Fairy Tale: Jason and the Argonauts

Fairy Tale Presrntation

Title:The title of thes story is Jason and the Argonauts.

Speaker: My name is Joe Grant and

Moral: this is a story about courageous men accomplishing courageous feats.

Introduction:

1.) Title of Fairy Tale: Jason and the Argonauts

2.) Author: is a Greek myth.

3.) Preview:

1st: Jason wants to claim his rightful place on the throne but

2nd: he has to go on a journey to get the Golden Fleece to do so.

3rd: Of course, he can't just journey to get the fleece, he has to make the journey home too.

(Transition) Jason and the Argonauts

Body:

1.) Narrative beginning: Jason was the son of King Aeson of Iolcus and rightful heir to the throne. But before Jason was born, King Aeson's half brother, Pelias, had overthrown the king and imprisoned him.

Jason's mother pretended that her son had died at birth. And she took him away secretly to be brought up by Chiron the centaur, a creature who was half horse and half man. If King Pelias had known of Jason's existence, he would surely have put the boy to death.

Even though Pelias knew nothing of Jason, he could not rest. For an oracle had warned him that he would be killed by a relative and that he must guard against a man wearing one sandal.

A.) Many years later, a handsome young man with curly, golden hair came walking into the marketplace at Iolcus. He was wearing a leopard's skin and only one sandal. He had lost the other while carrying an old woman across a river.

When King Pelias saw the tall stranger with one sandal, he was instantly afraid. Surely he was the man about whom the oracle had warned Pelias.

"What is your name?" said King Pelias. "And why have you come to my kingdom?"

"I am called Jason," said the stranger. "I have come to claim the throne, for my father is your half brother, and I am the rightful king of this land. I do not wish to quarrel with you. You may keep all the riches of the kingdom, but I must have the title of king, for it belongs to me."

King Pelias thought quickly and said, "I shall not quarrel with you. The throne shall soon be yours. But first you must do one thing. Bring back the Golden Fleece from the kingdom of Colchis. It hangs on a tree there and is guarded by a dragon that never sleeps. This ram's fleece of gold belongs to our kingdom, and only a strong, fearless man like you can recover it. When you return with it, I shall yield my throne."

King Pelias was sure that nobody could survive such a dangerous quest, but Jason did not know this. "What a fine adventure it will be," said Jason. "I accept the challenge gladly. I shall choose a group of brave young heroes and have a sturdy ship constructed at once."

Jason asked Argus, a master shipbuilder, to build him a great ship with fifty oars. Then he sent envoys to every palace in Greece, asking for volunteers to help capture the Golden Fleece. The ship was called the Argo, and the fifty volunteers, called Argonauts, included such as Heracles and Orpheus.

B.) As the group rowed away, Jason, the leader, prayed to Zeus to bless the dangerous journey. The strong Argonauts pulled their oars, and the ship sped through the waves.

After a while, Heracles called out, "Let us have a contest to see which of us can row the longest."

"Agreed!" cried the others, and they rowed for many long hours until, one by one, they grew tired and had to give up. Only Jason and Heracles continued. Finally Jason fainted from overexertion, and Heracles' oar broke in two.

The Argonauts pulled their boat onto a sandbar in a river so that they could rest. And Hylas, Heracles' squire, went ashore to find drinking water. A long time passed, and he did not return. Heracles went ashore and ran through the forest, calling his squire's name, but he could not find him. A water nymph who had fallen in love with Hylas had pulled him down into the spring where she lived. Heracles did not know this and continued searching for Hylas. When Heracles did not return,