The myth of Jason, Medea, and the Golden Fleece - Iseult Gillespie
-
0:07 - 0:10In the center of Colchis
in an enchanted garden, -
0:10 - 0:15the hide of a mystical flying ram
hung from the tallest oak, -
0:15 - 0:18guarded by a dragon who never slept.
-
0:18 - 0:23Jason would have to tread carefully
to pry it from King Aeetes’ clutches -
0:23 - 0:26and win back his promised throne.
-
0:26 - 0:30But diplomacy was hardly
one of the Argonauts’ strengths. -
0:30 - 0:34Jason would have to navigate
this difficult task alone. -
0:34 - 0:36Or so he thought.
-
0:36 - 0:39Leaving most of his bedraggled crew
to rest, -
0:39 - 0:44Jason made for the palace with some
of his more even-tempered men. -
0:44 - 0:49His first instinct was to simply ask
the king for his prized possession. -
0:49 - 0:53But Aeetes was enraged
at the hero’s presumption. -
0:53 - 0:55If this outsider wanted his treasure,
-
0:55 - 1:00he would have to prove his worth
by facing three perilous tasks. -
1:00 - 1:05The trials would begin the following day,
and Jason was dismissed to prepare. -
1:05 - 1:10But another member of the royal family
was also plotting something. -
1:10 - 1:14Thanks to the encouragement
of Jason’s guardians on Mount Olympus, -
1:14 - 1:19Medea, princess of Colchis
and priestess of the witch goddess Hecate, -
1:19 - 1:22had fallen in love with the challenger.
-
1:22 - 1:28She intended to protect her beloved
from her father’s tricks — at any cost. -
1:28 - 1:32After a sleepless night, Jason
somberly marched to the castle— -
1:32 - 1:34but was intercepted.
-
1:34 - 1:38The princess armed him
with strange vials and trinkets, -
1:38 - 1:42in exchange for a promise
of eternal devotion. -
1:42 - 1:44As they whispered
and planned their victory, -
1:44 - 1:49both hero and princess fell deeply
under each other’s spell. -
1:49 - 1:51Unaware of his daughter’s scheming,
-
1:51 - 1:55the king confidently led Jason
to face his first task. -
1:55 - 1:58The hero was brought
to a huge field of oxen -
1:58 - 2:01that lay between him and the fleece,
-
2:01 - 2:05and told that he had to plough the land
around the crowds of oxen. -
2:05 - 2:08A simple task— or so Jason thought.
-
2:08 - 2:11But Medea had concocted
a fire-proof ointment, -
2:11 - 2:15and so he plowed the flickering fields
unscathed. -
2:15 - 2:17For the second task,
-
2:17 - 2:21he was given a box of serpent’s teeth
to plant into the scorched earth. -
2:21 - 2:27As soon as Jason scattered them, each seed
sprouted into a bloodthirsty warrior. -
2:27 - 2:30They burst up around him,
barricading his way forward, -
2:30 - 2:34but Medea had prepared him
for this task as well. -
2:34 - 2:37Hurling a heavy stone she had given him
into their midst, -
2:37 - 2:41the fighters turned on themselves
as they scrabbled for it, -
2:41 - 2:44letting him slip by the fray.
-
2:44 - 2:45For the third task,
-
2:45 - 2:49Jason was finally face to face
with the guardian of the Fleece. -
2:49 - 2:52Dodging sharp claws and singeing breath,
-
2:52 - 2:57Jason scrambled up the tree
and sprinkled a sweet-smelling concoction -
2:57 - 2:58over the dragon.
-
2:58 - 3:02As the strains of Medea’s incantations
reached its ears -
3:02 - 3:07and the potion settled in its eyes,
the dragon sank into a deep sleep. -
3:07 - 3:11Elated, Jason climbed
to the top of the tallest oak, -
3:11 - 3:15where he slipped the gleaming fleece
off its branch. -
3:15 - 3:17When the king saw the hero
sprinting away— -
3:17 - 3:21not only with the fleece,
but his daughter in tow— -
3:21 - 3:23he realized he had been betrayed.
-
3:23 - 3:26Furious, he sent an army
led by his son Absyrtus -
3:26 - 3:31to bring the ill-gotten prize
and his conniving daughter home. -
3:31 - 3:35But all the players in this tale
had underestimated the viciousness -
3:35 - 3:37of these disgraced lovers.
-
3:37 - 3:43To the horror of the Gods, Jason ran
his sword through Absyrtus in cold blood. -
3:43 - 3:48Medea then helped him scatter pieces
of the body along the shore, -
3:48 - 3:53distracting her grieving father
while the Argonauts escaped. -
3:53 - 3:56As Colchis and their pursuers
grew smaller on the horizon, -
3:56 - 3:59a solemn silence fell aboard the Argo.
-
3:59 - 4:03Jason could now return
to Thessaly victorious— -
4:03 - 4:06but his terrible act
had tarnished his crew’s honor, -
4:06 - 4:09and turned the Gods against them.
-
4:09 - 4:11Buffeted by hostile winds,
-
4:11 - 4:16the wretched crew washed up
on the island of Circe the sorceress. -
4:16 - 4:19Medea begged her aunt
to absolve them of wrongdoing— -
4:19 - 4:22but bloody deeds
are not so easily forgotten, -
4:22 - 4:26and fallen heroes
not so rapidly redeemed.
- Title:
- The myth of Jason, Medea, and the Golden Fleece - Iseult Gillespie
- Speaker:
- Iseult Gillespie
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-myth-of-jason-medea-and-the-golden-fleece-iseult-gillespie
In Colchis, the hide of a mystical flying ram hangs from the tallest oak, guarded by a dragon who never sleeps. The only way Jason can pry it from King Aeetes’ clutches and win back his promised throne is by facing three perilous tasks— without the help of the Argonauts. Unbeknownst to the king, his daughter Medea was plotting something. Iseult Gillespie shares the myth of the Golden Fleece.
Lesson by Iseult Gillespie, directed by Jordan Bruner.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:29
Elise Haadsma approved English subtitles for The myth of Jason, Medea, and the Golden Fleece | ||
Elise Haadsma accepted English subtitles for The myth of Jason, Medea, and the Golden Fleece | ||
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