85 points.
Jason and the Argonauts
Long ago in ancient Greece, Pelius ordered the imprisonment of his brother, Aeson, and then stole Aeson's throne. Aeson's wife, Alcimede, feared for her infant son's safety. She took the baby, Jason, to the Mountain of Pelion, where she bargained with a centaur, a creature that is half man and half horse. "Please protect my son, and raise him as a warrior," she begged, and the centaur agreed. The centaur trained Jason in combat and strategy. Over the years, Jason grew into a muscular, handsome young man. Eventually, Jason learned that his parents had passed away and that his uncle still ruled his homeland. When he turned twenty, Jason decided to return home to reclaim his father's throne.
"Uncle, I have returned," said Jason upon his arrival. "You have held the throne of Iolkos for twenty years. Now you must surrender it to me."
Pelius welcomed his nephew but refused Jason's request. Instead, Pelius insisted that Jason prove his worthiness by undertaking a quest to claim the Golden Fleece from the land of Colchis and return it to Iolkos.
Jason reluctantly agreed to his uncle's demands. He knew he would need a superior vessel for the journey and consulted Argos, a famous shipbuilder. With the aid of the goddess Athena, Argos designed a large, strong, fast ship. Jason set sail on the ship, the Argo, with a crew of the strongest and bravest Greek men. These mighty warriors, who shone like gods themselves, were called the Argonauts.
Jason and the Argonauts journeyed for many years, fighting battles against strong armies and fierce monsters. When the Argo finally arrived in Colchis, King Aietes welcomed the warriors warmly. Once he discovered Jason's reason for visiting his land, however, the king became enraged. To prevent Jason from claiming the Golden Fleece, the king insisted that the warrior complete several tasks. First he had to defeat the fire-breathing bulls and the dragon that guarded the fleece. Then he had to force the bulls to plow the fields and then plant the dragon's teeth. Though Jason agreed, he felt discouraged because he didn't believe he could triumph.
The king's daughter, Medea, offered to assist Jason. "I will help you survive the challenge," Medea promised, "but in exchange, you must marry me and let me leave with you." Once Jason agreed, Medea, a sorceress, provided an ointment for Jason to smear on his skin. "This will protect you from the bulls' fiery breath," she explained. She also told him how to conquer the warriors of Earth, which would emerge from the soil once he planted the dragon's teeth.
Jason followed Medea's recommendations and defeated the bulls and the dragon. When the warriors of Earth attacked, Jason threw a boulder among them, which confused the creatures. As they squabbled with one another, Jason grabbed the Golden Fleece and returned to his ship. With Medea at his side, he escaped on the Argo and set sail for Iolkos.
The Golden Fleece and The Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles
Jason, with Peleus and Telamon, went back to the Argo. His comrades asked how he had fared, and when he spoke to them of the fire-breathing bulls with feet of brass, of the dragon’s teeth that had to be sown, and of the Earth-born Men that had to be overcome, the Argonauts were greatly cast down, for this task, they thought, was one that could not be accomplished. He who stood before the fire-breathing bulls would perish on the moment. But they knew that one amongst them must strive to accomplish the task. And if Jason held back, Peleus, Telamon, Theseus, Castor, Polydeuces, or any one of the others would undertake it.
But Jason would not hold back. On the morrow, he said, he would strive to yoke the fire-breathing, brazen-footed bulls to the plow of adamant. If he perished the Argonauts should then do what they thought was best—make other trials to gain the Golden Fleece, or turn their ship and sail back to Greece.
While they were speaking, Phrontis, Chalciope’s son, came to the ship. The Argonauts welcomed him, and in a while he began to speak of his mother’s sister and of the help she could give. They grew eager as he spoke of her, all except rough Arcas, who stood wrapped in his bear’s skin. “Shame on us,” rough Arcas cried, “shame on us if we have come here to crave the help of girls! Speak no more of this! Let us, the Argonauts, go with swords into the city of Aea, and slay this king, and carry off the Fleece of Gold.”
Some of the Argonauts murmured approval of what Arcas said. But Orpheus silenced him and them, for in his prophetic mind Orpheus saw something of the help that Medea would give them. It would be well, Orpheus said, to take help from this wise maiden; Jason should go to her in the temple of Hecate. The Argonauts agreed to this; they listened to what Phrontis told them about the brazen bulls, and the night wore on.
In a well-written paragraph, compare and contrast the Greek myths.