Disclaimer

I am using an automatic transcript service as it is not possible for me to do it on my own and I cannot afford human transcription at the moment. The service claims to have about 95% accuracy, which means there will still be some mistakes, so my apologies for having a less than perfect transcript, but I hope I can afford human transcription soon and I will solve this problem. However, the service is pretty good, and the transcript is almost perfect.

Transcript

Welcome to a new episode from English plus podcast. Today’s episode is about myths and legends. And for today, we have chosen a character from Greek mythology and this character is Jason. We will talk about Jason in context, some themes from his story. So without further ado, let’s start talking about Jason.

[00:00:24] In Greek mythology. Jason was the leader of a band of adventurers who set out on a long journey to find the golden fleece. Although he succeeded in this quest, he never achieved his true goal, which is to become King of the land of  to which he was the rightful heir. Jason’s story is one of violence and tragedy as well as adventure, perhaps because of his relationship with the Enchantress and which media like many Greek heroes, Jason was of Royal blood.

[00:00:55] His father was King ASEN of  in Northwestern, Greece. The King’s half brother Palias wanted the throne himself and over through ACE. And while Jason was still a boy Jason’s mother feared for his safety, she sent him away to be guarded by Kyron a Y center. And a center is a creature that is half man and half horse.

[00:01:18] Kyron took charge of the boys’ education. Kyron taught Jason hunting, warfare music and medicine. Some accounts say that the center also gave Jason his name, which means healer in recognition of the boys’ skill in the medical arts. At about the age of 20 Jason headed back to  determined to gain the throne that rightfully belong to him on the way he helped an old woman across a flooded stream and lost one of his sandals unknown to him.

[00:01:49] The old woman was the goddess Hara and disguise. She vowed to destroy Peleus who had failed to worship her properly and to help Jason and Oracle, which is a person who could communicate with the gods had warned Peleus to be aware of a man wearing one sandal. When Jason arrived in , the King confronted him, Jason identified himself and declared that he had come for his throne prevented by the laws of hospitality from attacking Jason openly, barely us resorted to trickery.

[00:02:22] He said that if Jason could bring him the fable golden fleece, he would make him his air. Peleus believed that obtaining the heavily guarded fleece from the distant plant of Cocus was a nearly impossible task. Jason assembled a band of brave adventurers, including the sons of Kings and gods and some other former students of Kyron to accompany him on his quest.

[00:02:44] They sailed magic ship called the Argo, and we’re known as the Argonauts them were the famous musician Orpheus and the hero Harris, please. The Argonauts eventful journey to Cocus their seizure of the golden fleece and their long voyage home became the subject of many tales and works of art. They might never have succeeded without the help of Medea.

[00:03:09] The daughter of King, IATs of caucus who fell in love with Jason. Some versions of the story said that Hara persuaded, Aphrodite the goddess of love to inspire media’s passion. Both a clever woman and a witch with knowledge of magic Medea would be a useful helpmate to Jason. When Jason arrived in caucus.

[00:03:29] I ETAs set harsh conditions for handing over the golden fleece, including the accomplishment of several seemingly impossible tasks. Jason had to hook two fire-breathing bulls to a plow. So a field with dragon, Steve, and then fight the armed warriors that grew from those teeth. In all these trials, Midea used her magic powers to protect and guide Jason.

[00:03:54] Then after Jason promised to marry her, she helped him steal the fleece from the serpent that guarded it. With the fleece on board, the Argo sailed away from caucus, pursued by Medallia’s brother absurdist absurdist caught up with a ship and spoke with Jason promising to let him keep the golden fleece, if he would give up Medea.

[00:04:14] However, Maria objected to this plan when she and Jason next met as Bertus Jason killed him. After a long journey home with many adventures along the way, Jason and the Argonauts finally arrived back in  Jason delivered the golden fleece to Peleus. Meanwhile, Medea decided to get rid of Belize. Now here accounts differ on whether Jason knew of her plan or not, but that is one account of the story.

[00:04:41] She persuaded the King’s daughters that she could make their father young again, but first they would have to cut him up and put him in a pot. This procedure led only to a messy death and the horrified people of  drove Jason and Medea away. The couple settled in Corrine’s, where they lived for 10 years and had several children.

[00:05:03] There are peaceful interlude ended when Creon, the King of Corrine’s offer Jason, his daughter in marriage, Jason accepted and divorced Medea enraged at this poor treatment. Medea sent the new bride, a poisoned wedding gown, which killed her when she put it on and killed Korean. As he tried to save her some versions of this myth, say that to punish Jason still further, Madell went on to kill the children.

[00:05:29] She had born him. While other accounts say that the angry Corinthians killed them either way. The children perished and Medea fled to Athens. According to some accounts. Maria killed Jason at Corinth as part of her bloodbath, much more common though, is the story that Jason lived out his last days at Corinth alone and broken by tragedy.

[00:05:51] One day as he sat near the Argo, which was rotting away, a piece of wood broke off from the ship and fell on him, killing the one-time hero of the golden fleece. Oh, the story of Jason centers on the passing of Royal power from one generation to the next, these myths predate government rule by elected officials and represent an older system of rules.

[00:06:14] Still common in many regions during the height of the Greek empire. Historical records suggest that plots and overthrows of rulers were all too common in ancient Greece and Rome. The story of Jason helps to encourage the tradition of passing of power from a King to his son. This is done by showing Jason to be a sympathetic hero, prompting the audience to root for his success.

[00:06:38] The seeds of Jason’s downfall our song when he accepts help from Medea, uh, which with few scruples in the end, Jason’s desire for power leads to the deaths of media’s brother, Palias Korean Korean’s daughter and his own children. The myth warns that not all paths to power are worth taking. In the midst of Jason and the Argonauts, the golden fleece is a symbol of that, which is unattainable or cannot be gotten.

[00:07:04] Peleus only gives Jason the task because he believes it cannot be completed. Even after arriving in caucus, the fleece seems impossible to take. And once Jason returns to  with the fleece, he is still unable to attain his rightful place as King. The golden fleece can also be seen as a symbol of rightful heirs to Royal power.

[00:07:25] Has Jason possessed the fleece and was the rightful heir to his father’s throne? Jason himself represents justice as the heir who returns in an attempt to claim the throne that according to tradition rightfully belong to him. He may also represent a method of leadership that was growing increasingly unpopular in the face of more democratic forms of government.

[00:07:47] In the end, Jason does not reclaim his kingdom for himself and dies in a way. Not at all. Be fitting a hero or rightful King. Many writers have been inspired by the subject of Jason’s quest for the golden fleece among the ancient Greek works concerning the subject are Pindar spiffy, Pythian, odd Apollonius rodeo says are going Arctica and European is play Medea in the middle ages, English writer, Joffrey Josar retold the story in the legend of good women.

[00:08:16] And in the 18 hundreds, William Morris wrote the long narrative poem, life and death of Jason, which centered on the quest. Robert Graves novel. The golden fleece was published in 1944. And John Gardner’s, Jason and Medallia was published in 1973. The story of the search for the golden fleece has also been adapted to film most notably the 1963 movie, Jason and the Argonauts.

[00:08:43] So that was the story, Jason and the famous Argonauts. I hope you learned some details you didn’t know about before, about Jason, or if you haven’t heard of Jason at all, you were in for a treat. Now with that being said, that will be all I wanted to share with you in today’s episode from English plus podcast.

[00:08:58] This is your host, Danny. Thank you very much for listening to another episode from English plus podcast. I will see you next time.