern history, omitting the entire first 5,000 years of recorded history. The College Board will offer another course, called “pre-A.P. World History” which will include only ancient and medieval history; the problem is that material from this course will not be included on the A.P. test and no college credit for taking the course will be offered, so students will have little motivation to take it and schools will have little motivation to offer it. Furthermore, most public high schools will not be able to afford to offer it, because the course costs money.

The reason why ancient and medieval history are being cut is because teachers complained that it was too difficult to cover the entire 10,000-year span of human history in a single class that only lasts for one year. The College Board, deciding that modern history was more important than ancient and medieval history, concluded that it should take priority. Teachers and students across the country have reacted with outrage over this change and the College Board has expressed some willingness to negotiate, though no changes have yet been made to their original pronouncement.

What the College Board does not seem to realize is that ancient and medieval history is barely covered in schools as it is. When I was in school, ninth grade World History class was the first and only time we ever learned about the Greeks and Romans in school and we only covered them for about two weeks combined. Since very few people choose to study world history in college (especially if they have already scored well on a A.P. test), the College Board’s changes to the curriculum could mean that future generations of students taking A.P. World History will never learn about ancient or medieval history in class at all.

Already, most of what your typical American knows about the ancient world comes from television and Hollywood, neither of which are exactly known for historical reliability. (Remember Ancient Aliens?) If students are never taught ancient history in school, these television shows and films, along with other pop culture references, will become virtually their only sources of information on the subject. This raises the question: Does ancient history even matter? Why should ordinary people know about things that happened over a thousand years ago? How could any of that possibly have any relevance to people today?.." from the article: Why Ancient History Matters


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