Heroes in Greek Mythology: Jason Quiz

Answer: Aeson

Aeson was the king of Iolcus, and was the son of Cretheus, founder of the city. His mother was Tyro, who had an affair with the god Poseidon, giving birth to two sons, half brother to Aeson, one of whom was destined to play an important role in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts. Jason's mother is less certain, but is usually named as Alcimede, with Polymede also mentioned in some sources.

Answer: Thessaly

Thessaly still exists in Greece - it is a region in the central eastern part of the country, bordering Macedonia. The capital city of Larissa was an important location in Ancient Greece. Thessaly was previously known as Aeolia and Homer refers to it by that name when describing a visit to the region made by Odysseus.

Answer: Chiron

At the time of his birth, Jason's half-uncle had usurped the throne and had already disposed of other claimants, including his own full brother, Neleus, either by imprisonment or banishment. Jason's parents managed to convince everyone that he had been stillborn, and sent him to Chiron, a centaur fathered by the Titan god Cronus, also the father of Zeus. Chiron was renowned as a teacher, with his students including Theseus, Ajax and Perseus, as well as Jason, who remained with the centaur until he reached adulthood.

Answer: Pelias

Pelias was the half brother to Aeson, and had usurped the throne. Pelias had been warned by an oracle that his downfall would be brought about by a man wearing one sandal, so the appearance of Jason, only partly shod, put him on his guard. That Jason had lost the sandal while aiding a disguised Hera meant that he already had a powerful ally. Pelias offered to relinquish his throne in favour of Jason provided the young man returned to him with the Golden Fleece, thus setting in motion the quest for which Jason is still remembered in modern times.

Answer: Orpheus

The members of the Argonauts differ depending on which source is studied, but most of them agree that Heracles, Castor and Orpheus were among them, with others being Atalanta and Nestor according to some. In any event, they consisted of a large group which included some of the best warriors available. Orpheus is known for his own legend, having descended into Hades to try and recover his wife Eurydice, and also had a major role to play in Jason's quest. One of the hazards the Argonauts had to overcome was the song of the Sirens (the ones Odysseus also came across) which would bewitch any man, even the heroes of the crew.

The playing of Orpheus was so beautiful that it drowned out the sirens' song, allowing the Argonauts to pass safely.

Answer: Colchis

Colchis was located in the Caucasus region and is now identified as the modern country of Georgia. To find it, Jason was assisted by the king of Salmydessus in Thrace, named Phineus. The king was blind and was close to death since the Harpies, at the behest of Zeus, were stealing all his food. Jason and his crew prepared a feast, which the Harpies couldn't resist, enabling two of the Argonauts (Calais and Zetes) to remove them for good.

Not only did Phineus, in his gratitude, provide Jason with the exact location of Colchis, he also gave him and his crew instructions on how to avoid being crushed by the moving rocks which guarded the area.

Answer: Daughter

Jason was still under the protection of Hera, who arranged, via Aphrodite, that Eros should shoot one of his arrows at Medea to ensure she fell in love with Jason. This was vital to the success of the quest since Medea was a priestess of Hecate and a mistress of sorcery. Without her assistance, as will be explained in later questions, it is unlikely that Jason would have acquired the Golden Fleece, or returned with it.

It seems like a classic case of 'I'll do all the work while you take all the credit' (see also Theseus and Ariadne) in Greek myth with Jason being the one credited with capturing the fleece.

Answer: Armed soldiers sprang up

Aeetes was hardly likely to hand over the Golden Fleece without setting Jason some tasks to overcome, but, fortunately for Jason, Medea had plenty of tricks to help him achieve his goal. Task one involved harnessing two bulls, who breathed fire, to plough a field.

The protective balm provided by Medea ensured Jason was only mildly scorched. The second task, now the field was ready, involved sowing the dragon's teeth, resulting in an armed warrior appearing for each tooth sown. Medea saved the day again by telling Jason to throw rocks amongst the soldiers who fought and killed each other, not knowing where the rocks had come from. Medea finally enchanted the dragon guarding the Golden Fleece, enabling Jason to escape with it to the Argo.

Answer: Talos

Talos was a bronze machine or automaton, resembling a man in most depictions, that protected Crete from invaders or unwanted visitors. Talos certainly viewed the Argonauts in this manner and, once again, it was Medea who saved the day. Having enchanted Talos, she discovered that his blood supply (ichor) was circulated in a single vein closed by a nail or plug. The removal of this meant his lifeblood drained from him and he died.

The minotaur is associated with Crete but belongs to a different myth, the Cyclops are believed to have lived on Sardinia and form part of the Odyssey while Enceladus was a giant.

Answer: His ship, the Argo

Despite presenting Pelias with the fleece, Jason still did not gain the throne. Medea's sorcery tricked Pelias's daughters into killing their father, but these, and other, actions had angered the gods, and Jason and Medea were banished to Corinth. Jason soon fell in love with another woman, leading Medea to take a terrible revenge, killing the woman and the children Jason had fathered with Medea.

Jason's abandonment of Medea meant that he had lost the patronage of Hera, and his life had slipped into despair, deservedly, some might say. He was far from the hero and leader that he had been during his adventures, and some sources claim that he committed suicide. More fittingly, he seems to have met his end while sleeping under the Argo, which had been left to rot. A beam fell from it, landing on the former hero and crushing him to death.