Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

David Antram, John Malam, David Salariya

In this straight-forward retelling of the myth of the Argonauts, the story begins with the prophecy by the oracle who proclaims that Pelias, king of the city-state of Iolcus, should pay attention to his family, because they will deprive him of power. So Pelias decides to kill everyone, showing mercy only to his brother Aeson, whom he throws into the dungeon. When he arrives to kill Jason, his brother's son, he is tricked by Alcimede the boy's mother, into believing that the young man had(...)

literary

YEAR: 2004

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Aeëtes Aeson Alcimede Argo Argonauts Argos / Argus (Constructor of "Argo") Athena Centaur(s) Chiron / Cheiron Colchis Corfu / Kerkyra Golden Fleece Harpies Hera Jason Medea Oracles Orpheus Pelias Poseidon Sirens

Nick Willing

Jason and the Argonauts

Zeus and Hera, looking like a young and handsome couple, peer down at mortals from heaven among the clouds. They are observing Jason’s life from the murder of his father Aeëtes by his uncle Pelias, through his childhood years spent in anonymity away from his home, his return to the King’s court, the forced expedition to seek the Golden Fleece for his uncle, his visit to and escape from the Amazons, the finding of the seer, the arrival in Colchis, Medea’s help in getting th(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2000

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Absyrtus / Apsyrtos Aeëtes Amazons Argo Argonauts Argos / Argus (Constructor of "Argo") Atalanta Castor Clashing Rocks / Symplegades / Cyanean Rocks Colchian Bronze Fire-Breathing Bull Colchian Dragon Colchis Eros Harpies Heracles Hercules Hypsipyle Iolcus Jason Lemnos Magic Medea Olympians Orpheus Pelias Phineus Pollux Prophecy Teeth of the Dragon

Natalia Kapatsoulia, Filippos Mandilaras

Jason and the Argonauts [Ο Ιάσονας και η Αργοναυτική Εκστρατεία (O Iásonas kai ī Argonaftikī́ Ekstrateía)]

Mandilaras’ narrative starts with Jason’s childhood on Mount Pelion and ends with the hero’s adventures in Colchis. Aeson, Jason’s father, entrusted the child Jason to the centaur Chiron. When he turned twenty Jason headed for Iolcus to dethrone Pelias, his uncle. At a river crossing, Jason assisted an elderly woman, who was the goddess Hera in disguise. Jason lost one sandal in the river. King Pelias was terrified when he saw Jason. He remembered an oracle that he w(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: Greece

TAGS: Achilles Aeëtes Aeson Amphiaraus Argonauts Argos (City) Boreas Calais Chiron / Cheiron Clashing Rocks / Symplegades / Cyanean Rocks Colchis Greece Harpies Hera Hercules Iolcus Jason Lemnos Medea Mysia Nymphs Orpheus Peleus Pelion Phineus Theseus Thrace Zetes

Robert Byrd

Jason and the Argonauts: The First Great Quest in Greek Mythology

A lavishly produced illustrated retelling of the Jason myth, including explanatory material in boxes and footnotes. Jason and the Argonauts: The First Great Quest in Greek Mythology retells the myth in some detail, on pages packed with text and illustrations. Summarising this book requires an entry of some length.After handsome endpapers, which show a map of the Mediterranean, and trace Jason’s journey, the first section, The Golden Fleece (pp. 1–2) opens by setting up the back-story(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Argo Argonautica Argonauts Colchis Heracles Hercules Jason Medea

Nicolas Duffaut, Hélène Montardre

Orpheus in Hell [Orphée aux Enfers]

Calliope, one of the nine Muses, sings to her baby boy Orpheus who seems to delight in her voice. He grows up to be a child interested in music and indifferent to usual boyish pursuits causing his father to worry. Apollo offers the boy a magic lyre that is supposed to grow with him. Young Orpheus becomes an exceptional musician who plays the lyre, mesmerizing his audiences. When Jason announces his plans to travel to Colchis looking for the Golden Fleece, Orpheus volunteers, to his father astoni(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: France

