Jason and the Golden Fleece by Apollonius of Rhodes

*contains spoilers*


It is interesting to note that both the title of this piece, ‘Jason and the Golden Fleece’, and its author, Apollonius of Rhodes, are known in a variety of forms: as a quick example, the ‘Argonautica’ and Apollonius Rhodius, respectively. It is also interesting that Apollonius spent most of his time in Egypt as scholar and librarian of the Library of Alexander under the patronage of the Ptolemies, and the nature of how he acquired the epithet of Rhodes is forever disputed – scholars suggest that he moved to Rhodes from Alexandra after a period of feeling unappreciated there, or that he was exiled for the poor reception of this particular piece, whilst others claim that it may have simply come about after Apollonius wrote of or dedicated a poem to the isle. A student (or merely appreciator, depending on how one chooses to interpret the parchments) of Callimachus, ‘Jason and the Golden Fleece’ is Apollonius’s greatest surviving text.


Written around the third century BC, the story takes over from the Homeric myths and concerns Jason’s labour to acquire the Golden Fleece at the behest of the usurper king of Iolcos, Pelias from the grip of King Aites of Colchis. This text differs from those of Homer, however, as we see a slight shift from the direct influence of the will of the gods to a deeper reliance on the wits and decisions of the mortals involved. Juxtaposing these rather human powers Jason’s own, nevertheless, we do see the godlike strength and weight of the heroic Heracles, though Apollonius does decisively offer Heracles a passive role in the tale so that he can stay true to the mythologies of old and indulge in his own adventures elsewhere. Though it must be said that with the likes of Athena offering her guidance to Argus in the construction of the Argo, Hera’s grudging supplication to Aphrodite in seeking her son Eros’s help in aiding Jason’s task, Isis’s promise in keeping the Harpies away from Phineus and Zeus’s eagle offering omens to the seer Mopsus to aid Jason in his travels, the gods are still evidently integral to the movement of the Greek tale.


As well as this shift to the more prominent wits of mortals over the interventions of the gods, Apollonius also offers ever-so-slight changes to the established myths of old, as it is Jason and not Medea who murders in cold blood the almost unstoppable Apsyrtus on their seemingly continuous escape from Colchis. We do, in light of this, enjoy contributions from the brave Peleus and headstrong and assertive Thetis, father and mother of Achilles, who stick to the established stories of old and continue their fraught relationship whilst maintaining their contribution to the movement of the plot and Jason’s safe return from his dubious labour. Additionally, as opposed to the implication of the title of the Oxford World’s Classics edition, it is Medea, one of the most striking characters of Greek mythology, who here faces some of the most profound topics of the piece in her passionate displays of self-doubt and debate over father and lover, wrong and ever-so-slightly-less wrong, to be or not to be..


The text is written, it is believed, with the purpose of being digestible in one sitting as a response to the dense epics of Homer, which were obviously quite dominant at the time of writing, though the ‘Argonautica’ went on to inspire the works of Virgil, whose own epic work of verse, The Aeneid, is a relatively thick tome. As I have stated, I read this piece in the Oxford World’s Classics edition, which I think are some of the best editions out there, and the prose in which the tale is presented allows the reader to absorb the movement of the piece in a calmingly languid and enjoyable session. Enjoy!

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