Famous Men of Greece · Ch. V · Unit 2: Hercules, Jason and Theseus

8. Jason and the Golden Fleece

Goal: Your child can retell the voyage of the Argo and the three tasks Jason had to do to win the golden fleece.

⏱ About 30 minutes · 6 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

  • A map or globe (a free online map works well)
  • A notebook or paper and colored pencils

What's in the book

Jason, raised by Chiron the centaur, loses a sandal helping an old woman (really Juno) and comes to Iolcus. Pelias sends him for the golden fleece. With the Argonauts, Orpheus's music and Medea's magic, he yokes the fire-breathing bulls, defeats the dragon-tooth warriors and takes the fleece.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Set the scene

    Find Iolcus on the east coast of Greece (near today's city of Volos), then the narrow strait into the Black Sea, then Colchis at the far east end of the Black Sea. That was a very long trip in a rowing ship.

  2. Read the chapter together

    Read pages 52–61 aloud, or let your child read and help with the hard names. Notice that this story connects to two earlier ones: Hercules sails on the Argo, and Jason must sow the teeth of the dragon that Cadmus killed.

  3. Narration

    Close the book. Ask your child to tell the story back in their own words, from the beginning. Don't correct as they go; just listen. If they get stuck, use a prompt:

    - Why was Pelias afraid of a man with one sandal?

    - How did Jason lose his sandal?

    - How did the Argo get into the water?

    - What three things did King Aeetes make Jason do?

    - How did the Argonauts get past the Sirens?

  4. Talk it over

    Ask:

    1. Why did Juno help Jason all his life?

    2. Where does the name "Hellespont" come from? What is it called on our maps?

    3. Could Jason have won the fleece without Medea?

  5. Remember it

    "Beware of the man who wears but one sandal."

    "Build a fifty-oared ship. Take as companions the greatest heroes of Greece."

  6. Something extra

    Draw the Argo with its fifty oars, or make a crew list: Jason, Orpheus, Hercules, Castor and Pollux, and Lynceus, with what each was good at.

Afterwards

Ask: what does it mean to be kind to a stranger? Jason's kindness to an old woman changed his whole life.

Tip

The last paragraph mentions murder and revenge in one or two lines. You can stop at "What became of it afterward nobody knows" if you prefer.

Answers to the book's problems

1. Because Jason carried her, as an old woman, across a swollen stream; she wanted to find out if there was real kindness among men, and she never forgot it. 2. From Helle, who fell from the ram's back and drowned there; the name means the Sea of Helle. On our maps it is the Dardanelles. 3. Probably not: her ointment saved him from the bulls' fire and her potion put the dragon to sleep.

Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.

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