TAGS: Apollo Argo Argonauts Calliope Cerberus Charon Colchis Eurydice Golden Fleece Hades Jason Maenads Orpheus Persephone

Aleksei Simukov, Aleksandra Snezhko-Blotskaia

The Argonauts [Аргонавты (Argonavty)]

Two Greek boys playing on the seashore notice a wrecked ship and an old man sitting nearby. The man, Jason, tells them the story of the ship (“Argo”) and recalls some of his friends the Argonauts (Theseus, the Dioscuri, the Boreads, Orpheus, and Heracles). He tells how the ship was built and how they journeyed to Colchis in order to find the golden fleece. Among the adventures Jason recalls moving rocks of Symplegades, Stymphalian birds, and sirens.In Colchis in order to win the gold(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1971

TAGS: Aeëtes Ares Argonauts Athena Athens Boreads Clashing Rocks / Symplegades / Cyanean Rocks Colchis Dioscuri Hecate Heracles Jason Medea Orpheus Sirens Stymphalian Birds Theseus

Jemal Bagashvili, Aleksander Basilaia, Evgeny Ginzburg

The Argonauts [არგონავტები (Argonavtebi)] / Merry Chronicle of a Dangerous Voyage [Веселая хроника опасного путешествия (Vesёlaia khronika opasnogo puteshestviia)]

The movie presents the myth of the Argonauts in contemporary setting. It starts with an introduction about Tim Severin’s expedition to Georgia in 1984 and then presents the director’s version of the myth. The movie contains most of the main elements of the classical myth. It tells briefly the story of Jason and Pelias, describes the building of “Argo” (which looks exactly like Tim Severin’s “Argo”) and the assembling of the team. Then it presents adventu(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1986

COUNTRY: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

TAGS: Aeëtes Amazons Amycus / Amykos Argonauts Argos / Argus (Constructor of "Argo") Colchis Diogenes Dioscuri Golden Fleece Greece Heracles Hylas Jason Laertes Medea Orpheus Pelias Poseidon Sirens Tiphys

Natalia Kapatsoulia, Filippos Mandilaras

The Golden Fleece [Το χρυσόμαλλο δέρας (To chrysómallo déras)]

King Athamas, prompted by his second wife Ino, intends to sacrifice his son, Phrixus, but a golden ram appears and carries Phrixus away. Phrixus and his sister, Helle, ride the flying ram across the seas. Helle falls to her death over a narrow sea passage. At Colchis, Phrixus sacrifices the ram to Zeus and offers its golden fleece to king Aeetes. A dragon guards the fleece. Many years later, Jason requests the golden fleece from Aeetes. To receive it Jason is tasked with ploughing the land (...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: Greece

TAGS: Aeëtes Apollo Athamas Colchis Corinth Crete Helle Ino Iolcus Medea Orchomenus Orpheus Pelias Phrixus Sirens Talos (Automaton) Zeus

Christina Balit, James Riordan

The Twelve Labours of Hercules

A picture book retelling of the story of Hercules’ life and the twelve labors he performed, aimed at younger readers and readers interested in visual storytelling. Text is accompanied by opulent pictures.(...)

literary

YEAR: 1997

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Admete Alcmene Alpheus Amazons Argonauts Artemis Athena Atlas Augean Stables Augeas Cacus Castor Centaur(s) Cerberus Ceryneian Hind Charon Chiron / Cheiron Colchis Deianeira Delphic Oracle Diomedes’ Mares Dionysus / Dionysos Erymanthian Boar Eurystheus Eurytos Geryon Geryon's Cattle Golden Fleece Hades Hebe Hera Heracles Hercules Hippolyta's Belt Hydra Hyllus Iolaus Iole Iphitos of Oechalia Jason Ladon Linus Minos Minotaur Mycenae Nemean Lion Nereid(s) Nereus Nessus Nymphs Olympus Omphale Peneus Perseus Pollux Poseidon Stymphalian Birds Styx Titans Twelve Labours of Heracles Underworld White Bull Zeus