If Jason didn't win the fleece...

surrendermon

New Member
If Jason didn't win the fleece...

As part of a project at university I'm trying to imagine how Jason's story would have played out had he not won over Medea and completed Aeëtes' tasks to win the golden fleece.

So, what if Jason wasn't actually quite so dashing and didn't win over Medea? He would fail Aeëtes' tasks and, if he didn't die in the process, probably beat a retreat with the argonauts in the Argo. Presuming then that the travellers somehow managed to avoid the obstacles Medea helped them overcome on their return journey, Jason would find his relatives slain and his throne unobtainable in Iolkos. So then... the argonauts disperse, Jason returns to live with Chiron? Or is Chiron, trainer of heroes, too proud to take him back?

Or do you think there is another ending?

Any input would be appreciated.
 

Jonny Capps

Member
I don't know that the Argonauts would have stood for having their leader flayed by Pelias. Still, had Jason not been successful in retrieving the fleece, his fate would likely have been sealed by the dragon who was guarding it (you know, the one that never slept). If Jason had simply fled, after learning the magnitude of the task set before him, the Argonauts would likely have lost all respect for him, rejecting him as their leader. There were some pretty hefty names on the Argos manifest, after all. Chiron certainly wouldn't have wanted anything to do with him. Chiron trained champions, not losers. Jason likely would have lived out the rest of his days in disgrace, and quickly forgotten after his death.
 

Misa

Member


"The Drakon of Kholkis disgorges (or swallows) the hero Jason. Behind it the Golden Fleece hangs from a tree. Athene oversees the scene, holding a small owl and wearing her gorgon-headed aigis. This version of the story is from the lost work of an unknown ancient Greek poet."
 
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